inside spaceball

Blog, Career + Tech + Space 6 Minutes

Students are often interested in space law but don’t know how to engage with the field – particularly in 1L when they can’t take space specific courses yet. Further, I get a lot of messages from new professionals in the field, and students from other law schools, asking for advice on space law careers.  I am repurposing some work to create a 101-level “lay of the land” or the “inside baseball” look at the space law field.

With anyone I counsel I underscore this: the best “space lawyer” is first and foremost a good lawyer. You have to love the law first. Sure, we have funny stickers and shirts for our program, but the reality is this: it’s just lawyers who serve the space industry. Rockets are very cool, and it’s neat we get to think about issues surrounding satellites, etc, but ultimately this is the practice of law. Think critically about your motivations. It’s awesome to be enthusiastic about space (I am!) but understand the work you want to do.

This also often means that new attorneys excited to work in space need more legal experience to supplement their education first. Very few people begin their careers as corporate counsel – most come from a firm or the government. The first job out of the gate may not (usually, will not) be the dream space position, but through thoughtful and diligent efforts it can be the gateway to that “someday” position.

I always mention my semesters at the Department of Insurance here. Sound space or tech related on its face? No. Did I get a crash course in admin law, government practice, and navigating a heavily regulated field that balances human safety with business interests? Yes. I’d say it was pretty relevant to the types of research I do now, and that was just my clerkship.

Because my specific work so often intersects with national security and cyber, you’ll see that bend/bias here. I don’t touch aviation or drones, so there isn’t representation of much of that. All critical work, this is just coming from my perspective and background.

And, of course, these lists are NOT exhaustive and NOT constantly updated.

Professional Organizations in Space Law

A lot of these organizations have websites that could also be in the “newsletter and websites” section due to the amazing reference material they make available.

  • Aerospace Industries Association
  • International Institute of Space Law
  • Space Generation Advisory Council
  • American Branch of the International Law Association, Space Law Committee
  • American Society of International Law, Space Law Interest Group
  • American Astronautical Society
  • Space Court Foundation
  • Space Frontier Foundation
  • Women in Aerospace

Professional Organizations for International and National Security Interests:

  • American Branch of the International Law Association, Security Groups
  • American Society of International Law, Security Groups
  • International Society of Homeland Security Professionals (ISHSP)
  • #NatSecGirlSquad
  • National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)
  • National Security Space Association
  • Center for Feminist Foreign Policy
  • CNAS Women In International Security
  • CSIS Diversity And Inclusion Leadership
  • CSIS Smart Women Smart Power
  • FPI (Foreign Policy Interrupted)

Conferences I Prioritize

  • American Branch of the International Law Association: International Law Weekend (New York, Fall)
  • American Society of International Law Annual Meeting (typically a Space Law Interest Group Panel) (DC, Spring)
  • Galloway Symposium by International Institute of Space Law (DC, December)
  • Nebraska Law Space Law Conferences (DC, Fall)
  • International Astronautical Congress (moves annually, Fall)
  • USCYBERCOM Cyberlaw conference (spring, Andrews AFB)
  • USSPACECOM Space Conference (Spring, Peterson AFB)
  • Nebraska Cybersecurity Conference presented by the CIO and the Nebraska Emergency Management Institute every September (Lincoln, Fall)
  • Space Symposium (Colorado Springs, Spring)
  • American Bar Association Air and Space Section Space Forum, (DC, Spring/Summer)
  • USSTRATCOM Deterrence Symposium (Omaha, late Summer)
  • Reach out to professionals you admire and ask them where they go – it is sometimes uncomfortable or awkward to talk about employment, but people are usually more than happy to talk about what conferences they think are important and attend.
  • ASCEND – Industry conferences, with events throughout the year
  • Space Consortium Week (Boston, April)

Sites and Newsletters

Here are some of the newsletters and websites I check regularly to stay up on the field: 

Places to Publish Things as a Student/New Attorney

  • Law Reviews (hundreds – see “how to submit” article links below)
  • The International Lawyer (publication of the ABA Section on International Law): https://people.smu.edu/ilra/submissions/
  • Journal of Space Law: http://www.spacelaw.olemiss.edu/jsl/index.html
  • The Air and Space Lawyer (publication of the ABA Section on Air and Space)
  • International Law Student Association Quarterly www.ilsa.org
  • Papers can always be posted to alumni and student section of Digital Commons at most schools. It won’t be a formal “publication” but creates a decent link for sharing and tracking.
  • Reach out to professionals you admire and ask them what they read or where they’re published – this is also a great question for faculty!

How to submit a law review article:

Staying in Space Post Grad or Entering

Your aim is to begin to set yourself apart as a legal expert in these areas publicly – whether your current job is technically “in the field,” this is doable and opens the next door.

  • Pass the bar and obtain your license. Missed it on your first try? Don’t beat yourself up. I encourage alumni in this situation to seek business orientated or legal related positions to help lighten the financial strain while you study for and pass the exam the second time!
     
  • Don’t turn down opportunities to gain legal experience, even if it’s not in the practice area you’re aiming for. Gaps in employment are hard to overcome later on and general legal experience is a significant requirement for many specialized, narrow-interest jobs.
     
  • Aim for at least one publication in a magazine (think the Bar Association magazine), newsletters, journals, or law reviews this year highlighting your focus area. Start with a school seminar paper or a paper from a class.
  • Start presenting: find any opportunity to teach people about space law and begin to establish your expertise. Think your Bar Association Annual Meeting, the local rotary chapter, a CLE for your firm – wherever, whatever. Teaching something is the best way to master it. Get in front of people and talk about space law. See also; going to conferences (below)!
     
  • Step up that leadership: in the professional organizations you joined consider a leadership role in your interest area. Keep in mind, this doesn’t necessarily need to be your current practice area. When a friend of mine served as the chair of the ABA Section of Science & Technology Law: Space Law Committee she primarily practiced in workplace discrimination. This is one door in. 
     
  • Money is likely tight right now, I get that, but try to attend 1-2 conferences per year in your interest area – better yet, submit a presentation on one of the articles you wrote to large conferences that have a public call for papers. Presenters don’t always get travel covered, but it often waives or discounts registration costs.
     
  • Start applying for space jobs that interest you – create a connection between your present work and the work you’re applying for and showcase your educational background.
  • I talk to people everyday who have had to apply to 50-200 jobs, over a few years, to move into the area. It is so competitive and the job search can be demoralizing. Find a job in the meantime that provides you income and hopefully some experience you can leverage. Approach the job hunt like a second job and be organized about, creating spreadsheets, application goals, and timelines. Finally, also think about how to care for yourself. Getting repeatedly ghosted and hearing “no” when you’re putting in a lot of work is so hard. How will you take care of yourself?
     
  • Talk to people in space! Set up informational interviews, making it clear you don’t expect meeting for coffee to be a job interview (it makes people nervous and uncomfortable if they think you’re expecting more than they can give). Build up some professional reputation. You’re playing the slow game.

Published by elsbethmagilton

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