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To be a Woman and to be Workplace Ready
By Ava Lee • April 18, 2018 •Ms. JD, Conference, Ms. JD Book Reviews, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, •Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media, •Features, Guest Bloggers and Profiles of Women in the Law, Myths & Truths, First Women, Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them
For a man, the common mantra is “seize the day.” For a woman, the common mantra is “act accordingly.” The ideal woman projects grace and cooperation. She is to complement situations, not challenge them. She is to follow rules, not make them. Easy to smile and easy to laugh, she is to sidestep her wants and needs for the greater good. One must be assertive, firm, and steadfast to reach personal and professional objectives, however these traits are downplayed at the for fear of being rejected or unlikeable. I remember my first day as a law clerk. It was standard protocol to listen and take notes during meetings. No one wanted to…
You’ll Pay For This: It Is Time To Dig Out Of Your Financial Hole
By Kerriann Stout • April 03, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Other Issues
Welcome back! So far, we’ve covered the bleak reality of the student loan crisis and learned how to read our student loan statements (all highly riveting, I assure you.) This month, we are ready to discuss how to start digging yourself out of the financial hole in which you find yourself. Now, you may be wondering why you should take any advice from me -what with my $200k+ student loans and all - about paying debt off. Well, my husband and I used the following 6 tips to pay off over $60,000 in 2 years (and managed to save money towards…
The Mindful Mindset: Managing Anxiety the Mindful Way
By Pia Das • March 24, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
"Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones." - Thich Nhat Hanh Mindfulness encourages us to pay attention intentionally to the present moment and non-judgmentally observe what is happening within and around us. It is not uncommon to be living on autopilot where our responses become an automatic reaction…
“So You Want To Be a Corporate Lawyer?” Episode 3 of the Ms. JD Pre-Law Mentoring Hangout
By Joseph Kemp • March 19, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics, Internships and Clerkships, Other Law School Issues
On this episode of the Ms. JD Pre-Law Mentoring Hangout created by the illustrious Ms. JD Pre-Law Program Director, Genevieve Antono, aspiring attorneys came together with a current law student, Alexi Thomas, and former corporate lawyer, Van Ann Bui, to discuss what it means to practice corporate law. We covered many topics from securing a coveted law firm associate position to what a typical day in the life of a corporate lawyer is like. The insight offered by both Van Ann and Alexi expanded my knowledge further on what it means to be a corporate lawyer - even having done extensive…
5 Life Tips for Balance in Law School
By Claudia Ojeda • March 19, 2018 •Law School, Other Law School Issues
As a second semester 3L, I've learned some nuggets of wisdom along the way that I hope to pass on to current and future law students so that you can get past the “surviving law school” stage and actually thrive in it and in your personal life as well. All of the tips on this list are things I’ve incorporated into my life and daily routine, I hope they’re useful to anyone reading this post! In no specific order, here it goes: 1. PROTECT YOUR HAPPINESS: I recently read a book on happiness and the flaws of having a goal-driven…
Creating Balance through Routine
By Elizabeth Tolon • March 06, 2018 •Ms. JD, Law School, Pre-Law, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
As I go through my final semester of law school, I reflect on what I’ve learned since starting two and a half years ago. For me, law school has been challenging, invigorating, fun, and full of surprises. When I walked into class on my first day of law school, I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea what textualism meant or how the Rules of Civil Procedure influence litigation. I didn’t know what the Socratic method was and I didn’t understand the curve. After my first day of classes, I felt a little like Elle Woods after…
Selfie with no Filter: the 1L Life - Know Yourself.
By Brittany Wiegand • February 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues
“If you were an ingredient in a salad, what would you be?” Immediately after my mentor posed the question, I started desperately hoping she didn’t expect me to come up with an answer. We were discussing an upcoming interview, and this was way out of my comfort zone. Questions like this terrify me. Even though I can prepare all the typical responses about my strengths, weaknesses, and five-year goals, these types of questions make me feel like the interview committee has some sort of inside joke that I’m not in on. She quickly continued with what she would say in…
You’ll Pay For This: What In The World Does Your Student Loan Statement Say?
By Kerriann Stout • February 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Other Issues
I would compare reading about law school loans to watching a car accident happen. You don’t really WANT to watch it, but you also can’t seem to turn away. This month, I am rewarding your curiosity with a more in depth analysis of how student loans work. As you may recall from last month, I spent a good deal of time (almost 2 years) after graduation completely avoiding the fact that I had student loans at all. A big part of the reason I was so scared to even look at my student loan accounts after I graduated was that I…
Making Peace with Testing Accommodations
By Katherine Macfarlane • January 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues
I dreaded law school exams, but not because of the exams themselves. I received testing accommodations in law school, which meant that I took my exams in a room far away from the place all of my classmates took theirs. They noticed my absence. “I didn’t see you in the Contracts exam,” my classmates would tell me. Over the course of three years, I told only one friend about the accommodations room. My testing accommodations were a closely guarded secret. I was ashamed that my testing experience was different, and afraid that my good grades would be attributed to the…