Alumnus John Kuehne credits the law school’s Co-op Program with transplanting him from a job often associated with digging to a job he really digs.

A member of the Class of 2012, Kuehne had worked as an archeologist before starting law school.

"I was never Indiana Jones running from the Nazis and booby traps," Kuehne admits. "It’s pretty boring work."

Still, at law school, Kuehne hoped to develop a legal career that would make good use of his experience working in the non-profit sector.

Within a couple of months after graduating, Kuehne had landed his "dream job," working for Morgen Cheshire, a new firm that specializes in serving non-profit organizations, helping clients with everything from launch to IRS compliance to board development and grant making.

"It’s the best job in the world," Kuehne said. "I couldn’t be happier."

Kuehne traces his good fortune to two semester-long co-op placements that he said "helped jump start my career." The first experience placed Kuehne in the Non Profit practice group at Montgomery McCracken, which offered a helpful overview of the specialty.

"It gave me a chance to see a broad perspective on charities, fundraising solicitations and things that organizations have to consider on a national level," he said. "It was a great primer for non-profit law."

Among the eye-openers for Kuehne was discovering how technology enables lawyers to assist clients in far-flung locales.

"So much is done through the Internet, email and conference calls," he said. "You have in-depth conversations with people you are not ever going to meet."

Through a second co-op placement with Koller Law PC, a small firm, Kuehne gained insights about the business of operating a law firm as well as representing clients in employment cases.

"I learned how terrifying it can be to go out there and start your own business," he said. "When you have a small firm, you might not be able to afford LexisNexis or WestLaw."

Although neither co-op placement led to a job offer, Kuehne said his supervisors were both eager to recommend him when an opportunity opened up at Morgen Cheshire. Kuehne happened upon that opportunity unexpectedly, spotting a Philadelphia Inquirer story about Cheshire, who’d recently left a partnership at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis to launch a firm focused on non-profits.

Kuehne asked for and got a 20-minute coffee that turned into a two-hour interview, which was followed soon after by a full-blown job offer. No telescopes, archeologist’s shovels or scientific tools of any kind are required to determine that the stars have aligned perfectly for Kuehne.