Blog Article
Motion to Dismiss due to Destruction of all Original Business Records
By Diane Wells • April 25, 2020
It was a beautiful Saturday morning in the spring of 2005 and under normal circumstances, I would have been out with my three kids going to the park, setting up playdates, exploring and the like, but as hard as I tried nothing felt normal. I was a defendant in a criminal case that I had no idea what things were going to happen and when. At that time, my activities were a juggling act combining me working and playing with the kids as much as I felt I could afford given Court deadlines and projects that my attorney gave me. …
Blog Article
The Mental Load: Are You Plagued by Perfectionism?
By Amy Bowen • July 20, 2019 •Writers in Residence
Perfectionism seems to be the target of numerous attacks lately. Psychology-slanted articles describe it as an affliction that is “a very bad thing” – causing crippling fear of failure, procrastination, unrealistic standards, and low self-esteem. Business coaches preach the gospel of “launch before perfection”, and a recent article in Entrepreneur magazine (incidentally, authored by a former law firm associate), goes so far as to postulate that “Perfectionism is THE [emphasis added] biggest obstacle to productivity” and “If you won't send something until it is perfect, you’re not pulling the trigger quickly enough.” Call me sick if you want, but I…
Blog Article
That Pre-Law Millennial: 10 Tips to Succeed at your Summer Internship
By Genevieve Antono • May 05, 2016 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Internships and Clerkships
I wrote the following two summers ago, for a Reflection Project that I submitted to the Center for Career Education at Columbia University. (I spent the summer of 2014 as a Graduate Recruitment Intern at the Hong Kong office of Clifford Chance LLP—an opportunity offered through the Columbia Experience Overseas Program.) In any case, I hope that my fellow pre-law readers will find the following tips helpful, especially since "summer internship season" is coming up soon! Check out the original document at this link, and please let me know what you think in the comments below! Reflection Project: 10…
Blog Article
A Parliament of OWLs (Older Wiser Learners): Bog Bite, or the importance of proofreading
By Lisa Allen • February 01, 2016 •Writers in Residence, Law School
“Bog bite,” said W. “I wrote that, and my computer thought, sure, bog is a word, so no spelling mistakes there. I proofread it OVER and OVER, and never saw it.” H reported looking at a will, written by another attorney several years earlier, in which [NAME] appeared repeatedly, in places where the client’s name should have been. Good thing the client wasn’t dead yet! Having taught my laptop, against its protestations, that Purposivism is so a word, it has decided to forever auto-capitalize the P. Apparently, my editing brain agrees that Purposivism deserves capitalizing, because I am blind to…
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The Artful Lawyer: Keep Working
By Cameron Rhudy • December 04, 2014 •Writers in Residence
As one more year winds down, it is natural to reflect on the experiences had over the past year. For me, writing for Ms. JD as a Writer in Residence has been one of the highlights. This blog has provided an opportunity for me to explore different ways of looking at creativity and the practice of law, and I am grateful for having been given the opportunity to share my thoughts, fears, and interests. I would also like to thank Juliana Siconolfi for her wonderful support as the coordinator of the program this year, as well as the other Ms.…
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The Artful Lawyer: What The Creative Process Has Taught Me About Starting My Own Law Practice
By Cameron Rhudy • September 05, 2014 •Writers in Residence
I am very excited to share that September marks the beginning of a new phase in my legal career. I have said goodbye to stable employment with state government, benefits, and an office full of great colleagues to start my own transactional law practice. Bananas, right!?! As you can probably imagine, I am feeling a good mix of emotions as I begin this adventure. I am excited, exhilarated, and hopeful, but at times I am also overwhelmed and a little nervous. But these emotions are not that much different than what it feels like to start a new creative project.…
Blog Article
The Artful Lawyer: It Pays to be Patient
By Cameron Rhudy • July 06, 2014 •Writers in Residence
Sometimes certain events or experiences in my life turn out to be buzzing oh so subtly with an underlying theme. These themes generally serve as reminders for a particular life or professional lesson. Does this ever happen to you? For me, lately that theme has been patience. Patience is probably most commonly thought of in the context of relationships, with our friends, family, coworkers, and even clients. For example, I try to be patient with my husband when we are running late for an event and he stops to turn on the television one last time to check the score…
Blog Article
Pay It Forward - An Interview with GEF Keynote Speaker Maria Jurua
By Molly Timko • June 09, 2014 •Ms. JD, Law School
Below is an excerpt from an interview with Maria Jurua. Maria served as a keynote speaker for the Global Education Fund's first networking and fundraising event in Washington, D.C. The event also featured keynote speaker Alice Waguthi Kinyua. Both Maria and Alice are graduates of Makerere University in Uganda and fellows at the Georgetown University Law Center. Editor's Note: Ms. JD's Fourth Annual Global Education Fund (GEF) Benefit will be held on August 22, 2016 from 6:30-9 pm at Doc's Lab in San Francisco. Each year, the Ms. JD Global Education Fund has made it possible for two young Ugandan women to pursue their dreams of becoming lawyers by attending the law program at Makerere University in Uganda. The…
Blog Article
Mid Life/Semester Crisis
By Mahira Siddiqui • October 29, 2011 •Other Law School Issues
I am a little over half way through the treacherous 1L semester. That in and of itself deserves a reward of some sort. Maybe for stamina? Maintaining my sanity? After crossing this half way mark and receiving my self-made award (I’ll go with sanity), I’ve acquired an almost zen-like feeling while reading in between the lines of my casebooks. Quite literally.When I look back to August (which seems like ages ago) I have changed all my habits from day 1, week 1 and month 1 of law school. While it was important to go through this cumbersome process, it took…
Blog Article
Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them: Featuring Andrea Evans of Washington, DC
By Noha Sidhom • January 04, 2010 •Superwomen JDs and What You Can Learn From Them
Bio for this week's Superwoman JD Andrea Evans: Andrea Hence Evans, Esq. launched the intellectual property law practice, The Law Firm of Andrea Hence Evans, LLC. Attorney Evans' career path is unique since she worked at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for 5 years as both a patent examiner and a trademark examining attorney after graduating from law school. Ed. note: a more comprehensive bio for Andrea Evans is available at the end of this post. 1. How has being a woman affected your career or legal education? Intellectual property (IP) law is male dominated. This is…Connect with us
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