Classroom to the Courtroom: Dynamic Legal Careers for the Former Educator

By Ms. JD Editor • November 12, 2021 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence,  Careers,  Other Career Issues

You taught in K-12 schools and now may want to “use” your education experience in law.  If so, this blog post is for you.  By way of background, I went to law school knowing that I wanted to somehow remain connected to the education world.  I was an elementary school teacher in local public charter schools for three years immediately prior to law school.  But my law school at that time had no professors with this experience and I was the only one of my peers who wanted to go into this area of practice.  The career counselors at my…

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Have a passion for helping women in the legal profession? Apply to join the Ms. JD Board today! Make a difference for women in law by joining our Board of Directors.

By Ms. JD Editor • November 05, 2021 •Ms. JD

Ms. JD is seeking diverse individuals in the legal community with an interest in leadership who are passionate about improving the experiences of women law students and lawyers to join our Board of Directors. Ms. JD is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to ensuring the success of aspiring and early career women lawyers. Ms. JD is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of law students and attorneys, who are supported by our Chief Executive Officer, a small group of independent contractors, and our vast network of volunteers. Ms. JD is a 501(c)(3), incorporated in California.  Participation as a…

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Making the Most Out of Attorney Performance Reviews

By Ms. JD Editor • October 18, 2021 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence,  Careers

Every law firm or legal organization conducts performance reviews, albeit differently.  Some have formal evaluations and many actually offer informal evaluations, but you have to be proactive and ask.  However, I have many lawyer friends who don’t have any such system at their respective organizations or they are really on their own in terms of tracking their performance.  Regardless of your organization’s way of evaluating employees, carving out some time regularly to assess your work performance is definitely a best practice for any lawyer.  Some lawyers find that their own firm’s annual performance review doesn’t help them or fails to…

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The Road Less Traveled: How Your Law School Professors Can Change Your Life

By Ms. JD Editor • October 12, 2021 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence,  Law School

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William A. Ward As a first-generation law student, entering law school was a daunting and nerve-racking experience. I had no idea what to anticipate, perhaps with exception to the general saying that all law students hear: “your 1L year they scare you to death, your 2L year they work you to death, and your 3L year they bore you to death.” Although this saying is somewhat catchy, it does not prepare you for the realities of the obstacles of law school and the practice…

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Five Bizarre Cases Every Law Student Should Read

By Ms. JD Editor • September 28, 2021 •Ms. JD,  Writers in Residence,  Law School

Facts. Procedural history. Issue. Rule. Holding. Concurrences or dissents. I used this case brief formula hundreds of times during my three years in law school and I fear is permanently seared into my brain. Most of the cases I briefed have long since escaped my mind, but others …well, others were just so strange that still remember telling my friends and family about them! If you’re a law student looking for cases worthy of sharing on a phone call to family back home, here are five bizarre cases that you must read.     The Ghostbusters Case If there’s something strange in your neighborhood,…

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