Alumni Mentor Program: Organized Campus Interviews (OCI) (April-August)
The Organized Campus Interview (OCI) program is a collaborative effort between the Alumni Engagement Office and the Career Development Office. Our goal for this mentoring program is to connect alumni with a current Berkeley Law student and provide these rising 2L students with mentors to prepare them for interviews with private-sector and plaintiff-side law firms. The program is a great way for alumni to get to know our current students. Mentors are matched with a student via the Berkeley Law Connect platform. Mentors register in April, are matched with a mentee in May, and are asked to meet with their mentee in June to discuss the student’s career objectives and the law firm interview process. A mock interview and feedback session takes place in late July as final preparation for OCI, which is generally held the first week of August.
Alumni Mentor Program: Public Interest/Public Sector (PI/PS) (September-January)
The Public Interest/Public Sector (PIPS) Mentors Program is a collaborative effort between the Alumni Engagement Office and the Career Development Office. Our goal for this mentoring program is to connect Berkeley Law alumni with a 1L student who is interested in Public Interest/Public Sector work and provide these students with mentors to assist them with their job and fellowship search efforts with non-profit organizations, NGOs, and government agencies. Alumni mentors register in September and are matched with a student in October via the Berkeley Law Connect platform. Mentors are asked to meet with their mentees in October to discuss the student’s career objectives; a second check-in meeting takes place in January.
Alumni Mentor Program: LSAD (Law Students of African Descent) (September-January)
LSAD membership is thriving, and current students have worked with the Alumni Engagement Office to create a formal alumni mentorship program. The opportunity to connect meaningfully with a Berkeley Law alum can have an incredible impact on a student’s success. The students described their desire for alumni mentoring as follows: Navigating law school and this legal field is challenging, especially for those of us who come from communities that are underrepresented in this profession. Having a mentor who understands not only your educational concerns but also your identity and positionality in the world is necessary, if not imperative. This program facilitates both elements and helps current students build relationships with alumni who can follow them through law school and beyond. We launched the LSAD mentoring program in December 2022 and will run it annually in the fall each year, connecting alumni with J.D. students across all three class years via the Berkeley Law Connect platform.
If you would like to get involved with any of these programs, please contact alumni@law.berkeley.edu.