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Networking Basics: The Importance of Follow Through
As the new school year starts there will be a lot of opportunities to network and meet members of the legal community. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to interact with so many new people–especially when you’re brand new and may not have a clear networking goal (other than “find a job”). But it’s vital that you make yourself part of the legal community and get into the habit of cultivating new contacts. As a new law student–or an upperclassman that really wants to up their game–here are some things to focus on: One. Participate. While obviously studying and getting used to your new program is necessary, don’t avoid all networking…
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Game On: Actions Steps to Take Now to Land a Full-Time Attorney Position
When I started law school I didn’t really know how I was going to get a job. I just assumed that closer to my graduation, I’d start applying for entry level positions. LOL. Of course, soon I learned about the importance of externships/clerkships and back then the “rule” was that where you summered your rising 3L year was where you’d likely get an offer from and you’d be set by the time you took the bar. LOLLOLOL. Cue the recession. But honestly, with or without the recession, I wouldn’t have known how intricate and long-term legal job applications can be; your interview process can begin a year from your start…
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Beyond Identity: The Economic Importance of Knowing Spanish
Do you speak Spanish? I know there’s such an (unfair) assumption about our community’s language abilities and assume we should all have this skill. I happen to be fluent—actually Spanish is my first language, but I’ve never understood the backlash and weird arrogance some people display when they hear that other Latinas don’t know Spanish. Like stahp. Why do we add these barriers on top of each other? In reality, I’m actually lucky to still know Spanish and have become stronger in my language skills only because of my job. However, there was a time that I forgot Spanish because I lived in a small town with no other Latinxs…
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What To Do Your 1L Summer
For many 1Ls, you’re about a month away before you’re able to really start applying for summer jobs. I remember during my first 1L semester not really understanding the importance of looking for work that was still months away. I mean, how could I know the importance when I was still just a few months into law school and had no idea how the process really worked? I knew that people starting applying in the fall, but that seemed so silly to me—surely this could wait until spring, right? I totally didn’t know the ins and outs of summer jobs and how the “good” positions are offered before the year…
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Things to NOT Do as a New Legal Intern
Summer jobs are about to start in just a few weeks—this will be my sixth (!!!) summer working with interns and it’s hilarious to me the huge difference in my supervision skills that I have now compared to my first summer. Like, the fact that my first summer I had no supervision skills for one… Now that I have some experience on working with interns I can tell you how small changes in behavior can make a big difference in having a successful summer job. The open secret is that many attorneys strongly dislike working with students because it often ends up being more trouble than it’s worth. But I LOVE…
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Learning to Love Networking
The number one piece of advice all students receive to help land a job is to network. I’ve spoken before how unnatural networking has felt for me. It’s awkward and weird and it feels odd to try to make superficial connections just in case one day in the future they can help me. It feels icky. I think for many this runs counter to how we normally tend to socialize—in fact there are many articles on what women do wrong while networking that tries to shame us from doing what comes naturally to us. FYI, I just googled “things men do wrong while networking” and one (1!) article appeared…. Anyway,…
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Still Searching: Late Start to Legal Summer Jobs
If you have not been able to secure a summer job yet (especially as a 1L), I don’t want to alarm you, but it’s really time to get to it. Perhaps you missed my tip to get your hustle on in the late fall, but what’s done is done and you’re still looking somewhat late in the game. Before I move on, I just want to sympathize because I didn’t get my first summer job until April (!) my 1L year. So I get that life happens, and when you’re not in the know about how this process works you don’t realize what needs to be prioritized. But regardless, you…
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The Importance of Diversity (and I’m not talking about Race)
If I have not scared you enough into preparing for your summer job then rest assured I will keep trying. Appointments with career services will be here soon and deadlines will be fast approaching, and one of the things you have to decide soon is where you’re planning to apply. Perhaps you had a really good experience with an agency your 1L summer. Or you’ve been interning during the fall semester with a new agency that you really are enjoying. It’s natural to want to keep working for a place you enjoy. However, if you’re dealing with a legal market where offers are not certain, or you’re working public interest where…
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Start Hustling Now: Preparing for your Summer Legal Job Search
It may seem too soon to start looking for summer jobs, but before you know it you’ll be frantically writing outlines, cramming for finals, trying to keep up with readings, and –oh yeah—apply for jobs. Knowing that there’s a huge time-crunch coming down the pike means you should what you can now so that you don’t half-ass your job search. I’ve mentioned before, but the end of October during my first semester in law school was one family issue after another. I, unfortunately, got distracted and suddenly it was second semester and I still didn’t have anything lined up. I got really lucky, but you shouldn’t depend on luck! While you’re…
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What to Focus on in Your Job Search Post-Law School
The time post-bar is usually filled with such relief and happiness. For the most part, it’s pretty stress free; especially if you were fortunate enough to line up a job before graduation. But for those that weren’t able to find something, this time is crunch time to make sure you’re employed by the time loan officers start calling in November. I’ve been there! Graduating at the height of the recession, hardly any of my fellow students had offers—it was a completely different world from 2007 to 2009; it was like the world just changed overnight. I graduated without a job offer and very little prospects. But I hustled liked hell…