The Awful NP Cycle

A very discouraging thread on idealist.com: Entry-level position impossible? Highly qualified people can't find NP jobs. The most obvious reason for this is that NPs have no money. And NPs have no money because the gov't cuts taxes and shifts billions to the "defense" budget. This means NPs can't hire anyone to do the work of lobbying the government and society more generally to value (and fund) NP work. So NPs have no money. And NPs have no money because the gov't cuts taxes...

What a brutal cycle. And this is what I'm talking about when I second-guess my desire to go into NP work: this kind of BS would just piss me off daily and make me perpetually frustrated. The appeal of law is that I'd be higher on the "food chain," so to speak, and would be more likely to be in a better position to address these kinds of structural, public policy issues. That's what I'm thinking, anyway, but am I just deluded to think that having a JD will put me in a better position to effect real change on a macro level?

Posted 12:18 PM | law school

Nonprofit Job Market

The Washington Post's "Live Online" forum today was about nonprofit career trends. For anyone looking for NP work, especially in the D.C. area, the transcript might be helpful. My question and response was:

Illinois: Can you say anything about non-profit jobs for people with law degrees? Specifically, if I wanted a career w/a government-reform NP like Public Citizen, would I be better off to start at the bottom and work my way up (w/out a law degree), or to get the law degree before beginning my NP career? Thanks.

Jacqui Salmon: I guess the important part of your query is, what do YOU want to do? Do you really want to go to law school now? Or are you just not that interested right now and would prefer to start a career and THEN go back to school?

It's best to sort out your priorities rather than trying to fit them into what you think various nonprofits-or companies, for that matter-want.

She's probably right, of course. Again the question: Do I really want to go to law school now? Yes. And no. Ambivalent imbroglio.

Another highlight was this helpful post:

People seem to have a lot of questions about what skills are needed in nonprofits. As a devoted lifer in nonprofits, here's a list: writing, communication, organizing, volunteer coordination, public relations, ad placement, media outreach, education work, publications production, web design/maintenance, clerical, government relations, accounting, database management, fundraising, research, policy analysis, legal, human resources. I'd bet just about anyone could find a place he or she could be utilized.

That list is encouraging because I've not only done a lot of what's on the list, I'm also very proficient at many of those things, and they're things I enjoy.

And finally this advice:

I've been in the nonprofit world for about 5 years. Knowing people really helps, but knowing organizations helps even more. Identify the types of organizations you'd like to work for and narrow your search. Then visit their websites -- most places do post jobs on their websites -- it's hard for us to find good people who fit our needs. Writing and organizing skills are critical. Even consider sending a letter and resume asking them to keep you in mind for future job openings might help. But the more you know about your specific area of interest and the organizations that are working in that area, the better for you.

Still more evidence that I'd be great at NP work and that I could probably find a great job if I'd just commit to it. Ambivalent. Imbroglio.

Posted 11:28 AM | law school

A "Better" BigLaw Job

Another tip from the non-profit law discussion thread at idealist.com:

This online booklet: A guide to researching law firms prepared by the National Lawyers Guild chapter of Columbia University. It describes ways to evaluate BigLaw firms to improve the chances that you won't have to work on cases that you find immoral/offensive. Definitely something to consider if you're thinking of going into law or looking for firm jobs. Unfortunately, if message boards are any indication, recent law grads don't generally have much choice when it comes to getting jobs these days—they just have to take whatever they can find. (Here's yet another reason going to a "top-tier" school is important, but I don't see that happening for me and I have no desire to go into that kind of debt....)

Posted 09:54 AM | law school

Loan Repayment for Lawyers

Following up on what my friend (hereafter referred to as "Lawfriend") told me yesterday about programs that help lawyers pay off school loans if they go into non-profit work: Check out Equal Justice Works (formerly the National Association for Public Interest Law, or NAPIL). The site uses frames (bad bad), but if you click on "Loan Repayment Information" in the navbar on the left you'll see what I'm talking about. Or go directly to the page here.

The site also has great info about choosing a law school and finding work in the non-profit/public interest sector. [via the recent Lawyers for Non-Profit thread at Idealist.com]

Posted 08:39 AM | law school