This was my second year in a row reporting from the Baltimore Convention Center on the Maryland Bar Exam, and wow…what a scene.

Hundreds of fatigued test takers filed out at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday to family members and friends holding signs and handing out balloons and flowers to congratulate them for all of their hard work.

I talked to a number of test takers outside of the Convention Center, and the overriding themes of the day were relief and “what now?”

After all, this year is much different than previous years — these aspiring lawyers have intimidating job searches ahead of them.

Dhru Beeharilal and Elena Carney, both graduates of Suffolk University Law School in Boston, stood together with flowers in-hand, relieved that the exam was over. Both do not have jobs lined up and acknowledged that it will be a tough road ahead.

“I’m going to be jumping into the job pool, trying to learn how to swim,” said Beeharilal, who will be working for AT&T until he can find a job.

Jonathan Akchin, who graduated this year from the University of Maryland School of Law, said he was too busy studying for the bar to worry about the job search. He said he felt “physically sick” when he entered the test taking room Tuesday. But after he saw the first question was a Torts question, he settled down.

“It was built up to be a lot more terrifying that it was,” the 28-year-old Baltimore native said.

Since most of the legal employment-related news has been bad lately, what with all the layoffs and deferrments, I figured I’d share an e-mail I received recently about a job opening to add to the few but proud that are hiring.

The Homeless Persons Representation Project Inc. in Baltimore is looking for a director for its Pro Bono Program, which has seen the ranks of volunteers quadruple since 2007. HPRP runs a community-based intake program at local shelters and soup kitchens; specialized task forces that focus on legal issues affecting the state’s homeless population; and systemic advocacy projects where solutions to homelessness are pursued.

The organization is looking to expand its Pro Bono Program in Baltimore during the next three years. For more details, click here. 

With big firms shedding lawyers left and right, do you think the legal services field could be the route to go in these economic times?