A Great Job Opportunity For Graduating Law Students

This is a wonderful way into federal government employment.

Man Holding "Hire Me!"With the number of law school graduates taking jobs in private practice at a 20-year low, enterprising 3Ls still seeking employment need to broaden their horizons. The deadline for the Justice Department Honors Program has passed, but there are other paths into the fulfilling and stable (even if not super-lucrative) ranks of federal government employment.

We mentioned it last year, as we try to mention every year: the Presidential Management Fellows Program. The PMF program is open to lawyers, but a law degree is not specifically required; you just need to have a graduate or professional degree by the time you start as a fellow. You can read more details over at the PMF website.

As you can see from this year’s timetable, applications will be accepted from November 18 through December 1 (a significantly later timetable than in the past). To learn more about this “relatively unexploited gem for graduating law students” that’s “one of the absolute best avenues for graduating 3Ls” interested in government or public service, see this prior post. Good luck to all our readers who apply!

UPDATE (2/7/2017, 2:40 p.m.): In case you’re wondering about how President Trump’s federal hiring freeze affects the PMF program, here’s some good news. This email went out to members of the PMF listserv earlier today:

You may be aware that on January 23, 2017, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum ordering a hiring freeze. Please be advised that based on a joint memo (M-17-18) issued yesterday by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the PMF Program is exempt from the hiring freeze.

Federal agencies can (1) make PMF appointment offers to Finalists, and (2) non-competitively convert those Fellows who have successfully completed their fellowships to term or permanent positions, as they deem appropriate.

Additional information and our guidance have been posted to the News & Events section on the PMF website; any future updates will be posted to this section.

Thank you,
PMF Program Office

Earlier: Reminder: DOJ And Other Honors Program Applications Are Due Soon
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