Balancing Work and Family
By Dahlia Lithwick • February 06, 2007 •Balancing Private and Professional Life
An acquaintance stopped me one afternoon last week, as I was picking my three-year-old son, Coby, from camp. “Great piece in the Post last Sunday,” he enthused. “I thought you did a really smart job on that one.” Almost as an afterthought, he added: “Imagine what your career would look like if you didn’t have small kids!” I must have looked stricken because he added, “I just mean, you know, you spend so many hours with them. If you were a sixty year old man . . . with nothing to do all day but write . . . .you’d…
Public Interest: Woman-Friendly or Friendly Woman?
By strunnells • February 05, 2007 •Nonprofits and the Public Interest
Are women attracted to public interest law because it is a friendlier environment for women? Rather, the opposite seems to be true. A 2004 study by Harvard Law students showed that twice the percentage of women than men said that “helping others” was one of the most important factors in choosing a career. Relatedly, women have achieved more top-level positions in the non-profit sector than in private law. This seems to imply that women are attracted to public interest law because they see it as a means to fulfill their desire to help others. But, does this also suggest that…
Networking
By Alex Janus • February 05, 2007 •Mentoring and Networking
Today I received my final rejection letter for a 1L summer associate position. Naively, I thought that having a bit of firm and administrative law experience and being en route to a JD from a top 15 law school would have appeal somewhere. So I applied machine gun style: I sent my resume to over 30 firms in the Bay area, hoping I'd hit at least one or two. Turns out, it was more like zero. Over 30 little white envelopes filled my mailbox over the following two weeks. So how do people do it? I have spoken to other…
The Work-Life Balance Sales Pitch
By Wallflower • February 02, 2007 •Balancing Private and Professional Life
Wallflower is a 3L at NYU School of Law It's hard to imagine any law student making it out of law school without being bombarded with talk about the extended hours attorneys work and the difficulty many have in maintaining both a happy home life and a successful career. Long hours, stressful working conditions, and having little time for social lives are challenges most attorneys face. In my experience, however, the work-life balance issue is most often discussed as a problem that primarily affects women or parents, and in my opinion, this does a disservice to all attorneys. During my…
Money = Power = Masculinity ??
By Peg Johnston • February 02, 2007 •Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
Today on NBC's today show they did a segment that is very typical of their format. The segment was about married couples where the woman earns more than the man. In light of the fact that most women practicitioners that I know make more than their husbands/partners, I have a couple of lingering questions for the group. In the piece, the host and the guest agreed that the equation of money=power=masculinity doesn't make logical sense to the women that are the breadwinners in their relationship. Still, they argued, the equation was a common emotional feeling. Do you think that money=power=masculinity?…
Lone Skirt in a Sea of Pants
By Anonymous • February 02, 2007 •Other Law School Issues
By a Second-Year Law Student Interview season can be a tough time for 1-Ls. They have white resumes and short transcripts, and they feed on the crumbs left by their 2-L peers. Landing a firm job is a challenge for any 1-L, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other classification. During my 1-L interviews with firms in the southeast, I had my foot in the door faster than my peers. I got the interviews, the call-backs, and the offers. Why? I’d like to think it was because of my grades, my personality, my accomplishments, or my poise. Perhaps,…
Improve Your Chances of Getting on Law Review
By Anonymous • February 02, 2007 •Other Law School Issues
Tips from a 3L at Stanford Law School As an almost 2L completing the Law Review Candidate Exercise, I sat at a desk for 18 hours straight with only my bluebook and the Chicago Manual of Style for company—and that was just the home stretch. As an almost 3L grading candidate exercises, I realized how much easier those 18+ hours could have been if only I’d known then what I know now. Since every school has a different candidate exercise, this advice will be most useful for Stanford Law students, but hopefully there are a few nuggets of truth for…
Mujeres en la justicia
By Anonymous • February 02, 2007 •Internships and Clerkships
By Sina, a 2L at Yale Law School Do not be fooled by appearance. That is the first lesson Buenos Aires, Argentina taught this chica. Sure, I was enchanted by the large luscious steaks, the ubiquitous fine wine, the gorgeous people, and stately buildings. I wanted to believe in a place where a five course dinner costs 30 pesos (US$15) and where I could spend all afternoon in a spa, exit manicured, waxed, and massaged for less than 18 pesos (US$6). But in the end, sometimes the sweet smell is exactly what tells you something has gone terribly sour. For…
The UN as a Family-Friendly Employer
By Anonymous • February 02, 2007 •Internships and Clerkships
By a Second-Year Law Student This summer I am working as an intern at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague, the Netherlands. Although I am just working in one of the isolated ad hoc Tribunals, my understanding is that UN policy is universally applicable. Therefore, I imagine that my experience here could be representative of other UN branches. However, this information is the kind to be taken with a grain of salt, since I myself have not actually had the experience of navigating the bureaucracy while having a family. After all, it isn’t really…