As law students planning on working in public interest the Equal Justice Works Fair is our best career fair, OCI and networking reception rolled into one. There are often one or two public interest organizations at city based job fairs and maybe a few more during Spring OCI, but the EJW fair brought together 180 different employers from around the country to one room. If you are a student considering public interest through direct service, policy, public private firms or government work, the opportunity to interact with employers is unparalleled.
Here are some of my EJW suggestions from someone who went for the first time this year. Apply to jobs through the EJW portal, you can apply and potentially schedule interviews with the organizations you are most interested in prior to the event. This can also cut down on your need to table talk. Be aware that all of these interviews do take place in one large room, so be prepared to focus. As someone that took on too many interviews, I think not accepting more than eight is ideal. Get there before the first day; the conference is pretty overwhelming with a lot of people in one large room for interviews, table talk and milling around the lobby. Arriving early, enjoying a D.C. dinner, and getting a good night sleep can make the first day easier. Meet with CCD to strategize about networking tips and who you want to meet during table talk prior to the event. There are a lot of students and organizations, it can be challenging to get where you want to if you do not have an organization in mind. Be friendly and have informal conversations with other law students. EJW has student representation from schools all over the country which presents an opportunity to network with your peers as well.
Yes, you will be tired because it is a very long two days, but make the most of it; attend sessions in your free time, sign up for networking receptions, apply for interviews and attempt table talks. In my own personal experience, the exhaustion was worth it because I was able to secure a job for the coming summer with the National Immigration Law Center, less than a week after the job fair and learned about a number of organizations I would like to work with in the future. If you have any questions about EJW feel free to email me, Charlotte.Granison @wustl.edu and I hope to see you there next October!