Browse Topics
The Case for Reading for Lawyers Reading for Leisure
By Sarah Valdes • October 03, 2020 •Writers in Residence, Issues
As a child I was your stereotypical bookworm. Buried behind large broad rimmed glasses, I could spend hours sprawled on the living room couch. Some of my fondest childhood memories include trips to the library and going up the long spiral staircase to the “grown-up” section while my father browsed the shelves. Seeing the long stacks of books felt both like home, and like endless rows of adventure to be explored. I learned how to navigate the card catalogue and was expected to retrieve whatever reference books I needed for a school project on my own. I can still probably…
Everything Nobody Every Told Me: Visioning Really Works
By Paula M Jones • September 30, 2020 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Other Issues
As I was approaching thirty years of working full-time, I began much more flexibility in my daily schedule. My dream was to be able to set my own schedule instead of adhering to the schedule of others. Unfortunately, I could not see any viable way to make that happen, since I was working in a big firm where time seemed to be the master of us all. Over time, my frustration began to build. Whenever I became frustrated, I began to write out what I wanted my daily life to look like. Dreams – even those that seem impossible –…
Help Me Build My Space Colony….
By Alexandra Dolce • September 30, 2020 •Writers in Residence
Let’s have some fun this month. What would MY perfect space colony look like…? Here goes… First and foremost, I think it should be located on a safe but very exotic planet. Use your imagination when it comes to exotic. All people, whether indigenous, or migrated are from the jump start considered EQUAL and will not be separated based on race, color, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Equal means Equal. The form of government would most likely be a democracy or a hybrid of such, but it is important that citizens refer to the previous mistakes made by democracies and…
People have the power - to vote
By Katalin Tarjan • September 28, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
Editor's Note: In honor of Election Day today, please read this piece from Writer in Residence Katalin Tarjan, and if you are able to, vote! We’ve all learned about the electoral process and its importance in functioning democracies, yet, we might have different opinions about voting in practice. I used to have a professor at law school who was very proud that he has never voted at any elections in his entire life. Ever. Not once. He talked quite a lot about politics – teaching administrative law –, his lectures were full of political comments and opinions about…-100x100.jpg)
Practice Pointers - Knowing When to Consider a Lateral Move
By Natasha Alladina • September 27, 2020 •Writers in Residence, Careers
Most lawyers (indeed, most professionals) won’t stay at their first job forever. Kudos to those “lifers” who find their perfect fit from the get-go (or decide to stick it out at their first gig), but the rest of us will likely contemplate a lateral move at some point in our careers. And if you fall into the latter category, how do you know when to consider making a move? The answer, of course, will vary depending on the individual lawyer and situation. From personal experience and now, as a legal recruiter, I’ve found that the following are good reasons to…
Clean Air, Clean Water, and Losing a Trailblazer
By Desiree Goff • September 25, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
In a month filled with fires and hurricanes, and in homage to a pioneering woman lawyer and Supreme Court justice, we are taking a look at what a career in environmental law entails and how Ruth Bader Ginsburg approached her decision making process when confronted with environmental law cases. A fighter for equality and for justice, RBG forged the path for countless women lawyers to come behind her. In her years on the bench, many influential cases came before her. Justice Ginsburg’s opinions ranged from regulating greenhouse gas emissions to expressing support for a more expansive definition of jurisdictional waters…
Everything is Reproductive Justice—Reading Reproductive Justice in 2020
By Leigh Creighton Bond • September 23, 2020 •Writers in Residence
One of the most optimistic leaders I worked with once said something along the lines of, “sometimes, having a book, even if you can’t finish it or haven’t started reading it, can be useful because you are aware of the idea simply by having the book.” With that quote, I urge you to consider the following books if you or someone you know is beginning to explore reproductive justice in 2020. 1. Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts “Ms. Wooten ... stated that detained women expressed to her that they didn’t fully understand why they had…
Desi Advocacy: Spotlight on Aparna Shewakramani, Attorney and Cast Member of “Indian Matchmaking”
By Prianka Misra • September 22, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
I had the opportunity to interview Ms. Aparna Shewakramani, General Counsel and star of Netflix's "Indian Matchmaking," a reality television show about South Asian dating and relationships. Aparna's outspoken remarks and confident outlook led her to become an international sensation. Although the show did not focus on her career, it briefly touched on Aparna's views about being an attorney. After watching "Indian Matchmaking," I interviewed Aparna to delve deeper into her perspective on being a lawyer, career advice for young women, and opinion about her portrayal in the series. You mentioned in the show that you wanted to be a lawyer since you…
The Influencers: Nevertheless, She Persisted: The Story of Belva Lockwood
By Carron Nicks • September 09, 2020 •Writers in Residence
In 2020, to be admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court is not a difficult process. If you’ve been in good standing with your state bar association, you can ask two members of the Supreme Court bar to sponsor you. Then, you pay a $200 fee and take the oath. An extra special perq is to attend an oral argument session and have that oath administered by one of the justices, although that is not required. But it was not always thus. If you were a woman in 1880, it would literally take an Act of Congress. …