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Join Ms. JD’s Global Education Fund Program!
By Danielle Allison • April 22, 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…
An Ode to the Martys: A Father’s Day Reflection on RBG and Work Life Balance for Women Lawyers
By Claire Parsons • June 17, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
RBG, a documentary about the life of Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is a surprise hit of the summer. If you haven’t seen it yet, the movie does not only focus on RBG’s “notorious” legal career, but also delves deeply into Ginsburg’s marriage to her husband, Marty. After seeing it twice, I’d argue that RBG is a love story and, in my opinion, a love story many women lawyers really need because it shows us a great example of how two professionally successful people made their careers and their marriage fit together. If you…
How Can the Military’s Rules on Professionalism Help You?
By Tristany Leikem • June 15, 2018 •Ms. JD, Careers, Law School, Issues, Features
You probably know that members of the military follow certain rules, regulations, customs, and traditions, from the requirement to wear a uniform to rules on how we interact with others. You may not know, however, that you can use military rules to boost your professionalism and personal brand in your own job. As an officer in the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps, I am evaluated not only on the quality of my work product, but also less tangible characteristics like leadership and military bearing. Military bearing includes the way I walk, talk, wear my uniform, and interact with others.…
LSAT Prep Has Staggering Costs for Certain Students
By Shanti Brien • June 14, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
Recently a young Native American woman and aspiring lawyer asked me if I knew any free or low cost LSAT prep courses. I had previously tried to dissuade her from law school--just as my grandfather had given me 29 Reasons Not to Go to Law School before I enrolled--but alas, she, like I, was determined. I didn’t know much about LSAT prep but soon felt the shock of the $1300 price tag. Soon thereafter, the $1300 grew much more significant when I realized the enormous negative impact of high-cost prep courses, especially on low-income people and people of color, but…
How To Help A loved One Understand The Benefits Of Estate Planning
By Anna Johansson • June 07, 2018 •Issues, Other Issues
Being a lawyer means you have an advantage when it comes to offering suggestions to friends and family. Understandably, you may not want to give your friends legal counsel, but when a friend is confused, it’s hard to stay completely silent. Okay, the situations portrayed in Hollywood movies regarding friends annoyingly asking their lawyer friends for advice aren’t that far off. You’ve probably had more than your fair share of friends asking you for advice, even in areas of law you aren’t even familiar with. Somehow, when people know you’re a lawyer, they think you can get them out of…
Networking Tips from Bobbi-Sue Doyle-Hazard, Asst. Gen. Counsel - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • June 05, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Issues, Mentoring and Networking, Women and Law in the Media
Last month, we were introduced to Bobbi-Sue Doyle-Hazard, Assistant General Counsel to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bobbi-Sue graduated in 2007, the crux of the US recession. After waitressing and building her legal skills through CLEs, Bobbi-Sue took on a few clients as a sole practitioner. A very early adopter of Twitter (she even has her first name as her handle! @bobbisue), Bobbi-Sue used Twitter to comment on her life, eventually being profiled in the Boston Business Journal. As a result of the story, a local businessman hired her as in-house counsel at New England Cryogenic Center. Through Twitter, Bobbi-Sue was…
Disability & the Summer Associate Gig: To Disclose or Not to Disclose?
By Katherine Macfarlane • June 03, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
During my 1L year, I was thrilled to receive a summer position at an employment rights firm that represented plaintiffs in anti-discrimination suits. I’d convinced the firm to waive its practice of hiring only rising 3Ls for summer law clerk positions. I entered my summer job with high hopes about the extraordinary cases I’d be a part of, and an understanding that, as a rising 2L, I’d need to prove myself. I knew that the firm’s associates worked around the clock, but for summer law clerks, the hours were reasonable. Feedback on my research and writing was strong, and it appeared that…
The Barred Life: A Series of Indefinite Length - Part I
By Jannet Matthew • May 30, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Other Issues, Features, •Advice on Passing the Bar Exam
PART I A Personal Thing, but a Family Affair I’m a December graduate of Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and took the February 2018 California Bar Exam. The month is May but I've been an emotional wreck since February. I write this post sitting two days away from knowing my fate and an alien feeling has come over me - my emotional wreckage is finally settling. The closer I’ve gotten to the result date, the more I let go of my anxiety, fear, numbness, and desire to control. This is a major breakthrough I'm profoundly proud of because I've…
Friend or Foe? Technology In Our Everyday Lives: Data Privacy
By Keisha M. McClellan • May 30, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Other Issues
There’s little doubt that being able to access your emails, texts, photos, and personal fitness stats on multiple devices, in multiple locations, is convenient. But from workplace privacy to Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the increasing concern is what is the hidden cost for connectivity and your data privacy? Does checking your personal email while connected to your employer’s wi-fi mean the company can access that personal content as well? Is your wearable fitness tracker data aggregated in a way that could compromise your ability to qualify for health insurance in the future? Could your robotic vacuum convey personal details about…