Vol. 17 No. 6 October 4, 1999

Indiana Law Annotated Vol. 17 No. 6 October 4, 1999

Table of Contents

• EMPLOYERS' PERSPECTIVES: THE ECONOMICS OF ON- CAMPUS INTERVIEWS
• EVENTS & LECTURES
• ACADEMY OF LAW ALUMNI FELLOWS PROFILE
• NEWS FROM THE FACULTY
• NEWS FROM CAREER SERVICES
• NEWS FROM STUDENT AFFAIRS OFFICE
• NEWS FROM STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
• ANNOUNCEMENTS
• CALENDAR

EMPLOYERS' PERSPECTIVES: THE ECONOMICS OF ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS

FROM THE COMMITTEE ON CAREER SERVICES AND JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS
Every year, at least a few students ask questions about on-campus interviews that suggest that the law school does not bring enough employers to campus from the city or state where those students want to practice. Why, for example, don't Florida employers, or Arizona employers, come to IU? Why do the biggest firms come in September? Why do most other employers come later? Why don't government agencies and public interest groups come to interview? The answers to these questions are based primarily on the economics of legal recruiting by employers of various sizes and types. Here's the straight story.

Only the largest law firms, corporations, and a few federal governments agencies, and a very small number of public interest groups that sponsor fellowships, mount nationwide searches for new law grads. These employers can afford to devote sizable financial resources to recruitment they have hiring coordinators and the ability to forego income from a few days of work without sacrificing overall profitability. These employers recruit early in the fall because they compete for top students from across the country. In addition, these employers are better able to predict their hiring needs a year in advance. They do not recruit at every school; they choose top schools from which they have drawn good students in the past, where they know the deans or faculty members well, or where particular academic programs (for example, environmental law or telecommunications) are strong. These firms tend to look for students ranging from the top five individuals in the class to the top 25%.

Large national firms with less history with a particular school may test the recruitment market by taking advantage of a "resume forward" or "resume direct" program. Or, they may ask a faculty member to alert them when a top student is interested in their city or practice area. These firms tend to want only the top people in the class because those are the people they recruit nationally. Individual students also can approach other large firms directly.

Larger and mid-sized regional law firms come for fall OCI's to schools in close proximity to their offices or where they have recruited good people in the past. Alumni loyalty to their schools plays a big role in deciding where to interview. These firms look for the same kinds of students that their national competitors seek. They may care more about a student's connections in their respective communities than national firms do. These firms also can predict their hiring needs a year in advance.

Some federal agencies recruit in the fall OCI season, but they do not recruit widely. For example, the Federal Trade Commission, which is the agency for which Professor Hughes worked and for which she conducted interviews over a ten-year span, conducts OCI's only at schools in close proximity to Washington, D.C. and its ten regional offices. In addition, its recruitment staff consider direct applications from students with demonstrated interests in antitrust or consumer protection who have competitive academic records. The Commission chooses the fall recruitment season because it sees itself in competition with the Department of Justice's honors recruitment program as well as with top law firms across the country, other selective federal agencies such as the Securities & Exchange Commission, and public interest groups offering fellowships.

Sometimes a law firm or government agency will stop coming to fall on-campus interviews because they find they are not attracting sufficient numbers of interviewees to justify coming at all. This has happened in the last two years too few students signed up to interview with Detroit-based Honigman, Miller or with Phoenix's Gallagher & Kennedy for these firms to justify sending their interviewers to campus. Last year, large firms from Cleveland and Columbus canceled. Cancellation put more burdens on students who were interested in those firms to pursue employment with them and it puts all of the travel costs on the student. When a firm cancels for lack of interest or low yield from one class, often it takes years to get them back. CSO works hard to keep the firm interested in IU and the OCI program the next year.

Some mid-sized firms and small firms come to campus to interview, but they generally do so later in the academic year when they know whether they have hiring needs. Their alternative is to post their openings with the Career Services Office and choose from those students who respond. Interviews with these employers for 3L's tend to start in January or February and run through the time bar results are available later in the spring or fall.

Some employers do not devote energies to advance recruitment. They neither do on-campus interviews nor post jobs. They hire when they need people. In this category are most federal and state agencies, mid-sized and small law firms, and public interest employers. These employers get so many applications for each position they have that they rarely need to do more. Also, some of these employers do not hire people who have not passed the bar. In addition, these employers often do not have spare people to go out to interview or spare resources to pay for travel expenses. Students put more of their own energy and money into finding these jobs but these efforts do yield jobs. The CSO databases are very helpful resources for finding these employers.

So, you ask What do these economic realities mean to me? Although roughly 20 percent of recent IU classes found their jobs through the fall on-campus interviews, more found jobs through job postings here and through other search strategies. (At many schools, this figure is smaller.) Roughly 60% of IU grads report that they had their jobs at graduation so 40% of graduates got jobs before they graduated through means other than fall OCI. There is no reason why this figure cannot be higher this year and in future. In addition, more than 90% of IU graduates have jobs within the first six months after their graduation. Generally, May grads do better than August or December grads at graduation and at the 6-month mark. This 30% who get jobs in the first six months after graduation include many fine students who wanted jobs with public prosecutors and government agencies. If you don't get your job from fall OCI's, apply yourself to the whole search process. Use on-campus interviews, and resume forward and resume direct programs. Respond to job postings. Create a network of contacts in the cities and practice areas that interest you. Use the array of job search resources and support services that the school provides.

EVENTS & LECTURES

REVIEW OF THE LABOR LAW CONFERENCE
The symposium "New Rules for a New Game: Regulating Employment Relationships in the 21st Century," hosted by the Law School last week, was a huge success. The symposium began with the inaugural lecture for the new Carr Professorship in Labor and Employment Law, given by Professor Dau-Schmidt, the first appointee to the professorship.

Professor Dau-Schmidt's lecture was entitled "Employment in the New Age of Trade and Technology: Implications for Labor and Employment Law" and discussed how international competition and the new information technology had resulted in shorter employment relationships and how this had raised issues in labor and employment law including: the proper accommodation of employer efforts to evaluate and monitor employees and employees' right to privacy, how best to encourage employer training of employees, how best to encourage employee representation and collective voice, and how best to provide employee benefits in multi-employer careers.

The symposium included four panels of distinguished academics and alumni who discussed issues in employment law, labor law and the international regulation of the employment relationship. Particularly vigorous debates were undertaken over the sufficiency of efficiency as a criterion for the formulation of public policy with respect to the employment relationship and whether international regulation of the employment relationship was possible across diverse cultures and the wide expanses of the earth.

Perhaps the highlights of the symposium were Willard Carr's reflections at the closing round table discussion on the importance of the employment relationship and the challenges of practicing labor and employment law, and Dean Fred Aman's solos at the symposium dinner at his house on drums, piano and bells.

ACADEMY OF LAW ALUMNI FELLOWS PROFILE

Who are those people whose photographs are on the first-floor wall? In this series of profiles, we introduce you to the members of the Academy of the Law Alumni Fellows. The Fellows are the recipients of the highest honor the Law School bestows on its alums. We hope that each profile will help you reflect on the successes of our alumni as well as some possibilities that are ahead for you.

SARAH M. SINGLETON
A deep conviction about the importance of making the American justice system accessible to all has motivated the distinguished legal career of Sarah Singleton.

A native of Hammond, Ms. Singleton received a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College in 1971 and a J.D. with highest honors from the IU School of Law in 1974. An editor of the Indiana Law Journal, she was elected to the Order of the Coif. Because of her concerns about indigent defendants, after graduation she chose to join the Appellate Division of the New Mexico Public Defender Department. She served the department for two years, leaving to form a law firm specializing in appellate practice.

Currently a shareholder in the litigation section of Montgomery & Andrews, P.A., in Santa Fe, NM, Ms. Singleton is president of the State Bar of New Mexico and has been a member of the Board of Bar Commissioners since 1989. She is a fellow of both the New Mexico Bar Foundation and the ABA Bar Foundation. She serves on the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense, the ABA Ad Hoc Committee on State Justice Initiatives and the New Mexico State Bar's Task Force on Providing Legal Services to the Poor. She co-chairs the State Bar's Task Force on Indigen Criminal Defense.

Ms. Singleton also has served as president of the First Judicial District Bar Association and as chair of the Bar's Task Force on Women and the Legal Profession, the Board of Bar Examiners, the Board of Trustees of the Northern New Mexico Legal Service and Curry County Labor-Management Relations Bard and as co-chair of the 1993 Equal Access to Justice Campaign. She was a member of the National Conference of Bar Examiners' Committee on the Multistate Bar Examination.

A member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, Ms. Singleton has received an award for Outstanding Service to the Court and the Judiciary, and both the State Bar's Outstanding Service Award and its Outstanding Contribution Award (twice).

As a litigator, Ms Singleton has concentrated since 1986 on natural-resource cases, particularly those involving the natural-gas industry, in the state and federal courts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. She has participated in 200 appeals of civil matters in state and federal courts and also in criminal cases, including defending capital cases.

In her pro bono work, Ms Singleton works closely with a New Mexico advocacy group for migrant farm laborers.

In recognition of her tireless efforts to convert the ideal of "equal justice for all" into a reality, the Indiana University School of Law and its Alumni proudly recognize Sarah Michael Singleton as a Fellow of the Academy of Law Alumni.

NEWS FROM THE FACULTY

Professor Dawn Johnsen presented a paper Friday, Sept. 24, at a symposium on "The Constitution Under Clinton: A Critical Assessment" at Duke Law School. She discussed the President's constitutional obligations when confronted with enforcing a congressional statute that the President believes is unconstitutional.

NEWS FROM CAREER SERVICES

COMING SOON: JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS!
Members of the Committee on Judicial Clerkships and Career Services will soon invite interested students to discuss the specifics of applying for clerkships in the federal courts. Committee members usually begin these consultations in late October and early November, after the first round Moot Court briefs are filed and after the Fall On-Campus Interview season ends. Work with individual students also follows a session sponsored by the Career Services Office that features presentations by a few recent graduates who are clerking.

NEWS FROM STUDENT AFFAIRS OFFICE

DONATE BLOOD
The annual fall Blood Drive, coordinated by Delta Theta Phi, will be this coming Wednesday, Oct. 6.

It could not be more convenient for you to GIVE. The "self-contained bus" will be parked within less than a "blood-curdling" yelling distance from the front of the school.

The minutes it will take to give blood can take place between those minutes circumscribed by the period 1:30 to 4:30. Just go to the bus.

Perhaps not true, but it has been alleged that our community will not have to listen to non-stop polkas provided enough people give.

Need more be said?

MONEY - CONTESTS - FAME - WRITING - RESUME - PUBLICATION
There are numerous writing contests for law students to enter. Many of these contests include publication and a lot of prize money. In past years, a number of our students have won prizes, some as much as $5,000, and have had their articles published.

Several of these contests are posted on the Board outside room 024. A few of these contests, such as the Sig Beck Bankruptcy and Business competition and the Nathan Burkan Copyright competition, automatically ensure that IU students will win cash prizes.

So, if you have been writing a journal, seminar, or B706 note or paper, check out these contests.

Also, check the website at http://www.people.memphis.edu/~law/

STUDENTS WITH CHILDREN: SPECIAL HEALTH INSURANCE
There are some special insurance opportunities for those with children.

Check it out in Room 024. Ask Dale.

NEWS FROM STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

TOWN HALL MEETING
SLA invites 2Ls and 3Ls to the first "Town Hall Meeting" of the year on

Monday, Oct. 4, at 12:15 in the Moot Court Room. The meeting will be

co-sponsored with the Career Services Faculty-Student Committee. We look forward to seeing you there!

Also: All of SLA's outdated books will be placed outside the bookstore

this upcoming week. These books are FREE and if they are not taken, they will be thrown out Friday, Oct. 9 at 5:00 p.m. Everyone had notice

several times last semester to come and get their out-of-date books, so

this is really the last chance! Come get some great FREE BOOKS!

The Bookstore's regular hours for the month of October will be posted in the glass case next to the bookstore door. Hours typically run from 11-1 on Mondays and Wednesdays. We are ALWAYS accepting more books to sell, so just stop by and get your envelopes to fill out BEFORE you drop your books off. Thanks to everyone who has been helping us implement the new system we hope it's working well! As always, comments and suggestions for SLA can be put in the mail slot in the bookstore door.

WINE AND CHEESE
All students and faculty are invited to attend PILF's Law Professor and Student Wine and Cheese to be held Oct. 5, at 5:00 p.m. in the Faculty Lounge. PILF hopes to connect students and faculty with similar interests and promote public interest work during school and post education. This will be a great chance to meet professors, hear about their experiences, get advice, and learn how to find jobs in various areas of public interest law.

DIVERSITY FORUM
The Business and Law Society will be hosting a diversity forum on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 1999 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Moot Court Room. The theme of the forum will be "The Importance of Diversity in the Professional Workplace." There will be four panelists: Bonnie L. Galvin (Hiring Partner for Ice Miller), Charlie Nelms (Vice President for Student Development and Diversity at Indiana University), Paris Lewis (Director of African American Recruiting for MetLife) and Alvin Pierce (Director of Recruiting for the Dow Chemical Company). This forum is open to ALL students, faculty, and staff. The forum will be open to questions from the audience and EVERYONE is encouraged to attend.

Those in attendance will gain valuable insight as to the role that diversity plays in the legal, corporate and academic setting. Additionally, this is an EXCELLENT opportunity for those in attendance to network with the panelists. Finally, lunch will be provided. Any questions, comments, or concerns can be relayed to Bob Lattas at rlattas@indiana.edu.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

OUTREACH FOR LEGAL LITERACY
Outreach for Legal Literacy is a program through which law students teach fifth-graders in Bloomington the basics of law. The law students typically work in pairs and visit the classroom once a week for approximately forty-five minutes. Lesson plans will be provided. If any law student is interested in participating, please contact Tabitha Tyle at ttyle@indiana.edu.

AUDIO - VIDEO SERVICES
Requests for AV services may be sent to Beth at av@exchange. indiana.edu. Please include the name of your group and the e-mail address of the contact person, a description of what you want to do, and the date, location, starting time and duration of the event. Requests must be made at least 48 hours in advance and will be confirmed by email.

NOTES / CORRECTIONS
Special Addition regarding Career Services: The special memo in last week's issue (Sept. 27) regarding the Career Services office was from Professor Sarah Hughes, Chair of the Career Services Committee.

Response to Hate Conference: Mr. Eric Ward, a member of the Plenary Panel on Hate Groups and the Personal Effects of Hate, is associated with the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious (not Militia) Harassment.

Mr. David A. Reid, involved in the Break-Out sessions is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy, IUPUI.

CALENDAR

Monday, Oct. 4, SLA Town Hall Meeting, 12:15 p.m., Moot Court Room.

Tuesday, Oct. 5, PILF Wine and Cheese, 5:00 p.m., Faculty Lounge.

Wednesday, Oct. 6, BLS Diversity Forum, Noon - 1:30 p.m., Moot Court Room.

Wednesday, Oct. 6, DTP Blood Drive, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Updated: 1 October 1999