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Desi Advocacy: Spotlight on Juvaria Khan, Founder of The Appellate Project
By Prianka Misra • December 03, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Other Career Issues, Issues, Mentoring and Networking
This month, I had the opportunity to interview Juvaria Khan, founder of The Appellate Project. Ms. Khan's nonprofit aims to empower law students and lawyers of color in the appellate field through educational outreach, a Civil Rights Clinic at Howard University School of Law, and a summer fellowship incubator program. Prior to her role at The Appellate Project, Ms. Khan clerked for the Honorable Michael P. Shea in the District Court of the District of Connecticut. She also worked at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, maintaining a heavy pro bono practice focusing on racial and religious discrimination claims. Finally, she has served as…
Ms. JD’s 2020 Public Interest Scholarship
By Michaela Sanchez • June 12, 2020 •Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest
“The toughest job you’ll ever love.” That is the unofficial slogan of the U.S. Peace Corps. Peace Corps volunteers are expected to serve where they are placed, to accept the unknown about their communities before arriving in-country, and to do this all with flexibility, grace, and without a single complaint. Luckily for me, my husband and I were serving together. The support we were able to provide to each other during the application process and throughout service was something that single volunteers did not have, so I often tried my best to offer support to other volunteers throughout my service. Adjusting…
Ms. JD Public Interest Scholarship Application
By Alexandra Jones • June 11, 2020 •Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest
When I first began law school in 2018, I had not planned on being very involved in campus activities. At the time I was 26 years old, and I believed that most of my classmates would be younger and more connected to the city where I had just moved. I quickly found that my interest in the law was more akin to a passion, and I found myself volunteering to participate in any organization that seemed remotely interesting. Shuffling between classes and meetings for different clubs almost daily, I decided that I wanted to focus…
Ms. JD’s 2020 Public Interest Scholarship
By Ariana Lopez • June 10, 2020 •Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Law School, Internships and Clerkships
My first day at the University of Nebraska College of Law changed my life forever- I know that’s basic but it’s the truth. I was nervous, anxious, and excited for this new chapter of my life to commence. As I stepped into the auditorium filled with my colleagues, however, I quickly realized that I was the only Mexican American woman in my class. I knew that students of color were underrepresented in law school, but I never expected to feel so out of place in that moment. I come from a background where attending college, let alone law school, was…
How Technology Intervention Can Help Address Healthcare Fraud Rise
By Jim Dwyer • May 11, 2020 •Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Issues, Other Issues
Fraud in all forms and sizes may occur in healthcare, most especially now in the middle of a crisis. Health care fraud schemes are again on the rise. An unscrupulous medical doctor could, for example, use patient information to check for non-rendered services. There is also something called the unbundling of the medical code, whereby a patient is charged for every individual step of the procedure. Enhance Biometrics Security One way to combat medicare fraud and abuse is by applying biometric safety measures in hospitals. When a patient reaches a verification stage, the process is strengthened by biometrics — such as…
We are the phanthoms . we are not supposed to be here
By ilise feitshans • December 01, 2019 •Ms. JD, Conference, Careers, Legal Academia, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, •Features, Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them
We are the phanthoms.we are not supposed to be here by Dr ilise L Feitshans JD and ScM and DIR In the middle of the spring semester of second year law school when students have often successfully adjusted to the rigors of a difficult almost military austerity and discipline regime one professor chose to rattle the box of security his students had constructed so very carefully I don't know why I am here teaching constitutional law professor Roy Schotland proclaimed in his squeaky unsettling voice. None of you are going to argue before the Supreme Court The year was…
How to Get A Handle on Student Loans
By Joshua Holt • October 14, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Other Issues
It's that time of the year again. Fall is in the air and thousands of newly-minted lawyers across the country are walking into their first jobs after having passed the bar exam (we hope!). While the flush of starting a career is a lot of fun, there's usually a monster hiding in the background that many lawyers would prefer to avoid: staggering student loan debt. Luckily, paying off your student loans is a problem that you're well-equipped to handle, assuming you decide to take a proactive approach rather than burying your head in the sand. Get your arms around your…
Ethics and the Burden of a Criminal Lawyer
By Anonymous • August 30, 2019 •Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest
Defense lawyers have a difficult job. While these lawyers work in the confines of the law, and they work similar hours to other lawyers, they carry an ethical burden that a lot of other lawyers do not. A criminal lawyer may defend a murderer or rapist. They can be ethical, or they can be unethical attorneys. You can work helping inmates on death row clear their names, and this can be a tremendously rewarding experience. But a criminal lawyer may need to live with the fact that a guilty man is going free. There's also the issue of an innocent…
Something Blue: Bringing Blue-Collar Roots to the Legal Profession - Finding Purpose and Giving Back
By Molly Timko • July 29, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest
As I continue to move forward in my career and slowly chip away at my student debt, I feel more compelled to pay it forward. I often wonder whether us “Straddlers” and first generation lawyers have a greater propensity to engage in volunteer work, perhaps as a way to reconcile the duality of gratitude (for how far we have come) and guilt (for what we may have left behind). I attended a pro bono training several years ago, sponsored by an area bar association. At the time, I had been feeling a little uninspired by the daily grind of my work in healthcare…