A Commitment to Service– and Hiring Decisions
Anyone who listened to the convention speeches or the 9/11 memorial programs this year was given the opportunity to ponder service to their community. No matter what your political leaning or possible cynicism, in my opinion, the emphasis on service was refreshing.
A current candidate of mine embodies this notion. Although his law school credentials and work prior to law school nearly guaranteed him an attractive offer from a top tier firm, he chose to join the Army JAG Corps instead. He is dedicated to offering legal services to young servicemen who are facing the major issues of deployment to a war zone, young families, and limited income. He has also served a major role in response to national disaster caused by hurricanes, etc. His dedication to others is obvious and without question.
He has gained terrific experience handling substantive legal matters as well as an opportunity to be a problem solver, a true advocate, and a manager and supervisor early in his career. His service will occupy 3 years. He is not losing time in my opinion. The three years will serve as a tremendous maturing process.
His background is no longer the “standard big firm” background that hiring partners will immediately notice and embrace. But, if they spoke with this candidate on the phone for 20 minutes, they would bring him in for interviews in a heartbeat. It is my job to make sure law firms realize the character and skills this individual can bring to a firm.
I found myself borrowing a few phrases from the candidates about service to the community in drafting my cover letter. Although I don’t come from a military family and although I grew up in the Viet Nam War era, it was a pleasure to have come full circle and to openly support community service as embodied by this person’s commitment to others through his military duty. Hopefully, a great law firm will agree with me.
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