Law students go to law school to take and pass the bar exam and secure a job after completing their studies. At the University of Houston Law Center (UHLC), we pride ourselves on supporting our students during their legal education and throughout their professional lives. Since 2014, five University of Houston Law Center students’ scores gave them the distinction of being among the top three highest bar exam test takers the month that they took the bar exam in Texas. I note that as the July 2022 bar exam draws near, and we send positive thoughts to our recent graduates who are taking the exam, and hope they are inspired by their predecessors who have achieved this excellent distinction.

In recent years, approximately 92% of the Law Center’s recent graduates have secured jobs 10 months after graduation. It is attributed to the hard work, dedication and innovation of the Law Center’s Career Development Office (CDO); this Office equips students and graduates with the resources and skills necessary to successfully generate and take advantage of professional opportunities. In addition to one-on-one tailored career counseling for all students and graduates, the CDO facilitates year-round job fairs, professional development trainings, attorney career panels, mock interviews, and an electronic job bank.

UHLC 3L Hiring Initiative

I am excited to announce the expansion of CDO’s services, with the launch of the UHLC 3L Hiring Initiative. This initiative will focus on increasing at-graduation employment for our recent students. It encourages employers to identify, interview, and extend employment to 3L law students prior to graduation. Currently, many employers wait to hire our students until they achieve their positive bar exam results. I encourage all employers to hire and make offers to our graduates before they graduate and before they receive the positive notice that they passed the bar exam. There is no reason to wait because our students overwhelmingly pass the bar exam on the first try.

As part of this initiative, CDO will host a fourth session of our On Campus Interview Program on March 30 and 31, 2023 (OCI: Session IV). All employers are invited to fulfill their recruiting needs at this event, with a particular emphasis on 3L hiring for post-bar positions. Participating employers include small, midsize and large law firms, corporations, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.

During the spring recruiting event, employers will have the unique opportunity to identify and secure the most competitive UHLC students before they enter the market. The event timing also allows employers and students to identify fall start dates even sooner.

The primary benefits of the 3L Hiring Initiative are:

• Employers who fill entry-level legal positions ahead of graduation will secure top talent before recent graduates start focusing on the July bar exam.
• Alumni employers can help increase the value of their degrees by hiring 3L students at graduation. Improving at-graduation employment rates positively impacts US News & World Report law school rankings.
• Graduating students can begin post-bar positions sooner, obtain more legal experience, and close the gap on their resumes between law school graduation and post-graduation employment.
• Graduating students who have secured a job before graduation with employment starting directly after they take the bar exam will approach the bar exam with more confidence because they have a post-graduation job. They will enter bar preparation with less stress, especially over post bar exam financial concerns. Taken together, the easing of this stress should lead to an overall higher UHLC bar passage rate.

Get Involved

I encourage you to connect with our excellent Career Development Office for your employment needs. Our UH Law Center graduates are exceptionally talented, capable, and practice-ready professionals. We want our students to be top of mind for employers. Hiring from the UH Law Center will strengthen our brand, build connections in the community, and provide opportunities for the next generation of young lawyers.

To participate in the Career Development Office programs, please contact CDO at 713-743-2090 or lawcareer@uh.edu.

Sincerely,

Leonard M. Baynes
Dean & Professor of Law
University of Houston Law Center

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