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Gearing Up for LaddHer Up: Michelle Banks Gives the Inside Scoop on Ms. JD’s Upcoming Retreat
By Diana Stern • September 15, 2018 •Ms. JD, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Issues, Mentoring and Networking
“Women helping women has a positive impact. Powerful women helping women starting out in their law careers will be game-changing." Michelle Banks is one of the inaugural LaddHer Up Host Committee Co-Chairs who brought this empowering, unique retreat to life. As you may have seen around the web, the LaddHer Up retreat for general counsel and early career women associates is a distinctive professional development program hosted by Ms. JD on Thursday, October 18 and Friday, October 19, 2018. Keep reading to find out Michelle’s tips for associates attending LaddHer Up, what’s in it for law firms, the difference between mentoring…
Join Ms. JD’s Global Education Fund Program!
By Danielle Allison • August 12, 2018 •Ms. JD, Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Other Issues
Interested in women’s issues, international development, fundraising and education? If yes, consider supporting us as our next part-time, unpaid, Global Education Fund program volunteer! Ms. JD created the Global Education Fund (“GEF”) to enable women in developing countries who otherwise would not have access to further education pursue a legal education. Each year, GEF has made it possible for two Ugandan women in each class year to pursue their dreams of becoming lawyers by attending the law program at Makerere University in Uganda. The part-time and unpaid Global Education Fund program volunteer will be responsible for: Helping to lead outreach and program development…
How to Have a Successful Career as a Medical Lawyer
By Dennis Hung • October 12, 2018 •Careers
There are various types of lawyers, and they include corporate lawyers, criminal lawyers, patent lawyers, medical lawyers, and more. Each law profession has its way of achieving it. Here is how to become a medical lawyer. Background Medical lawyers tackle cases that focus on violations of patient confidentiality, criminal activity involving misuse of prescription drugs and patient abuse, or medical practitioner negligence. For instance, a typical case can involve a pharmaceutical company that needs help to patent a balanitis cream. The medical law field is extensive and covers health care, medical malpractice, and personal injury law. All lawyers including medical…
Discovering What Kind of Law Practices You Are Passionate About
By Dennis Hung • October 11, 2018 •Careers, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
When a new lawyer takes their first job after passing the bar exam, they're happy to be working in their profession. The reality is most lawyers don’t stay with their first firm or continue to practice in the same area of law. It could be a challenge to change an area of legal practice, but it can be done. When a lawyer finds an area of the law that makes them feel passion, it could be motivation to make this switch. Legal Culture It is possible for many attorneys to internalize what the legal culture has given them and…
Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: Practical Advice for New Lawyers
By Grover E. Cleveland • October 08, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Q: The networking events that are part of new associate orientation seem awkward. Conversations lag or they will go on forever – or I won't have anything in common with the other person. It's tedious and draining. What can I do? A: Becoming a hermit is probably not an option. As you seem to recognize, you have to try to make the events more palatable. And remember that things get better. Just with the passage of time, you will build relationships and develop friendships and much of the awkwardness will fade. In a few months when you are billing lots…
Fostering Goodwill: The Case for Pro Bono Work
By Jacob Maslow • October 05, 2018 •Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest
Each year, attorneys donate dozens of hours in pro bono work. It’s sort of become an unspoken rule of the legal field. Although not required, professional organizations like the American Bar Association strongly suggest that attorneys donate their time to those in need of legal assistance. After all, the term “pro bono” is a shortened version of “pro bono publico,” which in Latin means “for the good of the public.” When attorneys do pro bono work, they’re helping the community – the public – by taking on clients who are otherwise unable to afford an attorney. Still, there are some…
JD Preferred Career Quiz
By Diana LaMorie • October 02, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
You know those quizzes in glossy magazines that promise to evaluate your personality and offer a tailored solution to any given problem according to your responses? Well, this month I've created my very own 'JD Preferred Quiz' to help jumpstart your thinking on which career path suits you best in using your JD degree in a non-traditional way. Whether you are still in law school but re-thinking the law firm path, or are a post-graduate lawyer thinking of doing something different with your law degree, this quiz can help narrow your frame of reference among the myriad options. Ideally, your…
From Paralegal to Associate: Happy Anniversary!
By Nadia Ennaji • October 01, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers
Last week marked exactly a year since I was sworn in as an attorney. I still remember the excitement mixed with the uncertainty of starting my new role as an attorney. I had worked at the firm for 6 years as a paralegal. How was I going to adjust? Will the other attorneys remember that I am now a qualified attorney? Would I still be treated as the paralegal? What about the clients? So many questions running through my head, but one thing I knew for sure, was that I could feel the immense pressure on my shoulders. I had…
Friend or Foe? Technology in Our Everyday Lives: Fintech
By Keisha M. McClellan • September 30, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Internships and Clerkships
“Every technological revolution takes about 50 years.” Jack Ma, Co-founder of the Alibaba Group In the case of the Fintech revolution that is upending business models and competition in financial services, it is being digitized, streamed, podcasted and mobile-accessed now. It is a revolution that is taking place today as opposed to in the future. As Forbes Magazine’s Daniel Newman warns us, “If you have not heard about the Fintech revolution that is happening right now, you need to get out from under your rock.” Fintech, the fusion of finance and technology, is here with all of the subtlety and…