JD Student Career Services

Our USC Gould JD Career Services Office is dedicated to providing students and graduates with the information and tools necessary for successful career development and advancement.

We believe in a proactive approach to helping you find not only a job practicing law but a job that fits your particular area of interest. Our counselors don't wait for you to come to them, they reach out to you, and they reach out to potential employers on your behalf.

We assist you in your pursuit of careers in a wide variety of settings — including large and small law firms, public interest organizations, government agencies, corporate and business environments, academia, judicial clerkships and JD Advantage careers.

From the beginning of your legal studies, the Career Services Office works with you to tailor an individualized plan in preparation for your transition to the practice of law. In October of your first year, a career service counselor will sit down with you, begin a conversation focused on your individual career path and help you build an action plan. Your counselor will work with you to build a résumé, refine your interviewing skills and define what type of law and in what environment you may want to practice. Then together, you will begin the process of building a target employer list.

Through an extensive array of services such as individual counseling, informational and skill-building workshops, mock interviews, mentor lunches, written and online resources, job-posting databases, numerous on- and off-campus employment fairs, and a substantial alumni network, the Career Services Office helps educate you for a lifetime of successful career management.

We advocate for our students. We don't sit back, give you instructions and push you out the door to do things on you own. We tout your strengths to employers and help connect you to opportunities. We view our job as preparing you to be the kind of nuanced candidate that stands out and makes it all the way through the interview process to being hired.

Elizabeth Armour
Associate Dean and Dean of Career Services

My career counselor was awesome! Ever since first year, she was always available. She sat and talked with me, not just about the options out there, but about the people she could connect me with, and, if I was interested, she made the connection. She emailed me about new opportunities she discovered.

Jenecia Martinez, JD 2016

The Career Services Office really focuses on and helps every student. They read every student's cover letter and résumé and send them comments and corrections. They provide individual help. As a first-year student, I became very close to my counselor, who helped me decide what kind of law I wanted to go into. The office also helps you through every application process you would need. My counselor helped me apply for an externship after my first year.

Avalee Statner, JD 2017