Hello incoming 1Ls!
Congratulations on your admission to Allard Hall, and welcome to the UBC Law community. At this time last summer, I was in your shoes, eagerly awaiting the start of Orientation Week. What to do after law school was the furthest thing from my mind, and I had no clue what the “CSO” stood for. As it turns out, having more questions than answers was, and still is, okay!
To give you a head start, here are the three career-related things I wish I had known before Orientation Week:
1. What is the See-Ess-Ohhh?
The Career Services Office (the “CSO”) is dedicated to helping you develop and realize your career goals, in and beyond law school. The Career Services Team consists of three wonderful previously practicing lawyers: Pamela Cyr (Assistant Dean), Jennifer Lau (Associate Director), and Tracy Wachmann (Public Interest Coordinator). Pam, Jenn, and Tracy each have a wealth of legal experience, having collectively worked for national and regional full-service law firms, boutique law firms, with public interest organizations, with the government, and as a sole practitioner. In fact, in addition to being the CSO’s Public Interest Coordinator, Tracy continues to practice administrative law to this day, focusing on public interest environmental law and self-regulated professions.
|
|
The Career Services Team (left to right: Jennifer Lau, Pamela Cyr, Tracy Wachmann) |
Throughout the school year, the CSO offers law students many career-related opportunities, including:
- One-on-one counseling appointments;
- Frequent workshops and information sessions, including Resume and Cover Letter Workshops, a How to Wine & Cheese panel, and public interest seminars;
- Dozens of sample legal resumes and cover letters, targeted at a variety of traditional and non-traditional legal opportunities; and,
- The opportunity to participate in recruitment and networking events, including the Vancouver Employers Wine & Cheese Reception, the Calgary & Toronto Employers Wine & Cheese Reception, the Small Firm Wine & Cheese Reception, and the Social Justice Forum.
The CSO is a bridge that spans the divide between law students and the legal community. Events hosted by the CSO will connect you with student recruiters, practicing lawyers who could become future mentors, students who are currently articling, and public interest organizations that may ignite your passion for their cause.
2. “What type of law do you want to practice?”
Before law school began, I was asked this question more times than I could count. I had no idea. Environmental law? Family law? Business law? Maybe not law at all? If you find yourself in a similar situation, do not worry.
As you enter law school, stay open to all of the possibilities and opportunities that come your way. You might enter law school dead set on becoming a Crown Prosecutor, practicing business law at a large downtown law firm, or setting up a Main Street storefront law practice in a small town, but then find out that your interests lie elsewhere. Your interests will continue to change as you try new courses, get to know your professors, and meet practitioners within the legal community. Embrace this. The CSO is here to provide you with perspective, based on a wealth of experience.
(I still haven’t made up my mind).
3. Remember where you came from (the most important piece of advice)
Law school is a transformative experience, and the CSO exists to support you in this journey. As you get to know your 1L classmates and begin to develop a sense of the legal landscape, never forget where you came from. Every law student, you included, has taken a unique path to Allard Hall. This path will inform where you end up going, and where you end up going may be very different from where you expected to go on your first day of law school. Also, remember the intrinsic values that led you here and the communities from which you come. They will support you as you make your way through law school and beyond.
Finally: You will have the opportunity to learn everything you need to know about traditional and non-traditional legal career opportunities once 1L begins… so enjoy your summer!
I look forward to meeting all of you at the end of August!