By Kathleen Brady, originally published in: Student Lawyer, May 2008, Vol. 36, No. 9, All rights reserved
The time span historically afforded new associates to learn the ropes and make a smooth transition from law student to lawyer has been shortened considerably. This is true especially for new associates at large firms, where the salaries are highest. Partners have far less patience for the learning curve and now expect new associates to hit the ground running quickly. Even for those at smaller firms and organizations such as nonprofit, public interest, and the government, where the learning curve may be less condensed, the transition takes commitment. By following the guidelines below, you’ll be able to meet your employer’s expectations and more easily morph from law student to lawyer.
Pay attention to the spoken and unspoken rules
During orientation, policies and procedures are reviewed in painstaking detail. Listen! Knowing the rules will save you from potentially embarrassing, career-altering goofs from which it might be difficult to recover. The written rules will explain things like time-off policies, reimbursable expenses, perks, and benefits as well as established procedures for photocopying, proofreading, requesting additional support services, and so on. It’s helpful to review the lawyer handbook and any other manuals you receive during orientation to familiarize yourself with such information. As important as it is to know the written rules, knowing the unwritten/unspoken rules is even more vital. Simple observation can uncover mountains of information. For example, the written rules might indicate that office hours start at 9 a.m., but through observation you may learn that the partner in charge of your department arrives at 8 a.m. every day. In that instance, you should adjust your schedule. The bottom line is pay attention to what people do as well as what they say.
For more information about making the transition from law student to lawyer, read the full text of the article available here.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Taking the Mystery out of Telephone Interviews
By Stephanie A. Ristvey/The Legal Intelligencer
As more and more human resources personnel in corporations, law firms and recruiting firms throughout the country are working smarter to save money and time, utilization of a telephone interview is becoming a popular tool to screen candidates for open positions and weed out weaker candidates. In today's competitive legal market it is imperative for job seekers to understand the significance of a telephone interview and how to prepare for it. Far too often job seekers brush off a telephone interview, wrongly equating it with a mere "phone call." This mistake proves to be a costly career error, usually taking candidates out of consideration for positions for which they may have been well-suited and in which they had a genuine interest.
The truth about telephone interviews
The fact of the matter is that telephone interviews are real interviews. After prospective employers carefully review candidate resumes for particular positions, they may choose to use a telephone interview as the next phase in determining which job seekers will be invited for face-to-face interviews and which will be removed from the process. An interviewer's initial objective is to determine if job seekers are articulate, telephone personable and qualified for an open position and whether, at least at the most basic level, they will fit in well with a department or office. Typically, an interviewer will place a telephone call or send an e-mail to job seekers to schedule telephone interviews. When scheduling a telephone interview, job seekers should ascertain how long an interview is expected to last, verify who will be initiating the call, obtain or provide an appropriate telephone number, then block off the appropriate calendar time. Always allow a little extra time for telephone interruptions or for a conversation that runs long. Job seekers receiving a voice message or an e-mail requesting availability for a telephone interview must respond quickly. If you have been away or received a request late in the evening, it is best to respond immediately, even if the response is made after regular business hours.
To continue reading and find 10 TIPS about telephone interviewing tips - go to The National Law Journal
As more and more human resources personnel in corporations, law firms and recruiting firms throughout the country are working smarter to save money and time, utilization of a telephone interview is becoming a popular tool to screen candidates for open positions and weed out weaker candidates. In today's competitive legal market it is imperative for job seekers to understand the significance of a telephone interview and how to prepare for it. Far too often job seekers brush off a telephone interview, wrongly equating it with a mere "phone call." This mistake proves to be a costly career error, usually taking candidates out of consideration for positions for which they may have been well-suited and in which they had a genuine interest.
The truth about telephone interviews
The fact of the matter is that telephone interviews are real interviews. After prospective employers carefully review candidate resumes for particular positions, they may choose to use a telephone interview as the next phase in determining which job seekers will be invited for face-to-face interviews and which will be removed from the process. An interviewer's initial objective is to determine if job seekers are articulate, telephone personable and qualified for an open position and whether, at least at the most basic level, they will fit in well with a department or office. Typically, an interviewer will place a telephone call or send an e-mail to job seekers to schedule telephone interviews. When scheduling a telephone interview, job seekers should ascertain how long an interview is expected to last, verify who will be initiating the call, obtain or provide an appropriate telephone number, then block off the appropriate calendar time. Always allow a little extra time for telephone interruptions or for a conversation that runs long. Job seekers receiving a voice message or an e-mail requesting availability for a telephone interview must respond quickly. If you have been away or received a request late in the evening, it is best to respond immediately, even if the response is made after regular business hours.
To continue reading and find 10 TIPS about telephone interviewing tips - go to The National Law Journal
Friday, April 25, 2008
NEW DEADLINE!!! _____________________________________
THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S HONORS PROGRAM AND SUMMER LAW INTERN PROGRAM
• An earlier application deadline and a faster review and selection process. The applications open on July 25th and close on September 2nd, 2008 (12:00 p.m. midnight, Eastern time; 11:00 p.m., Central; 10:00 p.m., Mountain; 9:00 p.m., Pacific).
THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S HONORS PROGRAM AND SUMMER LAW INTERN PROGRAM
• An earlier application deadline and a faster review and selection process. The applications open on July 25th and close on September 2nd, 2008 (12:00 p.m. midnight, Eastern time; 11:00 p.m., Central; 10:00 p.m., Mountain; 9:00 p.m., Pacific).
• Four United States Attorneys’ Offices (USAOs) and the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) are hiring approximately 16 entry-level attorneys through the Honors Program. Due to the level of responsibility held by AUSAs, these opportunities are only available to applicants who are admitted to a bar or, in some cases, who have taken a summer 2008 bar examination. Offices include:
The Central District of California, Los Angeles, CA.
The Southern District of California, San Diego, CA.
The Western District of Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI.
The Middle District of Florida, Orlando, FL.
EOUSA, Washington, D.C., with possible assignments nationwide.
• The Honors Program application has been expanded to permit applicants serving in post-J.D. legal fellowships to apply online on a conditional basis.
Interested in Kansas??
The 4th Annual Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair ("HDLJF") in Kansas City is open to all Rising 2L & 3L Students and Graduates.
- August 22-23, 2008, in Kansas City, Missouri.
- The job fair is free for students.
- Students who register before June 6 will be entered into a drawing for exciting prizes. The final deadline for registering is July 1.
Students can register on-line and find more information about the Job Fair by clicking here.
Are You Graduating?
Regalia is available in the CCS from May 1st - May 8th (9-5pm)- Your quick and painless Exit Interview can be completed at the same time
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
ANNUAL NBPA CONFERENCE & JOB FAIR
The National Black Prosecutors Association (NBPA) is hosting a JOB FAIR on July 14, 2008 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. All law students, alumni and practicing attorneys are invited to attend. The Job Fair fee for law students and 2008 law graduates is $50.00 which includes participation in the Job Fair and subsequent reception. Students may also participate in ta free career seminar, "Strategies for a Successful Interview" and other activities as part of the 25th Annual Conference (July 13 - July 19).
For more information about participating employers and to register, click here.
We need your updated Policies & Procedures Form!!!
In order to participate in on or off campus recruiting this summer and fall, the CCS needs your updated Policies & Procedures form on file. Access the form here and contact us with any questions or concerns about the changes for 2008.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Students Bid for Employer
Early Interview Week: Jul. 15th-21st
Early Interview Week: Jul. 15th-21st
Phase 1: Jul. 22nd-28th
Phase 2: Jul. 29th-Aug.4th
Phase 1 (LLM): Aug. 19th-25th
Football Friday: Sept. 2nd-8th
Phase 2 (LLM): Sept. 16th-22nd
Phase 2: Jul. 29th-Aug.4th
Phase 1 (LLM): Aug. 19th-25th
Football Friday: Sept. 2nd-8th
Phase 2 (LLM): Sept. 16th-22nd
Students Sign up for Interviews
Early Interview Week: Aug. 4th-7th
Early Interview Week: Aug. 4th-7th
Phase 1: Aug. 11th-14th
Phase 2: Aug. 18th-21st
Phase 1 (LLM): Sept. 8th-11th
Football Friday: Sept. 22nd-25th
Phase 2 (LLM): Oct. 6th-9th
Phase 2: Aug. 18th-21st
Phase 1 (LLM): Sept. 8th-11th
Football Friday: Sept. 22nd-25th
Phase 2 (LLM): Oct. 6th-9th
Employers On Campus
Early Interview Week: Aug. 19th-22nd
Early Interview Week: Aug. 19th-22nd
Phase 1: Aug. 27th-29th
Phase 2: Sept. 3rd-5th
Phase 1 (LLM): Sept. 24th-26th
Football Friday: Oct. 10th
Phase 2 (LLM): Oct. 21st-23rd
Phase 2: Sept. 3rd-5th
Phase 1 (LLM): Sept. 24th-26th
Football Friday: Oct. 10th
Phase 2 (LLM): Oct. 21st-23rd
Log into Symplicity for more information.
Interested in the Midwest???
September 25-26, 2008
The Indianapolis Bar Association (IBA) cordially invites second-year (graduating in 2010) law students to participate in the first ever IBA Diversity Job Fair. We are seeking candidates who represent all aspects of diversity, who are looking for a one-of-a-kind legal community in a Midwestern city that has both cosmopolitan style and small-town charm.
Student registration is NOW open!
Students will register for the IBA Diversity Job Fair via Symplicity’s web site by clicking HERE. After the student submits his/her registration and responds to a follow up email, an automatically-generated password will be provided, which will enable him/her to use the system throughout the next few months. Student registration deadline is July 1, 2008.
The Indianapolis Bar Association (IBA) cordially invites second-year (graduating in 2010) law students to participate in the first ever IBA Diversity Job Fair. We are seeking candidates who represent all aspects of diversity, who are looking for a one-of-a-kind legal community in a Midwestern city that has both cosmopolitan style and small-town charm.
Student registration is NOW open!
Students will register for the IBA Diversity Job Fair via Symplicity’s web site by clicking HERE. After the student submits his/her registration and responds to a follow up email, an automatically-generated password will be provided, which will enable him/her to use the system throughout the next few months. Student registration deadline is July 1, 2008.
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