NAWL-PRUDENTIAL 2012 Summer Internship Program

The National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) is pleased to partner with Prudential Financial, Inc. (Prudential) to provide a meaningful summer internship opportunity to a highly-motivated, first-year law school student. Through this partnership, NAWL will select a student to join the 2012 Summer Law Intern Class at Prudential for an 11-week internship at one of Prudential’s offices in Newark, New Jersey; Dallas, TX;  San Francisco, CA; or Shelton, CT. A stipend of approximately $8,500 will be provided to the intern for the length of the internship.

About NAWL and Prudential:

Founded over 100 years ago, NAWL is the leading voluntary organization devoted to the interests of women lawyers and women’s legal rights. NAWL has members in all 50 states and engages in numerous programs and activities to advance its mission. More information can be found at www.nawl.org.

Best Friends at the Bar: First Year Law Students Listen Up-Sometimes You Need To Follow The No Money

Editor's Note:  Ms. JD is excited to announce that Susan Smith Blakely, author of Best Friends at the Bar, will be speaking at Ms. JD: She Leads on October 5, 2012. This post originally appeared on the Best Friends at the Bar blog on April 28, 2011.

I know how tough it is for first year law students these days when it comes to finding summer employment.  Paying positions are not likely to be plentiful for students after only one year of law school in this economy, and unpaid internships are really the only practical possibilities for most of you.  I know that your law school career counselors have given you good advice on the value of internships, but let me put in a few words of my own because I have been on the management side.

First of all, the summer after your first year of law school has to stand for something these days.  You want to have as much law-related experience on your resume as possible by the time you are looking for jobs after graduation.  The days of taking off for Europe or Central America to chill after the first year of law school are over.  Sorry.  You really need to be more resourceful to impress those future employers who you are going to be asking to pay for your services.

However, that puts you in a job squeeze because there also are a scarcity of intern jobs.  But, here’s a possible source of internships that I want you to know about:  Local Government Internships.

Apply to be Ms. JD's DC-Based Conference Intern

Ms. JD is looking for an enthusiastic, DC-based individual to lead the planning, organizing, and executing of Ms. JD's Fifth Annual Conference on Women and the Law on a part-time basis. The conference will be held on October 5-6, 2012, at Washington College of Law at American University.

Ms. JD's Annual Conference is a key deliverable of Ms. JD's mission because it provides an opportunity for Ms. JD's community to gather together, to learn actionable skills, and to network amongst one another thus building connections between women in the legal profession. Moreover, the conference is among Ms. JD's most visible programs. The Conference Intern works closely with Ms. JD's Executive Board, National Women's Law Student Organization (NWLSO) Leaders, and key stakeholders at the host school and partnership organizations to collaborate on each of the tasks related to the conference.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Practical Training v. Classroom Training

Last month I read an interesting article in The New York Times discussing the lack of practical skills training in law schools. I come from a school that heavily promotes practical training by encouraging pro bono work and requiring externship experience so it was a nice change to see an article about an issue that my school tackles head on,  especially after all the recent negative media around law school tuition and the lack of jobs in the legal market.

By the end of our legal education, we will have mastered the art of time management, often juggling more activities and commitments than we can count on both hands. Considering how time-strapped students are, some of us find ourselves in a bind of deciding whether to focus time on improving grades or towards receiving practical training in the field.  I wanted to share this article, because I am a huge proponent of practical training and believe that the benefits you reap are immeasurable.   In my mind the most effective way to learn is through hands-on experience and actually applying the theories that you have learned in the classroom.  We can learn about 403 and hearsay objections in the classroom all we want, but until we see them in use, we won’t  really learn what they are about.

DC Public Schools Looking for Graduate Students Interested in Education Policy

District of Columbia Public Schools requested that we pass this opportunity along to our readers. DCPS is currently accepting applications from graduate students who are interested in the opportunity to conduct research and work on education policy projects.

Urban Education Leaders Internship Program (UELIP)

DCPS is working to create a new paradigm for education through working toward innovation in the field of urban education across the District. As a part of this initiative, we are pleased to host our Urban Education Leaders Internship Program.

The Chancellor’s Urban Education Leaders Internship Program (UELIP) is an intensive multi-disciplinary, academic internship program that runs semester-long throughout the year. This program is designed for leaders enrolled in undergraduate or graduate/professional degree programs or recent graduates.

What Associates Do:

Associates conduct research and work on education policy projects under the direction of key leaders of the chancellor’s team. Associates are charged with the responsibility of creating innovative and outside-the-box solutions to systemic urban education challenges. Ultimately, the goal of the program is to expose associates to current critical educational reform issues, introduce them to exciting issues around managing an urban school system, and provide networking opportunities with education leaders and agency heads in local government.

Program Grade Levels:

* Undergraduates: all disciplines

* Graduate Students: all disciplines, particularly public policy, education, law, etc.

Salary Range:

Unpaid; academic credit/work study possible; economic hardship stipends available upon application.

Application deadline is August 23, 2011

For further information visit the UELIP website. 

Zelle Hofmann Announces Diversity in Law Scholarship Recipient; Two Scholarship Finalists Also Named

On behalf of Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP, I am excited to announce Denise Lambert Drake as the recipient of the firm’s Diversity in Law Scholarship for 2011. Denise will receive a scholarship to be applied towards her law school tuition, fees and text books. Denise will also be assigned a mentor at the firm for her remaining law school career and will be offered a paid summer clerkship at one of the firm’s office locations.

"The example set by Zelle's commitment to diversity in the profession is so inspiring as I begin my legal career,” said Denise. “I am so honored to have been selected as a Diversity in Law Scholarship recipient, and look forward to being involved with diversity outreach efforts in the future."

Zelle Hofmann Announces New Diversity In Law Scholarship

On behalf of Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP and our firm's Zealous Women, I am excited to announce the firm's new Diversity in Law Scholarship.

Ms. JD 2011 Spring Intern

Ms. JD is seeking responsible and self-motivated law students to intern during the spring of 2011.

Duties will include:

• Copyright negotiations and compilation of a library of resource for women lawyers, including publications and studies on women in the law
• Data collection on statistics on women on law review
• Content development, including soliciting contributions from practicing attorneys and judges
• Conference planning for the 2011 Ms. JD conference

Qualifications:

• Ms. JD is seeking responsible and self-motivated law students
• This internship requires 3 to 4 hours per week during the Spring 2009 semester
• The Ms. JD law clerk can work anywhere in the world as long as she will have uninterrupted internet access and a computer

To apply:

• If interested, please email a cover letter, resume, and references to kornberg@ms-jd.org, subject line INTERNSHIP.  
• Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, so apply today!

Fall Opportunities, Part II

Already this fall we've shared opportunities to get involved with The National Law Review, The Equal Rights Advocates, the 2011 Writers in Residence, and Ms. JD's Global Education Fund (still time to win our purple tote bag!). There's also still time to register for great fall events, including Microsoft's IP Summit at UT, the Commission on Women's Chicago panel, and the SF Bar's No Glass Ceiling Conference. But there's still more!

This week is the last week to apply for the Law Students for Reproductive Justice Fellowship. This is a fully funded 1 year program for 6 3L students or recent graduates who wish to work for a host organization in Washington, D.C. More information and application instructions here.

This is also the time to volunteer either as a student intern or pro bono counsel for the fascinating work of the Inner City Law Center's Homeless Veterans Project, which focuses on female veterans and will soon be the subject of a segment of Oprah.

Finally, remember that the nomination period for the Margaret Brent Awards closes in less than a month. With this and other such prestigious honors there may be the perception that successful nominations are made by the successful, connected, senior attorneys. Not so. For example, one of last year's recipients Willie Stevenson Glanton was nominated by a group of students in Iowa.

Checking in on 1Ls: Time to Start Thinking About Exams & Summer Work

Hopefully by now you've got a routine down and the reading each night isn't so daunting. You've figured out how to read a case to prepare for class (just the facts and reasoning, please). But don't get too comfortable, there's still plenty to do.

Exam Prep

No need to start studying for exams now, but there are things you can do now to get prepared to study. Like tell your parents Thanksgiving will be little more than a meal for you this year because that's when you'll really be ratcheting things up to new levels.

This is also a great time to start taking some practice exams. Most schools and many professors offer organized opportunities to take practice exams. Take advantage of this. There is no better exam prep than the chance to take a professor's old exam and receive feedback. And if you possibly can, do this more than once, even taking the same exam twice would be better than nothing, especially if you can get feedback both times.

I know it may seem early to start doing this now, but understanding how the material will be tested will change the way you learn the material in the first place. After you experience issue spotting and rule application in an exam setting you will head back in to class with more focus and it will make the business of exam prep much more straightforward down the road.

Summer Clerkship Prep

Depending on what you hope to do this coming summer, you may need to be applying or preparing to apply now.The key is to start thinking now about what you might like to do. Your first summer is a great opportunity to explore the profession and get a feel for practice, but it is essential that you use the time wisely. This is not a free summer to do with what you please. The connections and work you do this summer are important. So make the most of this opportunity to build new skills and networks.

• Law Firms: If your hope is to work (and get paid) at a larger law firm this summer then focus on the exam prep advice above. NALP prohibits firms from contacting 1Ls until January, and when they do get in touch they'll be looking at your first semester grades.
• Public Interest: Whether you plan to work in the private or public sector, the schedule for public interest summer jobs begins much earlier.