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Forge Your Own Educational Path to Paralegal Career Success: Certificates, Degrees, and More
By Audrey Allen • September 14, 2017 •Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
Do Paralegals Need a Degree? Seasoned paralegals may remember a time when a high school diploma or GED was enough to enter the legal profession. As the legal field evolves and employers seek to increase efficiency and decrease costs by hiring more paralegals, the job requirements also are evolving. Today’s paralegals not only conduct research and handle trial preparation—they are also responsible for filing patents, managing eDiscovery projects, and more. Most employers now prefer to hire candidates with solid education and experience to carry out these important responsibilities. Eighty-five percent of all paralegals obtain some form of paralegal education, whether…
Failure Turned Inside Out: Failure is a State of Mind
By Patricia Jjemba • September 05, 2017 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, •Internships and Clerkships, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking
Name: Ryan S. Ragland, Esq. Professional Title: Municipal Trial Counsel, Hamilton County Public Defender Sector: Public Law School: The Ohio State University Years Practicing: 1.5 years Area of Specialization: Criminal Defense “I am passionate about making sure they are humanized.” Full disclosure: the woman I am featuring in this month’s edition of Failure Turned Inside Out is one of my best friends in the entire world. And while I may be a bit biased here, I think that her poise, maturity, and depth as a human being is awe-inspiring because these characteristics speak to the qualities that true carriers of…
The Fear of the Unknown
By Brenda L. George • September 05, 2017 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, •Other Issues
I started taking my son to an early learning center when he was three months old so that I continue going to law school. He has attended that same school since and is now two and a half. That first day was rough. So rough, that I made my husband drop him off and I still cried. I will never forget it. But the tears were short lived because I knew it was the right thing to do. I knew that I was doing something that would benefit my family in the long run. I also knew that I was…
Ms. JD Interview with Katrina Lee, Law Professor at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
By Genevieve Antono • August 21, 2017 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Legal Academia, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Other Career Issues, Law School, •Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics, Internships and Clerkships, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking
Today’s guest on the Ms. JD Pre-Law blog is Professor Katrina Lee from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law where she teaches business of law, legal negotiations, and legal writing. She is also author of the new business of law coursebook, “The Legal Career: Knowing the Business, Thriving in Practice.” Prior to academia, she was a litigator and equity partner at Nossaman LLP. Professor Lee earned both her law and undergraduate degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. Hi Professor Lee! Let’s start with: What is the business of law? Can you share some of the themes…
The Benefits of Small Group Gatherings within the Legal Community for Women
By DiarraJoi ClemonsMcCullen • August 16, 2017 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Legal Academia, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Other Law School Issues, Issues, •Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Women and Law in the Media, Features, Myths & Truths
Becoming a powerful female attorney or law school Juris Doctor of Law (J.D.) graduate in today’s grueling professional circle is no small feat for many in today’s society. May I first start out by applauding all of my fellow law school graduates and attorney groups for completing this perilous journey while many others failed or strayed too far from the path. Being a Ms. JD law school survivor or attorney in any city means you need to build and continue connections with people in the professional community at all times. Reach out with a phone call, text or social media…
Get The Call Back: Navigating the Legal Job Fair
By Alnisa Bell • August 05, 2017 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
Last month, we talked about successfully navigating the on-campus interview (“OCI”) process for rising second year law students. I had the privilege yesterday to recruit at the Northeast Region, National Black Law Students Association’s (“NEBLSA”) job fair at New York Law School. I never participated in a job fair while in law school (I did only OCI) so the process was all new to me. True to form, I left thinking about how to provide you with some helpful tips on navigating the job fair process which, like OCI, can be quite exhausting. Let me set the scene: The potential…
Ms. Pre-JD: Interview with NY AAG Kristen Vogel
By Nikki Datta • August 02, 2017 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
This past Spring and Summer, during my internship in the Attorney General’s Litigation Bureau, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Vogel served as a model for the approach I hope to bring to my professional life. My primary lesson from her about soft skills as a female professional was an unspoken one: there is a delicate balance that should come naturally. Kristen always spoke her mind, but made it clear that her opinions were unbiased. She dealt with everyone in the same way, had patience, and stated otherwise negative things in a matter of fact way. While I may have been afraid…
Failure Turned Inside Out: The Not So Gentle Ladies of the United States Congress
By Patricia Jjemba • July 31, 2017 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Issues, •Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Women and Law in the Media, Other Issues
The women that serve daily on behalf of the American people are fierce trailblazers in their own right. As a means to seemingly promote gender equality, there is a new term that has been floating around the United States Congress. You see, as of late congressional members have been referring to their female House representatives and Senate members as “gentle-ladies.” (Example: The gentle lady from California will now address the House.) Now whatever your personal opinion is on the alluring appeal (or lack there of) of the term itself, there is one thing I think that we can all come…
Ms. Pre-JD: Career Trajectory Reflections
By Nikki Datta • July 06, 2017 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
(First, I hope everyone enjoyed the Fourth – belatedly, Happy Independence Day!) If I’m being honest, I can’t wait for school to start again. I always remember the shiniest parts of the semester, the perfectly organized reading schedules and new, unedited syllabi, my color-coordinated calendar and a refilled set of black gel pens. The glamour lasts for about two weeks of the semester, and then it gives way to a much more havoc-filled (and realistic) mess. On a more typical Monday morning, my reading isn’t done, I can’t find a single pen, and I’ve forgotten to put any of my…