About Us
Alumni Services
OCPD offers post-graduate job search assistance through individual counseling and password-protected access to job databases and online resources for all WCL alumni. OCPD Alumni Counselor, Matthew Pascocello, offers assistance with resume and cover letter writing, mock interviews, and job search strategy sessions.
Resources |
What Can This Resource Do For Me? / How Can I Access This Resource? |
CAREER COUNSELING |
|
| Career Counseling | Matthew Pascocello offers comprehensive career counseling services to the WCL alumni population including assistance with resume and cover letter writing, mock interviews, and job-search strategy sessions. Please contact him at 202-274-4092 to schedule either a telephone or in-person appointment. |
JOB POSTINGS |
|
| CareerLink | Post-graduate positions listed with OCPD are accessible through CareerLink under the "Permanent/Full Time" & "Permanent/Part Time" sections. New users must request an account by sending an email to careerdevelopment@wcl.american.edu including your full name, date of graduation, degree program, and your primary email address (which will become your CareerLink Username). Registration may take up to two business days to process. To view the CareerLink tutorial, click here. |
| Job Exchange Bulletins | View job postings from many law schools throughout the U.S. When you click on this link you will be prompted to enter a Login Name and Password that are listed on the CareerLink homepage. To obtain a CareerLink account please see instructions above. |
| OCPD Alumni Career Development Listserv | Sign up to receive weekly emails containing an assortment of job postings, career-related events, and networking opportunities offered throughout the country. The listservs does not purport to offer an exhaustive or comprehensive listing of job opportunities, just a cross-section of those that have recently been forwarded to me for immediate distribution. Alumni should continue to use CareerLink for a comprehensive list of job postings. Alumni listserv users may also use the service to solicit job seeking advice, information, and referrals within the subscribing WCL alumni community. To subscribe, please email mpasco@wcl.american.edu with your full name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number. |
JOB SEARCH RESOURCES |
|
| Subscription-Based Online Resources | OCPD has arranged for alumni access to various subscription-based online job-search resources, including PSLawNet, Opportunities in Public Affairs, Human Rights Jobs, The Washington Information Directory, Public Policy Handbook, etc. Access to these services is available from the homepage of your CareerLink account. Recent Graduates also have free access to AttorneyJobs.com for one year immediately post-graduation through their www.lawschool.westlaw.com accounts (contact WCL's Westlaw rep if you forgot your password). |
| Long-Distance Job Search Resources | To view various job-search resources in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston/Austin, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Philadelphia/Wilmington, San Antonio, Kansas City, Boston, New York, and California, please visit our handouts section. |
| Legal Temporary Agencies | An excellent resource for temporary legal projects across many cities and states can be found at the online community The Posse List. For a representative listing of legal temporary agencies in DC, NY, NJ, and CT, click on this link. You will be directed to our handouts section and prompted to enter a Login Name and Password that are listed on the CareerLink homepage. |
| Employment Resources on the Internet | Following is a comprehensive listing of employment resources available on the Internet, published by Law & Technology Resources for Legal Professionals (LLRX): http://www.llrx.com/features/employmentresources.htm. These resources and sources will help you discover, review, leverage and incorporate actionable information from a wide range of employment resources into your job search strategy. |
| Vault Career Insider | OCPD & Pence Law Library have purchased access for alumni use of VAULT.com which offers 90+ e-books covering workplace and industry topics, 3,500 full-text articles, 4,000 employer profiles and company rankings, industry and profession profiles, and career and profession discussion boards. Access the database by logging onto CareerLink and utilizing the "Vault Career Insider" link in the "Important Online Resources" area of the homepage. |
| Reciprocity | Reciprocity allows alumni to use the OCPD resources of non-local law schools. Click here to apply for reciprocity either to or from American University Washington College of Law. |
| WCL Alumni Placement Professionals | Following are the names and contact information of WCL alumni who are currently working in the temporary and permanent legal placement industry. This is meant for your general information and is not a specific endorsement of their services. |
ALUMNI NETWORKING RESOURCES |
|
| Lexis password | Alumni may access the Lexis Career Library through use of a specially designated Custom ID and Password. To obtain the current Lexis ID and Password, please email your request to mpasco@wcl.american.edu. Provide your full name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number. |
The WCL Mentor Database enables students and alumni to contact practicing alumni and non-alumni for the purposes of networking, seeking general career advice, and informational interviews. |
|
| Online Alumni Network | Join WCL's Alumni Online Community through inCircle at: http://www.wcl.american.edu/alumni/. This resource will enable you to build and highlight your personal and professional profile; make new connections and reconnect with classmates; organize or join an alumni group; and sign up for a permanent WCL email address, among other things. Also, there is a significant WCL almuni presence on LinkedIn. Be sure to take full advantage of these valuable social networking tools. |
| WCL Faculty | Former professors can also be an excellent point of contact in building a network for your career and professional development. Visit this page for a listing of WCL professors according to specialty. |
| Judicial Clerkship Alumni Survey Search | Interested in learning more about judicial clerkships? Researching specific judges and courts? Preparing for a judicial clerkship interview? Use this database to locate and review feedback from alumni who clerked with federal judges, state judges/justices, and administrative law judges around the country. The alumni surveys include information about: clerkship experience (role in chambers, main duties, and judge's demeanor), the interview process (format, length, and even specific questions asked), application advice specific to the judge or court, and alumni contact information so you can call or e-mail with further questions. You can access this resource by logging onto CareerLink and utilizing the "Judicial Clerkship Database" link, username, and password in the "Important Online Resources" area of the homepage. |
BAR ADMISSION RESOURCES & CLE |
|
| Free ABA Memberships For Recent Grads! | The American Bar Association is extending free one-year memberships to recently graduated JDs that offer the following benefits: Access to news updates and thoughtful analysis of legal trends; Networking events, both online and at national meetings; and Career-building opportunities in public speaking, public service and publication. Claim your free membership here. Graduates who are current ABA members are welcome to renew their memberships free of charge. |
| National and State Bar Admission Requirements | For information about the multistate bar registration process, visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners. For state bar admission requirements, view the ABA’s Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements which sets out the rules and practices of all U.S. jurisdictions for admission to the bar by examination and on motion. |
| CLE Credits through WCL | WCL is an accredited provider for Virginia and Pennsylvania, with reciprocity for New York and New Jersey. Accreditation for all other states is applied for as requested. For further information on planned programs, or if you would like to propose a topic that you require CLE for but which we have not yet offered, please contact Jennifer Dabson. |
FINANCIAL AID RESOURCES FOR ALUMNI |
|
| Financial Aid Information for Graduates | The Office of Financial Aid has a webpage with information specific to WCL graduates: http://www.wcl.american.edu/finaid/alumni.cfm. Visit the site to learn more about what to do during your grace period, how to consolidate your federal loans, what repayment plans are available, and how to take advantage of various public service loan forgiveness and assistance programs. If after viewing the information you still have questions, the Office of Financial Aid wants to help. Please call the office at 202-274-4040 or email your questions to finaid@wcl.american.edu. |
Calendar Year 2013 PILRAP Application Now Available |
The 2013 WCL Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Program (PILRAP) application is now available. PILRAP helps relieve the economic burden imposed by educational debt by providing loan repayment assistance for JD graduates who earn less than $75,000 while working full-time in non-profit or government service. Class of 2012 graduates are eligible to apply this year. Visit http://www.wcl.american.edu/finaid/pilrap.cfm for more information, FAQs, and handouts. To find the application itself, visit http://www.wcl.american.edu/finaid/pilrap_application.cfm and review the forms found under “Application Process.” The application deadline is October 31, 2012. If after viewing the PILRAP website you still have questions, please contact David Steib in the Office of Public Interest at 202-274-4099 or at dsteib@wcl.american.edu. |
| Income-Based Repayment (IBR) | IBR is the gateway repayment plan for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), which is the program for graduates employed in public service. Through PSLF, loans are forgiven after 120 qualifying payments (tax free). However, even for graduates not employed in public service, IBR may be available. The benefit to IBR is that loan payments will be based on annually adjusted income (but may change with changes in your income). If the loan is not repaid in 25 years, any unpaid portion will be forgiven (at present, you may need to pay taxes on forgiven amount). For many graduates, particularly those pursuing public service careers, IBR will be the preferred repayment plan. Additional resources are available from the U.S. Department of Education: Information Page, Questions and Answers, and Fact Sheet (PDF). |
CAREER DEVELOPMENT & OTHER RESOURCES |
|
Alumni Services at Pence Law Library |
Reference librarians are happy to assist graduates with research at their firms and offices and to help locate sources of legislative history, and international and foreign law and other materials. Contact reflib@wcl.american.edu or call 202-274-4352 for offsite assistance. Alumni cards are available (through the Alumni Relations Office) and allow graduates to borrow circulating materials from the Law Library. After receiving the card, just stop by the Circulation Desk to register and obtain a bar code. Alumni may use the electronic databases and resources anywhere in the Library and there is a workstation that allows Westlaw access that any library patron may use for research. Due to license restrictions, remote access to subscription-based databases for alumni is not permitted, however alumni are encourage to use the Library’s website and catalog at library.wcl.american.edu |
| Alumni Career Webinars | OCPD offers many career-related pod- and webcasts that are available to alumni at: http://intranet.wcl.american.edu/career/webcast.cfm |
| Alumni Career Development Programs | OCPD offers a number of live programs, webinars and webcasts on a range of attorney job-search and career development issues. For a complete listing, and to register, visit the Events section of your CareerLink account and also check with the Alumni Relations portion of the WCL website at: http://www.wcl.american.edu/alumni/. |
| Links to Noteworthy Articles & Resources |
|
| Auditing Classes | Subject to course availability, alumni may audit up to two courses per semester at a cost of $100 per class. Concentrated coursework in a particular area of law may help in career transitions or to increase ones credibility in a particular field. More information at: http://wcl.american.edu/alumni/auditing_classes.cfm. |
| Transcripts | To request an official transcript, please download the following form and fax the request with your name, ID number and signature, to 202-274-4085, or scan the form and email it to us at registrar@wcl.american.edu. To obtain an unofficial transcript, please fill out the online form located at: https://www.wcl.american.edu/registrar/transcript.cfm |
| Career and Personality Indicator Tests | Without endorsing any particular service or product, alumni may find the following list of career and personality indicator tests to be helpful:
|
Office of Career & Professional Development • American University Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 122 Washington, DC 20016 • 202-274-4090 F: 202-274-4096
