Learning About Legal Careers & the Job Search

You need information at all stages of your career planning and job search, from your first tentative musings about what sort of job might be a good fit for you to your preparation for a big interview or the decision about whether to accept an offer.

Note that you might use the same source or type of information for different purposes. For instance, legal directories can be useful when you are:

• gathering information about a type of practice or community
• looking for lawyers who might be willing to talk to you in an informational interview
• looking for employers to apply to
• preparing for a job interview.

This guide suggests resources for learning about legal careers and the practice of law.

Look, we know that you've got a lot to read for class. Don't worry: these career books are not hefty casebooks with dense language from nineteenth century cases. Lots of them are slender paperbacks, written in a casual style. You can read them on the bus or while eating a sandwich. And you don't have to read any of them cover to cover (unless you want to): look through them and pick out what's helpful.

When you click on the link from the book's title, you go to the catalog record. That will usually give you more information, such as a publisher's blurb or a summary of contents. And it will tell you where to find the book—call number and location (e.g., Reference Area or Classified Stacks). It will also tell you if the book happens to be checked out; if so, you can request it.

Trying to keep things current, we generally include only books published since 2010. If you are interested in older books—much of the basic advice is still good—use the catalog or browse the shelves (around KF297 to KF301).

These UW Libraries guides are not tailored to law, but could be useful, especially if you're thinking outside law yourself.