Ms. JD | Changing the Face of the Legal Profession

Jump start your on campus interview success at the Cutting to the Front of the Line Event on June 29th at Latham & Watkins in Washington DC! Learn more about the event HERE and Register HERE!

Advice for Passing the Bar Exam

Submitted by sintecho

Ed. Note: This summer, back by popular demand, Ms. JD is pleased to feature a series of posts on bar exam prep. The series will include some of our most highly-read articles from past years, as well as new content for all those taking on the bar exam challenge. Good luck!

I know the [July] bar is fast approaching, so I thought I’d share the preparation advice I jotted down for my younger law school friends after taking the New York bar [...]. I wrote this when it was still fresh in my head (and before I knew that I passed), and I added some notes on thoughts I have now that I know I passed.

1. Things to keep in mind while studying with Barbri.

Don’t rely on Barbri’s assessment of what will and won’t be on the exam. Barbri told us not to spend time on one subject because it was rarely tested and, if tested, usually only came up in multiple choice questions. To the horror and surprise of me and everyone else in the room who had taken Barbri, half of an entire essay question tested this subject. Barbri did cover the information, but no one I know studied it very intently since it was described as such a low priority. Basically, Barbri doesn’t have a crystal ball, so you shouldn’t take their word for it when they predict things that are unlikely to appear.

The How-Long-Will-You-Be-Here Question and How (or Whether) to Answer

Submitted by MilspouseJD

by Josie Beets

interview door

Summers bring change for military families, and MSJDN families are no different. Our private member groups have been buzzing with the typical summer PCS season drama — well, the MSJDN version. On top of moving houses, states, and even countries, on top of finding new schools and new grocery stores, our members are filling out Bar applications, wading through complex and varied reciprocity rules, completing new NCBE reports and applying for jobs in their new legal communities. With job applications come job interviews, and job interviews for lawyers can be their own special kind of painful.

A Matter of Simple Justice: Know Your Worth

Submitted by Kellie Wingate ...

Do you know your worth? It's a question that can be interpreted many ways. Studies show that as women lawyers, on average we're not paid what we are worth in comparison to male lawyers doing the same or similar work. That's not my meaning here, however. I read earlier today that women possess 1% of the world's assets even though they do 60% of the world's work. But I'm not speaking of your financial holdings either when I ask, "Do you know your worth?"

I've been taking an online leadership course over the past several weeks. One of the assignments recently was to ask twenty or so friends, family members or colleagues to tell you when they saw you at your best. I sent out an email asking several people to describe me at my best and about two-thirds of them replied. It was humbling to read their responses. It was also empowering. As I reflected on the comments, I began to better assess my own strengths and to understand the purpose of the assignment. It enabled me to see my own worth (and leadership qualities) through the eyes of those around me.

Tech U: The Push For Paperless

Submitted by DWrenn

As our legal community continues to grow technologically, there is clear insistence on going paperless, or at least more paper efficient. Let’s face it – printing is expensive and paper documents are cumbersome. Yet, often it is difficult to let go of having paper copies. In law school you want to (and at times feel you must) print everything. Literally. Whether it is reading summaries for class, cases for legal research, or massive outlines for finals, the cost of printing becomes a major expense. Law school printing prices and Westlaw’s discontinuance of its free printing service in law schools across the country evidences the reality of this expense.

As a law student and future attorney, practicing less printing and storing documents in digital folders is beneficial not only to your wallet but also in preparation for the growing number of law firms that are taking their files to the digital space. Like many others I prefer reading and editing documents in paper form. However, there are many ways that you can make use of the “going paperless” principles while still enjoying some of the traditional pen and paper methods. In this edition of Tech U you’ll learn 3 simple ways to decrease printer use and become more digitally efficient while in law school.

Alone in Bar Prep World

Submitted by JoanneEWilson

This is a topic I really focus on in my own blog but I feel like it is something that needs to be thrown out into the legal world over and over until someone changes it.

The loneliness of bar prep is enough to drive anyone crazy.

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail to a dear friend that I wrote during bar prep:

"I just want this nightmare to be over. I don't even care if I pass at this point. I just am tired of it all. It's lonely. It's frustrating. People make me mad for no reason. I've never felt so stupid...I'm sorry for ranting. Anytime someone talks to me is like a breath of fresh air. Reminds me that I haven't been completely forgotten about although there are times sitting there studying that you really begin to wonder."

For me it wasn't really the subject matter that I was working on or the endless amounts of multiple choice questions that I did that was the basis for my misery during bar prep. It was how alone I felt.

Day after day I would sit at Barry University studying. Students wandered around and teachers came in and out of the classroom I worked in. But it didn't matter.

I felt like I was drowning in my isolation.

"What I wish I would have known" with author Susan Smith Blakely

Submitted by Liz Vaysman

Last week I had the opportunity to hear Susan Smith Blakely, author of the Best Friends at the Bar books for young women lawyers, give career advice to a group of eager young professionals, including both men and women at the LadiesDC happy hour. Susan emphasized the importance of helping all women succeed in business and how the best way to that is to craft Personal Definitions of Success.

During the event, I was able to steal Susan away for a few moments for a short interview on what she wished she would have known through various phases of her legal career.

What I wish I would have known…

Before law school

“That careers are different for men and women. I went to law school in the middle of The Women’s Liberation Movement , and we thought we could do anything and be anything---just like the men. There were lots of surprises for us after law school. Although there was not much of a gender gap in law school, it was different once we got out and practicing. If I had known, I would have planned ahead to avoid some of the surprises.”

Breaking the Cycle

Submitted by janeejohnson

Editor's Note: Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing updates from our 2013 Public Interest Scholarship Winners. Today, Ms. JD is pleased to feature an update from Janee Johnson.

This summer I will be working at Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts. I chose Prisoners’ Legal Services because no person should ever be forgotten. Every person, no matter their background or their position, deserves certain rights—a right to health, a right to safety, and a right to humane living conditions. These are basic fundamental rights, and every person deserves them. There is perhaps no group so marginalized and deprived of their rights more so than the prison population.

When I was younger, I understood what it felt like to feel and be marginalized. As a poor black girl growing up in the Midwest, I knew what it was like to feel like no one was looking out for me. I remembering hoping and wishing that there was just one person who had my back—one person who understood what I was going through. I remember thinking there was no one like me and no one who I could relate to. I found my way through volunteerism. Through helping others, I was able to help myself. By joining causes and becoming politically and socially involved, I found a way to stop the feelings of marginalization and loneliness. I was able to find other people like me who had faced similar situations that I had gone through.

Ms. JD Weekly Round Up For The Week of June 14, 2013

Submitted by editor

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act. It was signed into law on June 10th, 1963 by John F. Kennedy. Laura Bellows, President of the ABA, sees this anniversary as an opportunity.

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that human genes cannot be patented. The case involved a company called Myriad Genetics and its patent on the genes for breast cancer. The Court decided that, while Myriad made an important discovery, they did not actually create or invent anything since human genes occur in nature. Much more to come on this. Read about the Supreme Court decision and how it will affect Genetic research and patient care.

Ms. JD Has Five Free Tickets to California and the Courts!

Submitted by Janet

Another great perk for Ms. JD readers: free attendance and MCLE credit ($250 value) at CJAC's California and the Courts conference in Laguna Beach. The free attendance will be available to the first five law students or ladies in their first 5 years of practice who email pederson@ms-jd.org!

CJAC's first public affairs conference, California and the Courts, will be held June 26-28 at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. The conference will discuss and identify the political climate in the State of California. The conference will also analyze the future of the California political landscape and what implications this will have on the California courts.

The conference will start with a welcome reception on June 26th at 5:00 P.M. and will end by 10:00 A.M. on June 28th. Dinner on the 27th and breakfast on the 28th are not included in the conference ticket price but will be made available for an additional $100.

CJAC certifies that the June 27 afternoon portion of this activity has been approved for two hours of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.

Attitudes, Actions and Accessories: Notes from the Desk of the Professionalism-Obsessed – “That’s What Friends Are For”

Submitted by JS2013

One of my friends will be visiting me soon, and my excitement about her upcoming trip has reminded me of how very grateful I am to have such incredible friends. I know, I know, I’m biased, but they really are a group of fantastic people, and they have all made me a better person. They have also made me a better professional.

While I have long known the value of my friendships and the positive influence my friends have on me, it wasn’t until a recent conversation with said-visiting friend that I realized just how important they are to my professional development. As we normally do, my friend and I chatted about what was going on in our respective lives. I expressed excitement combined with a small case of the jitters about an upcoming presentation I was preparing for, and that would be given to a pretty large group. My friend expressed that she wouldn’t be able to present to so many people, as public speaking in front of a large group was not something she enjoyed doing. Upon hearing this I was baffled. My friend is one of the most naturally articulate, outgoing, and confident people I have ever met. I know her well and know that she would thrive in such an environment, even if she didn’t enjoy it. It meant a lot to me that she would share this kind of vulnerability – it was a way of expressing her support for my professional endeavors, and in doing so she increased my level of confidence going into my presentation.

National Conference of Women's Bar Associations Seeks Volunteers for Summit in SF

Submitted by SanDiegoPartner

The NCWBA is seeking volunteers for its Annual Summit in San Francisco in August 2013. Details of the Summit follow. Please contact Executive Director Diane Rynerson at diane@ncwba.org if you are interested.

National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations 2013 Women’s Bar Leadership Summit

Co-Sponsors: Bar Association of San Francisco, California Women Lawyers, Queen’s Bench Bar Association of the San Francisco Bay Area, Women Lawyers of Alameda County

Friday, August 9, 2013, 9:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Facing The New Florida Bar

Submitted by JoanneEWilson

I was one of the fortunate students who took the February Florida Bar Exam. Everyone told us we were going to be the guinea pigs. For weeks we panicked worrying. I hyperventilated in my seat when the bar examiners called start. I frantically paged through the exam.

The new subjects never showed up on the February Florida Bar Exam.

As anyone knows who is facing the Florida Bar Exam, the Board of Bar Examiners decided to add subjects. The subjects are dependency, delinquency, commercial paper (also known as payment systems) and secured transactions.

No, I'm not gloating. But I remember the feeling of sitting in a classroom at Barry University with my head in my hands panicking that I was never going to understand Secured Transactions. But it turned out that I didn't need to know it.

Unfortunately, I highly doubt that the Bar Examiners are going to let another bar administration go without testing the new subjects, or at least one of the new subjects. I've heard people already beginning to panic that they don't know anything about dependency or whichever subject they've declared their devil. After their initial panic, I then hear about how little there is available for them to work with followed by either tears or continued ranting about how they're going to fail.

Ms. JD Has Four Free Tickets to FVAP's Battle of the Bands Thursday Night in SF!

Submitted by editor

Ms. JD is pleased to bring Ms. JD readers another EXCLUSIVE benefit: Four Free Tickets Are Available To The Family Violence Appellate Clinic's Banding Together To End Domestic Violence Battle Of The Bands. The event will feature seven bands from law firms and in-house counsel across the Bay area. In addition to being a blast, this promises to be an excellent networking opportunity. Plus, Ms. JD's own, Katie Larkin-Wong will co-emcee the event!

To claim your free ticket, email president@ms-jd.org by Noon Today. To learn more about FVAP and the battle of the bands, click here.

Just Keep Casting

Submitted by Elizabeth.Trenary

“Fly fishing saved my life. It reminded me to keep casting and that I couldn’t give up. It reminded me that even though the river may be quiet today, tomorrow a trout may rise. And I’ll be there to catch it.” – testimonial from Project Healing Waters

“Many of us would probably be better fishermen if we did not spend so much time watching and waiting for the world to become perfect” – A River Runs Through It

This was not the column I had planned on writing a week ago. A week ago, I thought I would be writing this column on the importance of public interest work and doing good in your community. Instead, because of a series of events that terrified me at first, I am writing to tell you that there are opportunities that are uncertain, times that are difficult, and goals that make us nervous. But we cannot give into fear of the unknown and we must keep casting.

Trading in the Expense Account: Transitioning from Big Law to Public Interest: Home is Where the Heart Is

Submitted by vhogan

I have moved about 16 times since I left my parents house. They weren’t all “big” moves – some were just for the summers during college and law school – but, when it came to filling out my address for the last five years on my character and fitness application for the bar exam, they all clearly mattered. The 75% pay cut that came with my new job meant that another move was on the horizon. I loved my old apartment and probably would have sacrificed a lot to keep it, but there was no amount of ramen that would have made it possible to afford the place.

So I moved, again. (If home really is where the heart is then my heart has been broken way too many times.)

Whether you’re in the market for Versailles or a 400 sf studio, housing is always one of the largest expenses people have. In general, you don’t want to spend more than 30% of your gross income on your rent/mortgage, but it can be very difficult to abide by that standard when you make very little money. It may happen that an amazing rent-controlled apartment comes on the market right as you decide to change jobs, but it’s unlikely. If a move becomes necessary because of your salary (and you don’t have a sugar daddy/momma to make up the difference), there are only a few of options, depending on the lifestyle you want: