Much talk on Ms. JD has been devoted to the work-life balance, or the idea that one can have a career, and still have time to come home and do a load of laundry from time to time. Or even (gasp) have a hobby, or read a non-work related book.

Of course, for many recent graduates of even top tier law schools, the work-life balance discussion is purely academic. I’m still trying to find work to put in balance with my life.

So what does the post graduation job search look like, you may ask?

The conventional wisdom is that a job search is a full time job. This means that my days are spent in that twilight state that is neither work nor life. On the one hand, I am not being paid for my endeavors, and outside of having to call my temp agencies every few days, I am pretty much accountable to no one. On the other hand, I do not wake up and crack out the watercolors and sketchpad, and indulge in six to eight hours of pure me-time.

I spend my time finding ways to be “out there.” For me, I define the term “out there” to mean that I maintain consistent contact with the legal profession through continuing to check-in with networking contacts, undertaking volunteer work, and attending programs and receptions connected to bar associations and other lawyer based organizations. Finally, I also continue to send my resume to a variety of organizations, firms, and places with job openings.

Volunteer Work

Many public interest attorneys got their start spending the months after law school graduation volunteering with a public interest organization. Non-profit organizations simply do not have the resources to hire and train every qualified applicant eager to promote the cause. Some organizations, however, are eager to work with volunteers. Like everything else in a lawyer’s life you need to approach seeking volunteer opportunities strategically. Volunteer work should be used as a means to gain experience and contacts in an area of law where you ultimately plan to practice. In other words, consider what areas of law interest you. Also consider what causes you hold near and dear to your heart. Once you have assessed your interests and passions, research organizations that will allow you to do work in these areas.

In my own case, I am interested in pursuing a career in litigation. I am passionate about issues involving civil rights and economic justice. This focus and passion lead me to my current volunteer gig doing legal research for an organization that carries out impact litigation on behalf of low income populations.

Having developed a strategy to gain experience while working for a good cause, your next step is to contact the organizations. I advise contacting as many organizations as possible, simply because not every public interest organization will be able to use you as a volunteer. Some organizations require bar admission and extensive volunteer training. Other organizations do not have the structural capacity to take advantage of free labor. Many will not return your emails or calls. In other words, do not become discouraged when your town’s legal aid office does jump on your offer to volunteer your time. If you contact a sufficient number of organizations, someone will be interested in what you can do for them. While volunteering with an organization will not necessarily lead to a job with that organization, your volunteer work provides you with additional experience in research and writing, as well as additional writing samples and networking contacts.

Networking

I only complain in jest about this, but most social interactions I have these days end in a resume drop. A couple of weeks ago, I met a law school classmate of mine for brunch, and ended up emailing my resume to her fiancé for an opening in his office. Or there was the time I went apartment hunting with a broker who graduated from law school in 2006, and had several contacts she wanted to introduce me to. While most employers will send your resume through the shredder (this is purely hyperbolic speculation), anyone else will beg you for a copy.

Networking comes in several forms. One way to begin is to scour Martindale Hubbell to find attorneys who graduated from your law school working in areas (of legal practice, and/or geographic region) in which you plan to work. I did this, and am now connected to several people who continue to act as my biggest cheerleaders in the job search. In meeting with a new networking contact, it is best to ask them how they got where they are. Despite the myth that all lawyers get their start by being hired by big firms during OCI, I continue to meet successful attorneys who took less conventional paths to practice. And they love to tell their stories. Networking contacts also enjoy providing you with additional networking contacts. It may in fact be true that everyone in the law world is connected by fewer degrees of separation than even Kevin Bacon. Finally, many practicing attorneys with whom you network also belong to professional organizations, and are eager to bring you as a guest to events.

You should also join your local bar association and begin attending as many events as you can afford. Many pro-bono organizations provide free CLE lectures. Sign up for and attend these, especially if they focus on an area of law in which you are interested in incorporating into your practice. Talk to other attorneys in attendance, and let them know you are looking to work in their area of the law.

Turning Your Hobbies into Professional-ish Endeavors

Upon your matriculation in law school, you did not abandon all other aspects of yourself. Even with a JD, you may still be a tennis fanatic, a science fiction enthusiast, a wine connoisseur, or a creative writer. Any one of your hobbies or interests can provide you with another means to make yourself visible in the legal community. For instance, one of my hobbies is writing. Along with continuing to work on short fiction stories, I also work on nonfiction pieces for online publications such as Ms. JD. Other suggestions in this vein include joining an all-lawyer softball league, doing pro-bono work for an organization that promotes the rights of those who create or purvey some aspect of your hobby, or volunteering with the general counsel for a political candidate. Your overall knowledge and skill, along with your legal credentials are likely to turn the heads of potential employers; all the while you continue to enjoy yourself.

And the Obvious: Applying to Jobs

Despite being employed as a full time job seeker, I only spend a small part of each week actually applying for jobs. That being said, I have taken a two pronged approach to job applications. Using the NALPdirectory, superlawyers, Chambers and Partners, Idealist, and word of mouth, I have compiled a list of organizations and firms where I would like to work. Regardless of whether these places have advertised a need for attorneys with my background, I have sent them a copy of my resume and cover letter. This serves to let these organizations know who I am, and what I can bring to their organizations. Even if they do not have an opening now, I am at least on their radar so that if the occasion arises and a position does come available, I can include mention of my prior correspondence in the letter I send with an updated copy of my resume.

My second prong is responding to job openings. A common complaint amongst new law school graduates is that there are few entry level jobs open. While this is true, there are a variety of fellowships, clerkships, and special government honors programs to which one can apply (even if you strike out on this front, at least you explored it). Moreover, there are a slew of jobs requiring one to two years of experience to which you can, with mention of your clinical legal education or journal membership (or moot court work, or summer jobs) make an argument for your candidacy. On the one hand it is presumptuous to assume that even your extensive work in your law school clinics is equivalent to 24 months working full time in a legal setting as an attorney. On the other hand, what do you have to lose? And I say this, having gotten interviews for these sorts of jobs. My strategy was to tie very specific elements of my clinic work and the projects I handled in my summer jobs to the demands of the open job. For instance, if the job was seeking a housing attorney, I could emphasize the success I had representing clients in landlord tenant disputes as a clinic student.

Keeping Perspective

While searching for a job, you must keep perspective. In other words, do whatever it takes to avoid letting the negative aspects of this experience consume your every waking moment. Stay positive.

Now, until about a year ago, I approached the advice to stay positive with great skepticism. What positivity can one derive from being broke and unemployed, I wondered? A couple of mentors, however, set me straight, pointing out that a positive attitude was what got them out of bed each morning, and into their dream jobs. For me, a positive attitude translates into my belief that with hard work, networking, volunteering, and the like I will find my perfect job.

More importantly, falling into pits of negativity stops me from going to networking events, seeing friends, or applying for a job I would love and do well but am slightly underqualified for. In other words, dwelling in negativity removes my sense of agency, and prevents me from feeling in control of my life. I find that on bad days, I am less likely to pick up the phone and call a networking contact, or mingle during a bar event.

Ultimately, for the sake of my own sanity, I limited myself to five minutes of self-pity a day. Five minutes to lament that despite attending a top college and law school, publishing, and doing all the supposed right things, I am still not where I want to be in my life

And once the five minutes is up, I remind myself that I am a step away from being where I want to be in my life. Moreover, I am working very hard to reach my goals. Hardly wallowing, no?

In moving on from negative thoughts and feelings, I remember that I am young, educated, have connections, and the ability to do good legal work. Moreover, this time in which I am searching for my first job will only compose a fraction of my legal career. I am not under some deadline to find a job. If I remain patient and persistent, something will come my way.

I tell myself this on a daily basis. This level of perspective makes me feel better. And it costs less than any antidepressant.

Still Seeking the Work-Life Balance

As strange as it sounds, my prolonged job search has provided me with the knowledge and foresight to find work that will allow me to maintain a work-life balance, if that is what I want. Or if I can wax idealistic for a moment, my current strategy will allow me to find a job that gives me the opportunity to do work that focuses on issues and matters that I consider significant in my life.

As for doing laundry? Maybe after I send out these cover letters, or finish this brief for my volunteer work.