Browse Topics
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…
Interview with Recent Grad Alexa Galloway - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • August 09, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Law School, Internships and Clerkships, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media
I’m delighted to introduce Alexa Galloway, a recent graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law and former Law School Toolbox author. A former Cape Cod Baseball League field reporter, Alexa most recently worked as a Legal Intern for Santa Clara University Athletics. Hey, Alexa! Thanks for joining us. First and foremost, congratulations on finishing law school! What are your short-term and long-term goals? Alexa: Well, my short, short-term goal is to pass the bar. Following that, I hope to work in civil litigation and get as much trial experience as possible. By attending conferences and speaking with attorneys in the…
11 Tech Tips for Your Legal Tech Work
By Jeanne Ortiz • July 22, 2018 •Ms. JD, Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Law School, Features
The Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project (LSNTAP) and Pro Bono Net hosted the 2018 edition of 50 Tech Tips for Your Toolbelt this past June. You can find the recording here and a list of all the tech tips here. These are the tips I shared for the webinar and a few bonus ones: Color Zilla - A browser extension for identifying the colors of your site or any other colors that you want to use for other programs. TimeAndDate.com - You can find here all of the calculators you need for time and distance. The date calculator is useful for deadlines and…
How to Reduce The Legal Paperwork At Your Firm
By Dennis Hung • July 20, 2018 •Law School
When people look at your desk, what do they think? Do they see something organized, or do they see a mess that has to be excused for? You know the drill: they might say something along the lines of, “Well that's an accountant's desk”, or “that's just a teacher's desk”, or something to the effect of, “ don't fret, that's just a lawyer’s mess.” well, if you are a lawyer, hopefully you will realize that there is no such thing as organized chaos. In order to keep your office functioning in a strong manner, there must be a solid organization…
The Five Pillars of a Successful Internship
By Dennis Hung • July 09, 2018 •Law School, Internships and Clerkships
Getting accepted into an internship program is a great learning opportunity for any person, regardless of age, educational background, or skill level. It's a platform that can equip them with the skills and know-how needed to perform proficiently in their chosen industry. But once you get in there, it can be an overwhelming experience, with the fast-paced way they do things and the dozens of professional suits and ties surrounding you. How does one extract the most out of his/her internship? Here are the five pillars that can lead to a successful internship: Ask a Lot of Questions The best…
You Are Not a Failure
By Raven Moore • July 06, 2018 •Law School, Other Law School Issues
I came to law school thinking that if I worked hard, I would get good grades. I wasn't prepared for the anxiety, the panic attacks, or the overwhelming struggle with Imposter Syndrome. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be successful. Partly because I'm a first-generation law student and because good getting grades were never hard for me. Needless to say, when my first semester grades turned out to be less than stellar, I felt like a failure. Bad grades were something I always associated with not working hard but I knew that I gave my first semester my all.…
Friend or Foe? Technology in Our Everyday Lives: Drones
By Keisha M. McClellan • June 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Politics and Government, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Issues, Other Issues
In his Time Magazine report “Drones Are Here to Stay. Get Used to It,” Alex Fitzpatrick observes that “with any technology, there are certain inflection points when it goes from being something perpetually in the near future to being a part of everyday life.” And this inflection point of drones becoming an everyday part of life is certainly in our foreseeable future. From use in news gathering, sports and entertainment, humanitarian efforts, corporate partnerships, law enforcement, and by general hobbyists, drones present a range of complexities that garner both praise and criticism. For the legal profession, this technology demands an…
First Generation Success Story: Orientation and Starting Law School
By Shirlene Armstrong • June 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Pre-Law
My anxiety was relieved and I was accepted into law school. I decided on Wayne State University, sent in my acceptance paperwork and anxiously began waiting for school to begin. To be honest, I was not exactly sure what to expect from orientation or what law school was going to be like. Law school was different than anything I had encountered before. I feel like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, ready for law school but what if I get called on in class and I do not have the answers? Looking back on it, I know…
The Barred Life: A Series of Indefinite Length - Part II
By Jannet Matthew • June 27, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Other Issues, Features, Advice on Passing the Bar Exam
PART II Lessons and Realities from the Pass List Let’s get housekeeping out of the way. If you read my last post you know I took the California February bar exam and I was waiting for my results. So here’s the update: I didn’t pass. I sat on my living room floor with my laptop on my thighs. After navigating to the Cal Bar website, I carefully typed in my applicant number. Then my file number. I scrolled through and didn’t see my name on the pass list so I refreshed the screen. Again, I very carefully typed in my…