What Do You Do? blondegalese Edition

Law Clerk —“A person (such as a law school graduate) who provides a judge, magistrate, or lawyer with assistance in such matters as research, writing, and analysis.”

-Merriam Webster Dictionary

 

Today is my one year anniversary of starting my first big girl job as an attorney!!  It’s honestly so surreal to say that as becoming an attorney been a dream of mine since I was in the eighth grade.  I had planned on posting this update on my job for the one year anniversary of my “lawyer-versary,” or my official license date, but I figured this would be a great way to start out the year!

End of the Year Obsessions

Obsession — “An idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind.”

-Oxford’s English Dictionary

Happy End of 2019!  I wanted to combine my obsessions of October, November, and December into a post looking back at my 2019 so I hope I can provide some great recommendations for you to look at in the new year of 2020!

How 3L Year Differs from 1L and 2L

Senioritis — “A supposed affliction of students in their final year of school, characterized by a decline in motivation.”

-Oxford’s English Dictionary

And just like that, I’m over halfway done with my second to last semester of law school.  I honestly can’t believe that I’m almost done with law school, it feels like just yesterday I was a baby 1L trying to get used to the changes from college to law school.  Not only are there changes adjusting to law school, but each year of law school seems to be slightly different than the one before.  I thought I would share what I found to be the biggest changes from 1L and even 2L years to 3L year.

Building a Professional Network

Network — “A usually informally interconnected group or association of persons (such as friends or professional colleagues).”

-Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary

When I started this professional development series, I had envisioned devoting an entire month to certain types of posts, but finals got in the way of that plan.  However, I promise I’ll be more on top of it once finals are done!  So without further ado, here is the next installment in this series about creating a professional network.

The Value of Pro Bono Service

Pro Bono Publico — “A Latin term meaning for the public good.  It is the provision of services that are free to safeguard public interest.”

-Black’s Law Dictionary

So with the Thanksgiving holiday being last Thursday and today being Giving Tuesday, I thought the most appropriate installment of my professional development series would be to focus on pro bono service.  Doing pro bono service really helps me to be thankful for all of the blessings I’ve had and to take an opportunity to give back to others.  Since academically I enjoy more corporate and “cold” matters, like contracts, I find that doing pro bono service allows me to actually help people, rather than just focusing on money and other similar business issues.

Cover Letters: First Intro to Future Employers

Cover Letter — “A letter that is sent with something to explain the reason for it or to give more information about it.”

-Merriam Webster’s Dictionary

I’m back with part two of my professional development series, and today’s topic is cover letters!  To be honest, I actually don’t like writing cover letters at all.  Prior to law school, I had never written one and, to this day, I still get writer’s block when trying to write one.  So here’s my brief introduction on how to write a great cover letter!

Polishing Your Legal Resume

Resume — “The presentation in a formal document or form of a person’s employment history and skills they possess.” 

-Oxford’s English Dictionary

I’ve been really inspired to do a monthly theme for my posts, and this month, I decided on the theme of professional development.  My first post is on what I consider to probably be one of the most important things a law student has, your legal resume!  I’ve had an ever changing resume draft since high school; however, a professional resume needs to highlight the skills you can bring to a potential employer.  Read on for tips on how to perfect your resume!

What Kind of Law Do You Do? Part Four

Compliance —“A confirmation that a manufacturer can do what they say they can according to the rules and standards required by a contract.”

-Black’s Law Dictionary

Guess what’s back, back again?  You guys really enjoyed reading my posts last year about different legal careers so I thought I’d bring it back!  Also, one of my requirements this semester could be completed by going to another one so I thought I’d fill you in on what this is about.  This year, my class schedule excluded the opportunity to go to a lot of them, but I actually could go to one that I was really excited about attending: a panel about compliance law.  When I saw where the panelists worked, I knew I had to go to this.

On-Campus Interviewing Process

Interview — “a formal consultation usually to evaluate qualifications (as of a prospective student or employee).”

-Merriam Webster's Dictionary

The beginning of 2L year marks the start of the job search for next summer, scary I know.  While most of this happens during the summer, firms and businesses are still taking applications for on-campus interviews.  What’s really stressful, at least for me, is a lot of these opportunities are not just for next summer, but can lead into a full time job after graduation.  If you’ve read my About Me section before, then you likely know that I would love to have a career in corporate law.  However, not a lot of people end up working in-house for a company right after law school, that means a firm life is likely what I’ll have until I gain enough experience to interview in-house.  That being said here’s an overview of the process of on-campus interviewing!

Reflecting on My Summer Internship

Reflection — “Consideration of some subject matter, idea, or purpose.”

-Merriam Webster's Dictionary

I honestly cannot believe my summer internship is already over.  I finished my ten weeks working with a local trial court judge last Thursday and I’m missing it already.  I really enjoyed my experience and saw so much during my time there.

Dressing the Part: A Basic Legal Wardrobe

Wardrobe — “A collection of wearing apparel (as of one person or for one activity).”

-Oxford’s English Dictionary

If you’ve been reading along since the beginning of my blog, then you’ll likely know that I work at Banana Republic part-time.  This basically means that outside of law school, my life revolves around fashion.  I absolutely love clothes, and the fact that I have three full closets of clothes between my school apartment and my bedroom at home should indicate that I take my clothing seriously (or haven’t grown in ten years so I can still wear things I bought when I was 12).  And going to law school means starting a wardrobe fit for a lawyer.  You might be thinking, “I’m only starting my 1L year, why do I need a dressy wardrobe?”  Well, you’ll be using some of these pieces sooner than you think, and purchasing one item at a time over a couple months will have you set for your 1L summer internship.

What Type of Law Do You Do? Part Three

Health Law—“A statute, ordinance, or code that prescribes sanitary standards and regulations for the purpose of promoting and preserving the community’s health.”

-Black’s Law Dictionary

 

My last required round table was about health law and the different opportunities available to those interested in such matters.  But fear not!  This does not mean this will be my last post about different legal career paths.  You guys have shown your love for these posts so I’ll try to find out about more careers and give you a look into what a lawyer does in that type of job.

What Type of Law Do You Do? Part Two

Corporate Law--"Collectively, the statutes, rules, regulations, and legal doctrines relating to the ways in which corporations operate.”

-Black’s Law Dictionary

The second of the practice area round tables I attended was about corporate law.  Just to let you know, the practice areas I’ll be focusing are all on areas of law that I’m interested in but if you have interest in any other areas, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

What Type of Law Do You Do? Part One

Intellectual Property--"A category of intangible rights protecting commercially valuable products of the human intellect.  This category comprises primarily trademark, copyright, and patent rights, but also includes trade-secret rights, publicity rights, moral rights, and rights against unfair competition.”

-Black’s Law Dictionary

 

Today was a very eventful day.  I got cold-called on in my Civ Pro class for the first time, tabled for Barbri, and attended a practice area roundtable.  At my school, all 1Ls are required to attend three of these round tables to see what practitioners in that particular field do for their jobs. For these sessions, I’ll talk a little bit about what the attorneys discussed when it came to their jobs and give you some insight into what a career in that field is like!  Today was the first of the ones I’m attending and focused on Intellectual Property.