Congratulate our 2020 Ms. JD Honors Award Recipients!

By Katie Day • February 01, 2020

Join us in congratulating the 2020 Ms. JD Honors Awardees! We are thrilled to be awarding these incredible individuals and organizations for their support of women in the legal profession! The Ms. JD Honors awards will be presented on Thursday March 12, 2020 in Chicago, IL from 5-7pm. Sharing Her Passion Award - To a woman who has practiced for more than ten years who is inspiring younger women lawyers through sponsorship, mentorship, and sharing her passion for the practice. Awardee: Claire Parsons Women's Strength in Numbers Award - To two or more women who have partnered with one another to create a…

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The Best Piece of Law School Advice I Ever Received

By Emily Thomas • February 04, 2020 •Law School,  Pre-Law

Your first year of law school is a journey, and how well you handle its challenges could have a pretty big impact on your career. That being said, when I started law school, I was pretty terrified. I spent the summer before 1L poring over blogs and ordering advice books online, desperate to find some form of certainty to cling to. Even though there are lots of resources out there, listening to advice in person is still probably the most effective way to get pre-law school help. Lawyers have all gone through exactly what you’re about to tackle, and they…

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Stuck in a Career Rut? 7 Tips for Women Practicing Law

By Ann Lloyd • March 02, 2020 •Careers

Stuck in a Career Rut? 7 Tips for Women Practicing Law By Ann Lloyd, Student Savings Guide  Practicing law is one of the most stressful, high-pressure professions out there — especially when you’re a woman. We know it’s not all exciting courtroom drama. In fact, most of it is just the opposite: seemingly endless hours of research, reading, and writing. Just getting through law school was stressful enough. Now you’ve got clients, clerks, and demanding partners depending on you, too.  And what about making partner, yourself? That could seem like a pie-in-the-sky dream, in light of the gender discrimination you…

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Young Lawyers Need to Protect Their Careers

By Susan Smith Blakely • February 20, 2020 •Law School,  Choosing a Career and Landing a Job

I currently am counseling a young lawyer about changing a focus in the law.  In that work, I am reminded of the importance of future vision and developing career plans.  A career plan and the research involved in developing one are essential to protecting your ability to exercise options in time to remain true to the career you envisioned when you entered law school. I know that it is difficult to change courses midstream.  Lots of anxiety and insecurity is involved.  I have been through it myself, and I have helped others through it as well.  One thing is common…

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Techlegality: What’s It Like to Work in Tech?

By Victoria Willingham • February 29, 2020 •Writers in Residence

Before going to law school, I had a clear vision of the type of law I wanted to practice. I applied to numerous internships and sent many “cold emails” to lawyers in that field in efforts to gain insight into how to create a similar career path. I distinctly recall one response that said something like, “There is no way to be a ______ type of lawyer. You must do well in school and get the proper training. My job is no different than being a lawyer anywhere else.” I’m sure the person meant that, although some attorneys work in…

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Love Connection

By Sarah Valdes • March 02, 2020 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence,  Issues,  Balancing Private and Professional Life

Everyone else feel like we blinked and suddenly we are in the third month of the year? I’m pretty sure I still haven’t finished writing out all those New Year’s resolutions and that groundhog has the audacity to not see his shadow? Before you move on to planning spring brunches and trying to figure out what parts of our closet spark joy, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on the month of February. For most, that means it’s the month of love. I filled my home with convenience store hearts and baked cookies filled with icing (if…

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Five things I learned working in the construction industry

By Katalin Tarjan • February 25, 2020 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence

My first legal job after law school was at a semi-governmental organization working in the construction industry. In short, we were either helping construction workers when their bills didn’t get paid, or home owners when they didn’t get what they paid for. Construction law is a special area of law with lots of learning opportunities.   A few years ago, just getting out of a job that promised one thing and turned out to be something completely different, I was eager to find any job that fits my qualifications and pays the bills. I didn’t know much about construction law…

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Calling All Humanities and the Arts Undergraduates: How to Work in Science and Tech Adjacent Law

By Desiree Goff • March 01, 2020 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence

As promised, this month we will be exploring how to work in science adjacent law if you don’t have a scientific or technical background. One of the biggest decisions law students and attorneys starting in their careers face is what area of law they want to practice in. Often this may be influenced by pre-law school training or preference. For example, my gynecologist once informed me that her medical doctor husband was going back to law school and planning to focus his practice in medical mal-practice. Other classmates of mine went into JAG after spending a few years in the military.…

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Bail Bonds: Sometimes cash isn’t the problem

By Leigh Bond • January 31, 2020 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence

     The awareness of the systemic destruction caused by the money bail system has grown alongside bail reform efforts and increased media coverage. Indeed, many may recall the story of a woman in Texas who admittedly took $1.00 (be sure to read that as "one dollar") and was charged with felony robbery. A judge set her bail at $12,000 and the woman was unable to post bail. There are more stories across the nation, like those of half the women in a Massachusetts jail who are stuck in jail because they cannot post a fifty dollar cash bail. Shedding light on the stories of…

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The Prosecutor’s Call

By Diane Wells • January 31, 2020 •Writers in Residence

Becoming a Target It all began with a simple call.  I was sitting at my desk on the third floor of the bank building in downtown Raleigh, NC.  I worked as a trust advisor in the bank’s trust department.  I had been there for a few years. I was good at my job and liked it. The phone rang and I answered it with my typical, professional bank greeting.  I was glad I was sitting down. Mr. Williams announced his name and identified himself as a federal prosecutor. He continued the conversation by stating that I was the target of…

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The Influencers: America’s Pioneering Women Law Students

By Carron Nicks • February 02, 2020 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence

The Law.com headline of January 21, 2020, read, “Women Hold Editor-in-Chief Positions at the 16 Most Elite Law Reviews.” It made me smile. I’ve been practicing a long time - close to 30 years. And while women have not been particularly rare in the profession during my tenure, the struggles have been real. Many women still in the profession today can recount the difficulties they encountered convincing law firms they were capable of handling the rigors of a practice. Many women today continue to face issues of inclusion, equal pay, and sexual harassment.  As difficult as those issues have been for…

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A Brief Introduction to Space Law

By Alexandra Dolce • January 29, 2020 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence

Space law governs space related activities. Space law is considered international law because like general international law it is comprised of treaties, conventions, general assembly resolutions as well as the rules and regulations of international organizations. There are five (5) United Nations treaties on outer space.  They are; The Outer Space Treaty; The Rescue Agreement; The Liability Convention; The Registration Convention; and The Moon Agreement. The Outer Space Treaty governs activities of states in the exploration and use of outer space.  The Rescue Agreement applies to the rescue of astronauts, return of astronauts and the return of objects launched into…

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Techlegality: Emerging Roles in Emerging Industries

By Victoria Willingham • January 30, 2020 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence

The beginning of the year always triggers a sense of renewal. As we embark on yet another orbit around the sun, the essence of ambition infiltrates the atmosphere and we make efforts to tackle new goals and aspirations. That same energy is seemingly constant across the tech industry. With new ideas and concepts come new legal issues and requirements. Lawyers, therefore, are integral in moving the needle forward in efforts to shape industries that may not have previously existed.  The decision to become a lawyer can vary greatly between individuals. Consequently, it is common to see law students and law…

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Get Moving with a Group

By Sarah Valdes • January 30, 2020 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence

          “Your poses may look a little different than anyone else’s!” she said right as she walked by my yoga mat. The yoga instructor smiled cheerfully as she suggested the use of blocks right after she saw me tumble to the floor after trying to contort my body into some unnatural shape. This was my first time taking a yoga class…in fact this was my first time taking any sort of group fitness class. I never fell into the crossfit fad, and for my entire life I was unapologetically the unathletic one. A cherished anecdote I often tell when peers…

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How AI is Changing the Landscape of Legal Marketing

By SALLY KANE • January 30, 2020 •Writers in Residence

It’s no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) is disrupting the legal industry. Lawyers are using AI for research activities, analytics, contract review, e-discovery, litigation forecasting, document automation and a host of other legal tasks.   AI is also transforming legal marketing, automating marketing processes and changing the way lawyers market themselves, capture leads and engage with consumers.  Below are a few exciting ways that artificial intelligence is changing the face of legal marketing. Chatbots Chatbots are an intelligent software solution that “chats” with users who visit a website.  80% of businesses plan to deploy chatbots by 2020 and these tools are expected to reduce business costs…

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