9 year gap from legal career-need resume help!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That American U Program is a very clever idea. That would be a good way for you to network OP. I don't know if someone can give us the cost...I didn't see it on the website but it may be there.

Also OP, like someone in the WP story -- you may find a firm that does temp legal placement. You could see what you like and don't like and take it from there. You should also do what some othr poster said and LinkIn with folks you used to work with at fed agency. With sequestration and vet preference, it is hard, but perhaps someone you once knew could be helpful. Good luck -- it's hard out there right now!

I don't remember the exact cost of the AU program; I looked at it a few years back and recall that it was a good chunk of change for someone who was making $50K at the time -- $500-1000 maybe?

[Anonymous]

I did a precursor to the AU program (same folks). It was a bit helpful and certainly interesting. But really I just had to be persistent. I had excellent traditional legal credentials but I had taken a few years off. Some people were skeptical but I still got lots of interviews. Finally I found an employer who didn't care.

[Anonymous]

You're going to have to network like crazy. You should also take to your law school's career services office. Most have a counselor dedicated to helping their alumni.

[Anonymous]

That is a lie you are telling to make yourself feel that your difficulties in finding work are a matter of employers' perception, as opposed to some real deficiencies in your skill set.

I don't know that it is accurate to characterize her as having "deficiencies" in her skill set. Her skill set is rusty. But at least some people right out of school are being hired with no skill set at all. It could be that she is not competeing for entry level legal jobs, which in this market are also scarce. I think your characterization of employers viewing her as riskier are accurate.