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It turns out the agency whose Honors program I was supposed to join in six months’ time had lost their hiring authority.  Who knew that was a thing?  Apparently it is.  OPM – the Office of Personnel Management – can completely shut down an agency’s ability to hire.

So everyone who had been given a job offer – from administrative assistants to non-attorney staff to attorneys – and who had not yet started in their position – me and dozens of other “Honors” attorneys included – lost their job offer.  Just like that, nine months of work – the time it takes to make and birth an entire human being – was flushed down the drain.

Less than one month later, I would have an offer from my dream job.  The one I almost never applied for.

Continue reading “How I Landed My Dream Job (After I Never Applied) – Part 2”

If you read my previous series of posts starting here, you know that I almost never even pursued my dream of being a civil rights litigator.  BigLaw was just such an easy path.  Put me on that automatic walkway, let me rake in the big bucks, and I’d figure the rest out later.  Right?

Reading the recommendation letter from my law school Property professor – whose letter I was discouraged from getting because the professor wasn’t “distinguished enough,” Property wasn’t an “important enough” class, and I had only gotten a P (the Harvard version of a B) on my final exam – set me back on my path.  I called up BigLaw law firm and graciously explained that I would be rescinding my acceptance of their offer to pursue a career in civil rights.

Little did I know how up and down the next nine months would be.  Little did I know that the job I wanted was something I could have waited to apply for as my clerkship was ending.  And little did I know that I had almost lost out on that job because of my lack of patience.

Continue reading “How I Landed My Dream Job (After I Never Applied) – Part 1”

I had been so proud of myself for openly and repeatedly declaring that I was going to become a civil rights attorney.  The more I said it out loud, the harder it would be to abandon.

And then, during my 1L summer doing legal aid work, there was a dip in the market.  Fears of a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis set in.  On the last day to sign up for on campus interviews, I ranked 17 BigLaw law firms.  Luckily for me, a series of fortunate events eventually led me back to civil rights.

Continue reading “My Path to Becoming a Civil Rights Litigator – Part 3”

I spent my next two years at Harvard trying to figure out the steps I needed to take to become a civil rights attorney after graduation.  But even with our Office of Public Interest Advising – separate from the “Career Office” whose only goal seemed to be shuffling students off to BigLaw law firms – there seemed to be no hard and fast answers to my questions.

Continue reading “My Path to Becoming a Civil Rights Litigator – Part 2”

Thank you for taking the time to check out Spark Justice Careers and see how we can help you as you pursue a legal career in civil rights.  I thought it might only be fitting to start a series of blog posts on the topic by letting you know how I got here.

I grew up in a suburb of New York City raised by a single mom with an older brother fascinated by complex sciences.  I, on the other hand, enjoyed the art of rhetoric and argumentation.

Ever since I can remember, my family’s nickname for me – “Law” – was both a thickly accented shorthand of my name – Laura – and an unspoken acknowledgement of what my future career would be.

While I had always known in some sense that I wanted to go to law school, I had no idea what lawyers did.  I have no lawyers in my family and not even a family friend who practiced in law.  So when I got into Harvard Law School of all places, I had no idea what to expect.

Continue reading “My Path to Becoming a Civil Rights Litigator – Part 1”