Now Accepting Applications: 2020 Writers in Residence Program
By Claire E. Parsons • September 12, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
Ms. JD is currently seeking applications for our 2020 Writers in Residence Program. The Writers in Residence program was started in 2010 and is a select group of practicing attorneys, alternative career individuals, pre-law students, current law students, and other professionals who contribute monthly articles for one year to the Ms. JD blog on a topic of their choosing. Some blog titles this year were: "The Mental Load: Learning to Say No", "Five Tips to Maximize Your Efficiency When In-House", "Why Can’t Law Firms Retain Their Female and Minority Lawyers? Because Conformity is Exhausting", "Purpose Over Paycheck" and many many…-100x100.png)
Join Ms. JD as our Social Media Coordinator!
By Katie Day • September 10, 2019 •Ms. JD, Careers, Law School, Pre-Law, Features
Do you have crazy social media skills? Is your smart phone always ready to Tweet, Pin, and Post? Do you have a passion for women helping women? If you answered yes to these questions, you might be just the person we are looking for! Ms. JD is seeking a part-time Social Media Coordinator to join us as an independent contractor to help build and manage our social media outreach strategies. As an independent contractor, the Social Media Coordinator will exercise her or his own independent judgment and discretion to support Ms. JD’s online presence. What will you be doing? As…
Meet Ms. JD’s 2019 Fellows
By Ms. JD Editor • August 19, 2019 •Ms. JD, Law School
Ms. JD is proud to announce this year’s outstanding class of 2019 Fellows! This year’s fellows are from schools from coast to coast and present a broad spectrum of experience and legal interests. The 2019 Ms. JD Fellowship Winners are: Maia Bartee, University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law Aubre Dean, Syracuse University College of Law Idia Egonmwan, Howard University School of Law Cristina Gil, American University Washington College of Law Alana Glover, University of Baltimore School of Law Candace Goldman, Southern University Law Center Nina Neff, University of Wisconsin Law School Rima Sawhney, California Western School of Law …
How High: Calculating Marijuana Taxes
By Stephanie Carr • September 04, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
Notorious Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone reportedly bragged, “They can’t collect legal taxes from illegal money.” Capone learned the hard way that this isn’t true when he was sentenced to prison for tax evasion. Relatedly, marijuana remains illegal at the federal level but revenue from marijuana sales are taxable. Cannabis businesses that fail to understand and plan for these taxes are at high risk for an IRS audit, a massive tax bill, or even tax evasion charges for failure to report. Tax attorneys interested in cannabis law are needed to help these entities understand, plan and prepare for taxation. The following…
The Mental Load: Learning to Say “No”
By Amy Bowen • September 07, 2019 •Writers in Residence
Learning to say “no” is touted as an essential component of reducing stress, overwhelm, and burnout. If you’d like to do a little brushing up on this concept, here’s a fantastic refresher from my friend Nikki who writes an amazing blog aimed at empowering women. Following her tips in your daily life will help you hone your “No” skills. But in the professional context, things can get complex. Apart from examining your true desires, following your intuition, and being honest with yourself and others, you’re flooded with extra factors and influences that can make a “no” especially hard to dole…
Something Blue: Bringing Blue-Collar Roots to the Legal Profession – On Foie Gras & Food Faux Pas
By Molly Timko • August 30, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Other Issues
As I mentioned in my first blog post, I experienced heightened self-awareness about my blue-collar roots once I entered the legal profession. For this month’s blog post, I wanted to share some of my awkward workplace encounters involving food. I am fully aware that these awkward food encounters are trivial in comparison to larger socioeconomic issues such as structural inequality. However, I think it’s important for us first-generation lawyers to share our personal experiences, frustrations, and lessons learned. As a newly minted lawyer, I found that the majority of my coworkers appeared to possess sophisticated palates and expansive culinary vocabularies. Casual lunchtime conversations typically revolved around food (in addition to work…
Five Tips to Maximize Your Efficiency When In-House
By Jenny Patten • September 01, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Other Issues
When someone asks what in-house practice is like, I often reply that it is like drinking from a firehose. The legal department is the starting and ending point for a lot of projects and issues, and tackling everything that hits your desk without a game plan can feel daunting. While everyone takes a different approach to managing their workload, I’ve outlined a few tips that I’ve initiated during my in-house practice that help me maximize efficiency while in the office. 1. Keep Organized. Staying on top of your various task lists, emails, meeting invites, updates and follow-ups can feel like…
Law Firms Should Follow Corporations In Looking Beyond Self-Interest
By Susan Smith Blakely • August 28, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Law firm greed. I have been writing about the negative impact of greed in the law profession since 2016. It was then that I first discussed how the greed manifested by large law firms is undercutting the professionalism of the business of law. Those comments appeared in an article I penned for Corporate Counsel in its September issue that year, and I have discussed the concepts many times since in articles and remarks to legal audiences. In essence, I argue that it was the greed of Wall Street that brought our economy to its knees in 2008, and it will be the…-100x100.png)
Purpose over Paycheck
By Millennial Women (Lindsay, Melanie & Elise) • August 29, 2019 •Writers in Residence
As millennials, we’re certainly interested in pursuing our careers and investing in our professional development. But we also are interested in doing more than just “work”—we want to find ways to give back to our communities and help change them for the better. This month, we wanted to focus on how, as millennial attorneys, we can emphasize the purpose or meaning in our careers over just receiving a paycheck. As attorneys (or future attorneys!) we have some unique opportunities, including: Pro Bono. Nearly every state bar encourages attorneys to do pro bono work, and some even have a mandatory reporting…