A Closer Look at Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
An Essential Part of the Chicago Legal Community, The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Has Been in Publication Since 1854 and Is the Nation’s Oldest Legal News Publication. As an Independent Legal News Service, The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Has Been Providing Illinois Lawyers with the Most Up-To-Date News and Legal Information for Over a Century. Recently , The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Started Providing a Section Featuring Illinois’ Legal Jobs: cdlbjobs.com. ILNToday Has Offered the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Jobs Section Which Truly Helps Illinois Lawyers in the Chicago Area Find Employment in the Legal Field, I.E. Employment as a Lawyer or Paralegal.
Categories of Available Positions
The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Jobs section is a treasure trove of opportunities, featuring a wide array of positions across multiple sectors of the law industry. Law firms looking to expand their teams can list roles for equity partners, associates and staff that cater to all areas of practice, from litigation to intellectual property to family law. For those looking to transition out of private practice, in-house roles abound for attorneys, ranging from General Counsel to transactional lawyers to compliance officers. In addition, the Civil Service section offers a way to make an impact through public service, with openings in local, state and federal government positions in fields as diverse as prosecutor work, corrections, revenue and banking. Specifically for judicial candidates, the column also highlights opportunities within the Illinois circuit court. The range of jobs illustrated in Chicago Daily Law Bulletin clearly outlines the broad opportunities available to lawyers of every specialty and experience level, demonstrating the value of the site for job seekers.
Locating Job Listings
Accessing the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Jobs Section
The Illinois State Bar Association recently offered a primer on the resources available for those looking for employment, which includes hard copy job listings in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and the IL Supreme Court’s online Attorney Registration Fee system that sends automatic emails from the ARDC with the latest job postings. The following is a closer look at how to access the CDLB’s jobs section and similar electronic resources for career opportunities.
The best way to look for legal jobs in the Chicagoland area is to check out the jobs section of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. The CDLB can be accessed online, by phone at 312-644-7800, or in hard copy via most area law libraries. The daily paper lists all the latest job opportunities, provides resources on job searching, and articles related to employment, among other law-related resources. To view the jobs section of the CDLB, the website, [CLCJobs.com](http://www.clcjobs.com/), must first be visited. The website is quick and easy to use and allows you to search by either legal position or area of expertise. You can also search for a specific firm or business. Listing information can be filtered by date and location as well. When you find an opportunity in which you are interested, you can apply directly to the hiring entity within the website. The only requirement is that each job posting contract be active at least 7 days, after which time the position will be removed from the website.
Submitting Your Application
When you’re ready to respond to one of the open positions found in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, it’s time to start your application. As with most jobs, the first step in the process is applying for the position.. Many more qualified applicants will apply to the same position in hopes of being selected for an interview and ultimately hired. Be aware that the job search process can be competitive. In most circumstances, you’ll be expected to submit a resume and cover letter that you’ve tailored to the position before an interview will even be considered.
Be proactive and use your research to help you create the most impressive application possible. If you’ve been following our advice up to this point, you’ve done your due diligence in researching your potential employer and the job title. You should have a strong understanding of both the company and how you will fit into the company culture. Next, you’ll want to use that knowledge to your advantage in your application. Use the same key words from the job description to craft your own resume and cover letter. To help you out, Monster.com has some helpful advice on writing your resume.
Even if the job description doesn’t explicitly call for it, a resume is recommended as an essential part of your application. Resumes should be two pages, at a maximum, and list your educational background, previous positions and responsibilities, and accomplishments. Formatting is important. You want your resume to be easy to read and visually clear. Write your contact information at the top, in a clear font and large enough that it’s easy to find at first glance.
To make your experience stand out , you should write one solid sentence, in paragraph form, showcasing your most impressive accomplishment in each position. For example, if you have strong financial knowledge, you might write, "Successfully led retail department in the implementation of a new Pay of Day mechanism that drove a $15 million reduction in outstanding receivables over a single quarter." Resumes should prominently include strong verbs, such as "led," "implemented," "increased," or "doubled." Show what you can bring to the company and showcase those accomplishments.
Cover letters are used to introduce yourself to a potential employer by showcasing your skills and knowledge. Cover letters should be short and limited to a single page. Write one cover letter that can be adjusted to fit any position you apply for. Keep your cover letter brief, to the point, and written in a friendly, organized manner. Use the same introductory paragraph to introduce yourself for every cover letter, but adjust the remaining paragraphs to relate specifically to the new job.
Draw attention to any major accomplishments or relevant work experience and explain why you think you’re an ideal fit for the position. A strong cover letter will leave the hiring manager with no doubt that you’re right for the job.
Before submitting your application, proofread everything. Make sure your resume and cover letter are both mistake-free. You’ll want someone else to take a look for you, as you’re too close to the document to review it effectively. First thing in the morning or just before bed is the best time to review your documents you’ll get through it quicker and with a clearer mind.
Networking and Career Tools
Just as employers choose candidates, you must also choose the jobs you apply for. Take some time to consider which of your skills you enjoy using the most at work, and what you can see yourself doing on the long term. Then, you’ll be better prepared to find the position that’s right for you. Utilizing your network to help you develop connections is one of the most direct ways to make your job search more effective. You must be strategic in how you do it, however, or you risk losing those relationships instead of strengthening them. Let friends, family and other connections know you are looking for work; there may be a member of their personal or professional network who is hiring. You can also reach out to others in the legal community. Since only about five percent of attorneys are actively looking for work at any given time, you can gain a huge advantage when it comes to well-matched opportunities through the folks who already know you, rather than competing job seekers who have similar credentials to yours. Don’t just look for jobs when networking. Offer to assist your connections in return with the expertise you have. You can quickly turn existing contacts into valuable resources when you are able to provide the same in return.
Triumphs
Jenna I. Snodgrass, Dinsmore:
"I graduated from University of Wyoming College of Law and was quickly drawn to Chicago for its clear legal market and my interests in intellectual property and litigation. As a new graduate, I was intimidated by the legal jobs websites and search engines. We had an orientation on these resources my first day of law school, but I did not have much luck with them in reality or for purposes of this search. So it was my father who reminded me to look for opportunities in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. I used the jobs postings section of the paper which is always fairly populated with law firms, governmental agencies, and corporations. Using that resource I saw a posting by Dinsmore and Shohl and submitted an application for an attorney position. A few weeks later, I had an interview and met with the IP team. A week after that I met with the litigation team and finally received an offer a couple of weeks later! Personally, I was offered the chance to work for both teams in an "IP/litigation practice group." This essentially meant I would work predominantly in the IP realm , but litigate as necessary.
From my perspective and my research this is not a unique resume. Dinsmore, like many other firms, does not consider their candidates exclusively for one practice area. So I am not the only person at Dinsmore who works in the IP/public finance practice group. I have worked with attorneys from multiple practice groups and I think if you can be flexible and adaptable you will find opportunities to work outside of your general area of law."
Robert McGrady, Halvorson and Feffer:
"The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin helped me land my job here at Halvorson and Feffer. My partner has a routine in which he reads the law bulletin cover to cover when it comes to my office each morning so right from the get-go I knew this was a paper that matters. It is important to stay connected in the legal field and the Law Bulletin does that for us. I appreciate the ads in this paper because they tend to have great information, whether it is about hot or up and coming start up technology in the legal field."