In Case You Missed It – Breakfast with the Bar: Careers in Government Practice

By Eric Trudrung, McKinney 3L

On Friday, September 28, 11 law students of the IndyBar Law Student Division welcomed six attorneys with diverse functions in government practice. Conversation topics varied immensely; however, I will highlight three key takeaways.

Students frequently inquired about the benefits of starting a career working for the government. In government, there is a high turnover rate due to the high caseload that attorneys frequently receive. While this may seem unattractive, it was explained that the high caseloads allow for an opportunity to gain a lot of experience, often in entry-level positions. Also, higher turnover rates lead to quicker career progression than in the private sector.

Government work was not what several attorneys planned on during law school; however, many did not realize the broad variety of legal careers available throughout the levels of government. It was stressed that students should try to get as much varying experiences as possible during law school, even if they are not certain that they are interested in that particular field. This would help the student determine where they see themselves practicing following law school.

How does one get their foot in the door? Government entities are always in need of legal interns, and if interested, one should search online for those opportunities. Attorneys explained that if a student is interested in a particular agency, they should not hesitate to reach out to one of its attorneys and suggest grabbing coffee to discuss their work.

Attending a Breakfast with the Bar event allows law students to speak freely with attorneys in a particular area of practice in a casual environment. If you're interested in participating in the future, you're in luck: we've planned a few for the fall. You can sign up to attend October 19's Breakfast with the Bar: Careers in Business Law now and stay tuned for more information on our employment law event in November!

If you would like to submit content or write an article for the Law Student Division, please email Kara Sikorski at ksikorski@indybar.org.