The Shark

aba job search restrictions = helicopter parenting?

[justin gosling]

ABA restrictions on the 1L job search don’t make sense. Not familiar with the rules? Basically, 1Ls cannot consult with their career services office until November 1, and cannot contact employers until December 1. I'm told the reasoning is that we need to learn how to “do” law school before thinking about practicing law; the restriction is designed to increase study time by removing the temptation to send out resumes.

There is one minor catch: we're still in school on December 1.  Oh, and exams begin shortly therafter (UC Hastings and The University of San Francisco begin on December 3 while Boalt Hall and Stanford start on December 10).  Just what we need, more pressure.

I understand that the ABA is looking out for us, but the last thing I want to do is worry about contacting judges and firms in addition to memorizing obsolete common law. I’m perfectly happy waiting to send out resumes until after finals, but I know someone will be at Kinko’s at 11:59 just waiting to fire up the fax machine. So, do you sacrifice exam preparation time and search for a job, or do you study hard, ignore the job search for the time being, and hope that potential employers do not overlook your late resume?  Come on ABA, either pick a date after finals or remove the restriction altogether.

and you thought playing dress-up was so over

[abony holmes]

My dreadlocks are great in many ways: low maintenance, fun to play with, and they paint me as the revolutionary black power activist that I always wanted to be. The only problem is that every week I have to retwist them, because as much as I want to be a revolutionary black power activist, I live in a reality where I don't want to scare white people too much. Besides, the Rasta look probably does not scream to law firms "I promise to play by your rules."

So last night before bed I twisted my locs and pinned them with a bunch of huge metal hairpins. This morning, as usual, I took a shower, brushed my teeth, put on one of my three pairs of jeans, a t-shirt, and my Boalt Hall sweatshirt. As I walked out of the door, I remembered my hair and haphazardly pulled most of the pins out.

Of course, I forgot some. I was vaguely aware of this on the bus when the lady across from me stared, in my Contracts class when I noticed my locs weren't nearly as bouncy as they usually are, and at lunch a few minutes ago when I reached up to twirl them and found a few pins.

But I don't care. I'm a student again, and what's more I'm in a committed relationship. I couldn't care less about how I look.

blah, blahson & blahderitz

[justin gosling]

1Ls can begin the job search on December 1st (thank you, ABA), and I'm beginning to discover that there are a ton of private sector employers.  There are so many employers that it can be confusing just trying to keep the damn names straight.  I, for one, need a spreadsheet to keep from mixing up each firm.  I propose what we substitute the string of partner names for something descriptive.  It's a lot easier to remember "badass technology lawyers that pay market rates and don't have 2,400 billable hours" rather than "Smith, Jones, and Wiganowski, LLP."  Firms might have to use 3x5 index cards rather than standard business cards in accommodating the new and improved names, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to (let them) make.

 

That or we need a law firm name translation device.  Google, get on that.

 

Okay, maybe it’s not that difficult to keep the various firms straight, but it is tough to sort out the information that is out there. Firm websites have lots of detail about practice areas, but they will not give you all the dirt you deem necessary to make an informed employment decision. If you are concerned with how associates are treated on a day to day basis, for example, you may want to consult several sources.  Talking to someone in the firm is always a great start, but the NALP Directory, forums like Greedy Associates, or a simple Google Search are also useful.  Whatever the method, the trick is to actively seek out specific information on a prospective firm, rather than sticking with what the talking head has stuck up on their site.

fred thompson luvs web 2.0, is mum on standardized testing 1.0

[abony holmes]

And you thought you could forget about them once you got that acceptance letter…

Emily Bazelon of Slate recently asked campaign front runners to reveal their LSAT scores,  and their answers (or non-answers) were revealing. How important is the almighty LSAT score once you've graduated from law school and proved yourself competent (or at least competent enough to be a serious contender for the presidency)?

And a quick side note: a shot out to the blogging world comes from candidate Fred Thompson, who Slate reports has hired blawgers from The Volokh Conspiracy to round out his "posse" and/or "corner."

"you come in here with a skull full of mush and you leave thinking like a lawyer"

[justin gosling]

With the semester wrapping up and exams looming, it's a perfect time reflect on my law school experience rather than do any real work.

The biggest shock of the experience is the difference between law school lore and reality.  When I researched graduate schools, law school had a reputation akin to educational torture, but I'm not convicted this is 100% accurate for my generation.  Movies like The Paper Chase,  with the tough and intimidating Professor Kingsfield, set the tone for society's then-view of the legal education system.  My experience is that professors are much less adversarial.  Even my property professor happily reminds the class that it could be worse: we could have had a former professor at UC Hastings that required students to stand while taking their Socratic Method beat down.  Well, Professor Kingsfield and his evil ways died long ago.  I'm not saying the modern law school experience is like the one portrayed in Legally Blonde, but it sure isn't The Paper Chase.

it's all fun and games until someone needs a job

[abony holmes]

With December 1st around the corner, 1Ls interested in working at a firm or with a judge should be updating and perfecting their resumes and cover letters. December 1st marks the sweet day when 1Ls can stop being coy and start seriously approaching judges and firms. A recent survey of summer associates may help those 1Ls interested in firm work pick the firm that best fits them.

If you don’t feel that you’ll be ready for December 1st, fret not. Conventional wisdom says 1Ls looking for public interest work do not have to be ready by the December 1st date because public interest employers usually wait until spring to accept applications.

But don't think that landing a sweet public interest job guarantees you a job with that organization after graduation. Competition for jobs with public interest organizations is fierce, and often those organizations are wary of hiring a shiny new lawyer who has yet to practice law or even pass the bar.

All this puts many law students in a bind. With the cost of law school higher than ever, most students want to be sure they'll be able to find employment after graduation. In fact, a survey by the National Jurist reveals that job placement is a priority even for future law students.  It may be comforting for them to know that Congress is finally reacting to the rising cost in higher education, but what about those of us already buried in debt?

I guess we'd better get those resumes ready, just in case.

discount alert discount alert

[abony holmes]

National Black Law Student (NBLSA) members can now save up to $200 on bar review courses from Kaplan PMBR.

NBLSA members receive $100.00 off the Comprehensive Program, $50.00 off the 6-Day Course, and $50.00 off the 3 Day Course. Members have until November 27th, 2007 to sign up to receive the discount.

The discount code is: 25722007. For more information, contact: 1 800 KAP TEST.

you pay to play

[justin gosling]

Distracting observations from the cheap seats:

When professors take a break from substantive lecture topics and begin to ramble, I take a break from writing notes and look at the laptop screens of those sitting in front of me. Some jokers are still taking dictation about the professor's holiday plans, but most of the students practice their multitasking skills. One eye taking notes and one eye reading Perez Hilton. Ah, distractions make some classes (almost) bearable.

Email, Google Talk, and AIM are pretty popular, though I don't know how some of these people can carry on four, yes four, conversations at once. I guess it's a great hand strengthening exercise. When exams roll around and we are in the home stretch of a four hour test my hands will be tired, but you will just be warming up. Not to mention that after three years of lectures, and perhaps millions of conversations, you will have the strength to tear a phone book in half. That will certainly make you stand out during on campus interviews next year.

Facebook's Scrabulous, however, is by far the most popular distraction since the helicopter game. It's literally taken over our section like spandex took over 80's glam rock fashion. Personally, I'm not trying to improve my vocabulary. I'm giving virtual stock trading a try, and so far I am awful. Lets just say, I'm down a substantial amount of fake money. So much, that if this were real cash I would have to seriously consider selling a kidney so just to eat next month. No joke.

Hey readers, what do you do when a professor takes a tangent down "unimportant material that will not be on the exam" lane?

The Shark's suggestions for classtime slackage after the jump:

oh how i want to break free

[abony holmes]

In my last entry, I mentioned that attrition rates at big law firms were abysmal. A story in the Legal Times explores this phenomenon and comes up with 6 possible reasons, as well as some strategies for law firms to prevent the mass exodus that seems to occur around year 5.

Some of the reasons attorney’s leave work at big firms:

1. The legal profession attracts many bright students who are not sure what else to do next, a substantial portion of whom come straight from college without any workplace experience.
2. Matches between large firms and incoming associates are made on very little information.
3. Firms often hire attorneys into a specific practice area, and changing practice areas proves increasingly difficult the more experience an attorney has.
4. Senior attorneys don’t train associates in business development, which puts them at a disadvantage for the partner.
5. Attorneys don’t make good managers.
6. The lack of work-life balance in large firms drives younger associates elsewhere.

Read the full story.

so much for that nice cup of tea, mr. george

[justin gosling]

Oh Boy, an intentional tort spotted in the wild.

Like many 1Ls, I'm preparing for finals by outlining of all the content we've covered in each class this semester. Currently, I'm writing my outline for Torts, and am finishing up the section on intentional torts: assault, battery, false imprisonment, et cetera. 

In some classes it is difficult to connect legal concepts and real world events, but not in Torts.  Take the woman who spilled McDonald's coffee on herself and sustained third degree burns because her sweatpants absorbed the liquid and held it against her nether regions.

Well, we have another gem for future text books. 1980's sensation Boy George is facing false imprisonment charges for allegedly chaining a male escort to the wall of his London flat under the guise of a photo shoot.  Simply titillating.

Aside from pure tabloid hilarity, it reminds me that we are studying a living subject. Law is happening right now. It was great exploring different political theories in college, but examining Kropotkin had little real world impact (except the artificial feeling of superiority, of course). Applying your outline to real events is satisfying because it demonstrates the interplay of law and society at a very basic level. While the world can be a fantastic study aide, it does have limitations. For instance, it is unlikely that another 80's pop star will elucidate such interesting subjects as the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.  But hey, you never know.