Graduate Career and Professional Development Procedures, Policies and Student Responsibilities

Graduate Career and Professional Development

Graduate Career and Professional Development consists of a specialist team of professional development advisors dedicated to assist current LL.M. candidates with career planning and job search initiatives.

Graduate Career and Professional Development is dedicated to LL.M. career advising and located in the Office of Graduate Programs, Suite 6000, on the sixth floor of the Eric E. Hotung building. Committed to providing LL.M. students with quality information, Graduate Career and Professional Development also offers advice on job search strategies, employment opportunities and professional development; however, students should not consider Graduate Career and Professional Development as a job placement service. Your success in finding post-LL.M. employment depends on many factors: most of all, the amount of time and effort you devote to networking and researching in relation to your job search, but also your academic performance (both in the LL.M. and in your J.D. or law degree program), your professional background and experience, your interviewing skills, your connections and personal references and the economic climate.

Graduate Career and Professional Development acts on the behalf of LL.M. students by:

  • Actively seeking and advertising employment opportunities for LL.M. students;
  • Organizing or participating in interview programs for the respective student populations; and
  • Promoting the qualities of LL.M. students collectively or individually to potential employers.           

SERVICES FOR STUDENTS

Workshops

These run throughout the course of the academic year and include topics of general interest to most LL.M. students, such as: how to draft resumes, cover letters and e-mails; how to prepare for an interview; and how to develop networking skills. Group sessions can be a great way of learning from other students’ experiences, and also provide a useful starting point on which to build your own job search. Graduate Career and Professional Development strongly encourages all LL.M. students to participate in these sessions or workshops early on in the academic year.

Drop-in Sessions

Graduate Career and Professional Development holds regular drop-in sessions, at different times during the week, to accommodate students’ class schedules. These sessions are designed for quick questions, follow-ups and review of previously discussed documents. Graduate Career and Professional Development will gladly see as many students as time permits. Because these sessions can sometimes be very popular, particularly when there are student deadlines, LL.M. students are encouraged to arrive at the Office of Graduate Programs early in order to ensure that adequate time is devoted to the student’s particular inquiry.

How to Make the Most of Your Appointment

During orientation, each LL.M. student will receive the Graduate Career and Professional Development Handbook, which contains important job search information. If you have specific concerns regarding your individual job search strategies, we encourage you to make a list and bring it with you to a drop-in session.

You are encouraged to keep notes of your meetings with Graduate Career and Professional Development to remind you of the next steps in your job search. Always try to follow up with any points that arise during a drop-in session or an individual appointment.

24-Hour Cancellation Policy

If you have a scheduled appointment with Graduate Career and Professional Development, but will not be able to attend, we ask that you promptly inform our office at least 24 hours in advance, if possible. Graduate Career and Professional Development recognizes that emergencies can occur, and that sometimes students will have legitimate reasons for not being able to make a scheduled appointment at the last minute. If you are unable to attend a scheduled meeting, please e-mail gradprofdevp@law.georgetown.edu or call (202) 662-9036 and ask to speak with the Graduate Career and Professional Development member with whom you have the appointment.

IMPORTANT POLICY INFORMATION

Confidentiality

Any information disclosed to a Graduate Career and Professional Development member may be used to promote employment opportunities for LL.M. students, but will not be disclosed for any other purpose without the student’s permission. There may be occasions when it is necessary to breach that confidentiality (for example, if a Graduate Career and Professional Development member believes significant harm may come to the student or to others). Whenever possible, such disclosure will be made only with the student’s consent.

Georgetown University Law Center Non-Discrimination Policy

The policy of the Georgetown University Law Center is to provide equal opportunity in its programs, activities and employment practices; to prohibit discrimination in education and employment because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, handicap, disability or sexual orientation; and to prohibit sexual harassment. Inquiries regarding the University’s Affirmative Action Plan may be directed to the Special Assistant to the President for Affirmative Action.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

  • LL.M. students are expected to treat the Graduate Career and Professional Development staff, employer representatives, other students and others participating in recruiting programs with professional courtesy and respect.

  • LL.M. students most honor promises to attend Graduate Career and Professional Development-sponsored meetings, events and appointments. If you have replied (RSVP) to attend an event and are unable to participate, you must promptly contact Graduate Career and Professional Development or the appropriate individual organizing the event. Failure to do so will result in low priority being given to that LL.M. student when scheduling counseling appointments.

  • LL.M. students must represent their qualifications accurately throughout the employment search process. They should, if requested, be prepared to provide resumes to employers. Any item listed on a student’s resume must be accurate and up-to-date.

  • LL.M. students should be prepared to provide copies of their undergraduate and unofficial or official Georgetown Law transcripts to employers upon request. Under no circumstances should academic information be falsified, misrepresented or distorted, either in writing or orally.

  • LL.M. students should be prepared to provide writing samples to employers upon request. Writing samples should be wholly original work. Where the writing was done with others, the contribution of the student should be clearly identified. Writing samples from law-related employment must be edited to safeguard client confidentiality and used only with the permission of the supervising attorney.

  • LL.M. students should promptly report to Graduate Career and Professional Development any misrepresentation, discrimination or other abuse by employers.

  • LL.M. students should reach an understanding with potential employers relating to expense reimbursement prior to traveling for an interview. The LL.M. student should request reasonable reimbursement for expenses that are directly related to the interview and incurred in good faith.

  • LL.M. students have at least two weeks to accept or reject an offer from an employer, according to the NALP guidelines. However, this time may be extended by the employer, or at the request of the student.  Students should clarify this timeline with the employer each and every time they receive and offer.

  • LL.M. students should notify employers of their acceptance or rejection of employment offers by the earliest time possible. In fairness to both employers and other classmates, students should act in good faith to promptly decline offers for interviews and employment which they are no longer actively considering. If, because of extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances, it becomes necessary for an LL.M. candidate to modify or be released from his or her acceptance, both the employer and Graduate Career and Professional Development should be notified promptly.

RESUME AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE REVIEW

Graduate Career and Professional Development has put together an advice manual on how to draft resumes, which is online available at http://www.law.georgetown.edu/graduate/GradProfDev.html. We also encourage using this handbook as a career planning resource during your job search process. In addition, there will be several workshops and drop-in sessions on resume, cover letter and business correspondence writing during the course of the year.

Although there is no one correct way to write a resume or cover letter, it can be useful to have someone else review your materials to help ensure that they are clear and free of errors. To facilitate this process, we offer a service whereby you can submit your resume and/or cover letter electronically. Your document(s) will be reviewed by Graduate Career and Professional Development. To use the Resume Review service, simply send your resume and/or your cover letter, starting August 30, 2010, to:

Graduate Career and Professional Development will make every effort to reply within one week, although occasionally, because of heavy volume, this is not possible. For this reason, please send your resume and/or any other business correspondence well in advance of any deadline.