Browse Topics
What To Do When Your School Can’t Help You Get a Policy Job
By Kate Miceli • December 04, 2018 •Careers, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
In law school, I had an amazing party trick. The first month of school everyone was asking the three standard questions. “What’s your name?” “Where are you from?” And finally, “what do you want to practice?” The first two elicited pretty typical responses. But, the third was my astounding trick. Instead of saying I wanted to be a prosecutor or a civil litigator, I said I wanted to work in policy. Brows furrowed. Jaws dropped. Panic flickered in their eyes. They could not understand why someone would suffer the three-year torture of law school to never see the inside of…
Interview with Sports Law Professor and Author Maureen Weston - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • November 19, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Legal Academia, Other Career Issues, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media
I’m pleased to introduce Pepperdine University School of Law Professor Maureen Weston, J.D. Professor Weston is the Director of the Entertainment, Media & Sports Law Program and Dispute Resolution Project, in addition to her service on countless boards including the Sports Lawyers Association, American Association of Law Schools Law & Sport, and the Editorial Board of LawInSport. A graduate of the University of Colorado Law and the University of Denver, Professor Weston previously worked as an attorney. Her research interests include sports law, dispute resolution, ethics, and the intersection of these areas. We are pleased to welcome you, Professor Weston.…
Lawyer Wellness Initiatives…State by State!
By Megan Kelley • November 19, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
This year, the world seems to be becoming more fit and active. It is so nice seeing people getting outside and breathing in the fresh air. People all over our communities are really taking an interest in fitness, wellness programs, and self care. In a career where there is a high mortality rate due to suicide, as well as industry wide problems with stress and substance abuse, Bar Associations all over America are providing assistance for their members. Let’s check some out: Alabama-Has established a Quality of Life Task Force for attorneys as of August 2018. The Task Force…
Starting A Law Firm In Your Hometown: What to expect
By Dennis Hung • November 02, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues
Law school typically prepares lawyers to join established firms. Many, however, want to strike out on their own. If you want to start your own firm, you might think that the best place to do is in your own hometown. Before you start looking at office space, though, you should make sure to that you know what to expect when you start practicing law. Learning the Business Unfortunately, law school rarely teaches you how to open your own firm. While there might be specialized classes taken by some students, the truth is that you'll have to figure out how…
JD Preferred Career Quiz
By Diana LaMorie • October 02, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
You know those quizzes in glossy magazines that promise to evaluate your personality and offer a tailored solution to any given problem according to your responses? Well, this month I've created my very own 'JD Preferred Quiz' to help jumpstart your thinking on which career path suits you best in using your JD degree in a non-traditional way. Whether you are still in law school but re-thinking the law firm path, or are a post-graduate lawyer thinking of doing something different with your law degree, this quiz can help narrow your frame of reference among the myriad options. Ideally, your…
Friend or Foe? Technology in Our Everyday Lives: Fintech
By Keisha M. McClellan • September 30, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Internships and Clerkships
“Every technological revolution takes about 50 years.” Jack Ma, Co-founder of the Alibaba Group In the case of the Fintech revolution that is upending business models and competition in financial services, it is being digitized, streamed, podcasted and mobile-accessed now. It is a revolution that is taking place today as opposed to in the future. As Forbes Magazine’s Daniel Newman warns us, “If you have not heard about the Fintech revolution that is happening right now, you need to get out from under your rock.” Fintech, the fusion of finance and technology, is here with all of the subtlety and…
What Do RBG and Millennial Lawyers Have in Common?
By Susan Smith Blakely • September 20, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues
RBG. You have to love her! And I do. I loved the documentary about her life, and I love how relevant she continues to be. I first saw Justice Ginsburg speak more than a decade ago when she was addressing an audience of law students and young lawyers. Yes, her scholarship and her role as a breaker of glass ceilings amazed me, but it did not stop there. Her sense of humor and her humble way of speaking was surprising for someone at her high perch, and it was heartwarming. She knows how to get attention without hitting the listener…
How I Got Over My Fear of Asking for Things for Me: I Treated Myself Like My Own Client
By Claire E. Parsons • September 18, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues
In my practice, I routinely ask for—nay demand—things on behalf of my clients without a second thought: produce the documents, dismiss the complaint, find in my client’s favor, etc. But, when it was time for me to take a step forward in my own career, I was startled to see how hard it was to ask for things for me. To be honest, it felt downright unnatural. This had always been a problem for me. I remember as a kid getting jealous when my mom came home from the store with a purchase for my sister. With rather sage advice…
Why Your Law Firm Needs Good Branding
By Dennis Hung • September 10, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues
If you own or operate a law firm, then you need to improve the ways in which you do your firm's marketing. A great marketing plan can help you grow your practice and gain more clients. Without good branding or marketing, you risk losing out on major opportunities to dominate your niche. Here various aspects in which better branding can help you: Hiring and Recruiting In today's world, new recruits are becoming harder than ever to get on board. This is because they can go with any company in the world. They are using social media and other web platforms…