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Harvard Law School
Bernard Koteen
Office of Public Interest Advising
LLM Job Search Strategy Session
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Job Search Mindset and Approach
The domestic (U.S.) public interest job search is incredibly
competitive for JDs with U.S. citizenship, and even more so for
non-citizen J.D.s and LL.M.s.
Have an eye towards not just
short-term but also long-
term opportunities
Target organizations with an
international mission/offices
in international locations
looking for expertise in your
home country’s legal system
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Key Considerations
Be pragmatic!
Skills you’ve developed
How a particular opp fits with your overall career plan
Areas of substantive knowledge
Finances
Immigration restrictions
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Getting Started on Your Job Search
Reflect on your interests and career goals
Review OPIA website
Read OPIA e-mails
Attend OPIA and other events
Meet with visiting Wasserstein Fellows
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• Prepare materials for a specific job opening
• Purpose: get the advertised job
• Emails requesting time and information from alumni and other practicing attorneys
• Purpose: connect with attorneys and organizations of interest and collect information related to potential future openings
The Job Search: Two Approaches
Applications
Networking
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Entry-Level Hiring Mechanisms
Fellowships (often NGO-
focused)
U.S. Government
Honors Programs
Entry-Level Hiring
Programs at IOs
Direct Hire
Persistence
Diligence
Contact OPIA
Keys to Successful Search
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Fellowships
Human Rights Watch
Finberg Fellowship
October 11, 2019
Open Society
Presidential Fellowship
Typically December
Watch for deadlines!
• HLS (or Harvard)-only (Henigson, Satter, Public Service Venture Fund)
• Primarily Portable
Internal
• Portable ( Justice Catalyst)
• Organization-specific (HRW Finberg, CEIL Sohn Fellowship)
External
RFK Donald M. and
Susan N. Wilson
Fellowship
Typically October
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Sponsorships are
needed for
internal/external
portable fellowships
Meet with Judy Murciano
regularly
Work with Judy on written
proposals/interviews
Attend all fellowship sessions
Pay attention to deadlines and
eligibility requirements
Fellowships
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Henigson
Fellowship
(Human Rights
Program)
Satter Fellowship
(Human Rights
Program)
HLS Public
Service Venture
Fund (Kaufman
Fellowship)
Application
Deadline
March 2020
(date TBD)
March 2020
(date TBD)
February 6, 2020
Duration 1 year 1 year 1 year
Number of
Fellowships
Awarded
2 TBD Up to 4
Award Date April/May April/May Mid-May
HLS Fellowships Open to LLMs
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Exceedingly
challenging for non-
U.S. citizens
Citizenship restrictions
Presidential Management
Fellowship open to LLMs, but
appointments only in rare
cases
Government Honors Programs
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Entry-Level Hiring Mechanisms: IOs
• Entry-level jobs (often two-year appointments)
• Age limits, strict language/experience requirements
• Can be limited to citizens of certain countries
• Not always traditional “legal” positions YPP
• Sponsored by IO member states
• Positions advertised on an ad-hoc basis
• Like YPP, very competitive JPO/AEs
• Can be relatively lengthy (6+ months)
• Generous stipend and other benefits
• Good stepping stone to other UN positions
Contract
• “Temporary Vacancy Announcements,” “Consultancies,”
“Short Term Contracts,” “Experts,” “Project Vacancies”
• Networking critical/word-of-mouth based
“Volunteers”(UNVs, etc.)
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UN Entry-Level Hiring
Junior
Professional
Officer /
Associate
Expert
Programs
National
Program
Officers
Young
Professionals
ProgramP2 Posts
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UN Secretariat YPP
Age limit: 32
Eligible countries vary
Job families vary
Fluent in English or French
Written (2 parts)
Oral
Extremely competitive
Lengthy process with many steps
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RosteringJob postings
Postings for UN Secretariat
agencies (OHCHR, OLA,
DPO) found on Inspira
Postings for non-Secretariat
agencies (UNDP, UNHCR,
UNICEF, UN Women) found
on agency websites
Regional bodies may have
region or country-specific
websites with job postings
Some jobs may be posted even
if internal candidate already
in mind
Increasingly used for more
advanced positions
Two ways to be rostered:
Apply to generic vacancy
for a particular job family
(e.g., “Legal Affairs”), then
complete an exam and
interview
Be short-listed for or offered
a different position
UN Non-Entry Level Hiring
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UN Competencies
Integrity ProfessionalismRespect for
diversity
Communication Teamwork Creativity
AccountabilityPlanning and organizing
Client orientation
Technological awareness
Commitment to cont. learning
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Finance and Development IOs
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Hiring Mechanisms
Entry-level hiring (YPPs)
• Strict eligibility criteria
• Legal jobs not always available
• Lengthy and rigorous process
Non-entry level hiring
• Short-term and permanent openings
• Monitor IO websites
• Gain desired experience
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Hiring Criteria for Finance and
Development IOs
Demonstrated subject matter expertise
Diversity
Language skills
Qualifications
Legal skills
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International Tribunals
• Civil vs. Criminal
• Ad-hoc vs. permanent
• Varies considerably
• Chambers, registry, prosecution, defense
• Some structured programs
• Mostly unpaid and short-term
• Domestic expertise often required
• Connections critical
Types
Internal
structure
Entry-level
hiring
Non-entry-
level hiring
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Direct Hire: LLM-Friendly Organizations
International tribunals(e.g., ICJ, ICC, International Court of Arbitration)
Economic and trade organizations(e.g., OECD, IMF, World Bank, WTO)
IGOs with a regional focus(e.g., Council of Europe, Organization of American States, ASEAN)
IGOs with a development focus(e.g., UNDP, EBRD, IADB, ADB)
NGOs with an international focus/mission(e.g., Open Society Institute, Human Rights Watch, International Center for Transitional Justice)
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Finding Employers/Job Opportunities
Job and Fellowship Postings
Fellowship and Insider Guides
OPIA’s Insider’s Guide to Fellowships
OPIA’s UN Guide, International Development Guide
OPIA emails PSJD Specialized Websites
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Helps identify organizations of interest
Helps get foot in the door
May help identify job openings that have not yet been
posted
Networking
Ask yourself:
Who’s doing the kind of
work I want to do?
Who’s doing work in the
place I want to be?
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Networking: Before Initial Contact
Goals
Acquire new info
Build relationships
Eliminate options
Personal Focus
Know:
• Who you are
• What you want
• What you bring to the table
Intro. note
Lays foundation
Short, clear, easy to read
Attach resume
Don’t ask for a job
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Networking: After the Email
Phone call
Follow up to introductory note
Prepare talking points in advance
Conversation
Show you’ve done your homework
Focus on contact’s work/career, not your search
Be respectful of time
Ask for other contacts
Follow up
Thank you email
Stay in touch
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How Do I Find Contacts?
Family
Friends
Faculty
Classmates
Prior work
experience
Bar
association
membership
lists
HLS Alumni
in Amicus
coming
soon
Wasserstein
Fellows
College
network
Events
OPIA
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Job Search Materials
Resumes Cover Letter
Writing Sample Interviewing
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References
Faculty (here and your university)
Professional references (more telling)
Email your references now (checking in)
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Parting Thoughts
Polite persistence – follow up!
Build commitment to public service/area of interest
First job as stepping stone