Career Fairs

The Career Development Office hosts a number of career fairs/table-talk events, which allow employers to meet students on-campus and talk to them directly in a professional atmosphere.

Annual Events

Annual events include: the Small & Mid-Size Firm Speed Networking Event (Fall); IP & Tech Career Fair (Spring); Public Interest/Public Service Day (Spring); Meet the Employers Reception (Spring); and the JD-Advantage Career Fair (Spring). For more information about UC Hastings career fairs/table-talk events or for questions about getting involved on-campus, please contact the Career Development Office at careers@uchastings.edu.

IP & Tech Career Fair

Target Audience: Law firms and companies with an IP and tech-related practice.

Event Date/Time: Wednesday, January 22^nd 2020

The Intellectual Property and Technology Career Fair (“IP & Tech Career Fair”) is an annual event in late January co-hosted by the UC Hastings’ Career Development Office, Hastings Intellectual Property Association, and the Science & Technology Law Journal. The program has two components: (i) a moderated attorney panel showcasing different IP and tech law practices (i.e., IP litigation, patent prosecution, and tech transactions); and (ii) the career fair, an informal table-talk and reception featuring different IP and tech law employers.

The IP & Tech Career Fair is not a recruiting event and you do not need to be hiring to participate. The event is a meet-and-greet for attorneys and students interested in IP and tech-related practices to talk to one another. It is designed for students to learn more about this area of law through direct engagement with practicing attorneys. UC Hastings students are particularly interested in the tech industry, given the school’s close proximity to tech companies and startups.

This event is well attended by over 100 students and about 30 organizations (law firms and companies) each year. Participation is free for employers. Each year, the Career Development Office seeks out three event sponsors to underwrite the cost of the career fair. Event sponsors designate an attorney from their organization to speak on the preceding panel, receive acknowledgement in all event publicity, and prime tabling locations at the career fair.

PIPS Day (Public Interest/Public Sector Career Fair Day)

Target Audience: Public interest and public sector employers

The Northern California PIPS Day provides students a unique opportunity to meet and interview with 100+ public interest and public sector legal organizations. It is an annual event sponsored by the Consortium of Northern California Law School Career Offices. To find out more, please visit the PIPS Day website: https://pipsday.weebly.com/

JD-Advantage Career Fair

Target Audience: Attorneys or JDs with a “non-traditional” legal career

The JD-Advantage Career Fair (formerly called Creative Career Options with a JD) is a collaboration of all Bay Area law schools. The event is held in the Spring (typically in March) at UC Hastings. This informal table-talk event showcases the diverse, non-traditional professions JD graduates and attorneys can pursue, beyond law firms, DA and PD offices. Bay Area law students circulate among tables and speak with JD graduates who have pursued “JD-advantage” careers in finance, academia, real estate, business development, legal technology, forensic investigations; as entrepreneurs; and more. Students attending the JD-Advantage Career Fair have expressed feelings of comfort and empowerment after learning about the creative possibilities available to JD graduates and attorneys!

Meet the Employers Reception

Target Audience: Private and public sector employers planning to participate in the Early Interview Program.

The Meet the Employers Reception (“MTE”) is an annual event held in the Spring (typically in late March/early April). Attorneys and recruiters from firms, DA and PD offices, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations planning to participate in the Early Interview Program (f/k/a Fall OCI) attend this informal table-talk to promote their organizations before students begin researching and bidding on employers for EIP. MTE is a chance for employers to show students what makes their organization stand out among other big-name employers.

Over 100 students and around 40 employers attend MTE. Participation is free for employers.

Small & Mid-Size Firm Speed Networking Event & Reception

Target Audience: Attorneys practicing at small and mid-size firms

An increasing number of graduates, especially those from UC Hastings, are hired by small and mid-size law firms. The Career Development Office developed the annual Small & Mid-Size Firm Speed Networking Event & Reception to create opportunities for UC Hastings students to connect with attorneys from these law firms, gain insight into their hiring practices, and learn what students can do to become standout candidates at their firms. The Event begins with one hour of speed networking in small groups of attorneys and students and concludes with a reception.