Job Interview: What you wish you knew before....

Here is an infographic from undercover recruiter that I thought was worth taking a look at...

Enjoy!

2013 SUMMER CORPS APPLICATION CLOSES TOMORROW, APRIL 10

 

Students must complete their application for the 2013 Summer Corps program by 11:59 PST tomorrow, April 10.

AmeriCorps currently has four priority areas, and we are looking to fund projects in these areas for the 2013 Summer Corps program. Students with projects focusing on serving veterans and military families, homeowners facing foreclosure, victims of disaster, and medical-legal partnerships  will be given preference but all projects (including those in non-priority areas) should apply!

Summer Corps is an AmeriCorps-funded program that provides 1L and 2L students with the opportunity to earn a $1,175 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award for dedicating their summer to a qualifying legal project at a nonprofit public interest organization.

 

SEEKING POSTGRADUATE FELLOWSHIP HOST ORGANIZATIONS

 

Please share with your contacts at nonprofit organizations and law school clinics (particularly transactional clinics for the Equal Justice Works Fellowship Program):

 

2013-2014 AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship Host Site RFPs now available

 

Equal Justice Works seeks results-oriented host organizations for the 2013-2014 AmeriCorps Legal Fellowships program to assist victims of disaster and low-income and homeless veterans through high-quality, focused legal services. Veterans Legal Corps projects and disaster relief projects will receive partial funding from AmeriCorps for up to four AmeriCorps Legal Fellows per project. Selected organizations will act as a host to Fellows providing direct legal services to at-risk veterans and/or victims of disaster. 

 

A single organization may apply for both programs. The proposals are both due by April 23.

 

Host Site RFP for Equal Justice Works Veterans Legal Corps

Click here to view the recording of our webinar explaining the AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship program and the host site RFP for Veterans Legal Corps.

 

Host Site RFP for Disaster Relief

Click here to view the recording of our webinar discussing the AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship program and the host site RFP for disaster relief.

 

Equal Justice Works Fellowship Program Seeking Transactional Host Organizations

 

Each year, Equal Justice Works awards approximately 50 fellowships to qualified and passionate lawyers who have developed new and innovative legal projects that can impact lives and serve communities in desperate need of legal assistance. Increasingly over the past few years, fellowship funders have requested to see more projects dealing with transactional issues.

 

Click here to register for our webinar at 2 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 23 where we will introduce, or reintroduce, the Equal Justice Works Fellowship program to potential host organizations who work in transactional areas, including community economic development, housing, and others, and explain how hosting a fellow could benefit their work.  We will explain the components of the fellowship, eligibility requirements, and present examples of past successful transactional fellowship projects.  This presentation is intended for host organizations, law school clinic staff and law students.  Please note that this webinar provides a general overview of the program.  Later this spring, we will present a webinar on how to complete a successful application.

 

2013-2015 NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPLICATION NOW AVAILABLE

 

Our National Advisory Committee (NAC) provides a great opportunity to become more involved with Equal Justice Works. The NAC serves in an advisory board capacity to Equal Justice Works, and by serving on the NAC, you can play an important role in providing feedback and guidance on select Equal Justice Works initiatives.

 

We are currently seeking three law school professionals and three law student members to fill positions that will begin service on June 1, 2013 for a two year commitment that will end on June 1, 2015.  As a member of the NAC, you are required to attend an annual meeting and participate in periodic conference calls throughout the year to work on projects designed to help Equal Justice Works improve existing programs and develop new initiatives.  

 

More details on the NAC and the application are now available on our website here. The application deadline is Monday, April 22.

 

FREE INFORMATIONAL WEBINARS

 

Please join us and let your students know about our free upcoming webinars.

 

Professional Social Networking

Friday, April 19 at 12:30 p.m. EST

 

Helping Those Who Served: Addressing the Legal Needs of Veterans
Friday, April 26 at 3 p.m. EST

Confessions of the Recruitment Industry

This may not be completely accurate with regard to the legal profession, but it does paint a good picture of some very basic principles of resume review...

SUMMER CORPS APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 10

Students may now apply through April 10 for funding through our Summer Corps program.

Summer Corps is an AmeriCorps-funded program that provides 1L and 2L students with the opportunity to earn a $1,175 Segal AmeriCorps Education Award for dedicating their summer to a qualifying legal project at a nonprofit public interest organization.

AmeriCorps currently has four priority areas, and we are looking to fund projects in these areas for the 2013 Summer Corps program. Students with projects focusing on serving veterans and military families, homeowners facing foreclosure, victims of disaster, and medical-legal partnerships should apply!

If you have students who have not yet secured a summer internship, check out our website here for resources on finding internships in our priority areas.

EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPLICATION OPENS ON MARCH 22

Our National Advisory Committee (NAC) provides a great opportunity to become more involved with Equal Justice Works. The NAC serves in an advisory board capacity to Equal Justice Works, and by serving on the NAC, you can play an important role in providing feedback and guidance on select Equal Justice Works initiatives.

We are currently seeking three law school professionals and three law student members to fill positions that will begin service on June 1, 2013 for a two year commitment that will end on June 1, 2015.  As a member of the NAC, you are required to attend an annual meeting and participate in periodic conference calls throughout the year to work on projects designed to help Equal Justice Works improve existing programs and develop new initiatives.  

More details on the NAC and the application will be available on our website here on Friday, March 22. The application deadline is Monday, April 22.

POSTGRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM PROMOTION COMING SOON

We have combined recruitment efforts for our two largest postgraduate programs, and will send posters promoting both programs to our main contacts in the Career Services or Public Interest Programs offices of member schools in the next week or so.  More detailed information and application materials are available at www.equaljusticeworks.org.  These programs are:

AmeriCorps Legal Fellowships: In partnership with AmeriCorps, this program allows Fellows to provide critical legal services to improve the lives of low-income and homeless veterans and disaster victims.  A living allowance is provided and an educational award is earned after successful completion of the program.

Equal Justice Works Fellowships: As a participant in the largest postgraduate legal fellowship program in the U.S., an Equal Justice Works Fellow creates his or her dream job with a nonprofit organization that has agreed to host the applicant if awarded a fellowship.  Fellows receive a salary and are eligible for student loan repayment assistance.

Your help in spreading the word about these unique opportunities is much appreciated.  We’ve also distributed these materials to our Fellows and host sites around the country.  If you’d like additional posters, please send us an email with the requested quantity of each, along with your mailing address.

How to Pack for a Conference

Although the image addresses some pointers on how to dress for the CPAC, I think this is a good reminder of how we should pack for any conference/state bar meeting/young lawyer event/etc...

Free Webinars on IP Law

Starting in the fall semester next year (2013), PatBar® will provide a free Webinar each semester for law school students who are interested in finding out more about Intellectual Property (IP) law. The  Webinars will last approximately 35 minutes and may be accessed by registering for the presentation sometime before the program starts (http://patbar.com/webinar).

Students will log onto the above Website to register for the Webinars. The first Webinar will be at 5:00 pm Eastern Time on Friday, October 4, 2013, but registered students may access the Webinar at any time after that. A second Webinar, with different content, is planned for 5:00 PM February 7, 2014.

The Webinars will provide relevant information for both engineers and science majors, who may be primarily interested in patents and patent law. It will also be for law students who are interested in other categories of IP law, such as trademarks, copyrights, antitrust law, etc. We will review aspects of the patent bar, job interviews, and writing samples so that law students will be prepared for interviews as a 2L, and for summer internships as a rising 3L.

Our instructor is David Meeks, who is the founder of PatBar® and a patent attorney. Mr. Meeks has been involved with patents from his first job out of engineering school as a development engineer. He produces the patent bar review course that our company sells today, and is also an astute observer of how law school students may make the best of their law school experience.

David Meeks/PatBar® Patent Attorney director@patbar.com

Rural Practice Checklist

In making any career decision, one can always feel overwhelmed by the amount of information to sift through before making a move final.  Practicing in a rural community come with its own list of pros and cons.  The GP Solo section of the ABA published the following article to help individuals thinking about moving to a rural location check off what "things" they should think about before deciding whether rural practice is right for them.

A Small-Town Due Diligence Checklist

Vol. 2, No. 7

Richard L. Hermann

Richard L. Hermann is a professor at Concord Law School, teaching the only legal career management course in the United States. His Law Careers blog appears weekly on www.legalcareerweb.com, for which he also presents monthly webinars on legal career topics. He is the author of eight books on legal careers. His book Managing Your Legal Career: Best Practices for Creating the Career You Want (American Bar Association, 2010) was runner-up for the Benjamin Franklin Award, given annually for the best career book of the year.

From Practicing Law in Small-Town America, Appendix B

The following suggested checklist is designed to provide you with a template that can serve as a launch point for researching small towns in which you are interested in possibly practicing law in some capacity. You can modify it to include other criteria that are important to you and to delete those that are not relevant to your situation or aspirations. Each individual and family will weigh the following decisional factors differently.

Population Trends

Current town and surrounding area population

Is it large enough to support your practice (if you intend to open a private practice)?

Is it on a growth path?

If “yes,” what are the factors contributing to growth?

If “no,” why is population stable or declining?

Composition

Age demographics

Retirement community(ies)

Seasonal changes

Colleges and universities

Climate and Environment

Earthquake propensity

Tornado propensity

Hurricane propensity

Temperatures year-round

Snowfall

Snow-removal capabilities

Air quality

Water quality

Adequacy of water supply

Severe storm exposure

Location of nuclear reactors

Hydraulic fracturing for shale gas in region

Housing

Home prices

Year-to-year price changes

Mortgage rates

Rental costs

Insurance costs

Utilities costs

Maintenance costs

Flood insurance

Crime Rates

Violent crimes

Property crimes

Professionalism of local law enforcement

Taxes

Property tax rate

Sales taxes

State income and franchise taxes

Recreation

Gyms/YMCAs

Outdoor activity opportunities

Proximity to major or minor league sports teams

Cultural Opportunities

Music

Theater

Art

Intellectual community

Grocery Stores

Retail Outlets

Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, etc.

Number of and proximity to those of your preference

Diversity

Local tolerance

Social Clubs and Service Organizations

Rotary

Kiwanis

Elks

Moose

Lions

Volunteer fire departments

Other

Education

Teacher-pupil ratio

How many parents attend PTA meetings?

Where do high school grads go to college?

How do school bond issues do at election time?

Parents’ educational level

$ spent on library and media services

Private and parochial schools

School athletic program

Technology in schools

Private and parochial schools

Child Safety

Sex offenders living in community

Oxycontin abuse

Methamphetamines presence

Business Considerations

Zoning restrictions on home businesses

Office space availability

Office rental rates

Typical wages for secretaries, paralegals

State/local relocation Incentives

New business assistance

Employment

Local unemployment rate

Primary employers

Business-sector stability

Economic development track record and plans

Downtown business space occupancy

Quality of Life Yardsticks

Cost of Living

Housing (see above)

Transportation

Maintenance

Insurance

Goods and services

Food

Clothing

Medical care

Recreation

Health Care

Physicians per capita

Distance to hospital(s)

Availability of 24-hour emergency coverage

Specialist proximity

Local Government

Talk to:

Mayor

City or town manager

Council president

City, town and/or county attorney

Judges

Planning commissioners

Business friendliness

Business attraction program

Is it formally organized?

Is it proactive?

Has it succeeded?

Examine council meeting minutes

Examine master plan, if any

How has town adapted to change?

Openness to newcomers

Transportation

Access to airports

Proximity to Interstate Highway System

Gas prices

Most Favorable Local Characteristics

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Least Desirable Local Characteristics

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.