-
Organization for the Disorganized
What I really like about the beginning year is that it’s a fresh start for me to try to work on improving my organization at work. For many type-As, it’s pretty easy to stay organized, but I am basically the opposite of a type-A when it comes to organization. My motto is that there is usually a method to my madness, though on the surface my office could seem cluttered and well…disorganized! Because I know what my tendencies are when it comes to organization, I have developed sensible, easy, and visual tools that have kept me right on track at work. Some of these tips may not work in places where you…
-
Breaking Law School Barriers III: Letters of Recommendations
This series, Breaking Law School Barriers, tackles the big and small issues that come into play when you’re deciding if you’ll even attend law school. The purpose is to give practical advice for college students, and for current law students and attorneys to give suggestions about their real world experience. Today we want to discuss letters of recommendations (LORs) for your application. It can be awkward asking for a letter, but if you build solid relationships with your professors and advisors, you’ll have a better chance of obtaining solid letters that will help get you admitted. Most schools require at least two, and generally want it from a professor, not…
-
Happy New Year’s Eve!
Happy New Year’s Eve! So excited for the short week and eager to bring in the New Year with some good drinks, great music, and delicious Mexican food! For those going to parties and in need of a last-minute dish to bring–here are three options for ridiculously easy and tasty dishes you can share as you celebrate New Year’s with your family and friends! One. Grapes. I know what you’re thinking: what!? It may seem silly, but grapes are a staple Mexican New Year’s tradition. Eating grapes at the stroke of midnight is supposed to help your New Year’s wishes come true. So pass the grapes and share this bit…
-
Setting and Achieving Goals
We’re keeping things a little light and easy since we’re easing back from the holidays, and are eagerly waiting for the New Year. During the new year, I really love taking this time to assess my current station in life and see where I can create change and improvement. I know some find New Year’s resolutions a little cheesy, but I think it makes sense to start the year with a clean slate and make an effort to progress in either our personal or professional lives. The problem, of course, is the difficulty in creating healthy habits (or stopping bad ones). So today we’re offering a few steps to take…
-
Responding to Performance Reviews
Having to sit in front of your boss and receive criticism, even if constructive, can be tough. Your ability to show that you can accept feedback in a stable, steady will help you move forward in your career, but it’s anxiety-inducing. It can cause emotional response that can affect your reputation at work. When there’s a face-to-face with your boss regarding your review, the key is to try to relax and go in with an assumption that this will be a learning tool. If you have moderately competent bosses then you should be aware ahead of time of any major issues. This really shouldn’t be a time with big surprises.…
-
Starting your Job Search
Whether you were just sworn in a few weeks ago or have been a lawyer for a few years, dusting off your job search skills is never any fun. Looking for work is time-consuming, frustrating, and sometimes it seems never-ending. Unfortunately, it requires a lot of work upfront, but today we’re sharing five things you should consider doing to kick your job search into gear: One. Contact your contacts. Do all the people in your network know that you 1) graduated from law school, 2) passed the bar, and 3) are looking for work? Likely not. Consider sending a genuine individualized email to all your contacts (former intern supervisors, clinic…
-
Gift Guide for Law Students
We’re sharing some gift ideas for law students! If you’re in the midst of finals, you may not have been able to give suggestions to family/friends that ask you what you’d like for the holidays. So today’s gift guide has ideas for useful presents that can come in handy for most law students. Gift Cards: Gift cards to restaurants and coffee shops are great, but you can also consider giving a gift card to Amazon or any store that sells text books at much cheaper rates than school bookstores. I know, text book purchases aren’t very fun, but any little bit helps, right? Coffee tumbler: Coffee is a given and…
-
Seedy Energy Salad
We talk a lot about trying to eat healthy and try to occasionally share quick and healthy recipes for everyone to try. One thing that’s difficult (for me) in my attempt to eat healthy is what to bring for lunch at work. I tend to go in cycles, but always seem end up back at salads. Lately, I’ve been craving nutty, seedy salads and today’s recipe really satisfies this craving. It is filling even without meat, but I keep tuna packets at work and usually add it to the mix. However, I’ve also eaten it without tuna and it keeps me just as full and satisfied throughout the day. Mostly, it’s…
-
Easy and Healthy Snacks for Stressful Times
For people that knew me in law school, they may laugh that I’m about to encourage people to eat healthy during law school finals. I would laugh too. Not only did I tend to not snack healthy during school, but I wasn’t eating healthy–period. So, I totally understand how during this time in school, you’re more likely to say, “screw it,” and go to bed instead of packing a healthy lunch for the next day. Or more likely, say, “screw it,” and eat the free pizza that the bar prep course/student organization is offering instead of staying cooped up at the library. But it’s not just easy to eat poorly…
-
Supervising Law Students
I remember the first student I ever supervised as a new attorney. It was an awkward relationship. I was all of 9 months removed from law school and felt so out of my element asking this student to help me do research. I was weak and hesitant in my requests, and remember being surprised when the student turned in her “research”–not a memo like I had expected, but rather print-out of a whole bunch of cases. Yikes. Though in her defense, I never once explained or clarified what kind of work I wanted from her. Thankfully, I have learned a lot since then and am pretty confident in managing student…