University of Montana School of Law Director of Career Services

Known as “Interview Weekend”, UM School of Law looks forward to hosting its career fair so that students and potential employers can come together in search of that perfect candidate or perfect law firm. The team of legal employment experts, headed by Carla Caballero-Jackson, the Director of Career Services, begins planning months in advance as the interview requests arrive. Employers can submit these requests any time of the year, but many wait for the interview weekend. The employment statistics for the school are quite impressive. In 2008 and 2009, within six months, 91% of the graduates were gainfully employed in their career choices.

The school and Caballero-Jackson take pride in its statistics. Almost half of the law school graduates in 2009 were employed in law firms around the state of Montana. Another 13% were chosen for judicial clerkships, 20% were employed by the government and four were in public interest law positions.


While the focus is on helping graduates find positions when they're ready, the Career Services team also works closely as lectures are coordinated. In early 2011, the current U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. will be in attendance as part of the schools lecture series. Other series will showcase Peter Neufeld, the co-founder of the Innocence Project. The staff stays busy year round.

As part of the public service graduation requirement, third year law students participate in a faculty supervised learning program designed for gaining experience. By representing clients in various clinics, the student is engaged in planning, applying and focusing in on the nuances of their legal pursuits. Further, improving, identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas while perfecting their professionalism is also achieved. It's proven quite beneficial over the years and while most clinics are provided on the school's campus, there are those where the student is in the community as he meets these requirements.

Some of the specialized programs include the 'Student Run Pro Bono Group/Specialized Law Education Project', which focuses on family law issues, such as custody, divorce and adoption. Also offered is the 'Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program', where students who are considering making tax law their specialty work to provide assistance to low income and elderly residents.

There also exists the Women's Law Caucus which has a strong community presence. Law students participate in the annual Adopt a Family program. In this capacity, they collect money, purchase gifts and then provide those gifts to their “adopted” families. They also work in various food, clothing and book drives in an effort to raise money for women's organizations.

For more information about the University of Montana School of Law Career Services team, be sure to visit the site at UMT.edu/Law/Career.