You Don’t Own This, So Don’t Let it Own You
By Jenny Patten • December 30, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
I had just arrived in the office, dumped my bags at my desk, and sprinted down the hall. I had to find my boss. I needed to tell her about a call I received from a client in the middle of the night that made my heart race and jaw clench. It involved an urgent, immediate, life-altering matter that couldn’t wait until morning, and I had to give the kind of legal advice that you ruminate about for hours after you hang up the phone. I found my boss sitting at her desk and scanning through her email. I knocked…
Tips for Passing the Bar Exam in an Additional Jurisdiction (CA & NY)
By Diana Stern • December 28, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Features, Advice on Passing the Bar Exam
First of all, be damn sure there's no other way for you to get admitted to the second jurisdiction without taking the bar exam. It's not exactly a blast to spend summer days seeking out a seat in the public library (although I did see some interesting sights, including a security guard tasked with waking people up with an umbrella. And no, I did not learn that first hand, I'm proud to say.) I didn't find a way around taking the entire bar again in NY (people still tell me I missed a workaround). A good strategy employed by a colleague of…
First Generation Success Story: You Can Be Successful too
By Shirlene Armstrong • December 28, 2018
I am currently in my final year of law school. I have been doing a lot of reflecting on where I came from, where I am going, and what my journey has in store for me next. You have listened to my first generation success story thus far as I have recounted the trials and tribulations that I have experienced throughout my legal journey (to this point). I am currently about to head into my last semester of law school. Soon I will graduate and begin preparation for the bar exam. Fortunately, I have a contingent offer of employment at…
A JD Preferred Career Cocktail Recipe & Toast
By Diana LaMorie • December 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
Sigh, this is my final post for Ms. JD as a 2018 Writer in Residence. I want to close with a dose of good cheer and optimism for your career, in 2019 and beyond, by offering up a career cocktail recipe and toast to send you off merrily into the New Year! First, allow me to give due credit to the source of my inspiration for this post. I have not met or spoken with Cheryl Rich Heisler, who runs Chicago-based Lawternatives (a career consultancy), but I watched her entertaining and insightful webinar from the ABA Alternative Career Advice Series entitled ‘Pouring Over…
Interview with Sports Law Professor and Author Maureen Weston - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • November 19, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Legal Academia, Other Career Issues, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media
I’m pleased to introduce Pepperdine University School of Law Professor Maureen Weston, J.D. Professor Weston is the Director of the Entertainment, Media & Sports Law Program and Dispute Resolution Project, in addition to her service on countless boards including the Sports Lawyers Association, American Association of Law Schools Law & Sport, and the Editorial Board of LawInSport. A graduate of the University of Colorado Law and the University of Denver, Professor Weston previously worked as an attorney. Her research interests include sports law, dispute resolution, ethics, and the intersection of these areas. We are pleased to welcome you, Professor Weston.…
Things I Wish I Knew Before Law School
By Dennis Hung • December 02, 2018
Final Exams When you are in college students grades are made up of several different factors including homework, generally 3-4 exams, projects, essays, presentations and sometimes attendance. This is great because it gives you a cushion if and when you do poor on an exam, there are other things you can do to get your grade back up before the semester ends. this is not the case. Before law school there was generally several test all usually with equal weight on your grade. When you are in law school, the majority of your grade in a class is based around…
First Generation Success Story: 3L Year - Where I am, where I am going.
By Shirlene Armstrong • November 26, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
I am currently in my final year of law school, my 3L year. This year is my last year of law school… actually, my last year of school ever. Notoriously, this year is referred to as the “bored to death” year. I would really like to know who told 1L and 2L me that your last year of law school is best year ever because you’ll be bored more than anything. Because I am requesting my refund now! My 3L year is BEYOND busier than second year and MORE stressful than my first year! I signed up for…
What To Do When Your School Can’t Help You Get a Policy Job
By Kate Miceli • December 04, 2018 •Careers, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
In law school, I had an amazing party trick. The first month of school everyone was asking the three standard questions. “What’s your name?” “Where are you from?” And finally, “what do you want to practice?” The first two elicited pretty typical responses. But, the third was my astounding trick. Instead of saying I wanted to be a prosecutor or a civil litigator, I said I wanted to work in policy. Brows furrowed. Jaws dropped. Panic flickered in their eyes. They could not understand why someone would suffer the three-year torture of law school to never see the inside of…
Lawyer Wellness Initiatives…State by State!
By Megan Kelley • November 19, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
This year, the world seems to be becoming more fit and active. It is so nice seeing people getting outside and breathing in the fresh air. People all over our communities are really taking an interest in fitness, wellness programs, and self care. In a career where there is a high mortality rate due to suicide, as well as industry wide problems with stress and substance abuse, Bar Associations all over America are providing assistance for their members. Let’s check some out: Alabama-Has established a Quality of Life Task Force for attorneys as of August 2018. The Task Force…