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Turning your Internship into a Job
Let me paint a scenario of a time when I let a big opportunity slip through my fingers: The time: fall 2008, and I’m half-way into an externship with a really great agency. I turn in an assignment to my supervising attorney who reminds me that applications for summer internships at this agency are due in a week. Cue: me saying, “oh ok,” and totally missing the huge sign of my boss encouraging me to apply for a PAID summer internship. No, instead I decide to apply to a different agency that summer for an internship that does not pay me for my time (an internship I could have done during the school…
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Stress Relief while Studying for the Bar
When I say that studying for the Bar is stressful–I am not joking. It’s not just the anxiety of the unknown, or because so much is riding on the exam. Most people never experience this type of environment, where you’re memorizing and learning so much information in such large chunks of time; where suddenly you’re putting your mind through a horrible obstacle course of vague terms and complex legal theories. And closer to the exam you’re studying 12 to 14 hour days. That is crazy-pants. I don’t even work for 12 hours a day! I say all this, not to freak people out, but to acknowledge the high stress you’re feeling.…
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Rocking your Internship
Once the excitement of a new internship dies down, you may feel like you’re not getting everything you can out of your experience. I remember one stint I did as an extern (meaning, I was basically paying my school to volunteer at this agency), where by week three it seemed like the attorneys had no time for me; I was going to get lost in the shuffle, and basically just observe court every day if I didn’t become more proactive in attempting to get some experience. It wasn’t easy for me to be proactive in that environment. I had assumed the attorneys I was paired with wanted my help, and would…
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How to Study for the Bar
So–I wrote this post a million years ago in a different forum but thought I’d share here rather than create new material on how to study for the bar since this was written when the Bar was still fresh in my mind. For those that have started your bar prep course, you’ve likely found that you don’t remember much from 1L year and aren’t scoring very high on the tests and essays. That is completely normal. It takes a while to remember the basics, but what happens is that everyone starts to freak out and then it’s hard to handle the stress. So first, regardless of how you’re doing on…
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Good-Bye Spring: Favorite Links!
May is always so eventful—aside from celebrating Mother’s day, Cinco de Mayo (I swear, I must have been a frat bro in another life), I also lived vicariously through everyone’s graduations. It was so great to see so many celebrate the accumulation of hard work along with so much determination to succeed in whatever new phase they were heading towards! Now, of course, I’m looking forward to summer in Chicago because there’s always so much to do, including visiting pretty pink flamingos at the Lincoln Park Zoo (highly recommend it!). This month we discussed: Study supplies for the Bar Exam (trust me on the tape and flash cards); Student loan…
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Mistakes to Avoid as a Legal Intern
Summer internships/externships/clerkships/associate positions are starting soon (if they haven’t already started). It goes without saying that these next few weeks are an important part of your legal career. You expand your professional network, increase your legal skillsets, and get a better idea of what kind of law you do (and don’t) want to practice. It’s also true that first impressions really matter and you have to make sure that you portray yourself as a professional, capable, and attentive intern. With that said, here are some missteps you want to avoid so as to put your best foot forward. One. Don’t be distracted by electronics. Let me tell you how annoying…
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Necessary Study Supplies for Bar Exam
Right before my 3L year ended, my comparative law class went to dinner with our professors (you know, the one course with a cancelled trip to Chile that still made us write a paper #stillbitter). Anyway, dinner was lovely, but I remember that one professor made it a point to tell me I was about to embark on the worst summer of my life while I studied for the bar. She wasn’t right, but she wasn’t wrong either. However, instead of scaring all of those that are starting bar prep, I come with better information–necessary bar exam supplies to help you get the most out of your studies. Obviously, you…
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Things to Know Before the Bar
I always thought it was so unfair how short lived the celebration for law school graduation was since I had to start my bar prep course the Monday after my graduation weekend. It’s like, can I please have a second to take in this accomplishment? Instead, we jump right into Bar studying and what will likely be known as one of the most stressful periods of your life. Yay! The reality is that the Bar shouldn’t be as intimidating as it is. If you’ve taken essay courses in law school then you know what to expect from the exam. But there is so much riding on this exam that the…
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The Importance of Self-Reflection
There is so much to look forward to when an academic year ends—especially if it ends with your graduation. It’s just such a happy and exciting time! In the midst of all the excitement it’s easy to get overwhelmed and forget to really step back and appreciate your big accomplishment. Taking time to self-reflect on all the good you accomplished (and the dips along the way) is the best stepping stone for your next phase in life—whether that phase be a new school year in the fall, or starting your career. I really encourage new grads to take a moment after the celebrations have quieted down and really review all…
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Must Have Items for International Flights.
So can I just say that not doing a study abroad while I was in school is one of my big educational regrets? I kept putting it off in college and then finally planned to do a short trip to Chile my 3L year. Sadly, that was the year the earthquake hit and we had to cancel the trip. I graduated law school still never having gone further than trips to visit family in Mexico or Panama. Since then I’ve been able to travel enough to make up for missing my study abroad experience (though I’m still bitter that the professors made us write a paper after canceling the trip.…