Archives for the Month of March 2008 on CSO Blog
Judicial Clerkship Panel
Interested in learning more about Judicial Clerkship opportunities after graduation?
Make plans to attend the Judicial Clerkship Panel on Tuesday, April 1 from 12:00 - 1:00pm in Room A57. Former and current alumni clerks will talk about their experience, the clerkship application process, and answer your questions. Panelists will include:
Christopher McLaughlin ('04), former clerk for Judge Alice Batchelder, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Joslyn Kaye ('06), former clerk for Judge Karen Nelson Moore, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Elizabeth Young ('06), current clerk for Judge Peter Economus, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
Pizza will be served!
Entering Employment Information on Symplicity
In an effort to have the most current information regarding where you have worked or where you will be working this summer we are asking that each of you take just a few minutes to fill out the employment profile information in Symplicity. If you are still seeking employment, please remember to follow the steps below once you have accepted a position. This information is helpful to us when meeting with you, meeting with employers, and advising other students in the future. Additionally, the CSO uses this information to update The Inside Scoop on Blackboard each summer.
To enter your employment information in Symplicity, please follow these easy steps:
1) Log in to Symplicity
2) Click on the Profile tab
3) Click on the Employment tab
4) Click the Add New button
5) Be sure to include Placement Type (1L summer, 2L summer)
Women's Law Association Panel & Networking Reception - April 1
Please join Case Western’s Women’s Law Association, Cleveland-Marshall’s Women’s Law Students Association, and the Women in the Law Section of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association for a panel presentation and networking event on Tuesday, April 1 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm.
The panel will discuss “Challenges & Changes: A Woman’s Perspective on Working in the Legal Field.” The event will take place at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
E-Mail Communication: Dos and Don’ts
If you choose to follow-up with employers to which you’ve applied by e-mail or to reach out to networking contacts using e-mail, keep in mind that, in order to be effective, your e-mail communication needs to be professional, clearly written, and error-free. Some things to keep in mind:
1. Use a Specific Subject Line. Imagine you’re looking an in-box filled with numerous e-mails that all have the same subject line – “Summer Associate Position.” Seems pretty easy for all of those e-mails to run together, doesn’t it? Be specific in your subject line. If you’re following up on a position to which you’ve applied, consider using something like “John Smith’s Application for 2008 Summer Associate Position.” If you’re seeking a networking meeting with an alum consider using something like “Networking Meeting – Case Western Reserve University School of Law.” This will allow the person to whom you are sending the e-mail to immediately identify the purpose of your message.
2. Make your Message Easy to Respond To. Take time to draft a well-written and focused e-mail that clearly articulates why you have contacted the person and allows the person to provide you with a quick response. If you’re following up on an application, clearly say that you are writing to check on the status of the hiring process and/or to see whether the employer’s hiring needs have changed (depending on the status of your application). If you’re requesting a networking meeting, ask the person if there’s a convenient time to schedule an in-person meeting.
3. Spell Check. You should treat all correspondence with a potential employer with the same care that you use when drafting a cover letter. That means no errors.
Are you interested in family law, or adoption law and policy in particular?
The CSO recently received the following information from Capital University Law School:
This summer, the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy at Capital University Law School will be hosting the third annual Summer Adoption Law Institute (SALI). SALI is an intensive one-week Adoption Law class for credit open to law students from across the country. This year, SALI will take place August 4th through August 8th at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio.
In addition to traditional coursework in adoption law, students will hear from exciting guest speakers and will participate in practical exercises.
If this opportunity is of interest to you, please visit http://www.law.capital.edu/adoption/sali.htm for more information and additional information about the Center.
Government Careers Week
Thinking about a career with the government? Interested in working for a federal, state, or local government agency?
Starting Monday, March 24, the CSO will host a week of events focused on government careers. Check out the schedule of events below.
Monday, March 24
Government Resources Table – Learn about the resources available for your government job search.
Upper Rotunda, 12:00 -1:00 pm
Tuesday, March 25
Government Student Panel – Learn how your classmates found their summer positions with government agencies, the employers they worked for, and the types of assignments they worked on.
Room A57, 12:00 -1:00 pm
Wednesday, March 26
Government Attorney Panel – Hear attorneys discuss their practice with government agencies. Room A57, 12:00 -1:00 pm
References and Recommendations
At some point in the job search process, you are certain to be asked for references or letters of recommendation. (Letters of recommendation are most common for judicial clerkships and for fellowships.) The request for a reference or a letter may happen early in the application process or just prior to receiving an offer. In either case, you need to be prepared to provide a potential employer with the requested information and you need to make sure the people you use as references or letter writers are prepared to receive a call or write a letter. Some tips from the CSO:
1. Don’t wait until the last minute to ask people to be references or to write a letter of recommendation. Waiting until the last minute is always unfair to the person who you are asking, and it is particularly unfair if you are asking someone to write a letter of recommendation. Writing these letters takes time and you want to make sure you give your recommender plenty of time. If you’re not sure whether you will need a letter of recommendation, contact potential recommenders ahead of time anyway to see if they would be willing to write letter should you need them. Do the same for potential references, making sure to ask people to be references before providing their name as a reference. This will give you time to provide your references with the information they need to speak accurately about your skills. (See number 3, below.)
2. Use people who are familiar with your work and your skills. Yes, this specifically includes law school professors. Keep in mind that many legal employers are particularly interested in your performance in law school and, therefore, establishing a good relationship with your professors and using these professors as references is important. Past or current employers are also a source of potential references, as long as the person you use is specifically familiar with you and the work you’ve done.
3. Make sure your recommenders and references have accurate information. Give recommenders and references a copy of your current resume so that they can speak accurately about you. And make sure they have information about the specific jobs for which you’ve used their name as a reference so they can speak to the skills you have that might be most relevant to the position.
4. Stay in touch. Stay in touch with the people who have agreed to be your references so they know where you are applying, when they might be receiving a call, and who might be calling them.
5. Express your appreciation. No one is obligated to serve as a recommender or a reference for you so remember to thank your recommenders and references for assisting you with your job search.
Law-Med and Cox Center Stipends
Law-Medicine Center Stipends
The Law-Medicine Center will offer up to $8,000 in 2008 to students who secure health law-related summer positions with public interest or government organizations that will not pay a significant salary or stipend. No student will receive more than $2,000. In addition, one more $2,000 stipend will be awarded to a Health Matrix journal editor who secures a health law-related summer position with a public interest or government organization that will not pay a significant salary or stipend. The 2007 summer recipients were employed with the following organizations: National Indian Health Board in Washington, DC; New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office in Concord, NH; National ACLU in New York, NY; and Shaker Heights Health Department in Shaker Heights, OH.
Application materials: application (application form available in CSO Hot Files); resume; one-page description of the position and what you expect to accomplish; Summer Internship Budget Worksheet
Application deadline: Monday, March 31, 2008 at 1:00pm
Cox International Law Center Stipends
The Frederick K. Cox International Law Center offers stipends of up to $3,000 to Case students who secure international law-related summer internships. During the summer of 2007, students who received this stipend worked for: AllBright Law Offices in Shanghai, China; Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco, CA; Bridges Across Borders in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Cambodia Tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Center for National Security Law in Charlottesville, VA; Center for Intellectual Property in Montreal, Canada; Crawford Bayley & Co. in Mumbai, India; Department of Commerce in Washington, DC; Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, DC; International Bar Association in London, England; International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Asusna, Tanzania; International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Defense Counsel in The Hague, Netherlands; International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland; Italian Non Governmental Organization in Rome, Italy; Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown, Sierra Leone; and many more. (In 2007, the majority of awards were in the $1,000-2,000 range.)
Application materials: application (application form available in CSO Hot Files); resume; one-page statement of interest; Summer Internship
Budget Worksheet (available in CSO Hot Files) and the amount (between $1,000-3,000) requested to support summer work
Application deadline: Monday, March 31, 2008 at 1:00pm
All application materials must be turned in to the CSO by the deadline date.
Summer Funding for Public Service
Attention First and Second Year Students:
Adelstein Environmental Law Fellowship
The Stanley I. and Hope S. Adelstein Environmental Law Student Summer Grant is awarded to a Case law student who secures an environmental law-related internship or employment in the public interest field (including government employment). The position must be unpaid. The 2007 summer recipient was a legal intern for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. The amount of the grant is $5,000 for an 8 to 10 week internship.
Application materials: application (application form available in CSO Hot Files); statement outlining work that will be done during the summer; statement of what the applicant hopes to accomplish during his/her employment
Application deadline: Rolling deadline; apply ASAP, and not later than Monday, March 17, 2008 at 1:00pm
Biskind Public Interest Fellowships
Each year, up to five Case law students will be eligible for Saul S. Biskind Public Interest Summer Fellowships. To qualify, students must do unpaid public interest legal work for 10 weeks during the summer at a nonprofit organization (excluding government agencies). The 2007 summer recipients were employed with the following organizations: Towards Employment in Cleveland, OH; Legal Aid Society of Cleveland in Cleveland, OH; Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, DC; Clean Air Conservancy in Cleveland, OH; and American Civil Liberties Union in New York, NY. The summer stipend is $3,500.
Application materials: resume; statement of interest; letter of commitment from employer
Application deadline: Monday, March 17, 2008 at 1:00pm
Social Justice Fellowships
Up to 3 Case law students will be eligible for a Social Justice Fellowship. To qualify, students must do unpaid public service legal work for 10 weeks during the summer at a nonprofit organization OR government agency. The summer fellowship is $3,500.
Application materials: resume; statement of interest; letter of commitment from employer
Application deadline: Monday, March 17, 2008 at 1:00pm
You’ve Scheduled Some Networking Meetings … Now What?
So you’ve take then CSO’s advice and scheduled some networking meetings during Spring Break to talk with attorneys whose practice area or geographic location aligns with your interests. Great! Now what? Here are some tips for handling the actual meeting:
1) Always thank the person who you are meeting with and recognize that his or her time is valuable.
2) Use the meeting as an opportunity to learn more about the person with whom you are meeting. What was his or her path to practicing law? How did he or she decide on a particular practice area?
3) Use the meeting to find out more about what it is like to practice law. What does the person you are meeting with do on a day-to-day basis? What does he or she like best or least about the work?
4) Use the meeting to learn more about the legal market in the city/region. What does the person know about the legal market and about hiring in that market? What tips does he or she have about job searching in the market?
5) Use the meeting to build your network. Ask the person if he or she has suggestions about additional people in the legal community who you might contact to discuss your interests or career goals.
Using Spring Break to Your Advantage
Spring Break is next week and it’s hard to believe that so much of the semester has already flown by. Take some time over the break to unwind and rejuvenate yourself, but remember that the break can also be a great time to make some big strides in your job search. Here is a brief list of some things you can do this week and next to keep your job search going strong!
• Schedule an in-person or telephone counseling appointment with the CSO if you haven’t visited us in a while (or perhaps have never visited!) to talk about your job search goals and how to get there.
• Continue checking Symplicity every few days; take the time to finally apply to those jobs you’ve had marked as favorites for these past few weeks.
• Attend a local bar association meeting or CLE to meet practicing attorneys and build your network.
• Make follow-up calls to employers you’ve applied to but haven’t heard from.
• Reach out to area attorneys for informational interviews and/or shadowing opportunities.
• Use the Employers tab in Symplicity, Martindale.com, or other
online legal directories to develop a target list of employers to contact regarding possible employment opportunities.
• Update your resume and brush up your cover letter.
Remember that the CSO will be open Monday through Thursday of Spring Break, so don’t hesitate to call, email, or stop by with any questions or concerns you may have.
Starting Monday, March 3, the CSO will host a week of events focused on careers in intellectual property. Check out the schedule of events below!
Monday, March 3
Student Intellectual Property Panel co-sponsored by the Student Intellectual Property Law Association – Learn how your classmates found their summer positions in intellectual property, the types of employers they worked for, and the types of assignments they worked on. Panelists who participated in the Patent Law Interview Program in Chicago last year will also discuss their experiences with the program.
Room A57, 12:00 -1:00 pm
Tuesday, March 4
Intellectual Property Resource Table – Learn about the resources available for your intellectual property job search.
Upper Rotunda, 12:00 -1:00 pm
Thursday, March 6
Intellectual Property Career Panel co-sponsored by the Student Intellectual Property Law Association – Hear attorneys discuss their practice in the field of intellectual property.
Room A57, 12:00 -1:00 pm
New Public Service Fellowship Available!
If you missed the presentation by Professor Casey on Friday afternoon, then you missed the announcement of a new fellowship opportunity for students taking unpaid summer employment in the public sector. Up to three Case law students will be eligible for this new Social Justice Fellowship. To qualify, students must do unpaid public service legal work for 10 weeks during the summer at a nonprofit organization OR government agency. The summer fellowship is $3,500.
To apply for the fellowship, submit a resume, statement of interest, and letter of commitment from the employer by Monday, March 17, 2008 at 1:00pm. All application materials should be turned in to the CSO.