Browse Topics
File Under: Get Pregnant, Lose Your Civil Liberties
By Jill Filipovic • March 06, 2007 •Other Issues
Ah, the things politicians will do in the name of protecting babies! Now, we all know that the term "protecting babies," when uttered by a "pro-life" individual, is usually code for "reminding women that they are simply vessels who, once occupied,* cease to possess the basic rights that non-vessels are entitled to (non-vessels being "men," otherwise known as "actual human beings")." There's the classic example of the pregnant drug addict being prosecuted after she gives birth, despite the fact that neither being a drug addict nor being pregnant is actually a crime. There's penalizing low-income women for giving birth by…
Congressional Babes
By Jill Filipovic • March 06, 2007 •Women and Law in the Media
Last week on my blog we had a short conversation about hyper-sexualized younger women, and why coming down on them is a little bit unfair. Now, the LA Times gives us this article about Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a Congresswoman who is, according to the paper, is being "tested on whether her reputation will be more coquette or congresswoman." Because Lord knows the earth would shatter if she were both a female politician and a human being. This one should probably be filed under "women can't win" because, well, we can't. And this illustrates it. The fact is that most women,…
The Strategic Clerkship Application
By contemplateIT • March 05, 2007 •Internships and Clerkships
I am the first person in my immediate and extended family to attend law school. So, I had no idea that judicial clerkships existed, let alone that my application was being shaped the minute I walked into my first law school class. By the time I’d figured out what a clerkship is, that I wanted a clerkship, and what I needed to do to get one, I was well into my second year of law school and getting ready to put the actual applications together. I still managed to land a clerkship, but now I realize I could have been…
Listen to Professional Reflections by Chief Judge Tacha
By Chief Judge Deanell Reece Tacha • February 28, 2007 •First Women
This video will be posted back up here soon - in the meantime, you can watch Judge Tacha's presentation by following this link!
Tips for Summer Associates: Get the deadline… and the budget
By Lydia R.B. Kelley • February 28, 2007 •Firms and the Private Sector
Be sure when you receive an assignment to know the deadline. If the assigning attorney does not give you a deadline, ask for it. Also be sure to receive the budget for a project. The budget is the time the assigning attorney expects you to spend on the project. Many summer associates do not appreciate the importance of the budget. The budget is critical because the time you spend on a project will translate into hours billed to a client. When you ask for the budget or the amount of time to be spent on a project, the responses may…
To ring or not to ring?
By Yes, Virginia • February 27, 2007 •Other Career Issues
I know that my school's career services office has its own line on this question (do what you feel comfortable with), but the ring dilemma seems to come up every interview season. The WSJ blog The Juggle has posted on this here, and it seems there are many opinions out there. Basically, there is no real bright line rule, which indicates the question will linger on. (I also recommend checking out the post's comments, which include many from lawyers and former lawyers.) Has anyone here had negative (or positive) ring experiences in interviews? Or does it really not matter (as…
Sure, you passed the bar, but are you relationship material?
By Yes, Virginia • February 27, 2007 •Balancing Private and Professional Life
Valentine’s Day has already passed, and this is therefore coming late, but I was interested in this post two weeks ago in the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog entitled “Lawyers in Love” (this was the second part of a two-part series; the first was the lyrics of a 1983 song by Jackson Browne, which I will spare you). A lot of the more “life” posts at this blog and others are frequently externally oriented, by which I mean they are focused outward (towards employers, towards institutions, towards spouses or significant others) with their observations and comments. I don’t mean to…
The Bar Exam
By granolagoddess • February 23, 2007 •Firms and the Private Sector
I am getting ready to take the bar exam for Washington State next week. It is ironic that I am trying to categoraize myself on this website, for my login information. I am no longer a student, not since December 2006, but am I really a professional, yet? I have a JD, but no bar affiliation, so what does that make me. We shall revisit this come May, when bar results return. Till then...yours... Elizabeth Alexander, J.D., but not yet a lawyer.
Help Protest an Offensive Mock Trial Rape Case
By femlaw • February 22, 2007 •Other Issues
To my fellow women and our allies— I am writing to inform you of a mock trial fictional case to be used in a national competition that involves sexist stereotyping of female rape victims. On February 20, the Texas Young Lawyers Association and American College of Trial Lawyers posted a fact scenario for their national championship tournament, in which a popular football player is accused of raping Krista Chicona, a promiscuous massage therapist who is thought to enjoy sadomasochist sex [http://www.tyla.org/advocacy_ntc.html]. Somewhere in America, a woman is raped approximately every two minutes, but less than one half of rapes are…