“I am really looking to diversify my experience,” 2L Christina Codrington said. “I'm going to tables that I have never done before, so I’m really looking for new opportunities.”
Many employers came to the recruitment fair from across Michigan looking to hire MSU law students. The practice areas and opportunities ranged from city attorneys, county prosecutors, state government, and small law firms specializing in family and elder law, or immigration.
"It's really easy to come into this with a narrow sense of what you believe you can do. What's important in this process is to figure out what you don't want to do too," Justin Williams said. Williams was at the fair representing Lakeshore Legal Aid, one of the largest service aid resources in Michigan. "Sometimes that requires you to do things a little outside of your comfort zone. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Challenge yourself and expose yourself to all new opportunities."
Williams graduated from MSU Law in 2015 and was excited to come back as a successful lawyer, recruiting the next generation.
“It is a little surreal. I have a lot of memories of this place and being in these halls again feels like a full circle moment,” he said. “I'm honored to be able to come back and find the next generation of Spartan lawyers. I am happy to be here and grateful for the opportunity.”
Students alike are grateful for the opportunities the fair offered them.
"So far, it has been great. I have met a lot of people in different fields, and it gives me a scope of everything that is out there for me to do once I graduate," Antonio Rios, a first-year student, said. "At the moment, I am not sure what I want to do. This event has opened my eyes to many things I may like doing just by talking to people already doing that work. For example, the immigration employer in Michigan was telling me their day-to-day schedule, and now it is something I am interested in because I like the schedule and what they do and how they interact within the system."
Finding the right fit can be challenging for many recently graduated lawyers looking for their first job.
“Finding a community where you will be happy is really important, and learning a little about the place's culture is important. There's lots of different choices and lots of different approaches," Nathan Piwowarski said. Piwowarski works for a smaller firm doing elder law in Northwest Michigan. "We have three (MSU) alums at our firm, and we have been really happy with the quality of lawyers from this [law] school. So, when we're growing, this is a natural place to look."
Many MSU Law students took this opportunity to show their best qualities and everything they have been learning at MSU College of Law.
“We have great career advisers,” Codrington said. “I had an interview a few days ago, and they helped me by doing practice interviews. I obtained my first internship last year through a similar program, so I feel prepared.”
Rios agrees with this sentiment. "It is refreshing to see all the different ways we can help people. The number of people at this event speaks for itself," he said. "That is why I am going to law school, to hopefully help people who need it in the future."
This mentality is precisely what many employers were looking for.
"I think that we want first folks committed to service," Williams said. "Folks who want to come into this profession and use their talent to do good for folks who need it and have a keen sense of what justice looks like. We want folks who are smart, go-getters, who are self-starters to a certain degree but also know how to get help and when to seek out support for problems they cannot solve."
Williams said the recruitment fair is a wonderful opportunity for law students. “I am a proud alum today. It is a good day to be a Spartan.”
