The 2019 Ms. JD Fellowship Application Is Now OPEN!
By Lauren R. Jackson • December 28, 2018 •Ms. JD, Law School
The Ms. JD Fellowship, one of our most popular programs, application is now OPEN! In 2010, Ms. JD partnered with the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession to found the Ms. JD Fellowship. The Fellowship is Ms. JD's program to promote mentoring and professional development. Each spring, Ms. JD selects a group of outstanding second year law students as Fellowship recipients. In addition to receiving invitations and financial support to attend ABA and Ms. JD events, each Fellowship recipient is paired with a mentor chosen from among the Brent Award honorees, Spirit of Excellence Award recipients, and ABA Commission on Women in…
Doubt
By Tristin Brown • March 15, 2019
When you saw the title of this blog post, a couple of things may have come to mind. Perhaps, you thought about the 2008 film titled ‘Doubt’ that starred Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Or maybe you automatically connected with the doubt that plagued your mind when you reluctantly clicked on the link that led you here and thought to yourself, “Oh gosh, not another blog post.” Whatever the case may be, one thing that is certain is that this one term known as doubt has affected us all in one way or another. Whether you’re the undergraduate in your…
Choosing a law school: Four factors that matter, besides the U.S. News rankings
By Jen Reise • March 13, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Law School, Pre-Law
With the 2020 U.S. News rankings of law schools finally out, there’s a lot of discussion about the winners and losers this year. But as an individual applying to law school, rankings don’t tell the whole story. Here are four factors to consider in order to identify what the best law school is – not in general, but specifically for you. Location You’ll make important connections in law school, and most will be in the surrounding legal market. You’ll clerk at a local firm, network with local attorneys, and learn about the business and legal landscape of that community. In…
Pipe Dreams and Pumps: One Public Interest Law Student’s Two-Sided Story
By Jessica Skocik • March 14, 2019 •Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
When I decided to go to law school, I knew I wanted to help people. I wanted to be what they call a “public interest student.” For me, law school was a magic place where I could acquire a particularized skill set in order to help more people more effectively. It never occurred to me (a first-generation law student from Missouri) that people attended law school to do anything else. I capitalized on my experience studying and teaching abroad and working with juvenile sex offenders to create the most compelling personal statement I could dream up, and I was off…
Interview with Ms. JD Fellowship Mentor, Alan Bryan
By Hailey Hughes • March 12, 2019 •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
Alan Bryan is Senior Associate General Counsel for Walmart Inc., an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, and a certified professional coach. Mr. Bryan is a leader in his company, community, and countless professional organizations, including Ms. JD. In 2017, Mr. Bryan received Ms. JD’s “The Incredible Men” (TIM) Award as a champion for women’s advancement in the legal profession and he has been an active mentor for Ms. JD Fellows for several years. I have had the pleasure to get to know him and to grow professionally and personally from his mentorship, and wanted to share with…
Four Totally-Doable Steps to Make Your Day Less Overwhelming and More Productive
By Kate A From Women Lawyers News • January 10, 2019 •Ms. JD
Do you feel overwhelmed during the day? Like you’re plowing through all your to-dos but because you’re juggling so much you just can’t get it all done? Maybe you even beat yourself up a little about the things that don’t get done during the day. Fixing the “never enough time” issue can take a little work, and it can be tough to know where to start. But with the right help, it can be very doable. Here are four things you can do right now to start turning your days around. Give yourself five minutes of planning time. It’s so, so…
Webinar: Speak Up: Finding Your Voice and Taking Charge of Your Career
By Katie Day • March 08, 2019 •Ms. JD, Conference, Careers, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Internships and Clerkships, Issues, Features
On March 6, 2019, Ms. JD Board Member Katie Day sat down with Jodi Flynn, Executive Coach and Founder of Women Taking the Lead for a webinar on speaking up. In this webinar, Jodi shares three stumbling blocks to speaking up and provides practical solutions. Want to learn more about speaking up? Join Ms. JD on March 14-15 at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law for "Speak Up" our 11th Annual Conference on Women in the Law. Have questions about the stumbling blocks Jodi discusses? Want to pick her brain? Shoot her an email at jodi@womentakingthelead.com. About Jodi Jodi Flynn of…
Speak Up!
By Rose London • April 24, 2014 •Ms. JD
Editor's Note: This post was originally published as part of a series of works submitted by applicants to Ms. JD's 2014 Public Interest Scholarship Program. Each applicant was asked to describe the best advice they never got when it came to law school, lawyering, or public interest law. We are re-releasing this blog post ahead of Ms. JD's 11th Annual Conference on Women in the Law: Speak Up! In the spring of 2013, I was waiting tables by night and waiting on law school admissions by day. I had applied to law school to pursue my goal of becoming a public defender. In a stroke…
Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: Practical Advice for New Lawyers
By Grover E. Cleveland • March 01, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Q: I am a mid-level associate. I know I should be doing business development. But it is hard to know what activities will be the most effective. Any suggestions on what I should do? A: Because the results from business development are not immediate, finding the most effective approaches can take trial and error. But you are probably already doing many activities that are important for business development. Here are some considerations for allocating your time. Hone your legal skills. To develop business, you have to be able to provide value and solve client problems. This means you need to…