For Students

Resources to Make Informed Career Decisions

Yale Law School’s Career Development Office (CDO) provides a variety of resources to assist you in making informed career decisions. A good starting point is the career pathways section of this site where you can learn about the variety of employment opportunities available. Use the toolkit for student job seekers to guide you through the self-assessment, employer research, application and interview processes. Explore CDO’s educational and interview programs and myriad resources that are at your disposal as your job search progresses.

In the fall, every first-year student will be assigned to an attorney counselor. After that, you are welcome to connect with a counselor of your choice.

We look forward to collaborating with you during your time at YLS and beyond.

Expectation Setting

CDO is committed to ensuring that all students receive fair treatment from employers who use our career services, and that the law school, its students, and employers act in good faith in the recruiting and hiring process. Please review CDO’s Employer Recruiting Policies, Yale’s Sexual Misconduct Policies, and NALP’s Principles for a Fair and Ethical Recruitment Process, to understand the rights and responsibilities of students and employers during the recruiting process.

As you commence this phase of your professional career, we think it is important to lay out some expectations for our working relationship.

You can expect your CDO counselor to:

• guide you in developing an effective career plan;
• identify resources to support your career plan;
• respond to your emails or calls promptly (within two business days);
• be on time and prepared for our meetings;
• offer timely programming and information to support your job search;
• provide you with meaningful feedback on your résumé and cover letters, and useful advice on other application materials;
• guide you through the application and interview process;
• connect you to students, faculty, and alumni whom we believe may be useful to your career exploration;
• ensure that employers with whom you interact through CDO comport themselves with professionalism and in compliance with CDO’s Employer Recruiting Policies, including the Law School's nondiscrimination policy; and NALP’s Principles for a Fair and Ethical Recruitment Process.

In return, we expect you to take ownership of your job search. To do this, you will need to:

• read our student communication and proactively seek out information you need from our office;
• meet with your assigned CDO counselor, and as your career goals progress, meet with the counselor best suited to your interests;
• attend CDO programs relating to your goals and interests, particularly our first-year application materials and interviewing sessions;
• present your background and credentials accurately in all written and verbal communication;
• build and engage your network using tools we provide;
• be responsive to outreach from the office, including RSVPing when needed and responding to requests for updates on your job search;
• honor commitments you have made, including showing up on time for meetings, attending events for which you RSVP, and honoring commitments to employers;
• review and comply with CDO's Employer Recruiting Policies and NALP’s Principles for a Fair and Ethical Recruitment Process.