What makes a good worker?
By Katalin Tarjan • October 31, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
I got my first legal job after working in several other types of jobs, and I’ve always felt that every piece of knowledge and every experience I have gained along my journey contributes to being as successful in my current job as I am. Being good work force in my opinion is equal parts professional skills and life skills, and the latter can only be acquired by, you know, living. No-one expects a 1L intern to have the same kind of life experiences as a trained attorney, but you can learn something even from what you think is the…
Everything Nobody Ever Told Me: Dealing with Difficult People - The Provocateur
By Paula M Jones • October 30, 2020 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
Just because other people are fueled by drama, doesn’t mean you need to attend the performance. – Cheryl Richardson I was busily working away at my new firm when the head of my department crept into my office, eyes wide. She hunched her shoulders down, looked around to make sure no one else was within earshot and said in a hushed tone, “Do you have a second? I have to tell you something.” She closed my office door. She proceeded to tell me that a colleague had a problem with some work that I had done. Her story didn’t ring…
Soft Power in the Realm of Outer Space
By Alexandra Dolce • October 30, 2020 •Writers in Residence
In my opinion a space arms race is inevitable. It is inevitable because it is tied to economic and national security. The goal at this point is not to avoid what has been developing rapidly for the last 30 years or so, but to contain and manage it. The strategic placement of space weapons will not deter war but will increase fear. As I have mentioned in previous posts, space is now an integral part of our lives, and many countries are aiming to become space faring countries. As such a methodology must be in place to manage threats and…
Two Birds, One Stone: Helping Veterans By Attracting More Of Them To The Legal Field
By Brooke Faulkner • March 15, 2017 •Issues, Mentoring and Networking
Editor's Note: As we honor our veterans today, please consider this March 15, 2017 post from Ms. JD contributor Brooke Faulkner. We advocate for women from all walks of life to attend law school and become lawyers, because we understand that it’s not only our female presence that rounds out the profession as a whole, but our diversity of backgrounds that contributes to its success and growth in our nation. But there are still a few groups that remain disproportionately represented among JDs, and one of them is veterans. So, why aren’t veterans pursuing legal careers? There are a lot…
Testified
By Diane Wells • October 25, 2020
I am writing about my criminal trial many years ago. When this whole debacle first began, I said that if it came to it that I would testify in my own defense. Part of me hoped and prayed it would never come to that, fortunately, as time passed another part of me became stronger, and more realistic about what it was like to be in the criminal justice system. I hated more than I could say that I was in this situation, but I would never be able to live with myself if I hadn’t done everything I could to stand…
Everything is Reproductive Justice— What Happens Next?
By Leigh Creighton Bond • October 31, 2020 •Writers in Residence
“There is no relative direction in the vastness of space. There is only yourself, your ship, your crew.” Commodore Paris to Captain Kirk I found myself watching Star Trek Beyond all weekend. I regularly watch a lot of action and science fiction, but I do not think it’s just my habits that led me to a particular plot and theme. “Election anxiety” has joined the stage and the lexicon for COVID-19 times. While the entire world is wrapped in a zoom or IRL lesson on grappling with the unexpected and uncertainty, the question still presents itself, “what happens next?” To answer…
Techlegality: Shaping Policy
By Victoria Willingham • October 31, 2020 •Writers in Residence
With Election Day in just a few days, I am reminded of how policy shapes our society and the way we live. In a one-of-a-kind year that has sparked unprecedented social movements and calls for reform, the way individuals view and conceptualize policy has greatly shifted. As a result, who shapes policies has become more important than ever. I recently attended a panel discussion that covered the current status of tech policy from a diversity and inclusion perspective in both the private sector and the public sector. There were so many interesting points throughout the discussion, but one overarching…
Am I wearing too many hats? Learning how to juggle it all: COVID hit home – You should VOTE!
By Crystal Elaine Ellison • October 31, 2020 •Writers in Residence
My nose is bleeding profusely. My white N95 mask is soaked with blood. How did this happen? Let’s rewind back to my lonely days. OK, I haven’t been lonely. I simply miss my family. I have a nice size immediate family, five brother and five sisters. It’s an unfamiliar territory when I’m unable to hug my siblings, give my mom and dad cheek kisses, or attend family gatherings. I have become content with the COVID reality of going from seeing my family at least once a week to not seeing my family for weeks at a time. After a string of events that I did not partake in, I found myself having to go to the health department to…
People have the power - to vote
By Katalin Tarjan • September 28, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
Editor's Note: In honor of Election Day today, please read this piece from Writer in Residence Katalin Tarjan, and if you are able to, vote! We’ve all learned about the electoral process and its importance in functioning democracies, yet, we might have different opinions about voting in practice. I used to have a professor at law school who was very proud that he has never voted at any elections in his entire life. Ever. Not once. He talked quite a lot about politics – teaching administrative law –, his lectures were full of political comments and opinions about…