Words of Wisdom: Advice from former SCOTUS Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

Recently, on a flight to Chicago, Ms. JD Global Education Fund Director Neha Shah had the distinct pleasure of meeting former United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. She was given the opportunity to do a quick interview on behalf of Ms. JD, and today she shares with you the words of wisdom provided by her lady justice.

NS: After graduating the top of your class at Stanford law school, you worked for free in your first job until you were given a full-time paid position.  What advice can you offer to graduates and young attorneys who are looking for jobs in such a tough job market?  Do you think the idea of working for free is still applicable?

SDO: No, the market has changed…and it includes women.  This wasn’t the case when I was working. The key is to target things that you want to do and industries that you want to work in.  If you are interested in the public sector, target the public sector.  If you are interested in the private sector, target the private sector.  You have to target your interests.

NS: What is the toughest obstacle you have overcome as a lawyer or judge?

Preparing For Your OCI Interviews

Congratulations, you have an on campus interview! Now you want to prepare properly. Here are some tips to get ready for your interview:

Research the Firm

It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many people enter a screening interview and declare their interest in environmental law, only to find out that office doesn’t have an environmental law practice! Know the practice areas in the office you are meeting. And look for recent articles or cases of interest.

Research Your Interviewers

Find out who you will be meeting with and learn about them as much as possible. In addition to their company profile, check LinkedIn and all other sources online. Have they worked anywhere else? What cases or deals have they worked on? Do you know anyone who knows them and can give you insight? The more information you have, the better.

Best Friends at the Bar: Is There a Silver Lining for Recent Law School Grads?

As you all know by now, the news is not good for recent law school grads or for law schools.  The ABA Journal reported in January that law schools are closing their doors due to a 30-year-low drop in applications and a consequential reduction in tuition revenues.  The LA Times now reports that the legal services accessible on the Internet and through other technologies have reduced job openings for lawyers, and we all know that a lot of the jobs that lawyers used to do in this country are being shipped overseas.  Students have even filed class action law suits against law schools alleging that the schools lured them in with misleading job placement figures.

It's a pretty grim situation, and I am particularly concerned that some of the law schools that may be forced to shut down are, ironically, the ones that are doing the best job of producing practice- ready lawyers through their clinical programs.  Practice-ready lawyers are the ones that the clients are demanding and that the law firms need to meet that demand.  I am familiar with some of those law schools---the ones that do not get ranked high by  US News & World Report but the very same schools that are turning out students, who are not afraid to grab a file and run to court, who know how to draft AND file a motion with the court, and who can take a deposition on Day One without being trained by the law firm to do it.

Getting the Job: A Step-by-Step Guide to Nailing an Interview

Over the next few months I will be posting a step-by-step guide to getting the perfect job in the extremely competitive legal market. Unfortunately, many worthy candidates fail to snag their dream job based on poor interviewing skills. A major source of this problem is interviewees failing to address each step of the interviewing process. From my perspective, the interviewing process has the following steps:

1. Creating the perfect resume;

2. Buying and putting together an appropriate outfit;

3. Showing up on time and prepared;

4. Nailing the first impression and handshake;

5. Controlling body language;

6. Highlighting your strong points, regardless of what questions are asked;

7. Making yourself standout in comparison to other interviewees;

8. Nailing the final impression and exit; and

9. Writing a formal thank you letter after the interview.

This month I will address step one of my step-by-step guide to nailing an interview. The first step, creating the perfect resume, is possibly the most important stage of the interviewing process. Why? This answer is simple. Without the perfect resume, the employer may not even decide to interview you for the position. Without an interview, you obviously have no hope of getting the job.

Best Friends at the Bar: Pre-law as a New Focus for Best Friends at the Bar

Welcome to all the pre-law audience out there!  You have not been forgotten.

Best Friends at the Bar always has been aimed at women in pre-law.  In fact, the first book, Best Friends at the Bar:  What Women Need to Know about a Career in the Law, was specifically written for the pre-law woman and includes a lot of information for young women deciding whether to pursue careers in the law.  Of course, that book also was written for the woman law student and the young woman law firm associate, and the second book, Best Friends at the Bar:  The New Balance for Today's Woman Lawyer, digs deeper into the balance that young women lawyers need at all levels of their educational and professional lives.

However, until recently, my speaking, blogging and other outreach has been focused on law schools, law firms, and law organizations.  Now, that focus has been broadened, and I am enjoying my first ventures into the pre-law world.  Recently, I blogged about my experiences at Holy Cross College, and now I am happy to report that I am hearing from other colleges and universities.  It is very exciting, especially for someone like me, who started as an educator before law school and had a teaching fellowship at Georgetown Law.  It all has come full circle!

First Mentor Meeting: Contemplating My Future As A Female Lawyer

It was a hectic first semester filled with the range of emotions that I assume are typical for all 1L's: stress, fear, self-doubt, confidence, cluelessness, and yes, even a bit of enjoyment. I had never experienced anything like law school before - studying so much and having no idea what kind of grades I was capable of earning. So when the last final of the semester was complete, for better or worse, all I felt was relief.

Unfortunately, that relief lasted only one night.  The very next day was filled with trying to pack for a month, driving to my hometown, and preparing for an interview.  The entire break was filled with the 1L reception and interview process.  Visiting multiple offices and making endless small talk was not only tiring, but also not much seemed to be gained in the process. How much can you really learn about a firm, their culture, and your potential career path in these settings?  By the end of the break it seemed like every firm had meshed together in my mind.  I could no longer remember why I felt more of a fit at one firm versus another.

Move Your Career Forward — Whether or Not You Make Resolutions

There are two types of people in this world: those who make and keep New Year’s resolutions and those who do not. I admit I fall into the latter category, as my discipline generally fades by Jan. 3 or 4!

Making resolutions is about setting goals. Some of us easily establish goals for ourselves and are disciplined about following through with them. For example, some of us always knew that we wanted to be lawyers — and we even knew what kind of lawyers we wanted to be — and we focused laserlike on achieving that goal. Perhaps you always wanted to be an antitrust lawyer, so you made sure your education prepared you for that job.

Others, like me, never knew we would be lawyers but left ourselves open to life’s many possibilities. But I did not depend on luck to guide me. Throughout my life, I have placed myself in a position where opportunities could find me. And opportunities have continually appeared.

You, too, can take advantages of life’s many opportunities. Network widely so that wherever prospects open up, they are available to you.

LAST CHANCE! Building Her Power Base: A Conversation with ABA President Laurel Bellows on Leadership & Entrepreneurship

Ms. JD and Kirkland & Ellis cordially invite you to attend: Building Her Power Base: A Conversation with ABA President Laurel Bellows on Leadership & Entrepreneurship

Laurel Bellows will be speaking on Leadership and Entrepreneurship and will be answering questions from young women attorneys and law students nationwide.

The live event will be held on January 31, 2013 at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, 300 North LaSalle Chicago, IL at 12:00pm and lunch will be served.

VIEWING PARTIES:

Austin, TX at the University of Texas, Francis Auditorium, 727 East Dean Keeton Street, Austin, TX at 12:00 pm Central.  Click here to register for the Austin event.

Houston, TX at Vinson & Elkins 1001 Fannin Street #2500  Houston, TX at 12:00 pm Central. Lunch will be served.

Los Angeles, CA at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, 333 Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA at 10:00 am Pacific.  A continental breakfast will be served.

From The Levo League: Acing the What's Your Biggest Weakness Interview Question.

Editor’s Note: Ms. JD is proud to partner with another online community for professional women, the Levo League! We'll periodically feature some of their great content here but you should feel free to head over there to check out other articles.  We know how hard the economy is out there and we want to help so this week we've chosen to share their piece titled: How To Ace The "What's Your Biggest Weakness?" Interview Question.  This post originally appeared on www.prepary.com. For more articles on answering common interview questions, click here.

A really common interview question across industries is about strengths and weaknesses. Answering the part about your biggest strength is easy (for most) but lots of people trip up on the other side of the question: “What is your biggest weakness?”

When you Google how to answer this question there are a lot of mixed opinions, but they generally fall into one of three camps:

1. Spin a negative into a positive. Such as, “Sometimes I spend too much time checking my work because I want to make sure it is perfect.”

2. Deny having any weaknesses. This one is the least common, and pretty obviously not the way to go.

3. Give an honest answer. Such as, “An area I am trying to work on is public speaking. It is not naturally something I’ve been able to master.”

Business Insider's New Law School Rankings

Business Insider is creating a new poll surveying which law schools are the best in placing graduates in jobs, and we need your help! We are reaching out to recent JDs, 1Ls, 2Ls, 3Ls, law firms, recruiting experts, and anyone with experience in applying for jobs post-law school. 

Want to share your opinion? Click HERE to participate and help us figure out which law schools are the best at helping their graduates find employment.