Students and alumni may schedule individual career counseling sessions with OCPD’s counselors through the Appointments tab at careers.law.edu. Through individualized sessions, counselors may assist students with:

• Professional Self-Assessment
• Career Path Exploration
• Job Search Strategies and Resources
• Application Materials
• Networking
• Interview Preparation and Follow-up
• Managing and Evaluating Offers

To make an in person or virtual appointment, stop by OCPD or email jobs@law.edu.

The Office of Career and Professional Development maintains a variety of resources for students and alumni related to:

• researching employers and finding open positions
• preparing and polishing application materials
• preparing for and nailing the interview
• creating and maintaining professional relationships
• developing professional legal skills
• exploring pro bono opportunities and more

These resources are located in a google drive folder that can be accessed using your CUA email address. For more information about any of these topics, please contact OCPD or schedule an appointment with a Career Advisor by emailing jobs@law.edu.

The Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America is proud to offer the CUA Law Advantage Mentor Program. The program connects CUA law students with graduates who will act as a source of assistance and counsel throughout their law school experience. Mentors share general or expert knowledge, provide real-world insight into the practice of law, guide students in defining and embracing their role as a future lawyer, and serve as role models in dealing with clients, colleagues, the courts, and the community.

Visit the CUA Law Advantage Mentor Program page.

How Do I Gain Experience? In addition to course selection and student leadership opportunities on campus, you can gain experience in public service law by participating in an externship or volunteering your time in pro bono legal service. Students interested in externship opportunities are encouraged to contact Bryan McDermott, Director of Experiential Curriculum at mcdermottb@law.edu. To learn more about pro bono opportunities with local service organizations, please contact OCPD at (202) 319-5132 or jobs@law.edu. The law school offers summer stipend awards each year to first- and second-year law students with unpaid government and public interest legal internships. 

• Government: Federal, State and Local
• Careers in the Federal Government
• Prosecutors: U.S. Attorneys and State District Attorneys
• Public Defenders
• Direct Service Providers
• Impact Organizations
• Associations
• International Public Interest Work
• Public Interest Law Firms
• Fellowships

Air Force JAG Information Sheet

Air Force JAG Corps-Direct Appointment Program

Air Force JAG Reserve Officer's Training Corps

Air Force JAG Financial Incentives Brochure

The U.S. Army JAG Information Brochure

The  U.S. Army Lawyer Magazine

The Coast Guard Direct Commission Lawyer Program

The Coast Guard JAG Internship/Externship Program

The Coast Guard JAG to the American Bar Association

The U.S. Navy JAG Corp Guide

Working in a judicial setting provides students and new attorneys with an intense research and writing experience, as well as familiarizing them with the inner workings of the judicial system. Our office can help you determine which options are the best fit for your professional goals.

For more information on judicial opportunities, click here.

Loyola Patent Law Interview Program
The Loyola Patent Program is hosted virtually by the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. This program occurs nationwide during the summer in the month of July for two days. Employers target rising 2L and 3L students. Students who are patent bar eligible with undergraduate or graduate degrees in engineering, a technical science or new design architecture and certain arts degrees should consider registering for the program.

Bar Foundation Montgomery County (BFMC) Summer Scholars Program
The Summer Scholars Program is an in-person, off-campus recruiting program that occurs annually in the fall. The program is in partnerships with the Montgomery County Bar Foundation, specialty bar associations, local law firms, and Catholic University, along with other regional law schools. The program is intended to promote the hiring and subsequent success of a diverse community of law students and attorneys in the County.

Office of the Attorney General, Charles F.C. Ruff Fellowship
The DC Office of the Attorney General in partnership with Catholic Law recruits two 3Ls to work for one year following graduation as an Assistant Attorney General through the Ruff Fellowship. Fellows assist in providing legal representation to the District of Columbia in one of the 12 Divisions at the OAG. Fellows are selected by OAG and are expected to begin their year-long commitment in mid-January. Selection criteria include admission to practice law by a state Bar, excellent oral and written communication skills, effective interpersonal skills, and a commitment to public service. Fellowships are jointly funded by the law school and OAG, and the fellows are selected through a highly competitive process among top graduates from each school. Read more about the Ruff Fellowship here.

Legal Innovators
Catholic Law is a law school partner with Legal Innovators. Legal Innovators recruits law students in their final year of law school (3D/4E) to work at top law firms. The application opens in late December and closes in February. Candidates interview in March with offers expected in April/May.

Equal Justice Works Career Fair (Member School)
The Equal Justice Works Career Fair, annually in the fall, is hosted by Equal Justice Works (EJW), a nonprofit organization in DC. The fair is hosted in partnership with member schools around the country, including Catholic University. The fair focuses on the public interest sector including nonprofits, prosecutors and public defenders offices, and government agencies and is the largest public sector recruiting fair in the fall. In past years the fair brought together over 250 employers and 2500+ students through virtual interviews, virtual table talk sessions, and resume collections. Employers from the DMV and around the country participate.

12twenty

• First Year students receive their login information in October.
• Email jobs@law.edu if you need your login credentials.

Other Job Search resources
OCPD maintains subscriptions for additional job search platforms and websites. Obtain login information and passwords in the OCPD Google Drive or email jobs@law.edu.

• PSJD for public interest/public service positions
• Arizona Handbooks for government internships and entry-level attorney positions
• Clerkship resources for federal, state and specialty courts
• OPA for Public Affairs positions
• Tom Manatos for Capitol Hill positions
• Daybook for political, policy, non-profit and remote jobs

OCI is the largest private sector recruitment program at Catholic Law. Law firms recruit rising 2Ls for summer associate positions through law school managed virtual/in-person interviews, application collect or direct application.

To register, please visit 12twenty. For additional questions, contact us at jobs@cua.edu. 

2024 OCI Important Dates
March 1                                          Employer Registration                 
Opens May 13*                             Student application window              
June 27-28                                      Early Interviews 
July 29-30                                        Interviews

*Note that employers’ application windows may vary for Direct Applications.

Spring Recruitment:

Our Spring OCI, is offered to midsize/small firms that are interested in hiring for the spring or summer through direct application, application collect or on campus interviews (In-person or Virtually)

Spring Recruitment Important Dates
December- January                      Employer Registration
January                                           Student application window
February                                         Interviews

On Campus Interviews (OCI)

OCI for public sector and non-profit employers is held in late summer.   

To register, please visit 12twenty. For additional questions, contact us at jobs@cua.edu. 

Public Sector Recruiting Program (PSRF)

Public Sector Recruiting Fair (PSRF) is hosted annually each spring by Catholic University and other area law schools in the DMV. PSRF focuses on the public interest sector including nonprofits, prosecutors and public defenders offices, and government agencies and is the largest public sector recruiting fair in the spring. In past years the fair has brought nearly 100 employers and 300+ students together through virtual interviews, virtual table talk sessions, and resume collections. Employers from the DMV and around the country participate.

November - December            Employer Registration
December - January                 Student application window
Late January                               Interviews