Career Research

American Bar Association (ABA) law student membership is free.   

A law student can join five free ABA groups.  ABA groups include:

Law Student Division - Offers articles, videos and podcasts on:

Career Paths I Career Resources I Diversity, Equity and Inclusion I Professional Development

• Sept. 11, 2025 free webinar (registration required): Foundations for Success: Mentorship, Career Growth, and Professional Identity 
• ABA states: "Law students can join the ABA for free" and membership provides "basic access to Student Lawyer" (the Law Student Division's magazine focusing on education and career issues).  BLS Library also provides Student Lawyer in HeinOnline database, but the two most recent issues are not accessible. 
• ABA Law Student Podcast is publicly accessible. 
  • Recent episode: From Jordans to Juris Doctor: The Birth of Sneaker Law includes insights from BLS alumnus Kenneth Anand and colleague/co-author Jared Goldstein.
• Mental Health Resources provides information, articles and podcasts on mental health/law students/the legal profession and Substance Use and Mental Health Toolkit for Law School Students and Those Who Care About Them.
• Video: How to Tackle Your First Big Legal Assignment: Seeking and Responding to Feedback (Apr. 29, 2025) - panelists "offer[ed] firsthand advice on how they successfully tackled their early career challenges, built resilience, and developed essential skills for success."
• Access to some resources at the Law Student Division's website now requires ABA Law Student Premium Membership ($25/year).

Young Lawyers Division - Offers articles, videos, webinars and the ABA YLD Young Lawyer Rising Podcast.

• BLS Library provides TYL (the Young Lawyer Division's practice-focused publication) in HeinOnline database. 
• After the Bar (Young Lawyer Division's digital publication for new lawyers) is accessible to all ABA members. 
• ABA YLD Young Lawyer Rising Podcast is publicly accessible.
  • Recent episodes: Solo and Social: Building Your Law Firm's Brand from Scratch; Environmental Law: An Exciting, Dynamic Field for New Lawyers; Making a Difference Through a Career in Civil Rights Law, Insights from a Transactional Tax Attorney on a Career in Tax Law, and Immigration Law: From Corporate Visas to Pro Bono.

Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice

• BLS Library provides Human Rights (this Section's magazine covering many human rights and civil rights topics) in HeinOnline database. 

Practice-focused ABA groups, such as: Business Law Section, Forum on the Entertainment & Sports Industries, Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division, Litigation Section, Section of Environment, Energy and Resources and Section of Intellectual Property Law.

ABA also provides:

ABA Career Center - Includes a publicly accessible job board.

New Lawyer Practice Area Resource Library

• Tip: Some ABA practice area resources might require both ABA membership and ABA group registration to access.

American Society of International Law (ASIL) student membership is free for BLS students because BLS is an ASIL Academic Partner.  BLS students also can access career development resources (including a job board) and can register for free to attend ASIL's Midyear Meeting.  ASIL's student membership page states: "Students from Academic Partner Schools will have the opportunity to obtain a Discount Promo Code during the process of joining or renewing membership with the Society."

• Check ASIL's International Law Events calendar - there might be a free (for law students) webinar or conference on a topic you wish to research, like:
  • International Law Weekend 2025 (Oct. 23-25, 2025 in New York City) - registration page states: "The American Branch provides free conference registration for students" and "offers fee waivers for those who need it."

New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) law student membership is free.  It includes:

• NYSBA's publicly accessible job board
• Opportunity to join practice-focused NYSBA Sections & to attend their webinars/other programs. 
• Digital subscriptions to a student e-newsletter (monthly), NYSBA Journal (monthly) and New York State Law Digest