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The Confidence Equation: How To Stand Out As A New Face In Big Law
By Anna Johansson • January 31, 2019 •Careers
If applying for work at a prestigious law firm is anxiety-provoking, actually getting the gig can be even more frightening. Now you’re the new face in the office, surrounded by established lawyers, and that’s enough to trigger a serious case of imposter syndrome, especially as a woman. Do you really belong here? Will you succeed? The fact is, though finding your footing can be a challenge, doubting yourself won’t help. No, now is the time to fake it til you make it and even take some risks. As a new member of the team, you have little to lose and…
Interview with Michelle Skalrud, Excel Sports Management Counsel - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • January 30, 2019 •Ms. JD, Careers, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media
Please welcome Michelle Skalrud, Contracts Counsel at Excel Sports Management. In addition to earning her J.D. from New York Law School in 2015, Michelle earned a Master of Science in Sports Management from Columbia University. Michelle previously worked at Creative Artists Agency and served as a Legal Intern at the Brooklyn Nets, NBA Coaches Association, and Cuttita LLP. Thank you so much for your time, Michelle Skalrud. Let’s get started! I’d be delighted if you could walk us through your typical day as Contracts Counsel at Excel Sports Management. Has…
Medical Mistrust: Can Personal Experience Make You A Better Malpractice Attorney?
By Anna Johansson • January 24, 2019 •Careers
When choosing a legal specialization, young lawyers face a number of pressures and influences. Excelling at a particular topic in school, demand for a particular specialization or associated income, and personal interest in a legal area, all come into play, and there’s no right way to choose. One factor that many lawyers consider, though, is their personal experience seeking legal help, especially if the system has failed them. This may be why so many women choose malpractice law as their area of specialization. Law Meets Medicine There are several different ways in which the law and medicine intersect, including working…
How to Improve Your Interactions With Clients With Disabilities
By Anna Johansson • January 24, 2019 •Careers, Other Career Issues
Eventually, you’ll likely find yourself engaging with clients who have mental or physical disabilities that prevent them from being able to converse normally, or otherwise force them to interact with their environment in nontraditional ways. If you’re not used to engaging with people who have disabilities, this can pose a challenge; how can you meet their needs while simultaneously remaining professional and getting all the information you need to do your job? Physical Accessibility One of the easiest steps you can take is ensuring that your office is physically accessible for people who have physical disabilities. For example, if you…
How to Build Credibility in the Personal Injury Field
By Anonymous • January 22, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Personal injury lawyers get a bum rap, but there are more ethical lawyers working this practice area than unethical ones. Building a positive reputation and credibility is key, and that can be particularly challenging in this competitive field. With a carefully planned strategy and persistence, it’s possible to become the go-to lawyer for personal injury cases in your area. Keep Your Word and Mind Your Manners Honesty and integrity are crucial when developing a positive reputation. Mind what you say, and do what you say. If you aren’t doing this already, start now – and keep doing it throughout your…
Unpaid Internships: A Garbage and Discriminatory Legal Practice
By Kate Miceli • January 21, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues, Law School, Internships and Clerkships
Do you want to know the best-kept secret in the legal community? Unpaid internships. In my last blog post, I mentioned that I had four unpaid internships in law school. I received several stunned responses from friends outside the legal community, specifically those in business school. I thought it was common knowledge that many law student internships are unpaid. Spoiler alert: it’s not. For those outside the legal community, here are two important things you should know. One, it is very common for law students to work full-time, unpaid internships during the summer and school year. Two, law students are…
Dear Future Lawyer: Advice for Minority Women Law Students From Author Neena R. Speer, Esq.
By Roberta O. Roberts, Esq. of Grace for the Grind™ • January 17, 2019 •Careers, Law School, Pre-Law, Issues, Mentoring and Networking, Features, Guest Bloggers and Profiles of Women in the Law
In 2018, the American Bar Association reported that less than 40% of lawyers in the United States are women, and that less than 20% of lawyers in the United States are people of color. As the statistics make clear, women of color are overwhelmingly outnumbered in the legal profession. Having experienced this isolation herself, lawyer, author, speaker, and nonprofit founder Neena R. Speer, Esq. seeks to help provide solace for this underrepresented population by sharing her experience with other women of color on their journeys to becoming lawyers. As a minority woman lawyer myself, I am happy to share this…
Women Lawyers Must Retain the Law Profession’s Foundational Values
By Susan Smith Blakely • January 15, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
In case you missed my recent article in the ABA Journal, I am including some of it here. The content is very important to all women lawyers as women rise in the profession to levels of supervision and management. They must be cheerleaders for each other, and they must not give into temptation to right the sins of the past leveled by male practitioners against women in the profession. To do so would be to unwise and shortsighted. Here is some of what I wrote in the ABA Journal article: The senior women need to remember the words of former U.S. Secretary of…
How to Become a Medical Lawyer
By Dennis Hung • January 11, 2019 •Careers
Medical malpractice lawyers are responsible for representing clients who sustained injuries due to the negligence of a doctor. It may include injuries sustained from mistakes made during surgery, injuries from the use of inappropriate therapies, and trauma caused during birth. As with other legal professionals, medical malpractice lawyers work in their offices, but sometimes they might need to visit their clients at the hospital or their homes. Their work hours fall under the regular working hours, but some cases can demand long hours and attention than others. These legal professionals may either work for an insurance firm or private companies.…