Navigating Career Resources and Opportunities at UCLA Law

UCLA School of Law provides a comprehensive suite of resources designed to support its students and alumni in their career development and job search endeavors. From externship programs to career management platforms and networking opportunities, UCLA Law is committed to empowering its students to excel in their legal careers.

Externship and Field Placement Programs

Experiential learning is a cornerstone of legal education at UCLA Law. The Extern & Field Placement Program offers various opportunities for students to gain practical experience in diverse legal settings.

Part-Time Externships

These externships allow students to integrate fieldwork with their academic coursework. Students can earn 2-8 fieldwork units, with each unit requiring 52 hours of work in the field. In addition, students are required to attend a mandatory 1-unit companion seminar, with obligations tallied over the course of a 13-week semester. Seminars are organized by subject, including Criminal Law, Public Interest, Government, Transactional, or Judicial.

Full-Time Externships

Full-time externships provide an immersive experience, awarding 13 credits. Unlike part-time externships, obligations are assessed on a weekly basis over 15 weeks. Since students are not enrolled in other courses during this time, they can continue their fieldwork into the finals period. The field placement earns 11 pass/fail fieldwork units and 2 credits of letter-graded work. Judicial externs earn these graded credits through an evening seminar (Law 850), while agency/public interest externs complete a faculty tutorial.

International Human Rights Placements

In collaboration with the Promise Center for Human Rights and the International and Comparative Law Program, UCLA Law offers NGO and international placements for students interested in international human rights work.

UCDC Law Program

This full-semester externship program in Washington, D.C., is a collaborative effort involving UCLA and the other UC law schools. Students participate in a weekly seminar taught by Professor Nicole Lehtman and a full-time field placement, learning how federal statutes, regulations, and policies are made and implemented in the nation’s capital.

Habeas Corpus Project

Students accepted into this field specialization gain hands-on experience advocating for indigent criminal defendants in habeas corpus proceedings, often the last opportunity for relief from an unconstitutional conviction or sentence. Students are assigned to a federal habeas case with an important litigation event scheduled during the externship.

Career Management Platforms: Symplicity

UCLA Law utilizes Symplicity, an electronic job board, to connect alumni with job opportunities. This platform is exclusively available to UCLA alumni and requires a username and password for access.

Symplicity for Alumni

Alumni can access important information about career counseling, job search tools, and other resources through MyLaw, the UCLA School of Law portal. Alumni are encouraged to engage with the UCLA Law community and support current students and recent graduates in their career development.

Posting Positions on Symplicity

Employers can establish a Symplicity account to post positions, update postings, and manage resumes and application materials, tailoring their job postings to attract UCLA Law candidates.

Read also: Navigating Tech Breadth at UCLA

Career Services and Resources

The Office of Career Services (OCS) at UCLA Law offers comprehensive support to students and alumni, including:

Alumni Career Counseling: Providing guidance and resources for alumni seeking career advancement or transition.
Job Search Tools: Offering access to job boards, resume and cover letter review, and interview preparation.
Networking Events: Facilitating connections between students, alumni, and employers through various events.
Mock Interview Program: Coordinating a virtual mock interview program where students can practice their interview skills with alumni and employers.

Academic Success & Bar Preparation Office

This office offers programs and courses to help students achieve their academic potential in law school, including:

Academic readiness programs.
Courses designed to help students excel academically and pass the bar exam.
Support programming for first-generation students.

Connecting with UCLA Law Students and Alumni

UCLA Law offers various avenues for employers, alumni, and lawyers to connect with students and increase visibility on campus:

On-Campus Interviews (OCI): Hosting on-campus interviews to recruit UCLA Law students.
Networking Events: Participating in events such as the Big Law reception to meet with 1Ls.
Information Fairs: Attending the Government and Public Interest Information Fair to connect with students interested in public service careers.
Job Postings: Posting positions on Symplicity to attract UCLA Law candidates.

Financial Support for Public Service

UCLA Law provides financial support to students and graduates pursuing careers in public service:

Summer Judicial Externship Fellowship Program: Providing funding support for students working in judicial chambers during the summer.
Public Service Fellowship Program: Supporting graduating students with a commitment to public service, enabling them to work with nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
New Graduate Opportunity Program: Funding part-time, temporary work with nonprofit organizations and government agencies for recent graduates.

LL.M. Interview Program

UCLA Law hosts the LL.M. Interview Program (formerly known as the West Coast International LL.M. Job Fair), inviting employers to enlist international and specialized legal talent.

Read also: Understanding UCLA Counselors

Academic Success Programs at Southwestern Law School

(Note: While the main focus is UCLA Law, information on Southwestern Law School's programs is included as it was provided in the original text.)

Southwestern Law School offers several programs designed to support students' academic success and bar preparation:

Summer Academic Success Courses: Workshops introducing legal writing, course review techniques, and case briefing.
Bison Boot Camp: A week-long online course introducing core academic skills and career planning.
Introduction to Legal Writing Course: A non-credit course providing a head start in legal writing.
Foundations of Law and Practice: A 1-credit course helping students develop effective learning strategies.
Bar Skills and Strategies: An intensive skills course focusing on skills and strategies for the bar exam.
Remedies: A course refining legal analysis and exam writing.
Multistate Bar Exam (MBE): Skills and Strategies: A course refreshing heavily tested MBE topics.
Cal Bar Writing: Skills and Strategies: A course providing instruction and practice for the written portion of the California Bar Exam.
Bison Bar Pass: An on-campus bar preparation program tailored to Southwestern students.

Advocate by Symplicity

(Note: While the main focus is UCLA Law, information on Advocate by Symplicity is included as it was provided in the original text.)

Advocate by Symplicity is a platform used by universities like UC Davis for case management and reporting. It offers features such as:

Automated case routing.
Separate workflows for conduct cases, behavioral intervention, and Title IX.
Event Log for tracking actions taken on a case.
Mobile-friendly platform for completing report forms.
Solution for managing employee complaints and grievances.

tags: #symplicity #UCLA #Law #resources