In the NALP Bulletin, Jamie Reisman of our Office of Career Strategy answers common questions of first-year law students aiming to work in the public sector.
For the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), Jamie Reisman, Associate Director for JD Counseling & Public Sector Careers, has published “1L Career Strategy and Top FAQs from 1Ls Pursuing Public Sector Opportunities.”
Before joining the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School’s Office of Career Strategy, Reisman was a civil legal services attorney for over a decade at Legal Aid Chicago where she practiced in a variety of areas including family law, housing, public benefits, employment, and, most recently, consumer law. She received her JD from the University of Wisconsin Law School and her BA from Swarthmore College.
From the NALP Bulletin:
For law school career advisors, every year brings the excitement of a new 1L class, along with intense planning to provide robust support for first-year students. At Penn Carey Law, the majority of our 1Ls work in the public sector during their first summer. 
In past years, our office started counseling 1Ls in mid-October. Last fall, we moved up the date and found students very receptive to the change. Opening communication earlier helped us to drive the conversation, allay student anxiety, and convey important information about available resources, researching employers, the summer hiring timeline, and submitting applications.
For student communications, our team began using Canvas, a course portal that students use for their coursework. We created a course page for all 1Ls, which covered summer opportunities across sectors, including at non-profit organizations, law firms, government agencies, international organizations, in-house companies, and judges’ chambers. Since students are already familiar with Canvas and use it regularly, it made our resources and communications easily accessible… .