Top Ten Tips for Law Firms to Make the Most of Summer Programs
By Christina L. Martini • August 07, 2016 •Ms. JD, 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, •Internships and Clerkships, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Mentoring and Networking, Features, Guest Bloggers and Profiles of Women in the Law, Myths & Truths, Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them
Dear Readers- I hope you are well and that your August is off to a great start. Last week I wrote a post with 10 tips for summer associates to make the most of summer programs. As legal internships draw to a close and we are now knee-deep in on-campus interviewing and job fairs across the country, I thought it would be a good time to share my top 10 tips for law firms who are deciding on offers for their current summer classes and conducting interviews for their summer programs for 2017. Whether you are a law student, law firm or legal department, this…
Top Ten Tips for Summer Associates to Make the Most of Their Summer
By Christina L. Martini • July 31, 2016 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Legal Academia, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, •Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Internships and Clerkships, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, •Features, Guest Bloggers and Profiles of Women in the Law, Myths & Truths, Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them
Dear Readers- I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the your summer. As we wind down the last hours of July and begin a new week and month tomorrow, we are reminded that summer associate programs are drawing to a close at law firms and for in-house legal departments. We are also gearing up to begin on-campus interviewing and job fairs across the country. Whether you are a law student who is participating in one of these summer programs or getting ready to begin the fall interviewing process looking for a job, you will find the following article useful. It…
Defining Success in the Law
By Christina L. Martini • July 08, 2016 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Legal Academia, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, •Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Internships and Clerkships, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, •Features, Guest Bloggers and Profiles of Women in the Law, Myths & Truths, Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them
Hello Ms. JD Aficionados! I hope this finds you well and that you are enjoying the summer so far. Many of you may be summer associates in law firm summer programs across the country, others of you may be getting geared up for on-campus interviewing in the next several weeks, while some of you may be practicing attorneys with a few years under your belt. Whatever the case may be, each of us can use some advice about how best to define success in the context of where we are in our careers, and some do's and don'ts. In that…
Start Thinking of Yourself More as a Business Owner Than an Attorney
By Christina L. Martini • March 20, 2016 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Legal Academia, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Issues, •Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Features, Guest Bloggers and Profiles of Women in the Law, Myths & Truths
Dear Readers- Happy Spring! As we get ready to wind down the first quarter of 2016, it is a good time to take stock of how well we are doing in achieving our work goals for this year. Are we on track, or are we already falling a bit behind? As we contemplate our performance, we must view ourselves through the eyes of a business owner, rather than as an attorney. Are we keeping clients happy? Do the economics of our practice make sense? Are we getting out there enough and developing our personal brand and market awareness? Are we strategically collaborating with others as…
Lawyers Must Focus on Their New Year’s Resolutions
By Christina L. Martini • January 17, 2016 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Legal Academia, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, Law School, •Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Women and Law in the Media, Features, •Guest Bloggers and Profiles of Women in the Law, Myths & Truths, Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them
Dear Readers- Happy 2016 to you all! I hope that your holidays were filled with much laughter, joy and memorable times with family and friends. As we are well into January and celebrating Martin Luther King Day this week, it is a good time for us to reflect on our wishes and goals for the year. New Year's resolutions are top of mind, and we should all think about where we are headed in 2016. In January 2012, I began writing my monthly column "Paradigm Shift" for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and my first installment, which originally published on January 10, 2012, focused on New Year's resolutions.…
Finding Inspiration in the New Year
By Christina L. Martini • December 11, 2015 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Careers, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, 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
Dear Readers: I hope that you are enjoying this holiday season. It is hard to believe that the end of 2015 is upon us, and the New Year is just around the corner. As we finish year-end client work and administrative responsibilities over the next couple of weeks, it is a great time for us to take a step back and reflect on all that we have accomplished this year, and what we have left unfinished; what we did well, and what we could have done better; what we have won, and what we have lost; and whom we have inspired, and who…
The Magic of Professional Gravitas
By Christina L. Martini • November 15, 2015 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, •Issues, Mentoring and Networking, Women and Law in the Media, Features, Guest Bloggers and Profiles of Women in the Law, Myths & Truths
Dear Readers- We are well into November, and the holidays are just a few weeks away. As we begin to develop our lists of goals and aspirations for 2016, it's a good time to think about additional ways we can make our mark with clients and potential clients. Being memorable and indispensable are key in these efforts. To that end, I wanted to share with you an article which originally appeared in August 2014 as an installment of my "Paradigm Shift" column in The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin about the magic of professional gravitas. In this installment, I explore what gravitas is…
Innovation in the Law
By Christina L. Martini • October 18, 2015 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Legal Academia, Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics, •Other Law School Issues, Issues, Mentoring and Networking, Features, Myths & Truths
Dear Readers- I hope that your October is off to a great start. Over the past year or two, we have been hearing more and more about innovation. While it is most often in the context of technology and medicine, we have no choice but to acknowledge its importance in all aspects of the legal profession - from the way in which our law schools teach their students, to the way law firms train their associates, and how they package and deliver services to clients. We as lawyers have a lot to learn from the engineers and scientists among us. In March…
The Power of the Elevator Speech
By Christina L. Martini • September 29, 2015 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Internships and Clerkships, •Issues, Mentoring and Networking, Women and Law in the Media
Dear Readers- I hope that your fall is off to a good start! It is hard to believe that October is already here. As we gear up for Q4, it is a good time to reflect on all that we have accomplished so far this year, and to brainstorm ways we can finish off 2015 by moving the needle on the goals we set for ourselves 9 months ago, including on the business development front. Being our own advocate is an important part of these efforts, and having a powerful and effective elevator speech is essential. In 2013, I wrote a column on this subject, which appeared as an installment of my monthly "Paradigm Shift" column in…