Announcing the 2010 Ms. JD Fellowship

Ms. JD is pleased to announce the Ms. JD Fellowship program, which will select 20 of the most promising second-year law students in the country and provide them with one-on-one career mentorship from the nation's most accomplished female attorneys.

Who Are The Mentors?

Fellowship mentors will be assigned to the Fellows from among the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession's alumnae of commissioners and Margaret Brent Award Winners. The list includes U.S. Circuit Court judges and state Supreme Court justices, general counsels from the Fortune 500, managing partners from the nation's
largest law firms, and leading professors and practitioners from around the country. 

Mentoring pairs will be made based on geographic location and shared professional interests. We aim to identify the most promising students in a variety of fields and practice areas and pair them with the most successful woman in that field. 

What Will the 1-Year Mentorship Entail?

In addition to being identified as one of the nation's highest-achieving law students, mentees will receive:

• Invitation to the 20th Anniversary Margaret Brent Awards on August 8, 2010, in San Francisco
• Invitation to Ms. JD's annual conference in March 2011, location TBA
• Mentor review of their resume and writing sample
• Invitation to 2 other networking events with their mentor
• At least 2 additional activities with their mentor, based on mutual interest and availability

How to Apply/Nominate?

Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled full-time as a second year law student in an ABA-accredited law school.

If you would like to nominate a 2L to be considered for Ms. JD's 2010 Fellowship, email her name and school to Fellowship@ms-jd.org.

If you would like to apply to be considered for Ms. JD's 2010 Fellowship, email the following to Fellowship@ms-jd.org.

• Resume
• Transcript
• Writing Sample (legal writing, no length requirement, redacted documents accepted)
• Availability for phone interviews April 12 - 30th (indicate on what days you will be totally unavailable)

We will accept nominations and applications until 5:00 pm PST, April 1, 2010.

Anapata Student Scholarship Deadline Today!

Ms. JD is pleased to announce its partnership with Anapata, the first diversity recruiting and networking platform for the legal profession. “Ms. JD is the ideal partner for Anapata;  our two organizations not only share the same vision for advancing diversity, but also our strengths are highly complimentary, ” said Ooshma Garg, Anapata founder and CEO. To get things started, we're thrilled to help promote Anapata's Diversity Scholarship Contest.

The 2010 Anapata Diversity Scholars Program
Anapata is proud to announce the 2010 Anapata Scholars Program. Anapata will name each Anapata Scholar via the Anapata Diversity Scholarship Contest.
Each Anapata Scholar will recieve a $1,000 scholarship and a featured profile on the Anapata network. Applicants must be currently enrolled at an ABA-approved law school in the United States. Students who are members of groups traditionally under-represented in the legal profession are encouraged to apply. Factors considered in the selection process include academic achievement, demonstrated leadership ability, excellent writing and interpersonal skills and a sincere interest in promoting diversity in the legal profession.

Application Deadline: February 10, 2009

The Anapata Diversity Scholarship Contest
Application Requirements:
(1) A full Anapata student profile, including:
- Resume (.pdf format)
- Transcript (.pdf format)
- Personal introduction paragrah
- 2 recommendations (2-3 sentences from peers, mentors, or employers)

(2) An essay demonstrating your personal philosophy regarding diversity in the legal profession. The essay should incorporate a discussion of your relevant experience and achievements, and your proposal for further advancement of diversity in the workplace using online technologies. Be creative, we want the essay to showcase your unique opinions and accomplishments, and reflect your innovative capabilities. Please limit your essay to 750 words.

Submission Instructions: Please email scholarship@anapata.com
with a link to your Anapata profile and a copy of your essay (in .pdf format). By sending this email, you agree to the Anapata Diversity Scholarship Contest official rules and terms including, but not limited to, the use of name and essay on anapata.com.

The Silent Type of Feminist

Feminist Legal Theory, a blog written by students at the University of California, recently published a post by one woman law student who edited "feminism" out of her resume in an effort to be more competitive in the interviewing process.

This summer, as I organized my materials for on campus interviews, the thought of editing “feminism” out of my resume never occurred to me.  When the first round of interviews was announced, I was shocked.  I wasn’t invited to interview with a single firm.  I cursed King Hall and Career Services and contemplated dropping out of law school.  At the suggestion of a classmate, I edited “feminism” out of my application materials for the next round of OCI bids.  I didn’t think it was going to make any difference.  I was convinced the lack of interviews had more to do with the economy, my background, or my average grades than my feminist activities...

If you are interested in the outcome, click here. 

How does feminsm fit into your resume?

When is My "Education" No Longer First on My Resume?

I'm pretty sure that every single person in my law school's public interest program has a resume that looks just like mine. Garamond size 11, anyone?? We all shared a career counselor and we all got the same format, font, and tone. I don't mind. Except that I haven't been in law school for a couple years now, and I'm wondering when I'm supposed to take a fresh approach. And I no longer have a career counselor to tell me.

I know at some point your education gets eclipsed by your work experience both sequentially on the page and as a professional qualification in general. But when is that exactly? I've had two jobs since law school: a clerkship and this executive directorship. The next time I apply for a job is that more important than where I went to college? I'd like to think so. 

Maybe it depends on what my next job is. If I'm applying for another executive position within a non-profit my work is more important? But if I'm applying for a BigLaw associateship, I've still got to divulge my grades? Thoughts?

Pam Karlan Kills at SLS Graduation

I've already complained about my own law school graduation speaker. I only got more bitter when I read the text of Professor Pamela Karlan's remarks to Stanford Law School's Class of 2009. She's funny; she quotes Dante; she inspires. She also addresses her membership on The Short List:

Would I like to be on the Supreme Court? You bet I would. But not enough to have trimmed my sails for half a lifetime. Sure, I’ve done lots of things I regret over the years. But the things I regret aren’t the things that keep someone from being nominated or getting confirmed. I regret being unkind to people I love and respect and admire. I regret getting frustrated by little things. I regret never taking a summer off. I regret not being able to stick to a diet. But I don’t regret taking sides on questions involving the Voting Rights Act. I don’t regret helping to defend the constitutional rights of criminal defendants. I don’t regret litigating cases on behalf of gay people. I don’t even regret being sort of snarky.

I recommend reading this on a Monday morning, a Thursday afternoon, or whenever you normally need a little pick-me-up.

Interview with a Recruiter

In the current economic climate, jobs are scarce and competition is fierce. How does this change the game when you are interviewing? I asked Kathleen Pearson, Director of Professional Recruiting with Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, her thoughts on this subject, and here’s what she had to say.

Q: Landing the interview: what qualities are you looking for in potential job candidates? Has this changed since the economic downturn?

A: The economy and the current shift in the legal industry has definitely changed the employment landscape for potential candidates. Quite simply, there are more candidates on the market and fewer positions available.

IP/Gender Call for Papers

CALL FOR PAPERS
American University Washington College of Law

IP/Gender: Mapping the Connections
6th Annual Symposium
April 24, 2009

Special Theme: Female Fan Cultures and Intellectual Property

Sponsored by
American University Washington College of Law’s
Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property
Women and the Law Program
Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

In collaboration with
American University’s Center for Social Media
The Organization for Transformative Works
Rebecca Tushnet, Georgetown University
Francesca Coppa, Muhlenberg College

Deadline for submission of abstracts: December 19, 2008

The Interview Suit

Companies like Men’s Wearhouse and Tahari are reporting an upswing in suit sales, particularly for those classic navy or gray pinstripe styles they classify as “interview suits.” Arthur S. Levine, known as the suit king of Seventh Avenue (who now designs a collection of women’s career clothes in a joint venture with Mr. Tahari), said he sold 1.8 million outfits this year, almost 10 percent more than he had expected.

Maximize Your Time in Law School

A friend of mine just started law school, and she asked me what I wished I’d known when I was a 1L that could have changed my law school experience for the better.

Here are the top three things I think you can do to maximize law school:

1. Invest time in making friends

Business school students know that networking is just as important a part of their business school experience as their classes. Though calling it “networking” makes you sound a little too premeditated about the whole process, the idea behind it is a good one that I don’t think law students give enough credit. Your peers in law school are going to be your future colleagues and connections. They’re going to be the people who can get you an interview for that great job 10 years down the road, the partners at the law firm who can hire your solo practice, or the general counsels at the company who hires your firm. In the short-term, they’re going to be the ones who lend you notes when you miss class, study with you, and talk you off the ledge when 1L grades come out. Put less time into solo study at the library and more time into bar reviews and other social activities. Maximize your time in an environment with other smart and interesting people by making lasting friendships and connections.

Why can't we be friends?

What is it about OCI that makes me question my chosen profession?  Is it that my normally pleasant classmates turn into back-biting sycophants?  Is it that some legal "professionals" choose to treat us as if we were nothing more than displayed pieces of meat?  Two painful OCI stories that made me cringe when I heard them: