Policies
The following policies govern student participation in CSO services and programs. They are enforced to maintain a standard of fairness and professionalism.
Students looking for the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) principles for candidates can view them here.
Unprofessional Conduct Heading link
The Career Services Office enforces the UIC Law Honor and Professionalism Code. The Law School’s Standards of Conduct provide that a student shall not “engage in conduct, including but not limited to acts involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation, that is prejudicial to the operation of the law school.”
Appointment Policy Heading link
If a student signs up for counseling a session with a career counselor or registers to attend a CSO workshop or event, the student is required to give appropriate notice if they are unable to attend. Failure to give appropriate notice may result in the suspension of career services privileges.
Resume Integrity Heading link
The CSO enforces the Honor and Professionalism Code. Any student who engages in unprofessional conduct with regard to any matter may be subject to proceedings and reporting under the Code. Unprofessional conduct includes dishonesty, fraud, deceit or conduct that violates the standards of professional ethics established for lawyers.
Resumes must not contain false or misleading statements or misrepresentations. Students whose resumes contain misrepresentations may be prohibited from utilizing the CSO’s services. In addition, they may be subject to further action under the Honor and Professionalism Code. The CSO and the Dean’s Office stand firmly behind this policy. If you have any questions about your resume, please speak with a CSO counselor. The CSO may audit resumes in order to verify their accuracy.
Misrepresentation of Information on Resumes Heading link
All information must be presented truthfully on a resume. The CSO may audit student resumes in order to verify their accuracy. Students whose resumes contain misrepresentations may be prohibited from utilizing the CSO’s services and may be subject to further action under the Honor and Professionalism Code. Misrepresentation of grades, class rank, honors, work experience, or other accomplishments on a student resume is deemed a violation of the Code and a complaint will be filed with the Assistant Dean for Student Life & Leadership pursuant to the Code. Students can anticipate the state bar where they intend to practice viewing willful, material misrepresentations on resumes as creating serious moral character issues that may hinder a student’s admission to the bar.
GPA on Resumes Heading link
Your GPA is calculated after every semester, including summer. When listing your GPA on a resume, you must include at least two digits to the right of the decimal (e.g. GPA: 3.12). When rounding your GPA to the hundredth, you may round up if the decimal is .5 or higher (e.g., if your GPA is 3.1275, then you may list your GPA as 3.13), but you must round down if the decimal is lower than .5 (e.g. if your GPA is 3.1444, you would list it as 3.14).
If you take classes during the summer, your grades from summer classes will be added to your transcripts and an updated GPA will be calculated by the Registrar’s Office. This updated GPA will be considered your official GPA and your GPA from the previous spring is no longer accurate.
Class Rank on Resumes Heading link
Ranks are calculated only after the fall and spring semesters. You may get your rank from the Registrar. Never estimate your rank. If you are using your number rank and your rank is listed in a range, you must give the full range on your resume (e.g., 12-18/258). For purposes of converting a rank within a range into a percentage, use the lowest number within the range (e.g., if you are 12-18/258, divide 12 into 258). When calculating your rank as a percentage, you must round up if the decimal is .5 or higher (e.g., if your rank is 14.6%, then you must round up to Top 15%, but if it is 14.5% your rank is Top 14%).
Although new class ranks are not calculated after summer sessions, students should update the GPA if listed on their resume following the release of summer session grades.
Student Interview Cancellation Policy Heading link
Students may only cancel on campus interviews for good cause such as a accepting an offer of employment from a different employer or a family emergency. Missing a scheduled class or losing interest in a scheduled employer are not appropriate reasons to cancel a scheduled interview. The CSO may allow exceptions to this rule on a case-by-case basis.
For career fairs and other off-campus interview programs, students are expected to honor interview commitments except under extenuating or unforeseeable circumstances.
No Show Policy Heading link
Students who do not appear for a scheduled interview or who do not follow proper cancellation policies are required to send a letter of apology to the interviewer (cc: the Executive Director of Career Services) within 3 business days of the missed interview. Missing two or more interviews or failing to send a letter of apology within the required time limits will result in the loss of CSO privileges including the cancellation of all remaining interviews.
Callback Interviews Heading link
CSO policy requires that all students who are invited to a callback interview (in-office interview) must respond to the employer within one week (7 days) of receipt of the invitation and accept only if the student has a genuine interest in the employer. Whether the student intends to accept or decline the callback interview, rules of professionalism dictate that an immediate response is made to the employer. Failure to do so could harm the reputation of the student and school.
Accepting and Declining Offers of Employment Heading link
Accepting an Offer
However an offer is communicated to you (by phone, email, or standard mail), you should contact the employer as soon as possible to acknowledge receipt of the offer. Even if you are not ready to accept the offer initially, you shouldn’t wait more than 24 hours to let the employer know that you have received the offer and are seriously contemplating it. Give the employer an estimate of when you will be able to give them your decision. Do no leave the employer up in the air for fear you will seem unenthusiastic or indecisive.
When given the offer, if you know that you want to take the job, a telephonic response is the best way to communicate. Call the attorney in charge of hiring or the person who communicated the offer to you. If you cannot reach them and get voicemail or an assistant, ask that they call you back.
Here is what you might say in your message:
“This is Jane Doe, a student at UIC Law. I am very excited to have received an offer from your office and hope you will be able to call me back shortly to discuss it further. I can be reached at (312) 227-4738.”
If you are unable to speak directly with someone after trying to reach them, you could do either of these things:
- Leave your acceptance in a voice message.
- Accept by email.
You should ask the recipient to confirm receipt of the message with a quick call or email in return.
How to Decline an Offer
It is important to decline an offer as promptly as possible. This should be done tactfully, both for your own sake and for the reputation of UIC Law. You should express your appreciation of the offer and your high regard for the employer, indicating that it was difficult to make this decision. Do not burn any bridges! Down the road, you may want to reapply to this employer. Also, remember that these may be your future colleagues.
Sample Decline:
“Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me as well as offering me a law clerk position. It is with regret that I will not be able to accept your offer for the upcoming summer. I hope our paths will cross again in the future.”
Can You Rescind Acceptance of an Offer?
It is considered inappropriate to rescind an acceptance of an offer unless there are exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances generally do not include finding a different position that you prefer to the one you previously accepted. Since you will be expected to keep your commitment, you should carefully consider any offer prior to accepting it. Once you accept an offer, you are also expected to withdraw all outstanding applications to other employers, and discontinue applying to new positions.
If you accept an offer and believe that there are exceptional circumstances that require that you rescind your acceptance for any reason, you must contact your CSO counselor to discuss your situation before reaching out the employer.
Nondiscrimination Policy Heading link
The University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (UIC Law) has always embraced diversity and equal opportunity. Our founders believed that a legal education should be available to any qualified person regardless of their economic station in life, or their “racial origin, sex, color, or religious affiliation.” That tradition continues.
UIC Law administers its services in a manner that honors this tradition and seeks to provide both an educational environment and equal employment opportunities for all Law School students and graduates.
The Law School, finding any invidious discrimination inconsistent with the mission of free academic inquiry, does not discriminate in admission, services, or employment on the basis of race (ethnicity), color, religion, sex, pregnancy, disability, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, age, order of protection status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), arrest record status, unfavorable discharge from the military, or status as a protected veteran (military status) or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Use of UIC Law’s facilities and services, including, but not limited to, for recruitment and placement activities, indicates the acceptance of and agreement to comply with the above-mentioned principles of equal opportunity and non-discrimination.
Complaint Procedures for Employer Violation of the Nondiscrimination Policy Heading link
While employers recruiting UIC Law students are expected to abide by the law school’s Nondiscrimination Policy, each year complaints are received from students about offensive or discriminatory behavior on the part of the interviewers. The Law School takes these complaints very seriously and follows the Complaint Procedures outlined below.
A student who believes that an employer has violated the Law School’s Nondiscrimination Policy is encouraged to promptly notify the Assistant Dean or Director of Career Services and may file an informal or formal complaint with the Career Services Office.
Informal Complaints
A student who believes that an employer has violated UIC Law’s Non-Discrimination Policy may make an informal complaint to the Assistant Dean for Career Services or the Director of Career Services. The Assistant Dean or Director may inquire about the experiences of other students interviewed by the same employer and review the Career Services Office’s files for prior complaints against the employer.
If the Assistant Dean or Director finds that the conduct was improper, the Assistant Dean or Director may contact the employer to inform the employer of the complaint, to clarify the Law School’s policy and the employer’s policies and practices, and to otherwise attempt to resolve the matter informally. The student’s identity shall not be disclosed without his or her consent.