[Law26] Important OCI Information/Updates

[Underwood, Mallory T]

Good afternoon,

We hope your summer is going well!  Many of you have just started your first legal job and it might feel like it is too early to start your summer 2025 job search. However, for some of you it is time to get ready.  For others, it will be soon. For all of you, we are here to help and want to highlight a few key items as 2025 recruiting season gets underway.

Generally speaking, employers in different practice settings (large & mid size law firms, small firms, government, public interest, etc) have different recruiting timelines. For example, many employers, particularly medium size and larger law firms, conduct their 2025 recruiting process mid-late summer. Some larger firms have already started recruiting as you will see below. Other employers will not begin recruiting until this fall and/or spring of 2025, and some simply hire as needed. Nonetheless, it is important to be aware of typical timelines and how they may fit into your career planning goals. For example, many of the mid-size to larger law firms will recruit/hire now through late summer/early fall for summer 2025, then eventually make post graduate offers from their 2L summer intern programs. Thus, if you hope to work for those firms after graduation, you will want to actively engage in the recruiting process in the coming weeks. If you have questions about a specific timeline and how it might impact your career goals, please reach out to our office.

As you know, our ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEW/RESUME COLLECT program starts in 2 ½ weeks. Bidding opens on Monday, July 8.

In addition to some smaller/mid-size firms and public service organizations, many of the employers participating in OCI/RCs, are mid-size to large law firms. For all employers, but larger law firms in particular, you will want to understand as much as you can about the process and what the employer expects from applicants to maximize the likelihood of being selected for an interview and eventually offered a position.

To help you do that, we are offering the following program next week that will be valuable for all students, and especially important for those of you who want to work for larger firms.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25 at 5:30 pm:  Two Williams Mullen attorneys, Lauren Fussell (bio HERE<https://www.williamsmullen.com/people/lauren-e-fussell>) and Chris Moore (bio HERE<https://www.williamsmullen.com/people/christopher-moore>)  will speak at an a pre OCI program designed just for you. They will discuss the important distinctions between litigation and transactional work in big law firms and why it can matter for OCIs, share their perspectives on how big law firms often approach recruiting, and answer your questions about how to best prepare for the process. Join us after work in room 313 to get a free dinner plus great tips, advice and insights. The program will be live for those who are in town, and a link will be made available for those who are out of town to join virtually. Click HERE<https://cuweb.wufoo.com/forms/w1llfp0y0vyk2dq/> <https://cuweb.wufoo.com/forms/w1llfp0y0vyk2dq/> to register by Monday, June 24 at noon.

Additionally, we are always glad to schedule one on one sessions to discuss strategy and answer questions about the process. Our office is also happy to review resumes and cover letters via email before bidding opens for each phase. Please try to allow at least 48 hours/2 business days for feedback.

Many employers participate in Campbell's On Campus Interview/Resume Collect program, and OCIs/RC are an excellent way to work within an existing recruiting process to engage with a variety of employers who are actively recruiting Campbell students.

We also encourage you to start checking Symplicity regularly for summer 2025 opportunities if you are not already doing so. For example, Parker Poe and Ellis & Winters are larger firms that are not participating in OCIs but have active Symplicity postings for summer 2025 internships (Symplicity #s 21067 & 21049). Be sure to check deadlines as some big firm postings close mid-July. If you are interested in applying to a particular large firm that does not have a posting and is not participating in OCIs/RC, check the individual firm websites now for their application requirements.

We shared a list of employers participating in phase 1 in the June 16 Career Advisor and the list is also viewable on Symplicity. On June 10 we sent a special OCI process overview newsletter with links to a variety of resources. If you haven't done so yet, we encourage you to go ahead and take a look at the employer list, review the OCI process materials, and start researching individual employers. You want to allow plenty of time to identify employers of interest, review their application requirements, and gather, prepare, and polish application materials.

If you need a refresher on how to use Symplicity, either generally or when bidding via OCIs, see the Blackboard Law Careers page for a folder with a series of short "how to" videos on using Symplicity and other information on policies, procedures, tips etc.

OCIs/RC will stretch into September, and employers will continue to join the OCI/RC program as we move through the summer, so we encourage you to keep checking back to make sure you do not miss any opportunities to apply for positions of interest to you.

Finally, we encourage you to watch the Career Advisor each week as additional information, programs and opportunities become available. For example, the Federal DOJ has its own recruiting program that will soon open and run through early fall, and details regarding how to explore those opportunities with the federal government are available in the Career Advisor.

And as always, reach out to our office directly with questions or about your individual job search strategy. If you cannot find appointments that work for your schedule on Symplicity, email us directly.  We are here to help!

Have a great weekend!

Warm regards,

Mallory Underwood
Assistant Dean of Career and Professional Development
Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
225 Hillsborough Street, Suite 101
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 865-4689
Personal Zoom Room: https://campbell-edu.zoom.us/j/5492620183

Employers: Post a job for a Current Law Student<https://cuweb.wufoo.com/forms/qidlrne1km7ll5/> | Graduate/Alumni<https://cuweb.wufoo.com/forms/q13wlxj071m4mx/>

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