Pathway: Law and Public Service

Lake Forest College / Careers / Pathway: Law and Public Service

Join a group of students who want to make a difference in local, state, and global communities.

While students in this pathway may pursue careers in the for-profit or nonprofit realm, the focus is on the use of institutions and systems to advance education and support justice in a range of settings. In this pathway, careers like teacher, lawyer, policy analyst, or program director are a tiny sampling of the options you can explore. You may choose to convert your interests into a career or to endeavors outside work.

Learn more about the Pathway Leadership Team members for this pathway - key advisors and supporters who inform how we prepare students for success and give them access to the best internships, jobs, and graduate/professional schools.

Interested in joining the Law and Public Service Career Pathway? Sign up today!

Below are majors to start exploring in support of this pathway. Don’t be afraid to look beyond this list to develop your personal academic plan. All majors can offer a valuable foundation for growth in this pathway.

Affiliated and dual-degree offerings:

Pre-law
Master of Arts in Teaching at Lake Forest College
Dual degree programs in law and international studies
Ethics Center

Next Steps

Through this pathway, you will learn strategies for combining your major/minor, research, volunteering, and student leadership to prepare for your unique journey to build a life and make meaningful contributions to society. Each of the career pathways are intentionally designed to include a broad mix of career options, because in the working world (and even as a student leader at Lake Forest), you’ll discover that it takes a diverse set of skills and perspectives to achieve goals.

Student Organizations:

What can you do right now?

Learn about yourself and some of the most common internship/career options.

Clarify your values.

Understanding (and being able to explain to others) what matters to you can help you to connect more effectively when networking and make it easier to find compatible organizations. Take the Values Assessment on Focus2 to see what matters most - you may be surprised when forced to prioritize.

Explore types of jobs and industries that need you.

Browse Lake Forest College’s subscription to Vault.com for articles and downloadable books. Popular Vault guides for this pathway include:

Vault is best known nationally for its influential rankings, ratings, and reviews on thousands of top employers and hundreds of internship programs.

Browse jobs and internships.

Jot down some notes about what stands out – the company, the responsibilities, the location, etc. and share your notes with your career advisor .

Start with Lake Forest College’s career management platform Handshake.
Or try www.idealist.org/ and https://www.usajobs.gov/.

Not finding what you are seeking? See your career advisor to help you strategize. There are many ways to find opportunities. Eventually, you will need to work on your networking skills, because most jobs are never posted anywhere.

Chart your exploration and professional development activities – the things you’ve done, want to do, and the stuff that gives you inspiration.

While any notes you take are useful, it can be satisfying to see progress over time, so having a plan for organizing your notes is more important than you might imagine when you’re starting to explore your interests. Whether it’s getting a notebook you love or using online tools, commit to something.

Besides keeping track of ideas and research, track your experiences. Sometimes you’ll volunteer for a day and other activities may be a semester or more, start your master activity list to make creating or updating your resume easier. Check out our resume building resources.

Use your resources.

As a Forester, you have a big, supportive network. One of your key resources is your career advisor who can help you with everything from considering major/career options to making action plans to get what you want. Make an appointment on Handshake or stop by Express Advising to start discussing your goals.

Every other Tuesday during the academic year, you will receive messages about specific jobs and internships as well as upcoming events in your Career Pathway Newsletters - check them out!

Considering law? Connect with the Pre-law Advisory Committee.