The UW Law School actively participates in off-campus recruiting programs and job fairs in order to give students increased access to a broad range of employers and to accommodate employers who are unable to participate in our on-campus interviews. The off-campus recruiting programs and job fairs supplement the traditional on-campus interview program held at the Law School in August and September of each year. The Law School pays the registration fees for the off-campus recruiting programs and fairs, though students who participate in these programs generally travel at their own expense.
If you have questions about any of these recruiting programs or job fairs, please contact Assistant Dean Jane Heymann at (608) 262-6413 or at jheymann@wisc.edu.
Recruiting programs fall into four main categories:
Geographic Recruiting Programs
These programs expand the interviewing opportunities for our students who are interested in a specific geographic area. We currently participate in programs with employers in the New York/ Northeast area, Washington D.C., and California.
Diversity Recruiting Programs
There are several programs that bring our LEO students together with employers who have a specific interest in hiring students of color. The programs are held in a variety of locations.
Public Interest Recruiting Programs
Our public interest-minded students can interview with a variety of employers from across the country at one of the special programs for public interest employers.
Specialized Recruiting Conferences
From time to time, different organizations offer specialized recruiting conferences. These programs, such as the Annual Patent Law Interview Program, give qualified law students an opportunity to meet with employers from across the country.
In addition to these recruiting programs, the National Association of Law Placement maintains a calendar of regional consortia and recruiting conferences, most of which occur annually. Click here to see the current list.
Below are the descriptions of the specific recruiting programs in which the UW Law School participates.
Geographic Recruiting Programs
- Friday, August 15, 2008: West Coast Program (in Los Angeles)
- Wednesday, August 20, 2008: Washington, D.C. Program
- Friday, August 22, 2008: New York/Northeast Program
[To participate in any of the geographic recruiting programs, come to the Career Services Office to pick up a Registration form, and complete it and return it to the Career Services Office by April 9. Registered students will receive an email containing their special ID and password (separate and distinct from the user name and password that you use to participate in our fall on-campus interview program and to access our on-line Job Bank) to use the Symplicity website to bid for and schedule interviews through any of these Programs. Both second- and third-year students (i.e., current 1Ls and 2Ls) may participate. Your resume must be uploaded into the Symplicity system, and your bidding must be completed on-line, by 9 a.m., Central Time, on Thursday, July 17. Do NOT wait until July 16 to bid because the server will be very slow, and you will be frustrated. ]
New York/Northeast Off-Campus Recruitment Program: This program offers students an opportunity to interview with a variety of New York and Northeast employers. The participating schools are the University of Wisconsin, the University of Iowa, the University of Minnesota, UCLA, and the University of Southern California.
The 2008 program is scheduled for Friday, August 22, 2008, at the Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square, 1568 Broadway, in New York City.
Employers who are registered to interview at this program in 2008, as of March 1, included: Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider; Baker & McKenzie; Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft; Cahill Gordon & Reindel; Chadbourne & Parke; Cravath Swaine and Moore; Davis Polk Wardwell; Dechert LLP; Fried Frank; Hogan & Hartson; Jones Day; Kaye Scholer; Mintz Levin; Moses & Singer; the New York County District Attorney's Office; O'Melveny & Myers; Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland Perretti; Ropes & Gray; Seward & Kissel; Sidley Austin; Skadden Arps; Weil Gotshal & Manges; White & Case; and Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Washington, D.C. Off-Campus Recruitment Program: This program is designed to expand interviewing opportunities for our students who are interested in summer clerkships and permanent positions with government agencies and law firms in the D.C. area.
The 2008 program will be held on Wednesday, August 20, 2008, at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1250 22nd Street NW, Washington, D.C. Five law schools will be participating (University of Iowa, University of Minnesota, UCLA and USC, as well as University of Wisconsin Law School).
The following employers have registered to participate in this program in 2008, as of March 1: Arent Fox; Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; Covington & Burling; Goodwin Procter; Hogan & Hartson; Mintz Levin; Richards Layton & Finger (Wilmington, Delaware); Ropes & Gray; Sutherland Asbill; the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office; Potter Anderson & Corroon; Patton Boggs; and the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission.
West Coast Recruitment Program: Through this program, students can submit their resumes for pre-screened interviews with West Coast employers. Four law schools are participating: University of Iowa Law School, University of Minnesota Law School, Washington University Law School, and University of Wisconsin Law School.
The program is scheduled for Friday, August 15, 2008, at the Wilshire Grand, 930 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles. As of March 1, participating employers in the 2008 program included Best Best & Krieger; Christie, Parker & Hale; Downey Brand LLP; Fennemore Craig; Ford & Harrison; Gibson Dunn & Crutcher; McDonald Carano Wilson; Morgan Lewis & Bockius; O'Melveny & Myers; San Diego County Office of the Public Defender; Santoro, Driggs Walch Kearney Holley & Thompson; Sheppard Mullin; Shook, Hardy & Bacon; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; Skadden Arps; and Snell & Wilmer.
Diversity Recruiting Programs (Check Eligibility For Each Job Fair)
Bay Area Diversity Career Fair: The Bay Area Diversity Career Fair attracts hiring representatives from the Bay Area’s most prominent law firms and government legal departments. Only second year law students who will have completed their first year of law school by the time of interviews are eligible to participate..
A welcome reception that includes prospective employers takes place
the night before the interviews and a breakfast panel the morning of
the interviews features diverse lawyers from a variety of practice
areas. This year, the welcome reception will be held on
August 8 at the Orrick Building and interviews will take place August 9
at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District.
Registration deadline is June 20, 2008. Register online at https://basf-orrick-dcf-csm.symplicity.com/students. For additional information, go to: http://www.sfbar.org/careerfair.
Cook County Bar Association Minority Student Job Fair: This job fair, sponsored by the Cook County Bar Association and the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms, brings together over 800 students and over 140 law firms, corporations and governmental agencies located in California, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Washington, D.C., and other states who have a particular interest in interviewing students of color.
The 2008 Cook County Bar Association Minority Student Job Fair will be held on Friday, August 8, 2008, at the Embassy Suites Chicago-Downtown/Lakefront, 511 N. Columbus Drive, Chicago, Illinois.
Registration materials are available in the Career Services Office, and online student registration opens on April 1, 2008 at www.easelaw.com/ccba. The Law School has already registered for the fair, and the Law School's liaison is Assistant Dean Jane Heymann. Students who want to participate must register on line and upload their resume by Friday, May 2, 2008, at 12 midnight (NO EXCEPTIONS). After each student's registration has been approved by the Job Fair Committee (which includes verification that their law school has registered and confirmation that they meet all participation criteria), students will be required to upload a finalized resume and bid for their 25 ranked employer selections between June 2, 2008 and June 8, 2008. Interview schedules will be emailed to students in late June. Students must confirm their attendance at the Job Fair or cancel their registrations by July 25, 2008. For information, go to www.ccbaminorityjobfair.com.
Annual BLSA Midwest Minority Recruitment Conference: The 2007 Annual BLSA Midwest Minority Recruitment Conference will be hosted this year by the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, and will be held on Friday and Saturday, August 24 and 25, 2007, at the Embassy Suites Hotel Indianapolis - Downtown, in Indianapolis, Indiana. If you are a member of a NBLSA Chapter, to register for the Conference visit http://www.easelaw.com/nblsa -- from the home page, click on MWBLSA in the navigation bar to view updated information about the Conference. Click on "Student Registration" to set up a username and password and complete your student profile. You must include a valid email address during the registration process. You will receive an initial confirmation email within 24 hours, approving you to use the online system. If your approval is denied, please contact the Recruitment Conference Coordinator immediately at midwestjobfair@gmail.com. If you are not a member of a NBLSA Chapter as of May 1, 2007, you will not receive approval to use the online system, and you must submit a NonMember Student Registration form which is available from the Career Services Office. Beginning June 25, 2007, you may view and select up to 15 employers with whom you would like to interview. The bidding process will conclude on July 6, 2007. If you have questions, contact the Recruitment Conference Coordinator at midwestjobfair@gmail.com.
Boston Lawyers Group Job Fair: The Boston Lawyers Group is a consortium of 40 of the largest law firms, government agencies, and corporations in the City of Boston. Its mission is to promote the hiring, retention, and professional development of law students and attorneys of color in the member organizations through coordinated and sustained efforts. Among the primary goals of the BLG is to increase the number of law students of color hired by the member organizations. The BLG therefore sponsors a job fair in which members participate. All Class of 2009 and 2010 students of color are welcome and encouraged to participate in the Job Fair. Employers will be interviewing second year law students for 2009 summer associate/law clerk positions and, in a limited number of cases, third year law students for permanent associate positions beginning in the fall of 2009.
Two Job Fairs will be held: one in Washington, D.C. on Thursday,
August 21, 2008, at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel; and one in Boston
on Friday, August 15, 2008, at the Intercontinental Hotel on Atlantic
Avenue. Students may register for only one of the two Job Fairs.
Interested students should register by July 11, 2008, at https://law-blg-csm.symplicity.com/students and should come to the Career Services Office to pick up a copy of the informational brochure, for additional details.
DuPont Primary Law Firm Minority Job Fairs: Held in three sites this coming year, on Saturday, August 9, 2008, in Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and Wilmington, Delaware. Registration deadline: April 14, 2008. Registration for these Job Fairs will be completed electronically. Students should log-on directly to the link mentioned below, complete the Registration Form, attach their resume, and click "Submit." To access the Registration Form, log on to www.ballardspahr.com, then click on the link to the Registration Form (near the bottom on the left side of the page, in red letters). Click on this link to bring up the screen which asks for your username and password. Use "student" as your username and "3r0vaodf"" as your password (the system is case-sensitive - and please note the third character is a zero and the sixth character is a lower case "o").
You will be asked to attach a copy of your resume and law school transcript to the electronic Registration Form. If this is not possible, you may send the information as an email attachment to dupontregistration@ballardspahr.com, or forward copies of those materials by mail directly to Noelle Zappacosta, DuPont Legal Minority Job Fair Coordinator, c/o Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, 1735 Market Street, 51st Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103-7599 before Monday, April 14, 2008. Your application materials will not be accepted unless you provide both your resume and transcript by the April 14 deadline.
Questions about the DuPont Minority Job Fairs should be directed to Noelle Zappacosta at dupontregistration@ballardspahr.com.
Indianapolis Bar Association Diversity Job Fair:
The Indianapolis Bar Association (IBA) invites second-year law students
(graduating in 2010) to participate in its Diversity Job Fair. IBA is
seeking candidates who represent all aspects of diversity. The Job Fair will be held at the Embassy Suites Downtown in Indianapolis, IN on September 25 - 26, 2008. The Student registration deadline is July 1, 2008 and students can register via IBA's symplicity website at: https://law-indybar-csm.symplicity.com/students/.
There is no fee for registering and two (2) interviewing students will receive a $2,500 scholarship. The hotel is located at:
110 West Washington Street, Indianapolis,
IN. Room rates for students are $169.00 per night and the reservation deadline for this date is August 26, 2008. Contact the hotel directly for reservations: 1-800-Embassy or 1-317-236-1800 and
reference the IBA Diversity Job Fair to receive the group rate. Contact
Caren Chopp (cchopp@indybar.org; 317-269-2000) if any special
accommodations are needed.
For more information about the IBA Diversity Job Fair, visit: http://www.indybar.org/diversity.cfm.
Minnesota Minority Recruitment Conference: Over 25 Minnesota law firms and state agencies participate in this conference. The MMRC Conference is open to law students who will be entering their second or third years of law school this fall. The Conference is geared toward students of color, but, per the non-discrimination policy of the Conference, all students are invited to participate.
The 2007 MMRC Conference will be held at the offices of Faegre & Benson in downtown Minneapolis on Friday and Saturday, August 17 and 18. Student registration is available on the Conference web site at http://www.tcc-mmrc.org/students.html.This year, students will upload resumes and bid for interviews through a special Symplicity site. To register, visit the website and use, as your login, your primary email address; and as the password, enter tcc2007. Student registration must be finalized by June 1st. The Conference coordinators will contact registered students in June with information about bidding for employers with which you would like to interview.
Rocky Mountain Diversity Legal Career Fair: The Rocky Mountain Diversity Legal Career Fair is scheduled for Friday, September 12, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. This Career Fair provides a forum for 2L and 3L law students, 2008 law school graduates, and legal employers to meet and discuss employment options. Legal employers attending the RMDLCF seek to hire law students and recent law school graduates from culturally diverse backgrounds that have been traditionally underrepresented in the practice of law in the Rocky Mountain region. These include law students and 2008 graduates who are ethnic or racial minorities and/or gay or lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Law students and recent law school graduates are invited to attend the Career Fair and to apply for 20-minute scheduled interviews with participating employers. Interviews will be granted to students and recent graduates after employers complete the online prescreening process. Employers also have the option of extending additional interviews to students and graduates on the day of the fair. Students and graduates will also have an opportunity to meet with employers during a Meet the Employer Expo.
Student registration forms, and other information about this Career Fair, will be available at www.rmdlcf.com beginning May 1, 2008. Interested students must submit their registration forms, resume and transcripts on-line in late July, 2008.
St. Louis Diversity Job Fair: This will take place on August 15-16, 2008 at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand & Suites Hotel, 800 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63101. The primary goal of the Fair is to attract a diverse group of 2L and 3L students to the metropolitan St. Louis legal community, encourage them to practice law in the area, and become an integral part of our community.
Law students can register for the 2008 St. Louis Diversity Job Fair by going to www.easelaw.com/sldjf. The deadline for student registration is May 16, 2008. All students must be registered by this date in order to participate in the Job Fair. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand
& Suites Hotel, located in downtown St. Louis at 800 Washington
Avenue. Students will be offered rooms at the special rate of $99. Any student in the classes of 2009-2010 (rising 2Ls and 3Ls) from UW Law School are invited to participate. For more information, visit http://www.stldiversityjobfair.com/index.html.
2nd Annual Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair. Rising 2Ls and 3Ls, and May 2006 graduates, are invited to participate in the Second Annual Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair, which will be held September 8 and 9, 2006, in Kansas City, Missouri. The HDLJF is the result of Kansas City's leading law firms, together with legal organizations, coming together to encourage law students to practice law in Kansas City. The HDLJF is designed to expose law students of diverse backgrounds to both the traditional and non-traditional legal employer. In addition, students can expect to learn more about living in this wonderful city.
The HDLJF will be held at the Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza. The event will begin with a Welcome Reception on Friday, September 8th. Saturday will begin with a continental brakfast before interviewing starts at 9 a.m. At noon, there will be a luncheon with an exciting keynote speaker. Interviewing will conclude at 5 p.m.
It is recommended that students register as soon as possible. If you register before July 1, you will be entered into a drawing for an exciting prize. The deadline for registering is July 28, 2006. If students are interested in attending the Job Fair, they may visit www.heartlanddiversity.org to obtain additional information. You may also contact Cheryl K. Rose at 816-474-4322 or Karen H. Hester at 785-864-4357. Registration materials and information can also be picked up in the Career Services Office.
Public Interest Recruiting Programs
Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference: About two dozen public interest organizations and government agencies attend this event each year to interview first-, second-, and third-year students and to participate in "Table Talk" discussions. The 2007 annual Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference was held at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago on Saturday, February 3, 2007. Information about the Career Conference is available at http://mpilcc.uchicago.edu.
Equal Justice Works Career Fair and Conference: The annual Public Interest Career Fair and Conference represents a unique opportunity for public interest minded law students and law graduates to meet and interview with employers from across the country in a single location. Each year, this Career Fair and Conference occurs in late October in the D.C. area. In 2007, the Career Fair and Conference are scheduled for October 6 and 7, 2007, in Washington, D.C. at The Omni Shoreham Hotel. Last year over 160 employers participated, and there were informative panel presentations throughout the day.
Student registration will begin in August 2007. Please note that you must apply directly to the employers in which you have interest, and the sooner you get your application materials submitted, the better your chances of getting an interview at the Fair. Please also be sure to visit the site often, as new employers are added frequently. The deadline for registering for the Career Fair will be sometime in mid September.
A list of participating employers will be available in the Career Services Office, and will also be available at the Equal Justice Works website. Students must send resumes to employers by mid-September to interview at the Career Fair. Employers will arrange individual interviews with students after receiving resumes - Equal Justice Works does not schedule the interviews.
As part of the Law School's membership in Equal Justice Works, your registration fee will be paid. However, you are responsible for transportation and lodging costs. Contact Kristin Davis if you need lodging assistance.
Specialized Recruiting Conferences
Annual Patent Law Interview Program: This is an excellent opportunity if you have an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering or a technical science, and you're interested in practicing patent law. This program gives qualified law students from across the country the opportunity to interview with patent law firms, as well as law firms, corporations, and government agencies with patent law departments. Last year, 150 employers from across the country participated, along with more than 1500 registered students from 135 law schools. Lists of participating employers are available in the Career Services Office.
The program will be held at the Chicago Marriott Suites O'Hare on Thursday and Friday, July 31 and August 1, 2008. Students wishing to participate in the 2008 Program must register by 5:00 p.m. on March 25, 2008 -- come to the Career Services Office to pick up and complete a Registration Form, and to drop off your check for $35 payable to Loyola University Chicago School of Law, if you are interested in participating. Lists of participating employers will be available in the Career Services Office in mid to late March.
Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair: Law students, and lateral attorney candidates and individuals already in the legal profession who are looking for more LGBT-friendly workplaces, are invited to attend the Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair 2008, which will take place in San Francisco at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero on September 4, 5 and 6, 2008. Lavender Law offers a host of cutting-edge continuing legal education programs on issues affecting the LGBT legal community. The Lavender Law Career Fair, scheduled for Thursday, September 4, yields increasing interest from major law firms each year. In 2007, over 150 employers recruited at the Career Fair for positions in prestigious private firms and public organizations all over the country. A select list of last year's recruiters can be found at www.LavenderLaw.org. Over 500 students attended the conference last year. In addition to the Career Fair, student-specific panels will also be offered.
Student registration forms for the Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair can be found at http://www.lavenderlaw.org/register.html. Student registration costs $115 if you register by July 31, 2008; the registration fee goes up to $190 for students who register after July 31. Registration closes on August 15.
IMPACT Career Fair for Law Students and Attorneys with Disabilities: The 4th Annual IMPACT Career Fair for Law Students and Attorneys with Disabilities will be held on Friday, August 15, 2008, in Arlington, VA, at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel. All students from all law schools are invited. Students and graduates will be able to register, view and upload application materials through Monday, July 7, 2008, on the IMPACT website. Students will upload their materials for each employer on the IMPACT website. They can upload, make corrections, customize materials, and add/delete employer selections anytime prior to midnight on July 7. On July 8, the IMPACT Registration Coordinator will send employers the uploaded materials via an email link. When employers submit the names of the persons they want to interview to the IMPACT Coordinators, an email is then sent to students with a link to sign up for an interview time. When the schedule is completed, the IMPACT Coordinator emails a link with the interview schedules to both students and employers. Here is the link to the 2008 IMPACT website: http://www.law.arizona.edu/career/impact/welcome.cfm. Please click on the "Student/Grad Register" link in the left-hand column after March 30, 2008, to easily acccess the registration page. Please contact one of the host schools if you have any questions: University of Arizona College of Law, Barbara Carlson, Registration Coordinator, 520-621-7668, carlson@law.arizona.edu; Georgetown University Law Center, Ruby Sheikh, Registration Coordinator, 202-662-9612, ris6@law.georgetown.edu.