Career Development Office

The Career Development Office (CDO) is here to assist in your career development and can provide information regarding the legal market, resources for identifying prospective employers and assistance in marketing yourself to the legal and business communities.

The following is a list of some of the services we provide:

Career Counseling

The counselors in the CDO are available to meet with you to discuss career interests, job search strategies, networking approaches, resume and cover letter review, mock interviews, interviewing skills or any other career-related concern. To see a counselor, you must make an appointment. Please check with the front desk for available times.

Job Search Guide

The Career Development Office's Job Search Guide is divided into four sections: job search timelines, job search resources, application materials, and interviewing. Each section is designed as a tool to aid in both the earliest stages of your job search and to address questions you may have along the way. The combined content is a tremendous resource intended for use throughout your law school career.

Resource Library

Students can conduct career research using the resources listed on Career Links. Additional hard copy resources are also located both in the CDO and in the law school library.

Job Listings

The CDO receives many listings from employers for part-time and full-time positions throughout the academic year and during the summer. Job listings are available on Symplicity, our web-based career management program. All listings for law students and alumni are housed in one location.

On-Campus Interviews

Each fall and spring, employers come on campus to interview law students for full-time and permanent/post-graduate positions. All second and third year law students may participate in fall OCI after attending an OCI workshop. The fall OCI program begins in August. See Recruiting Programs for a detailed schedule.

Reciprocity

If you are searching for employment outside of Southern California and would like to use the Career Office of another university's law school, please send us your contact information along with the name and contact information of the law school you would like to visit. We will send a letter of introduction and request reciprocity on your behalf. Please send your reciprocity request to cdo@pepperdine.edu.

Career Workshops

The CDO offers a variety of programs such as workshops on career planning, resume & cover letter preparation and interviewing techniques.

Special Presentations

The CDO invites speakers, frequently Pepperdine law alumni, from different firms, agencies and organizations to speak to students. These presentations/panel discussions are an excellent forum in which to ask questions, learn about various careers and meet alumni and other practitioners. 

Off-Campus Interviews/Job Fairs

The CDO also receives information regarding off-campus interviews and job fairs that are held in various cities. These events are usually coordinated by different student groups and are held at local convention centers and/or hotels. Among these are the Southern and Northern California Minority Job Fairs organized by local BLSA chapters and the NAPIL Public Interest Job Fair held in Washington, D.C. each October.

Post Graduate Judicial Clerkship Support

If you are a second year law student interested in clerking for a judge after graduation, please contact the CDO office for assistance with the process. A panel presentation is scheduled during the academic year whereby professors and alumni, who have previously clerked, serve as panelists.

Electronic Equipment

Law students and alumni may use the following equipment in the CDO for any job-related purpose:

• Photocopying, fax and scanning machines
• Telephone
• Computer terminals and printer