The Best Advice I Never Got: Connecting
By Ms. JD • June 21, 2011 •Other Issues
Editor's Note: this essay was submitted by Julia, in response to the 2010 Ms. JD Scholarship prompt: What's the best advice you never got?Many businesses do not block Facebook on their desktop computers. This seems counterintuitive, since news outlets never stop telling us about the evils of social networking and the constant threat of the internet exposing employees’ unprofessional conduct. Savvy businesses realize, however, that sites like Facebook and Twitter are neutral tools. An employee’s use of her Facebook page is as professional or unprofessional as she makes it; for every scandal in which a person is fired for posting negative comments about her…
The Business Case for Diversity Research Project
By Ms. JD • June 13, 2011 •Other Issues
The Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (“IILP”), along with the Association of Legal Administrators (“ALA”), launched the Business Case for Diversity Research Project to examine how the business case for diversity has thus far impacted corporate clients, law firms, and diverse partners. Over the course of five months, data was collected from the following: 52 corporations representing 10.4% of Fortune 500 corporations; 391 law firms representing 65.8% of law firms with 501+ lawyers and 39.8% of law firms with 251-500 lawyers on the National Law Journal’s list of 250 largest U.S. firms; and, 1,032 diverse partners.From the Executive Summary:The…
The Best Advice I Never Got: On The Feudal System, Knowing Less Than You Think, and Flawed Statistics
By Ms. JD • June 10, 2011 •Other Law School Issues
Editor's Note: this essay was submitted by Gretchen, in response to the 2010 Ms. JD Scholarship prompt: What's the best advice you never got? 1. 15th century England can be described as The Feudal System.“Thomas,” called out the school’s legendary civil procedure professor, “What do you think of when you think of 15th century England?”“Medieval.” I answered gingerly, not really knowing what this has to do with the string of federal subject matter jurisdiction case law we were assigned for the day.With a disappointed look on his face, the professor pointed to someone else who called out “Feudal System.” The professor’s eye’s brightened up…
Congratulations to the Newly Appointed Women Law School Deans
By Ms. JD • June 08, 2011 •Legal Academia
The National Law Journal reports that women are making 'remarkable' gains in law school deanships, accounting for about 40 percent of the deans named in recent months. Ms. JD would like to congratulate the following newly appointed Deans:Darby Dickerson, Stetson University College of LawMargaret Raymond, University of Wisconsin Law SchoolStacy Leeds, University of Arkansas School of LawAnnette Clark, Saint Louis University School of LawJane Korn, Gonzaga University School of LawMaria Pabon Lopez, Loyola University New Orleans School of LawDeanell Tacha, Pepperdine University School of LawWendy Perdue, University of Richmond School of LawRead more here.
‘Miss Jim’ blazed new trail for women in state
By Ms. JD • June 08, 2011 •First Women
Ed. Note: This piece, by Judith Bainbridge, was originally published in The Greenville News and is reprinted here with the author's permission.James Margrave Perry wanted a son.The teacher of stenography and accounting at the Greenville Female College and his wife, a former music instructor at the Due West Female College, had been blessed with two daughters. But he wanted a child to bear his name.When his wife delivered their third daughter in May 1894, he was undeterred. She was named James. Her middle name, Marjory, was about as close to Margrave as it was possible for a female name to…
The Best Advice I Never Got: Write Your Own Story
By Ms. JD • June 08, 2011 •Law School, Other Law School Issues
Editor's Note: this essay was submitted by Danielle, in response to the 2010 Ms. JD Scholarship prompt: What's the best advice you never got? The best advice I never got prior to my first year of law school was, "Write your own story." So often as aspiring lawyers, and especially as aspiring female attorneys, we are told of a clear trajectory of success. You must get all A's, you apply and accept only prestigious internships and clerkships, you must be on Moot Court Board AND A.D.R. and Editor of the Law Review if you want a job after law school. If I could…
Managing Health as a Law Student (Learning to Be a Successful Sickie)
By Ms. JD • June 08, 2011 •Other Law School Issues
Editor's Note: this essay was submitted by Melanie, in response to the 2010 Ms. JD Scholarship prompt: What's the best advice you never got? I have a chronic illness, lupus, which was under control when I started law school. My symptoms consist of arthritis, fatigue (beyond law school tired), and anemia. Also, I am more susceptible to getting sick because my immune system is weaker than the average person. Lupus is exacerbated by stress. Law school, as we all know, can be quite stressful. Further, law school is exhausting for anyone, let alone someone with a compromised immune system. What was I thinking?Looking…
Yale Law Women Announces 2011 Top Ten Family Friendly Firms
By Ms. JD • April 28, 2011 •Firms and the Private Sector
Yale Law Women (YLW) has announced its sixth annual Top Ten Family Friendly Firms List. The 2011 Top Ten Firms, in alphabetical order, are:Arnold & PorterCovington & BurlingDorsey & WhitneyKirkland & EllisMayer BrownMintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & PopeoPerkins CoiePillsbury Winthrop Shaw PittmanSidley AustinWilmerHale YLW also shared the following reflections on this year's results:As the legal field heads toward recovery after the recent financial crisis, YLW believes that the focus on family friendly firm policies and policies designed for the retention of women remains more important and pressing than ever. As the prototypical law firm model adapts to accommodate new market demands,…
Redefining the Summit in High-Stakes Careers
By Ms. JD • April 26, 2011 •Other Career Issues
Editor's Note: We are pleased to present this guest post from Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple, authors of the new book, Good Enough Is the New Perfect: Finding Happiness and Success in Modern Motherhood. Hollee’s moment of reckoning came when her oldest son was less than a year old, and she decided to leave her job at a prestigious Pittsburgh law firm. It was a job she’d earned through years of hard work and academic achievement. She’d graduated first in her class from Northwestern University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism, and had then gone on to…