Our industry-leading faculty explore where our students’ skills, expertise and passions can lead, then work with them on the best ways to get there. Our career development office is staffed by lawyers with decades of experience. We emphasize individual counseling, including resume and cover letter reviews and practice interviews. Our resources include on- and off-campus interviews, a sophisticated jobs website and constantly updated information about opportunities for meeting with practicing lawyers and potential employers — including our broad network of alumni.

The School of Law Class of 2017 will join our vast nationwide alumni at 9 a.m. on Sunday when we confer 87 degrees at the TD Bank Sports Center.

Whether inside or outside of the courtroom, the ways the juris doctor works for our graduates are vast. In a global society, law factors into business, health care, education, community development — anywhere policy and regulations play a central role.

Our graduates are positioned to succeed on day one — thanks to our more than 300 externship field sites at which our students have worked and more than 12,000 hours of direct legal services provided by the Civil Justice and Tax Clinics over the past 3 years.

Law clinics and externships place students into real-world settings and provide their first taste of how lawyers make a difference in the lives of members of the community.

This kind of experiential learning gives students an intimate view of the law as a profession and of the personal and civil rights issues facing society today.

The value to prospective employers is huge — and we have a reputation for doing it well.

Through our seven on-campus clinics, our students have the opportunity to provide legal aid to underserved residents: single parents, children, immigrants, veterans and the indigent. Their supervising lawyers are full-time faculty who are invested not only in the well-being of our students’ clients, but also in how our students grow as professionals and as individuals.

Members of our Class of 2017 have interviewed clients, represented them in front of judges, and they have been called on to question witnesses on the stand — all the while directly benefiting the lives of others.

This graduating class has worked for clients in custody disputes and housing issues — and helped former inmates re-enter the work force.

Working directly with legal professionals have both challenged and inspired our graduates and welcomed them into a community of practitioners. It gave them a front-row seat to how lawyers, judges and mediators integrate theory and skill, in real time, in the presence of the pressures and sometimes the chaos that they encounter in everyday practice.

Our small class sizes, low 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio, unusually accessible faculty and close-knit community create the kind of supportive, enriching environment that is rare among law schools. We are personally invested in seeking ways to help our students develop into strong, active and ethical lawyers and advocates. It's common for graduates to remain in touch with faculty years after entering their careers.

“I have no office hours,” explained Professor Charles Pillsbury. “I tell my students they can come see me any time. If I’m not there, send an email and we’ll set up a time. My success is directly related to the success of my students.”

A law degree from Quinnipiac prepares our graduates to walk through the door into a remarkable range of careers and begin contributing right away. In fact, 84 percent of the Class of 2016 were employed within 10 months of graduation.

A big part of what makes our education successful — close, individualized attention and extensive hands-on learning opportunities — is also what makes our career development efforts successful. Our career counselors are all lawyers whose experience and judgment will help our students and alumni chart possible career paths and sharpen their communication and presentation skills. They'll help our students find — or create — internships and externships that line up with their career goals.

Although finding a job is ultimately our graduates’ responsibility, our career development team helps identify options and opportunities, connect our students with potential employers and provide the tools that will position them for success.

Our staff and faculty go out of their way to make sure our program meets the professional and individual goals of every student, including talented, motivated nontraditional students and part-time evening students. Our goal is the same as our graduates’: a successful, fulfilling career.

Now let’s celebrate all the Class of 2017 has accomplished!