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Ms. JD International: State Department, Part II: Civil Service Careers
By - - • March 03, 2012 •Careers, Law School, Pre-Law
Office of the Legal Adviser Naturally, ladies holding JDs interested in a career in international law will look at the State Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser, “L.” The attorneys in L advise the Secretary of State, and all State bureaus and personnel on legal matters that arise in the pursuit of the Department’s mission, the development and execution of US foreign policy. As I described in my last post, L is divided into regional and functional bureaus that loosely correlate to the main bureaus at State. The Office of East Asian/Pacific Affairs in L counsels diplomats and civil servants…
Tips from the Top: Laurel Bellows
By Sonia Coleman • February 15, 2012 •Careers
Tips from the Top: Laurel Bellows Laurel Bellows, a principal of The Bellows Law Group, P.C. in Chicago, represents executives in the United States and internationally. Laurel is an experienced business lawyer counseling senior executives and corporations on employment matters, employment and severance agreements, executive compensation and workplace disputes. Her expertise in executive compensation matters also includes mid-level management compensation and benefit plans, and matters involving incentives, pensions, retirement and workforce restructuring. Bellows is currently president-elect of the American Bar Association. Her one-year term as president will begin at the conclusion of the ABA Annual Meeting in August 2012. She…
Win a Ticket to From Burnout 2 Breakthrough: March 9th in Chicago
By Gretchen Duhaime • February 15, 2012 •Careers
I am super pleased to announce that one lucky woman from the Ms. JD community will be attending this fun CLE workshop in Chicago absolutely FREE! We encourage practicing attorneys, non-practicing attorneys, and law students to apply.My co-presenters and I created this event for you. You with the brilliant mind and passionate heart. You went to law school to make a difference, didn't you? Did you know there are ways to make that difference, while still making a living, besides pro bono work?It's true. There are lawyers all around the U.S., and the world, finding ways to be themselves, and…
Steve Jobs: “Don’t Lose Faith; Don’t Settle”
By Nancy Glazer • February 13, 2012 •Careers
Perhaps you’ve heard the replays of the speech Apple’s former CEO Steve Jobs, now deceased, gave to Stanford University’s commencement class of 2005. He stated,“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you…
Ms. JD International: State Department, Part I
By - - • February 02, 2012 •Careers, Law School, Pre-Law
State Department, Part I: Student Opportunities The State Department, perhaps the pinnacle of all things international, has fantastic professional opportunities for internationally-minded law students. The three core opportunities for students are: the Student Internship Program, STEP (Student Temporary Employment Program), and SCEP (Student Career Experience Program). Law students can extern during the semester in at State headquarters in DC for credit or intern at an embassy abroad. The Office of the Legal Adviser, otherwise known as “L,” offers a very small number of externships and paid summer internships specifically for law students, but law students interested in international law should…
Personal Branding Corner: Are You An Authentic Leader?
By Katy Goshtasbi • January 30, 2012 •Careers
Have you ever taken a good hard look at the way people around you are leading? Are the male leaders fitting the stereotype of a strong leader you'd want to follow? What about the women leaders? Are the women leaders "owning" their leadership position or are they sending mixed messages? The problem that often occurs is that men lead like men and women try to lead like men, too. Sadly, when women lead like men, they often forget to use their natural leadership skills. Each gender has a natural talent that lends itself to authentic leadership. However, women often ignore…
The Offbeat Path: International Human Rights
By Carissa Mulder • January 14, 2012 •Careers
Hello! My name is Carissa Mulder, and this is my first post on Ms. JD. Since this is my first post, I thought I would provide a little background on myself and on the topic of my blog posts. The financial crash of 2008 brought changed the lives of many lawyers and lawyers-to-be, including me. I was a 3L at Notre Dame that fall and was busy sending out job applications, as I’d spent my 2L summer working at a non-profit. I was a bit nervous about the future, naturally, but not unduly so. After all, I had good grades,…
Tips from the Top: Sheila Wilson-Freelon
By Sonia Coleman • January 11, 2012 •Careers
Sheila Wilson-Freelon is a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Discover Financial Services, a Fortune 500 company, headquartered in the Chicagoland area. Prior to her current role, Ms. Wilson-Freelon was Vice President and Assistant General Counsel with Morgan Stanley, a premier financial services firm headquartered in New York and the former parent company of Discover Financial Services. Ms. Wilson-Freelon received her Bachelor of Arts Degree (cum laude) from the University of Mississippi and her Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University School of Law, where she was an Earl Warren Legal Scholar. She also earned her Master of Divinity at…
Ms. JD International: Your Ticket to a Career Abroad
By - - • January 10, 2012 •Careers
Greetings Ms. JD readers, and happy 2012! Ms. JD International here, one of the new 2012 Writers in Residence. Ever wanted to live and work abroad? Like to travel? Ever think your career would be nailed to US soil since you earned or are earning a JD degree at a US law school? Well ladies, you’ve come to the right place! For the next 12 months, I will be writing about all the ways one can pursue an international career with a JD. From practicing law to developing foreign policy, from working for a U.S. law firm in Paris to…