Semester in D.C.: Alumni
You know what it’s like to be a law student or new attorney just starting out, looking for a job in Washington, D.C. Many students are still figuring out what they want to do, and D.C. offers an almost overwhelming wealth of options. From Congress to the federal agencies, nonprofits, law firms, consulting firms, lobbying firms, the D.C. government -- there are so many employers, so many sources of information, so many application processes. It hasn’t gotten any easier for students entering the D.C. legal market – but you can help!
Alumni are the backbone of the Semester in D.C. program. By sharing your experiences and resources, you can help this year’s Semester in D.C. students in so many ways. We have some suggestions below, and you may have additional ideas of your own. Our goal is to give you the opportunity to assist students directly in a way that is meaningful and convenient for you. It's easy -- just fill our our Alumni Participation Form or email us at pittindc@pitt.edu.
Get Involved!
You could:
- Friend us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and join our LinkedIn group! Our Pitt Law Semester in DC Facebook page highlights upcoming events and features our current Semester in DC students. Our Twitter has up to the minute updates from our current Semester in DC Students. Our LinkedIn page contains job postings, event info, and discussions about current topics.
- Offer to be a point of contact for interested students! It is really helpful to students to have someone they can talk to by e-mail, phone, or in person, to learn about your area of work, your employer, or the DC job market generally.
- Volunteer to be an alumni mentor for students in the Semester in DC Program! Each student in the Semester in DC Program is assigned an alumni mentor, who meets with them once a month. Students value alumni mentors, and any time you have to give will be deeply appreciated, whether it’s a few minutes for an email exchange or an hour for lunch.
- Sign up for our Speaker Series! Each semester, we bring in a few alumni to speak to the students in our D.C. Seminar about their work and career paths, or to lead a lecture/discussion on a substantive legal issue.
- Tell your employer about us! Might your employer be interested in hiring a Pitt Law student as a free, full-time intern? If you work for a non-profit or government employer, we’d love to add your office to our list of potential externship sites. Pass along our information to your internship supervisor or office director and see if they might not be interested in receiving applications from Pitt Law students. Information for employers is available at http://www.law.pitt.edu/academics/juris-doctor/semesterindc/employers. Or just send us their name and email address, and we’ll do the checking.
- Suggest other possible externship sites! We don’t know about so many of the great places to work in D.C. – but you do. Are there some offices that do fascinating work in your field? Places where your friends and colleagues work that would offer wonderful opportunities for Pitt Law students? Pass their information along to us, and we’ll do the legwork to see whether they want to participate in the program.
- Share what you know! Are you on an email list with information about meetings or jobs? Do you belong to an association in which students or new attorneys could participate? These sources of information are invaluable to students – tell us about them, and we’ll pass the information along, and post it on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
- Support the D.C. Initative Fund! It’s expensive to spend a semester in D.C. We don’t have to tell you about the housing costs, metro fees, and other expenses students incur to take advantage of the opportunities the Semester in D.C. Program offer. The D.C. Initiative Fund uses contributions from Pitt Law alumni and friends to support students participating in the Semester in D.C. program and to fund activities for D.C. area alumni. To contribute on line, fill out Pitt Law's Online Giving Form. On the second page of the form, you will be asked whether you want to designate your gift for any particular fund. Check the "other" box and designate your gift for the "DC Initiative Fund." Of course, you can also mail a check to the Law School with the same designations.
- Attend our events! Every semester, the DC Chapter of the Pitt Law Alumni Association holds at least one event where you can meet our current students and talk to us about the program. Free food and drinks, friendly Pitt Law students – what’s not to like?
Fill out the Alumni Participation Form or email the program director, Professor Elena Baylis, at pittindc@pitt.edu and let us know what you’d like to do. We’ll take it from there! Thank you for your support of the Semester in DC students.
