From MSU Law
During a week dedicated to connecting second year (2Ls) Michigan State University College of Law students with summer employment opportunities, 31 law firms met with an accomplished class of future lawyer leaders. On-Campus Interviews (OCI) set the stage for the pivotal next step on the 2Ls career path.
OCIs, as they are often referred to in the legal community, provide students with an opportunity to join a firm as a summer associate, better positioning them for possible future employment. Hosted by the College of Law, the week-long OCI program was held in-person for three days in the MSU Law library and virtually for the last two days.
“This is a fantastic program for us to offer,” said Dean Linda Sheryl Greene. “We exist to produce lawyers to serve diverse communities in Michigan and beyond. One way we support our students is by helping them seek employment. This turnout of potential employers from firms around the state is fantastic and speaks to the caliber of our students. Even more impressive are the number of interviewers who are our own graduates.”
“OCI is very important because it is an opportunity for our rising second-year law students to begin a foothold into the legal profession,” said Alana Glass, Assistant Dean for Career Services. “Our Career Services Office works hard to identify employers who are very eager to hire MSU Law students. The number of employers interested attests to the success of our office as we are working very passionately to help students.”
During the first three days, 23 law firms were represented on campus for over 300 student interviews. Of those firms, 20 MSU Law alums returned to their alma mater for the in-person days to recruit current students. Many of the summer positions are specifically for 2Ls, but there are often opportunities for 3Ls as well. Students who are extended an offer and summer at the firms, may be extended a permanent offer of employment after graduation. Grades, work experience, extra-curriculars, and interests add to the strength of student applications, as well as their interviewing skills.
“Honestly, I love it,” said Paul Vogel, an associate at Shook Hardy Bacon. “It’s great to see and meet all the new students and I’ve been coming to OCI to recruit for the last five years. We’ve had a great pipeline of students come to the firm so far.”
Many of the law firms plan to call back applicants; thus, further increasing a potential opportunity for an offer to be made. After the interviews, employers expressed the challenge of choosing from among the well-qualified pool of students.
“We were here to only get one student,” said Rana Lange, a shareholder at Kopka Pinkus Dolin. “We have asked almost every person from our morning list for second interviews and I’m going to try and convince our HR that we are hiring ten students instead of one.”
“It’s going to be a very difficult decision,” said Laurel McGiffert, a partner and director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Plunkett Cooney. “We have to bring down a large pool of people to a few and every single student we have met with has been excellent. I’m very impressed with their maturity, resumes, and articulates.”
