Balancing class, studying and life outside of McCollum Hall is difficult to do during your first semester of law school without having to worry about job applications, interviews, and other employment related things. To ensure that you don’t worry about these things during your first couple of months as a law student, NALP (the association for legal career professionals) has implemented national “blackout” dates that regulate 1L student contact with employers as well as their law school’s Career Services Office (CSO), http://law.unl.edu/career/nalp_general.shtml#summer1st.
The important dates and information to remember are:
• The first day of class (August 20th) to November 1st: no direct one-on-one counseling with CSO staff members. You are STRONGLY encouraged to attend CSO programs and events and use CSO resources during this time, but no individual meetings about job searches, resume and cover letter drafts, etc. can take place.
• The first day of class (August 20th) to December 1st : no discussions with employers about potential employment. During this period you are able to speak with attorneys/practitioners about what they do, where they work, etc., but you cannot provide them with your resume, be interviewed, or discuss potential employment.