The Office of Career Services and Professional Development (OCSPD) is committed to providing services and resources to help our students and alumni achieve their career goals. We believe that early career assessment and skills training are essential to a successful job search and career satisfaction. Whether you are looking for a part-time clerkship while still in school, that first post graduate position, a lateral move, or a complete career change, we are here to support your efforts.
Jobs and Internships
| Team | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| J.L. Wyatt-Keyton, Ph.D. | Executive Director of Career Services and Professional Development | jwyatt@johnmarshall.edu | (678) 916-2612 |
| Angela Sumpter | Career Services and Professional Development Coordinator | asumpter@johnmarshall.edu | (678) 916-2677 |
Services Offered
The programs and orientations developed by the Office of Career Services and Professional Development help Atlanta’s John Marshall students meet the challenge of the legal job search process. The programs below are offered to help our students capture the interest of prospective employers.
We offer the following services:
Career Advising
Our department provides individual counseling for students and alumni to discuss all aspects of their career search, including private law firms, public interest opportunities, government agencies, judicial clerkships, and alternative careers. Each student is assigned a counselor and is encouraged to meet with their counselors throughout their tenure at Atlanta’s John Marshall. Students are asked to make an appointment by contacting their respective career counselor via email.
Career Resources Library
The Office of Career Services and Professional Development has a library filled with useful job search information on various types of employment. If you would like to check out a particular book, please be sure to notify a staff member.
Professional Mentorship
In collaboration with the Office of Students Affairs, and the Development and Alumni Relations Office, OCSPD provides students with mentorship opportunities, learning from alumni and attorneys in our network.
Employer Outreach
Throughout the year, our department conducts employer outreach. We visit with employers, attend networking events, and speak to attorneys about our students.
Exit Interviews
Directors meet with each third-year and fourth-year student prior to graduation in order to assess their job search status and strategy. Recent graduates will continue to receive assistance with their job search in an effort to promptly secure employment.
Job Fairs
Our office participates in numerous job fairs with schools across the country, including specialty practice, minority, public interest and government job fairs.
Co-sponsored Job Fairs:
- Public Sector Job Fair
- Minority and Diversity Clerkship Program
- Atlanta Minority Clerkship Program
- Southeast Minority Job Fair (SEMJF)
- Judicial Clerkship Job Fair
Job Fairs the OCSPD participates in:
- Loyola Patent Interview Program
- Southern Intellectual Property Job Fair (SIPJF)
- Tri-State Job Fair
- Association Of Corporate Counsel (ACC) – Georgia Chapter, Summer Law Minority Internship Program
- Equal Justice Works Public Interest Career Fair (EJW)
- National Black Prosecutors Association
- Nashville Minority Job Fair
- NLGBT Lavender Job Fair
- Heartland Diversity Job Fair
- Dupont Minority Job Fair
- IMPACT Career Fair For Law Students And Attorneys With Disabilities
- INDY Bar Job Fair
- Minnesota Minority Recruitment Program
- Northwest Minority Job Fair
- Rocky Mountain Diversity Legal Career Fair
- Vault MCCA Legal Diversity Career Fair
Job Postings
Job listings are updated continuously (1,000+ listings annually). We post positions relevant to our full-time and part-time students, as well as alumni. Positions are generally local but will also include locations where we have alumni and/or students seeking assistance, as needed.
Mock Interview Program
During the fall, our office conducts a mock interview program with local practicing attorneys. These interviews will be videotaped, so that students can view themselves and be critiqued by the interviewer or OCSPD. It is an excellent opportunity for students to hone in on their interview skills.
On Campus Interviews and Resume Collections
During spring and fall, employers are invited to participate in our on campus interview program where students may apply and interview for summer clerk positions in the private and public sector. If employers are unable to come on campus, they are invited to participate in our Resume Collect program where resumes are collected by our office and sent to the employer.
Reciprocity
ABA accredited law schools frequently offer reciprocal use of career services. Our office does offer reciprocity. In turn, we also seek reciprocity on behalf of our graduates who will be moving outside of Georgia.
CLAS PROGRAM: Resume and Cover Letter Review
The Office of Career Services and Professional Development wants all students and alumni to succeed in finding a job and the first step in doing so is to have a powerful resume that effectively highlights the individual’s qualifications. To help to achieve this, the OCSPD has initiated a Cover Letter & Application Service (CLAS). Before a student is able to apply for positions or post their resume on AJMLS 12Twenty system, their initial resume must be approved by the career services team.
Seminars
The Office of Career Services and Professional Development actively engages with law students and the legal community in order to create a variety of educational and networking opportunities for the law school’s students and alumni.
The traditional seminar format has been enhanced with continued legal education (CLE) component in order to increase the educational value of program offerings and to attract a broader range of attorneys and other legal industry professionals to events and functions sponsored by Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.
Furthermore, these CLE seminars incorporate networking opportunities for both attorneys and students and are often held during the lunch hour break or at other convenient times and geographic locations to make it easier for attorneys to attend them. This approach has increased the law school’s visibility in the legal community and provided a wide range of networking and employment opportunities for our students and alumni.
Below are some of the topics covered during our seminars:
- Small and Solo Law Firm Boot Camp
- Dress for Success
- Networking
- Professionalism
- Government Opportunities
- Interview Preparation
- JAG Informational Sessions
- In-House Counsel Career Track
- E-Discovery
- Law and Technology
- Bon Voyage
- Mock Interview Program
- Dining Etiquette
- Career Day Table Talk
- Alternative Careers
- Social Media
AJMLS Office of Career Services and Professional Development: Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) & Non-Discrimination Policy
Consistent with sound educational policy, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, in compliance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (45 CFR 86), and Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other best practices, does not discriminate on the basis of sex, handicap, disability, race, color, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, marital status, veteran status, political affiliation or belief, gender identity, gender expressions, or sexual or affectional preference in the law school’s educational programs, admissions policies, employment policies, or other school-administered programs. Inquiries concerning these policies should be directed to the Dean of the Law School.
Accordingly, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School’s placement services are expressly limited to employers willing to have their request for placement services, including posting notices, considered as an assurance of the employer’s agreement to consider Atlanta’s John Marshall students without discrimination on the stated bases. In addition, the law school requests that employers using our placement services also not discriminate on the basis of any other factor unrelated to an individual’s capacity to perform lawyering tasks.