When a student enrolls in law school, the end goal is, ultimately, a career in the field of law. At South Texas College of Law Houston, our Career Resource Center (CRC) sets students up for career success from new-student orientation through landing a post-graduation job. Read more about how the CRC paves the way for students to have long, successful legal careers.
Exploring Career Possibilities
As law students begin considering their career in earnest, South Texas Law encourages them to utilize the resources provided by the CRC in order to better align their values, interests, and strengths with their professional prospects. Throughout the academic year, the CRC hosts a multitude of events designed for students to find career opportunities where they can thrive.
Government and Public Interest Table Talks
Hosted annually by the law school, the Government and Public Interest Table Talk (GPITT) is a signature recruitment event that offers government agencies and public interest organizations the opportunity to connect directly with the school’s talented and service-minded law students.
“I first connected with the Harris County Attorney’s Office at the Government and Public Interest Table Talk,” said 1L Morgan Auzine. “It allowed me to learn more about their work and express my interest directly. From there, I went on to apply for a judicial internship and received an offer.”
This informal, fair-style event allows employers to introduce their organization and mission, collect resumes from interested candidates, and engage in meaningful, authentic conversations with students who are passionate about serving the public good. Click here to view the schedule of additional upcoming events hosted by the Career Resource Center.
D.I.N.E. with a J.D.
This event series connects law students with alumni who share their expertise, allowing the future lawyers to gain personal insight from established professionals in the legal field. These lunchtime events, all tailored to a given alumni’s legal specialty or special interest, offer students a unique and informative experience.
This year, alumna and board member Sharon Schweitzer ‘89 hosted a special D.I.N.E. with a J.D. event focused on “Modern Table Manners & Dining Etiquette for Legal Scholars,” where students were taught subtle etiquette skills to empower them to succeed as future attorneys.
Fall First Look
The Fall First Look program is an on-campus networking event designed exclusively for first-year law students at South Texas Law. This unique event on campus allows students to connect early with legal employers and gain key insight into the hiring process before the official recruiting season begins.
The relaxed, informal setting of Fall First Look also provides students a chance to learn more about different practice areas and employer expectations by asking questions directly to recruiters and attorneys. The event features a wide variety of employers, including law firms, government agencies, public interest organizations, and corporate legal departments.
Preparing Students for the Job Search
The Career Resource Center’s resources extend far beyond access to information. At South Texas Law, students can engage with a robust network of organizations, mentors, and accomplished attorneys who can help them along the way.
Resume Reviews
Every job search is different, but a handful of key principles apply across the board. Among the most important is having a strong portfolio of professional marketing materials. Documents like resumes and cover letters provide a first impression to a potential employer so it’s crucial that they clearly communicate a student’s strengths, experience, and fit for the role.
Whether students are starting from scratch or fine-tuning a draft, they can depend on the CRC to help in crafting tailored, polished application materials that stand out from the crowd. The CRC guides students through building a legal resume that highlights their skills and experience. writing a compelling, customized cover letter for each opportunity, understanding what employers in different sectors look for, avoiding common mistakes, and formatting issues. Great materials can open doors, and the CRC is here to help students get them right.
Career Counseling
At South Texas College of Law Houston, we understand there’s no single roadmap to a legal career; every student’s goals, interests, and journey are different. That’s why the CRC offers individualized career counseling tailored specifically to each student’s unique career path, regardless of where they are in the recruitment process.
During one-on-one counseling, a team of dedicated career advisors — all licensed attorneys with legal experience across a wide range of practice areas — are here to help students navigate the clerkship and post-grad hiring process with confidence. A student’s career counselor helps them explore and refine their career interests, identify practice areas that align with their strengths, and develop personalized job search strategies. Individualized career counseling is a vital asset designed to help students eliminate uncertainty as they navigate each step of their professional journey.
“The CRC kept me sane and motivated through the ups-and-downs of recruitment,” said part-time law student Helena Oliver. “It’s especially challenging to apply to internships and jobs as a part-time student, but my career counselor was by my side the whole time. I cried in her office, I laughed in her office, and she made sure I never gave up on myself.”
Whether a student is just beginning to explore their options or is actively applying for jobs, a career counselor is a valuable resource — ready to meet with students one-on-one and help them navigate each step of the professional journey.
Mock Interviews
Interviewing is a skill built through practice and repetition, which is why the CRC offers mock interviews to help students prepare for the real deal. Through this mock interview process, students can continuously improve and refine their skills, ensuring they’re ready for anything that comes their way.
Mock interviews are a great way to practice answering common legal interview questions with a trusted CRC staff member. Following each session, students receive personalized feedback on their responses, including their body language and nonverbal communication. Mock interviews allow students to familiarize themselves with different interview formats, including in-person, phone, and virtual interviews.
Mock interview sessions are conducted in a supportive, low-pressure setting designed to help students build confidence, reduce anxiety and grow their professional skills. Interviews don’t have to be intimidating. Practice makes progress.
Connecting Students to Employers
Connections are a cornerstone of career opportunities in the legal field, and the Career Resource Center (CRC) at South Texas Law helps facilitate the connection between student and employer every step of the recruitment process.
Resume Collections
When employers choose to opt out of conducting On-Campus Interviews (OCI), they still have the option of participating in Resume Collection, where employers can reach out to the CRC to request targeted resumes from interested students. From there, employers can review the materials, directly contact candidates they deem a strong fit for the role, and schedule them for interviews independent of the formal OCI timeline.
Symplicity: Online Career Search
After their acceptance, South Texas Law students are granted access to Symplicity, the law school’s career portal. There, students can upload their professional marketing materials, including resumes, cover letters, transcripts, and writing samples. Verified employers in the legal field regularly upload open positions to Symplicity, saving students the trouble of combing through fraudulent or outdated job listings by allowing them to apply for positions directly.
On Campus Interviews
South Texas Law’s CRC proudly partners with a wide range of legal employers to connect students with academic-year internships, summer clerkships, and post-graduate permanent positions. Each year, hundreds of employers — including law firms of all sizes, government agencies, corporate legal departments, public interest organizations, and judicial chambers—all leverage the On-Campus Interview (OCI) program to connect with a talented, diverse, and practice-ready pool of law students and recent graduates.
The CRC’s recruitment programs, including On-Campus Interviews, are structured in multiple phases throughout the fall and spring, providing flexibility for employers to participate according to their internal hiring schedules. So whether students are seeking summer, part-time, or full-time roles, the CRC provides them with the opportunity to advance their careers without leaving campus.
Outstanding Career Outcomes
Thanks to the far-reaching support of the Career Resource Center, over 90% of each graduating class at South Texas College of Law Houston are hired within the first year of obtaining their J.D. degree.
The CRC’s dedication to serving the South Texas Law community continues long after graduation, as resources such as Symplicity remain available to alumni for life. Many alumni, in turn, pay this support forward by personally partnering with the CRC to become career coaches and mentors to the next generation of law students. If you’re an alumni interested in mentorship, click here.
