Career Development Overview

Dedicated to Helping Each Student Reach Their Career Goals


The Office of Career and Professional Development is composed of a team of attorney-advisors from different schools, states, countries, and practice area backgrounds.

Below are some of the programs and services the Office of Career and Professional Development offers to students throughout the year.

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  • Counseling Appointments

    Every student is assigned a career advisor in the fall semester of their 1L year.

    Career advisors are available for:

    • One-on-one counseling sessions to discuss career options and job search strategies.
    • Assistanting with job application material preparation
    • Conducting mock interviews
    • Providing networking guidance

  • On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) Programs

    On-Campus Interviewing is the process by which law students can secure summer internships and post-graduate employment.

    Through the OCPD's fall and spring OCI, students may choose to apply to a number of the hundreds of internship and job opportunities, then employers select whom they would like to interview from the applications they receive.

    OCI attracts:

    • Law firms
    • Government agencies
    • Corporations
    • Public interest employers both locally and nationwide

    As is the case for first-year students at most ABA-accredited law schools, first-year students at Miami Law cannot participate in fall OCI. However, they are eligible to participate in spring OCI for post-1L summer internships, and are strongly encouraged to do so and the OCPD assists them with the process.

  • Job Postings

    The OCPD maintains and regularly updates an online searchable database of current legal employment opportunities for students and alumni.

  • Student Programming and Workshops

    The OCPD hosts student programming and workshops throughout the academic year on various topics:

    • Perfecting resumes and cover letters
    • Conducting job searches
    • Preparing for interviews
    • Obtaining judicial internships and clerkships
    • Networking

    Often, local attorneys participate in the OCPD’s programming to provide a practical perspective.

  • Informational Career Fair

    The OCPD invites attorneys from firms, government agencies, public interest organizations, the judiciary, and corporations to speak with students about their legal careers as part of informational career fairs.

    During the fairs, students have the opportunity to ask the attorneys questions about their career choices, areas of practice, and the life of a practicing attorney.

    As a result, students get a feel for what it is like to practice law in different practice areas and with different types of employers.

  • Mock Interview Program

    Each semester, students participate in mock interview sessions with local attorneys. This program helps prepare students for interviews during fall and spring OCI.

Employment Outcomes

national jurist badgeIn 2023, National Jurist ranked Miami Law as a top law school for law firm employment. Out of all 197 ABA accredited law schools, Miami Law was one of only 41 to receive an A-level grade from the magazine. 

The four criteria for receiving recognition in the National Jurist were the three-year average for law firm employment, modified for quality; the salary average, using data from the National Association for Law Placement; and the percentage of alumni who are recognized as Super Lawyers.

Mentoring and Networking

Collage of photos of alumni at events

Legal Grounds is a weekly community-building event that allows students, administration, and faculty to gather on the Bass Bricks to discuss courses, academics, post-graduate opportunities, upcoming events, and more. Attendees enjoy coffee and bagels together in an informal setting.

What people say:

“Coffee and bagels are the great equalizers! Legal Grounds is one of the few opportunities during the class week where you can informally pal around with administration and faculty and pick their brains about anything like current events or things that are happening during class.” - Alice Kerr, Class of 2020

“Legal Grounds is a great way to bring students, administrators and faculty together in an informal setting. I met a fantastic 1L student during Legal Grounds last week and have since offered him a position as my research assistant in the Human Rights clinic. I’m not sure our paths would have crossed otherwise, so I am very grateful I stopped by Legal Grounds.” - Carrie Bettinger–Lopez, Director of the Human Rights Clinic and Professor of Law

At Breakfast with the Bench, students enjoy breakfast with state and federal judges in South Florida to learn more about judicial internships and postgraduate clerkships.

Breakfast with the Bench is open to all 1Ls, 2Ls, 3Ls, and LLMs and is free to students.

For information, contact alumni@law.miami.edu.

The University of Miami School of Law Young Alumni Committee hosts a monthly Table of Eight dinner which offers Miami Law young alumni an invitation to dine with a distinguished Miami Law alumnus. 

Read about Miami Law alumni in the news

At Evening with Esquires, students will have the opportunity to enjoy dinner with local attorneys representing different fields of law in South Florida.

"I was able to get the job through the Career Development Office and actually met one of the hiring attorneys that works there through the Evening with Esquires in February."
Greg Fritzius interned with the Miami Dolphins Football Legal Department & Hard Rock Stadium in 2019

Frequently Asked Career Questions By Prospective Students

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  • What are my prospects for getting a good job after graduation?

    The Office of Career and Professional Development helps students with one of the most difficult questions they face in law school, i.e., what constitutes a good practice area/practice type/lifestyle for each student.

    Therefore, the definition of a "good" job after law school can be very different for each student. Through individual counseling sessions and comprehensive career programming, the OCPD exposes students to a multitude of practice areas and practitioners and helps students identify their own skills, interests, and values.

    The legal market is always competitive, and it is not unusual for law graduates to change jobs several times within five years of graduation.

    The OCPD ensures students have the job search and job readiness skills to land a first job and take charge of their future career management.

  • How much money can I expect to earn upon graduating from Miami Law?

    Salaries vary enormously depending on the practice area and practice type. For example, law firms in the private sector pay more than government and public interest positions, and larger law firms usually pay more than smaller law firms.

    Starting salaries of recent Miami Law grads ranged from $50,000 to $205,000. Salaries of Miami Law grads are comparable to the national average salaries calculated by the National Association of Law Placement.

  • Can the OCPD help me secure a job outside of Miami?

    The University of Miami School of Law has a strong national reputation and assists graduates in securing jobs across the country and the world. Over 12,000 (approximately 48%) of Miami Law’s alumni practice outside of Florida and across 85 countries.

    The OCPD facilitates networking with alumni and helps identify potential summer clerkships and internships in cities outside Miami. The CDO encourages students to participate in national and regional job fairs as well.

    The office continuously markets the quality of Miami Law’s student body to employers across the country. Not surprisingly, however, many graduates fall in love with South Florida and decide to remain in the area, even though they have opportunities elsewhere.

  • How can the OCPD help me find a public interest job?

    The OCPD is dedicated to assisting students who desire to practice law in the public interest. Several of our OCPD advisors come from careers in the public sector and are well-versed in the public interest opportunities that are available. They assist public interest-oriented students every step of the way, from crafting a public interest resume to drafting a grant proposal.

    Miami Law students are successful in securing post-graduate public interest employment and work in public interest agencies and organizations throughout the country. Our students have been awarded many prestigious post-graduate fellowships, allowing them to craft their own jobs doing what is most important to them.

  • What if I don't know what type of law I want to practice?

    Most entering law students are not sure what type of law they want to practice - or even if they want to practice at all. For that reason, the OCPD offers extensive educational programming on different areas of law and practice types and career exploration opportunities.

    In the first year alone, students are invited to attend receptions at local law firms and meet attorneys on campus to hear firsthand what different areas of the law entail. Over the course of a law student’s three years, the OCPD helps students focus and define their career interests, whatever they may be.

For More Information

The OCPD welcomes prospective students to schedule a visit and meet with an advisor, in-person or by phone appointment. To schedule a meeting, please email ocpd@law.miami.edu.