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Bringing Blue-Collar Roots to the Legal Profession - An Interview with Jennifer Frankola Crawford
By Molly Timko • December 02, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Internships and Clerkships, Issues, Mentoring and Networking
For this month's post, I am thrilled to feature my fellow CUNY Law alum, Jennifer Frankola Crawford. Jennifer is an experienced attorney, arbitrator, and human rights advocate with blue-collar/working-class roots. As an arbitrator, Jennifer hears cases and renders decisions based upon New York State’s Insurance Law. In addition, Jennifer maintains an active practice in education law, representing families of children with learning disabilities and developmental delays. Further, Jennifer engages in pro bono work involving human rights issues, including handling immigration/deportation cases, and she collaborates with other lawyers to design and host CLEs. In this interview, Jennifer describes how her family's history, including her parents' immigration to the United States, influenced her career trajectory. She also offers excellent advice to first-generation…
“Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket”
By Leigh Bond • November 23, 2019 •Issues, Mentoring and Networking
The best career advice -- “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” -- does not even have an author. We’ve all heard the phrase, perhaps for different contexts, including dating and investing. Yet, I most appreciate the versatile nature of the idiom when applied to my nontraditional career path and future aspirations. First, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is a sound approach when seeking opportunities. When I talk to a mentee in the middle of their job search, they often share a focus on one category of positions. As a mentor, I believe it is…
How To Network In The Legal And Compliance Field
By Alex Newman • August 16, 2019 •Issues, Mentoring and Networking
Networking has become the primary source of maintaining business connections and seeking business opportunities at national and international level. In the field of legal and compliance, Networking provides a good ROI in the form of name, fame, and business. With the help of Networking, communication among clients and employers has become boundary-less. On this, Houston attorney Joe Stephens mentions, “networking has done its job exclusively.” However, according to the law and order statistics, one in four attorneys do not give any attention to Networking. It allows their circle of potential employers to stay small and limited. It is a loss.…
How to Get Leadership Positions to Build Your Practice
By Claire E. Parsons • June 10, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Issues, Mentoring and Networking
Ask most experienced attorneys how they built their practice and they’ll tell you they “got involved” in the community or professional organizations. Maybe this advice doesn’t always use the term “leadership” but that’s what it means. If you really want to “get involved” and build your reputation, you need to do some real work rather than just paying a membership fee and adding your name to a list. This may be a little scary for young attorneys, since it is easy to think that you haven’t paid your dues long enough to qualify as a leader. It may be easy to…
Summer Associate Advice Good for a Lifetime: Solicit, Receive, and Materialize Constructive Feedback
By Vanessa Stephens • May 31, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, •Mentoring and Networking
Many leaders succeed in their fields because they request continuous feedback, process it, and adjust their course. As a law students, I attended panel discussions centered on soliciting feedback very frequently, so it seems like a hot-button topic for young associates. The legal field is incredibly challenging; the learning curve is steep and the workplace dynamics are intricate. I want to make continuous and open dialogue about my learning opportunities a regular part of my legal process, so I talked to my mentors about how to request and receive actionable constructive feedback. Here are a few tips that I picked…
Breaking Down the Fear of Networking as a Young Lawyer
By Jacob Maslow • May 15, 2019 •Issues, Mentoring and Networking
Bar association events are often the first time a young lawyer will really network. Conversations are the key to networking, but a lot of lawyers get jittery. You’re meeting new people, some who have far more experience and success than you, and it’s easy to get intimidated. The good news is that anyone can master the art of networking. Whether you’re sitting down for a cup of coffee and start a conversation with someone or you’re going to a networking event, it’s important to think positively and start making new contacts. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone from the Start…
The Happy Lawyer: A Year-Long Experiment
By Kate Miceli • May 05, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, •Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
My last year of law school, I took a seminar class called “The Happy Lawyer”. The concept was simple; ten law students, one dean, and one professor read six books about happiness and discuss them over dinner throughout the school year. Full disclosure, I took this class because it was at the dean’s house (who doesn’t want to see their law school dean’s house?) and was taught by one of my favorite professors. The happiness and mindfulness aspect of the class was secondary at best. Over the course of the year, we read six books including; Happiness: A Very…
Something Blue: Have no shame in your networking game
By Molly Timko • April 29, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Mentoring and Networking
Back home in Niagara Falls, I learned that it was somewhat shameful to get a job or any other advancement opportunity due to “having connections.” Perhaps this is due to some deeply rooted “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality mythology that seems to exist in my hometown. Nevertheless, I have since come to accept that this is simply not true. Networking is integral to achieving career success in virtually any field, and this is especially true in law school and the legal profession. Believe me, I understand that networking events can be awkward and downright painful, even for individuals from…
Come to the “SITIE” of Seattle!
By Rachel Sindorf • April 18, 2019 •Careers, Legal Academia, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics, Other Law School Issues, Issues, •Mentoring and Networking
Innovate Your Summer in the "SITIE" of Seattle! This is an open letter to all my Ms. JD law school colleagues. I would like to invite you to enroll in Seattle University School of Law’s Summer Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (SITIE), in Seattle, Washington. As one of the student co-founders of the forthcoming Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law, and a past student of the Immersion Course, I am excited to help spread the word about a new academic collaboration between the law school and attorneys at many of Seattle’s most cutting-edge technology companies, including Microsoft, The Allen Institute for…