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Unpaid Internships: A Garbage and Discriminatory Legal Practice
By Kate Miceli • January 21, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues, Law School, Internships and Clerkships
Do you want to know the best-kept secret in the legal community? Unpaid internships. In my last blog post, I mentioned that I had four unpaid internships in law school. I received several stunned responses from friends outside the legal community, specifically those in business school. I thought it was common knowledge that many law student internships are unpaid. Spoiler alert: it’s not. For those outside the legal community, here are two important things you should know. One, it is very common for law students to work full-time, unpaid internships during the summer and school year. Two, law students are…
You Don’t Own This, So Don’t Let it Own You
By Jenny Patten • December 30, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
I had just arrived in the office, dumped my bags at my desk, and sprinted down the hall. I had to find my boss. I needed to tell her about a call I received from a client in the middle of the night that made my heart race and jaw clench. It involved an urgent, immediate, life-altering matter that couldn’t wait until morning, and I had to give the kind of legal advice that you ruminate about for hours after you hang up the phone. I found my boss sitting at her desk and scanning through her email. I knocked…
Best Career Advice for “Becoming” My Best Self
By DeJeune O'Garro • December 29, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues
During her Becoming book tour, First Lady Michelle Obama chronicled her career and professional and personal challenges. Though in a large arena, her deeply personal stories, which usually ended in sage advice, felt like they were spoken directly to me. One such piece of advice is actually the #1 piece of career advice I ever received. After sharing that she brought her four month old daughter to an interview in which she unapologetically negotiated for the salary and benefits she desired, she admonished women in the room to stop hiding everything about ourselves and start bringing those things to the…
Tips for Passing the Bar Exam in an Additional Jurisdiction (CA & NY)
By Diana Stern • December 28, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Features, Advice on Passing the Bar Exam
First of all, be damn sure there's no other way for you to get admitted to the second jurisdiction without taking the bar exam. It's not exactly a blast to spend summer days seeking out a seat in the public library (although I did see some interesting sights, including a security guard tasked with waking people up with an umbrella. And no, I did not learn that first hand, I'm proud to say.) I didn't find a way around taking the entire bar again in NY (people still tell me I missed a workaround). A good strategy employed by a colleague of…
A JD Preferred Career Cocktail Recipe & Toast
By Diana LaMorie • December 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
Sigh, this is my final post for Ms. JD as a 2018 Writer in Residence. I want to close with a dose of good cheer and optimism for your career, in 2019 and beyond, by offering up a career cocktail recipe and toast to send you off merrily into the New Year! First, allow me to give due credit to the source of my inspiration for this post. I have not met or spoken with Cheryl Rich Heisler, who runs Chicago-based Lawternatives (a career consultancy), but I watched her entertaining and insightful webinar from the ABA Alternative Career Advice Series entitled ‘Pouring Over…
How To Optimize A New Law Firm’s Website
By Dennis Hung • December 28, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues
Gone are the days when lawyers would rely on traditional advertising and referrals to spread the word about their practice. Instead, the internet has stepped into the role of loyal clients that recommend a law firm, and lawyers can now use online locals to market themselves. As such, law firms are taking the right steps to consolidate their online presence and enhance the outlook and functionalities of their websites. Talk to SEO Experts The best way a law firm can ensure that its web pages pop up whenever a potential client is searching for an attorney online is to…
5 Reasons Why Mentoring Is Good for Mentors
By Claire Parsons • December 21, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Issues, Mentoring and Networking
Lack of mentorship for female attorneys is often cited as one of the reasons that women still have not achieved parity in the legal profession. Most of the time when people talk about mentoring, however, the focus is on the benefits that such a relationship offers to the mentee. As a new partner, I certainly appreciate this since I know that, without good mentors, I never would have made it. Still, I have been struck over the last year how much relationships with younger lawyers have benefitted me in positive way. I have always believed in the idea…
Surviving Inaccessible Work Retreats
By Katherine Macfarlane • December 16, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
"I just want to lie on the beach and eat hot dogs. That’s all I ever wanted." ‘Beach Games,’ The Office Networking occurs outside of the office as much as it does inside office walls. It’s much easier to ingratiate yourself to a superior over a round of golf or in front of a toasty campfire. A campfire? Yes, a campfire. I’m talking about the dreaded work retreat. From the mind-numbing icebreakers to that one person who won't stop volunteering to share, work retreats are agonizing. Still, they're a rite of passage. And it's fun to see how people interpret…
When Is a JD NOT Preferred?
By Diana LaMorie • December 05, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
I've been extolling the virtues of alternative legal careers for the past 10 months, so it's about time I introduce a contrarian element. My goal with the 'JD Preferred' theme of this blog is not to gloss over the hardships for folks who are facing six-figure debts and limited job prospects. What I am advocating, in all cases, is a deliberate approach. So whether I am reaching you in anticipation of enrolling in law school or in the throes of a post-JD career transition, allow me to share some thoughts on when touting your JD will not get you what…