Entries in the Category "Misc."
Latest Additions to the Resource Room
Missed this week's CSO events? If so, the CSO hopes that you've noticed the new hanging rack in the hallway on your way to the lockers. After each CSO sponsered event we will place extra copies of all handouts in the hanging rack - feel free to take a copy!
While you're picking up extra copies from the past week's events, why not stop by the CSO resource room to take a look at the most recent additions. The CSO created a new "Specific Lawyer Populations" section in the resource room which houses information specifically targeted to women attorneys, minority attorneys, LGBT attorneys and attorneys with disabilities. Just last week we received "The Women's Rights Internship Book, 2009," which lists various opportunities across the United States. Remember to consult these resources during your job search!
Speaking of new resources, be sure to check out the CSO's Resource of the Month - "The Comprehensive Fellowship Guide, 2008-2009." This guide is packed with fellowship opportunities that are unique and interesting. A fellowship can be a terrific entry-level experience for new attorneys.
Inside Scoop and Summer Job Evaluations
The most recent edition of the Inside Scoop is now available for viewing on Blackboard!
This spreadsheet will be an invaluable tool for you as you explore future summer, school-year, and post-graduate employment. The Inside Scoop is organized by employer names, and following specific employer names you will find the location of the employer, the name of students who have worked there and their email addresses. The CSO counselors often get questions from students asking for “the inside scoop” about employers, and we feel there is no better source than students who have worked for that particular employer. It is the CSO’s hope that students will use this spreadsheet to contact fellow classmates in an effort to gather information about prospective employers. Just a reminder that only fellow law students have access to The Inside Scoop.
Is your summer employment information missing from the Inside Scoop? Just send Candice Storey an email with your information and she'll be sure to update the spreadsheet.
In addition to the Inside Scoop, this year the CSO is excited to share our 2008 Summer Job Evaluation Binder.
Similar to the Inside Scoop, the CSO anticipates that this binder will be invaluable in helping students locate and evaluate potential employers. The binder is filled with Summer Job Evaluations, which asks students some basic questions about their summer experiences. The forms are alphabetized by employer and the Summer Job Evaluation Binder is available for viewing in the CSO.
Did'nt complete your Summer Job Evaluation Form yet? Stop by the CSO - there are extra copies available in the resource room. Thank you to all who have already completed a SJE form!
CSO Resources
Welcome back students! While you were away for the summer the CSO was busy updating the Resource Room to ensure that you have the latest and most recent resources to assist with your job search. We have recently updated many of the small/medium sized firm lists and city guides, and we have several new resources available including:
*The City/County Attorney Internship Book 2008
*The Intership Series - The Big Green Internship Book, Internships and Summer Jobs for the Environment 2008
* Green Law - Legal Internships with Public Interest Environmental Organizations 2008
*The Comprehensive Fellowship Guide, 2008-2009
*2008-2009 Government Honors and Internship Book
*High Impact Interview Questions - 701 Behavior-Based Questions
Please stop by the resource room between classes and spend a few minutes browsing to see what's available to help you with your job search. Questions? Feel free to ask a counselor!
Starting Your Summer Job Out Right!
So, you are about to start your first day as a law clerk or perhaps you are a returning veteran to the law clerk or summer associate world. Either way, this is a great time to think about how to best prepare for your summer, what to do during your tenure as a law clerk, and what not to do before you pack it up to head back to law school. A great resource is What Law School Doesn’t Teach You by Kimm Walton (a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law!) and here are just a few pointers based on the suggestions in her book. The book is full of great advice and copies are available to be checked out in the CSO’s Resource Room.
Be Prepared
Know before you even walk into the office this summer what it is that your employer is expecting from you. Kimm has a top eight hit list that includes excellent output, good judgment, enthusiasm, flexibility, appreciation, ability to “fit in,” an understanding of the organization’s goals, and realistic expectations.
And about walking in the door – be sure that you have scoped out parking, travel time, etc., prior to your first day of work. Make sure you know exactly where you are going and exactly how long it is going to take to get there. Be sure to bring whatever the employer requested if you will be filling out paperwork upon your arrival.
What to Do
Dress the part. Wondering about the dress code? Wear your interview attire until you figure out what is acceptable dress for the office. More employers seem to be moving toward business casual or business casual for the summer but understand that not everyone's idea of business casual is the same. Your best bet is to dress more formal during the first few weeks until you have a firm grasp on what your employer considers business casual.
Get down to business – you were given you first assignment! Now what? Well, Kimm Walton has great advice for making sure you get the assignment done right. Always right down the assignment, ask questions about what type of product the attorney wants (does she want a five minute briefing in three hours or a three page memo in five days), and be sure you understand the issue you are being asked to address. Most importantly, get clarification - don’t leave the attorney’s office before you have briefly repeated back exactly what you believe she is asking you for.
What Not to Do
Don’t miss deadlines! The fastest way to make a bad impression is to promise to have a memo to an attorney on Tuesday, then on Tuesday say you will have it finished on Thursday, and then finally admit on Thursday that you were so swamped all week that you never got to the assignment! When you receive assignments be sure to ask how long each one should take you to complete. The best thing you can do is talk to your assigning attorney as soon as you realize that you will not meet a deadline about the situation and see how he/she wants to proceed – ask if it is ok for you to take extra time.
Don’t forget that social events are still “work events.” A work outing to Jacobs field is not the place for overindulgence. You don’t want to be the summer clerk that everyone remembers for having one too many. Absolutely go out on the town with your co-workers and supervisors for work functions but know your own limits. Always have fun but remember that you are still being evaluated even though you are not technically in the office.
Guest Blogger's Advice for How to Make the Most of Your Summer Legal Job
Periodically throughout the year the CSO will be posting blog entries from guest bloggers about various topics. Please note that the views expressed by our guest bloggers are the personal opinion of each blogger and are not necessarily the views and opinions of the CSO. The CSO guest blogger entries are intended as an opportunity for attorneys currently practicing in the legal field to share their insight and advice with law students.
Our guest blogger for the month of April is Haroon Hamid, Esq. (class of 2006). Mr. Hamid is an Associate at Baker & McKenzie in New York. In his blog, Mr. Hamid offers advice to students for how to make your summer job experience a successful one.
"For all of you who are getting ready to start your summer work experiences, first keep things in perspective and make sure you have a great time. Second, I recommend the following:
1. Use your summer experience as an opportunity to explore different areas of law:
Most firms either have rotation programs where you move through different practice areas or have a central assignment program from which summer associates select their assignments. You can experience and gain maximum exposure to different areas of law to make an educated decision on what area most interests you through either one of these programs. If there is no such program, you can take the initiative to explore different practice areas to the extent possible.
2. Get involved in firm activities:
Your grades, your interview, and getting the job are only half the battle. The other half is networking and getting to know not only the other summer associates but also the attorneys and staff members throughout the firm. The more exposure that you have to members of the firm, the stronger your chances of receiving an offer at the end of your summer experience.
3. Treat each assignment with enthusiasm, pay attention to detail, and be on time:
The basic building block of your summer experience is high quality work. Everything else that you do presupposes that your work product is of the highest quality. Make sure that every assignment you take on is completed with enthusiasm and on time. If you feel you need more time to complete an assignment, inform the appropriate people of the additional time requirement well in advance of the due date.
4. Ask questions:
Asking questions shows that you are intelligent, curious and generally interested in what you are learning about. This is the one point that I cannot stress enough!
5. Know the facts:
You can rarely complete an assignment well if you do not know the real life context of the legal issue at hand. When given an assignment, find out as much of the factual background as possible.
Note: While the foregoing refers directly to a summer experience at a law firm, the recommendations are generally applicable to any summer legal experience."
A Best-Kept Secret of the CSO
When you come in the CSO, do you ever wonder what’s in all those filing cabinets around the room? Well, wonder no more! Most of them are chock full of some of the best resources in the CSO – firm brochures, newsletters, and marketing mailers from employers all over the country! These materials are veritable gold mines of insider information about an organization’s practice areas, attorneys, culture, pro bono opportunities, recent achievements, and more.
Use this information to identify employers in line with your career goals, to learn who the leaders in a particular city or practice area are, and to help prepare you for interviews.
The information in these cabinets is updated regularly. In fact, just this week we received a Pro Bono Update report from Mayer Brown and information about applying for student and summer opportunities with the District Attorney of the County of New York. Stop by and check them out!
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.
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.
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.
Corporate/In-House Guest Blogger
Periodically throughout the year the CSO will be posting blog entries from guest bloggers about various topics. Please note that the views expressed by our guest bloggers are the personal opinion of each blogger and are not necessarily the views and opinions of the CSO. The CSO guest blogger entries are intended as an opportunity for attorneys currently practicing in the legal field to share their insight and advice with law students.
Our guest blogger for the month of February is Matt Drain, Esq. (class of 1977). Mr. Drain works as corporate in-house counsel for Newell Recycling in Georgia. In his blog, Mr. Drain discusses the corporate in-house work environment and the importance of being a good "fit."
"In a recent conversation with outside counsel following a business meeting that he attended, he expressed relief that he has many clients and therefore doesn’t have to depend upon a single, and sometimes difficult, client. Though it’s true that corporate counsel faces greater political and social challenges as to the client than a firm attorney, this is also one of the rewards of being in-house. In the best instances, a rewarding personal and professional bond is created from many shared experiences, both large and small. In the worst instances, and I’ve experienced this unhappily, a virtually unrepairable frustration is made between the attorney and the client through a mutuality of discordant expectations and poor communications.
Consequently, it seems to me that the initial interviews and discussions between the in-house job applicant and the management group are critical. Of course, they want a knowledgeable professional as you want a challenging job that uses and enhances your skills. But the degree of intimacy, the daily contact that can include requests for personal legal advice, calls for a certain amount of intuition on the part of the attorney (and the management) as to whether the “fit” is good. It’s no exaggeration to say that you’ll be joining a family environment, no matter the size of the company, and you have to be comfortable with the other family members. If you’re to work closely with the CFO, ask yourself whether he/she is more brittle and argumentative than you feel comfortable abiding. If they are much like your father, for example, and you know you wouldn’t work with your father, then don’t work for this person. Trust your instincts. A firm is more likely to provide the safe harbor of legal acumen and productivity in avoiding or minimizing personal difficulties: not so in the intimate environment of a business.
An earlier writer discussed the pathway to an in-house position and with those remarks I agree entirely. And now that you’ve managed to get an interview with a corporate legal department, prepare yourself to show not only that you know the relevant law and have useful experience but also that you are the type of person with whom these people will enjoy working. If you’re going to all live in the same house, it’s essential that everyone gets along successfully—including you."
NALP's 2008 Online Apartment Exchange
Have you secured a summer position outside of the Cleveland area and wondering where to find housing? Maybe you are also looking to sublet your Cleveland apartment for the summer...
Law students seeking summer housing and students with housing available for the summer are invited to participate in NALP's free online 2008 Apartment Exchange.
It's easy - just visit www.nalp.org and follow the link to the Apartment Exchange. The Apartment Exchange will be available through May 16, 2008.
Blog on Holiday!
With all of you on winter break, the blog will be on a temporary hiatus. We will return with all new posts on Monday, January 7. The CSO staff wishes everyone a very happy holiday season!
More New Resources!
Be sure to stop by the CSO to check out our updated and new resources. Here are a few just to give you an idea of what's available:
Guide to Internships and Fellowships in Reproductive Rights & Justice, 2007-2008, Law Students for Reproductive Justice - This guide helps interested law students find legal internships at over 70 organizations working for reproductive justice across the country.
The Ultimate Guide to Your Legal Career, Charles Cannon - This is a comprehensive, practical and real-world guide for law students. It offers advice on how to craft your legal career and guide it during law school, as well as how to navigate your first years out of law school.
Career Match: Connecting Who You Are with What You'll Love to Do, Shoya Zichy with Ann Bidou - Takes you through a self-assessment quiz to help you identify your specific personality type and lead you to the work environment you need to thrive.
Coming soon: Careers in International Law: A Guide to Career Paths in International Law 2007-2008, American Society of International Law
Students Grade Firms on Diversity
Building on last Friday's blog about finding the right law firm for you, there is a new resource to check out when deciding which law firm is the right fit!
A group of law students, calling themselves "Law Students Building a Better Legal Profession," have decided to turn the tables a bit on law firms. The group has created a website and blog grading top law firms on the basis of diversity, pro bono and billable hours. According to members, their purpose is simply to give law students an easy way to compare top law firms based on more than just salary information. They are dedicated to the idea that practicing law does not mean giving up a commitment to family, community and dedicated service to clients. Law firms are graded in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, Boston and Washington D.C. areas with data taken from NALP. Be sure to check it out!
CSO Welcomes Assistant Director Heather Day DiFranco
Please join the CSO in welcoming Heather Day DiFranco as the Assistant Director of Career Services. Among her other duties, Heather will counsel both students and alumni, assist with program planning and implementation, and oversee the reciprocity process. Heather worked for five years as a Senior Attorney Editor at Thomson/West before joining the CSO. She also previously practiced family law and school law in Columbus, Ohio. Please feel free to stop by the CSO to meet Heather!
College Cost Reduction Act
Great news! Debt relief! Yay! On September 7, 2007, Congress passed the College Cost Reduction Act and the White House announced that President Bush will sign it. The Act will make it more feasible for law students interested in public service who also have significant educational debt to take nonprofit and government jobs. Among the provisions in the bill: an annual ceiling on loan payments for borrowers with high educational loan debt compared to their incomes and the ability for such borrowers to make affordable monthly payments for ten years while in public service, after which the federal government will forgive the remaining obligation.
The text of the bill is available at http://kennedy.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/HR2669_conf_report.pdf.
What is NALP?
So you've been hearing about NALP guidelines, timelines and standards, but many of you may be wondering what exactly NALP is. NALP is short for the National Association for Law Placement. It was originally formed in 1971 as a response to a perceived need by many law schools and legal employers to create a common forum for discussion of placement and recruitment issues. Memebers of NALP include virtually all ABA approved law schools in the United States, Canadian law schools, and hundreds of legal employers from both public and private sectors. NALP's core objectives are:
* To provide vision and expertise in research and education for legal career counseling and planning, recruitment, employment, and professional development;
* To cultivate ethical practices and fairness in legal career counseling and planning, recruitment, employment, and professional development;
* To promote the full range of legal career opportunities and to foster access to legal public interest and public sector employment; and
* To advocate for diversity in the legal profession and in our membership.
To find out more about NALP, go to www.nalp.org. Here you will be able search NALP's directory of legal employers, and have access to important NALP principles and standards.
Blog on Break
With all of you on "summer break," spending your summers working for law firms, corporate legal departments, public interest organizations, government entities and the like, we understand that you might not have a chance to visit the blog on a regular basis. As such, the CSO Blog will also go on a bit of a summer hiatus. Don't worry though - we will still post important announcements, tips, and reminders on a weekly basis. We will also resume our daily posts later in the summer. We hope that you are all enjoying your summer experience, whatever it might be. Remember that we are here Monday through Friday 8:30 - 5:00 and are more than happy to answer questions over the phone or via email.
Starting Your Summer Job Out Right!
So, you are about to start your first day as a law clerk or perhaps you are a returning veteran to the law clerk or summer associate world. Either way, this is a great time to think about how to best prepare for your summer, what to do during your tenure as a law clerk, and what not to do before you pack it up to head back to law school. A great resource is What Law School Doesn’t Teach You by Kimm Walton (a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law!) and here are just a few pointers based on the suggestions in her book. The book is full of great advice and copies are available to be checked out in the CSO’s Resource Room.
Be Prepared
Know before you even walk into the office this summer what it is that your employer is expecting from you. Kimm has a top eight hit list that includes excellent output, good judgment, enthusiasm, flexibility, appreciation, ability to “fit in,” an understanding of the organization’s goals, and realistic expectations.
And about walking in the door – be sure that you have scoped out parking, travel time, etc., prior to your first day of work. Make sure you know exactly where you are going and exactly how long it is going to take to get there. Be sure to bring whatever the employer requested if you will be filling out paperwork upon your arrival.
What to Do
Dress the part. Wondering about the dress code? Wear your interview attire until you figure out what is acceptable dress for the office. More employers seem to be moving toward business casual or business casual for the summer but understand that not everyone's idea of business casual is the same. Your best bet is to dress more formal during the first few weeks until you have a firm grasp on what your employer considers business casual.
Get down to business – you were given you first assignment! Now what? Well, Kimm Walton has great advice for making sure you get the assignment done right. Always right down the assignment, ask questions about what type of product the attorney wants (does she want a five minute briefing in three hours or a three page memo in five days), and be sure you understand the issue you are being asked to address. Most importantly, get clarification - don’t leave the attorney’s office before you have briefly repeated back exactly what you believe she is asking you for.
What Not to Do
Don’t miss deadlines! The fastest way to make a bad impression is to promise to have a memo to an attorney on Tuesday, then on Tuesday say you will have it finished on Thursday, and then finally admit on Thursday that you were so swamped all week that you never got to the assignment! When you receive assignments be sure to ask how long each one should take you to complete. The best thing you can do is talk to your assigning attorney as soon as you realize that you will not meet a deadline about the situation and see how he/she wants to proceed – ask if it is ok for you to take extra time.
Don’t forget that social events are still “work events.” A work outing to Jacobs field is not the place for overindulgence. You don’t want to be the summer clerk that everyone remembers for having one too many. Absolutely go out on the town with your co-workers and supervisors for work functions but know your own limits. Always have fun but remember that you are still being evaluated even though you are not technically in the office.
What Employers Are Looking For in a Summer Associate
Soon after finals, many of you will be off to start your new positions as summer associates/law clerks. Here are some pointers, according to Holly English, on how to impress as a new summer associate/law clerk:
1. Make Connections - While working hard is very important, it is equally important to make contacts with people within the firm so that they remember you.
2. Get Feedback - Particularly if it is not offered voluntarily, you must follow up with each assignment to find out whether there are any issues. It is important to know what's going on so that you can improve your performance, or at least show that you are willing to work on any flaws.
3. Proofread Your Work and Get Someone Else to Read It - Be very careful to make sure your written work is impeccable. Have someone outside the firm (a friend from law school)read your work if you don't have someone at the firm who can do so. When people see that you attend to every detail, they will think of you as someone who will not overlook anything and who cares about the work they produce.
4. Be Polite to the Support Staff - Although the firm may not ask the support staff's opinion about whether to hire you, don't go around snapping your fingers to secretaries and seeing how high they will jump. If you get a reputation as a jerk with the support staff, this news can travel fast up through the ranks and eventually come back to haunt you.
5. Be Enthusiastic - Project energy and enthusiasm about your projects, even if they are a tad dull. You're just starting out so you're bound to get tedious projects, but you need to show your superiors a "can-do" attitude and limitless energy.
6. Don't Drink Too Much - You will probably have some social opportunities during the summer that will include alcohol. You must be careful not to drink too much and make a fool of yourself. Despite the social trappings, these people are not your social friends - they are your potential colleagues and (at this point) almost entirely your superiors. It may look like a party, but it's not - it's still a work situation and you must conduct yourself accordingly.
7. Ask Yourself - Do You Like Them? - Firm culture will vary from place to place. While you are being looked over, you need to soak up the firm atmosphere to figure out whether it is the right place for you. Understand that if this firm is not the place for you, there will be another one out there that better fits your personality and goals.
Timing for Pursuing an LL.M.
Thinking of pursuing an LL.M. degree? There are advantages and disadvantages to pursuing the degree immediately after graduating from law school. Here are some pros and cons to the timing of pursuing your LL.M. degree according to Linda Laufer:
It may make sense to pursue the LL.M. immediately after law school if you feel that you are still in a student frame of mind. After so many years of school, you may have the momentum to plow through one more year. You will be able to embark on your career without a one-year interruption or a multi-year juggling of work and study. A disadvantage is tacking on more debt when you may have already needed a significant amount of financial aid. At the same time, you will miss out on earning income.
If you decide to practice first, you may not have the incentive to return to school once you are in a work routine. The thought of studying and taking exams may become daunting. On top of that, you may have family and other obligations that make it impossible for you to add anything else to your over-scheduled life.
One advantage to practicing first is to give yourself a chance to take a break from school and decide whether you really want to pursue the LL.M. degree. You may also have the opportunity to save up a little money and possibly swing semester-by-semester payments. Best of all, you may be working for an employer that values the degree and is willing to pay all or part of your tuition while you continue to pratice!
There is one final consideration. You must have realistic expectations for how much an LL.M. degree can boost your career opportunities. Before entering an LL.M. program, learn what opportunities are available for LL.M. students, when and how students obtain them, and what career services are available to those students.
Reminder: Loyola Patent Law Interview Program
Attention students registered to participate in the Loyola Patent Law Interview Program in Chicago this summer:
Bidding closes today, April 20! If you have any questions please contact the Career Services Office.
Intersection of Career & Student Services: Continuing Duty to Disclose Misconduct
You were reminded of this during your first days here at the law school, but we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you again because it is SO IMPORTANT and can have repercussions when you want to sit for the bar and begin your legal career!
In your application for admission to Case Western Reserve University School of Law, you were required to disclose incidents of misconduct (as specified in your application for admission). Failure to disclose can be grounds for denial of admission, revocation of an offer of admission, dismissal, or suspension after matriculation and may be reported to the state bar. Not only is failure to disclose a violation of our Academic Rules, it can lead to alot of problems when you try to become licensed by the bar of any state. Failure to disclose issues often hold up applications to sit for the bar or become licensed after passing the bar.
Late disclosure can lead to discipline, dismissal from law school, or revocation of a diploma. In addition -- and this part is often forgotten by students -- students have an ongoing duty to update their application. After matriculation, you should notify the Associate Dean Sarah Polly in writing if any event occurs that would change the answer originally given in your application.
If you have any questions, please ask.
CSO Telephone Room
As a follow-up to the all of the great phone interview advice, please keep in mind that the CSO has a phone room available for students to use to call employers.
We know that cell phone reception in the law school can be spotty at times and the last thing you want to do is drop a call with an employer. So, take advantage of this quiet space to call employers to schedule interviews, conduct phone interviews, and make follow-up phone calls.
The phone room is available during normal business hours (8:30 am - 5:00 pm Monday - Friday) and can be reserved for a specific day and time by just stopping into the CSO. If you need to make a quick call you can also just stop in to see if the phone room is available.
CSO's Recruitment Coordinator
The CSO is pleased to announce Brian Kornell's promotion to Recruitment Coordinator. Among Brian’s various duties, he will be coordinating the components of our interview programs, including early interview week, our off-campus programs, and our on-campus programs. In addition, Brian will now be your contact person for questions regarding Symplicity, ranging from log in issues to bidding concerns. Moving forward please direct your questions regarding Symplicity, interview programs, and the like to Brian. He can be contacted at brian.kornell@case.edu, 368-2455, or by stopping into the CSO!
Law-Medicine Center and Cox International Law Center Stipends
Law-Medicine Center Stipends
The Law-Medicine Center will offer up to $8,000 in 2007 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 2006 summer recipients were employed with the following organizations: Vermont Medical Society in Montpelier, VT; Patients Not Patents in Washington, DC; and UNAIDS/WHO/AMI in Rangoon, Burma.
Application materials: resume; one-page description of the position and what you expect to accomplish; Summer Internship Budget (available in CSO Resource Room)
Application deadline: Friday, March 23, 2007 at 1:00pm in the CSO
Cox International Law Center Stipends
The Frederick K. Cox International Law Center offers stipends of up to $1,000 to $3,000 to Case students who secure international law-related summer internships. During the summer of 2006, students who received this stipend worked for: International Trade Centre in Geneva, Switzerland; Amnesty International in Washington, DC; U.S.-Canada Law Institute in Ottawa, Canada; Abrahams & Gross in Capetown, South Africa; Clyde & Co. in Shanghai, China; O’Connor & Company in Brussels, Belgium; Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown, Sierra Leone; Defense Counsel for the ICTY in the Hague, Netherlands; U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC, UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda; International Bar Association in London, England; and many more. (In 2006, the majority of awards were in the $1,000-2,000 range.)
Application materials: application (application form available in CSO Resource Room); resume; one-page statement of interest; Summer Internship Budget Worksheet (available in CSO Resources Room) and the amount (between $1,000-3,000) requested to support summer work
Application deadline: Friday, March 23, 2007 at 1:00pm in the CSO
17th Annual National Association of Environmental Law Societies (NAELS) Conference
“The Future of Environmental Protection"
March 15–18, 2007
Hosted by The George Washington University Law School Environmental Law Association (ELA).
The theme of this year's NAELS conference, "The Future of Environmental Protection," will encompass a variety of contemporary topics in environmental law, with a specific focus on legal issues relating to global climate change. This four-day conference will include panels, workshops, and presentations addressing a range of environmental legal issues, including: climate change, international environmental law, water law, the property-rights movement, and law student activism. Al Gore is the conference's featured speaker.
The conference also will feature a career fair as well as social functions which will provide opportunities to network with environmental lawyers, academics and law students from throughout the country. The NAELS conference will conclude on Sunday, March 18, with a lecture and a question and answer session with former Vice President Al Gore and a showing of the film “An Inconvenient Truth.” Join leading academics, government officials, practitioners, and students to consider the future of environmental law.
Attendance is open to students, academics, and practitioners. All conference events will be held on The George Washington University campus in downtown Washington, D.C. For a full conference schedule and additional information, including registration details and accommodations, please click here
If you are interested in attending the conference and would consider sharing travel expenses with other interested students, please contact Kelli Curtis in the CSO.
Environmental & Public Interest Law Summer Fellowship Opportunities
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 2006 summer recipient was a law clerk for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas (where she did environmental law-related work). The amount of the grant is $5,000 for an 8 to 10 week internship.
Application materials: application (application form available in CSO Resource Room); 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 Friday, March 2, 2007 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 2006 summer recipients were employed with the following organizations: Towards Employment in Cleveland, OH (2 students); Legal Aid Society of Cleveland in Cleveland, OH; National Disability Rights Network in Washington, DC; and ACLU of Indiana in Indianapolis, IN. The summer stipend is $3,500.
Application materials: resume; statement of interest; letter of commitment from employer
Application deadline: Friday, March 2, 2007 at 1:00pm
Spring Interview Program Phase I Deadline
The first deadline for the Spring Interview Program is tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1pm. Please be sure to bid for all employers that interest you prior to that time. Please note, you will need to have all documents uploaded to Symplicity prior to bidding and it can take the system some time to process uploaded documents.
The following On Campus and Resume Collect employers are participating in Phase I:
Employer
Class year
City of Shaker Heights, Dept. of Law
1L & 2L
Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter
1L
Mannion & Gray, Co., LPA
1L & 2L
Millisor & Nobil
3L
Smith Marshall, LLP
2L
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
1L & 2L
University Hospitals Health System, Inc.
1L, 2L
U.S. Army JAG
1L & 3L
U.S. Marine Corps JAG
1L, 2L & 3L
Critchfiled Law Firm
1L
Davis Wright Tremaine
3L
McEwen Gisvold LLP
3L
Pace Women's Justice Center
1L & 2L
Towards Employment
1L, 2L & 3L
*Note, Towards Employment is a new addition to the Resume Collect list as of last week.
In addition, be sure to review the postings under the Jobs tab for the employers participating through Resume Direct.
The Alaska Public Defender Agency registered for our program this morning. Please note, their deadline is Wednesday, January 31.
In addition, the Cleveland Clinic elected to move their deadline for resume receipt up to February 15.
Finally, Hickman & Lowder is a new addition to the Resume Direct program as well, with a deadline of February 16.
If you are experiencing any difficulties with your Symplicity account, please contact the CSO as soon as possible prior to the bid deadline.
Vault Career Library
One of the resources the Career Services Office subscribes to for your use is the Vault Career Library. Vault publishes a wide variety of resources inlcuding Guidebooks, Industry and Firm Research, Company Profiles, and Career Advice Articles.
Popular Guidebooks include the Top 100 Law Firms, Corporate Law Careeers, Government and Non-Profit Legal Employers, and Regional Law Firms, just to name a few.
For those of you thinking about business related careers, Vault also offers resources on consulting firms, finance interviews, and investment banking careers.
You can view these resources online or review print versions in the CSO Resource Room. To access the Vault Career Library online, go to the law school intranet and click on the Career Services tab. Under that tab you will see an option marked Career Services vault.com Access.
Even if you have reviewed some of the materials before, you may want to check out some of the new/updated materials.
New on the Online Library:
View From the Top: Q&A With Legal Women Leaders
2007 Edition: Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms, with all new rankings and profiles
2007 Edition: Vault Guide to Law Firm Pro Bono Programs
2007 Edition: Vault/MCCA Guide to Law Firm Diversity Programs
NALP's 2007 Online Apartment Exchange
Law students seeking summer housing and students with housing available for the summer are invited to participate in NALP's free online 2007 Apartment Exchange. Visit www.nalp.org and follow the link to the Apartment Exchange. The Apartment Exchange will be available from January 16, 2007 until May 15, 2007. This is a terrific resource if you are headed out of Cleveland for the summer and need to sublet your apartment and/or need housing in another city!
Periodicals in the CSO
Another reason to stop by the CSO is the opportunity to sit down in the resource area and leaf through some of the many legal publications we subscribe to. Here is a listing of some of the periodicals we subscribe to:
ABA Journal
The American Lawyer
Crain's Cleveland Business
Cleveland Bar Journal
The Bar Examiner
Fast Company
Business 2.0
Law & Fact
Ohio Lawyer
The National Law Journal
The Chronicle of Higher Education
We look forward to seeing you in the CSO!
Department of Homeland Security Internships
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is currently accepting applications for summer 2007 internships at the DHS headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Please note that applications will only be accepted through January 12, 2007.
Interested applicants can apply online at http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/getjob.asp?JobID=52017856
Employer Development Update
With the spring semester about to start, the CSO wanted to give you a brief summary of the geographic areas we have visited over the past few months. We base our trips on your responses to our geographic surveys at the beginning of the year so if there is a market you are interested in be sure to let your career counselor know. Now, on to the summaries:
New York
We met with a number of non-profit organizations and an alumnus whose practice revolves around the importation and exportation of liquor, wine and beer.
Los Angeles
On two trips to L.A. we met with a number of government employers and law firms of various sizes, including the firm of an alumnus who is actively looking for both clerks and attorneys.
San Francisco
We met with the City Attorney’s office as well as a few firms and a non-profit organization who all provided great advice on how to break into the San Francisco market.
Columbus
We met with seven different employers who were all excited at the opportunity to recruit from Case, including both government employers and law firms of various sizes.
Pittsburgh
We met with a number of employers including a mid-sized health law firm who was impressed with the quality of our health law program and subsequently posted open positions in their summer associate program.
Seattle & Portland
We met with a number of employers, both government employers and law firms, who provided tips on how to get into the market and alumni who were interested in helping current students get their foot in the door.
Charlotte
We met with ten employers who committed to participating in our interview programs and were extremely impressed with quality of students that attend and graduate from Case.
If you are interested in these markets and want to learn more about the employers we visited or the local employers that we visit throughout the year, just make an appointment with a counselor in the CSO. We are happy to talk with you about the employers we met with, their hiring practices, and the advice that they have for students.
Summer Housing in New York City
Every year New York University School of Law's Summer Living in New York program opens its residential buildings to summer interns in the law and business community and to faculty, students and other adults who are visiting New York during the summer. The program offers apartment-style living in a vareity of furnished apartments and suites from single-occupancy studios to three-bedroom units. Summer 2007 accomodations are available from May 20-August 11 for periods of four or more consecutive weeks. Brochures are available in the CSO. Applications will be available online in January 2007 -- go to www.law.nyu.edu/depts/housing.
CSO Blackboard Course
Want to work on your job search over winter break but have headed home for the break or can't make into the CSO? If you haven't already done so, spend some time over break checking out all of the resources that are available to you online on the CSO Blackboard course.
You are all automatically enrolled in the CSO Blackboard course, which was launched in September. Simply log in to Blackboard and click on the link for the CSO Resources. Use the tabs on the left to find all of the information available to you.
The Blackboard course houses all of the CSO resources available in electronic format, including the small/medium firm lists, the Vermont Judicial Clerkship Guide, resume/cover letter/interview tips, networking strategies, and the Arizona Guide to Government Employment. You can also find guides to specific cities, information about different practice areas, links to government agencies and public interest organizations, internship guides, and much more.
Be sure to utilize the CSO resources on Blackboard and if you have any questions about any of the information just stop by the CSO to chat with a counselor!
Summer Funding Opportunities
Case Western Reserve University School of Law offers numerous summer fellowship opportunities for students interested in public interest, international, environmental, and health law. Through grants by several generous donors, as well as through funding from our academic centers, fellowships are available to current students who wish to pursue unpaid public interest, international, environmental, and/or health law opportunities during the summer. First- and second-year students are eligible for each of these fellowships.
For most of these fellowships it is up to the student to secure the opportunity and then apply for the fellowship funding. The fellowship deadlines range from February 2, 2007 through March or April (depending on the deadline set by SPILF). All applications, except for SPILF, are due to the CSO by the specified date and time. SPILF officers set deadlines and handle the SPILF application process. Please stop by the CSO for additional information.
CSO Welcomes New Assistant Director!
Please join the CSO in welcoming our new Assistant Director for Career Services! Candice Derflinger is a graduate of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and earned her B.S. in Criminal Justice at Bowling Green State University. She has experience working with several small firms in the Cleveland area, and has practiced in the areas of estate planning, business planning, probate, and real estate law. We are sure you will enjoy getting to know and work with her.
Women of Color & Large Law Firms
The American Bar Association has just released a report, Visible Invisibility: Women of Color in Law Firms, based on a two-year study by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. The ABA's study examines what happens between year one, when women of color enter the firm, and year five -- which is often when women of color leave their firms. Among the findings: nearly half of the women of color surveyed reported that they experienced overt racism or received demeaning comments; 44% of women of color said they were denied assignments to work on financially significant cases; and almost two-thirds said they were excluded from networking opportunities, both formal and informal. Lack of effective mentoring was cited as a major concern for women of color, and high attrition rates create a vicious cycle in this regard (few mentors are one reason women of color leave). As part of the report, the ABA makes several recommendations to help reverse the trend. Information about this report should be available at www.abanet.org in the near future.
Crain's Cleveland Business Magazine
Want to know what is going on in Cleveland in terms of the business, legal, real estate, and other sectors of the economy? Come to the Career Services Office library each week and read through Crain's Cleveland Business. Every month Crain's has a Legal Affairs section, and the November 6-12, 2006 edition contains articles about a recent NLRB ruling, law firm use of outside contractors, a partnership between The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and Cleveland MetroHealth Medical Center, a profile of an attorney at Ulmer & Berne LLP, and more. If you are interested in Cleveland employers or the local economy, or just want to know what is happening in the city in which you live, read this publication!
GLBT Resource Available From NALP
The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) has created a number of resources to help GLBT students in their job searches. Resources include:
- To Be Out or Not to Be Out, a pamphlet available in the CSO Library which provides advice to GLBT students concerning how to be out on a resume and to look for GLBT-friendly employers.
- Resources and Organizations for Building Relationships with the GLBT Community and the GLBT Contact List, both of which are intended to help students connect with attorneys by identifying GLBT state and professional associations or taskforces, and are available at www.nalp.org in the Resource Center/GLBT Resources section.
- The Annotated Resource Bibliography available at www.nalp.org. This resource includes a list of GLBT organizations that hire law clerks for internships and suggests other online resources.
- The NALP Directory of Legal Employers, available at www.nalpdirectory.com, includes demographics on out attorneys and nondiscrimination policies for various employers.
Columbus: It's more than just the home of OSU
If coming to Case is your first experience in Ohio, you have undoubtedly heard of the prowess that is Ohio State Football. However, what you may not be aware of is how Columbus, the home of everything buckeye, has changed over the last few years. On top of being the capital of Ohio, Columbus is now the “youngest” city in the state. The arena district, with its shops, bars and restaurants, and loft style apartments have attracted many people from other parts of the country to the Columbus area. With this influx of population to the area, employers are staring to open up offices in the area as well. I spoke with many legal employers in Columbus last week, and they were all looking to expand. These employers foresee growth in the next 1-3 years, and they all are impressed with the candidates that come out of Case. One employer (a small firm which focuses on issues surrounding employment law) is thinking about expanding because their business is booming. They desperately want to hire a Case student as a clerk, and groom that clerk to become an Attorney after graduation. I met with a number of government offices who are interested in hearing from Case students with regards to clerk positions for next summer and beyond.
I know that many of you may overlook Columbus when it comes to a job search, especially if you are not from Ohio originally, however it is worth a look. I know I was pleasantly surprised. If you have any questions about Columbus employers or anything else regarding your job search, please contact one of the Career Counselors here at the CSO!
Into the Mind of Employers: Ties
In an attempt to give you all some perspective into the mindset of employers, I present to you this little anecdote. While meeting with a number of employers in San Francisco last week, I spoke with a recruiting coordinator at a large firm and we spent time discussing the reasons why they look at ties to the region when reviewing candidates for employment. While some of what she said may be obvious for some of you, it is important information that is worth repeating:
"When we review candidates, one of the major factors that we consider is whether a particular candidate has some kind of tie to this region. We know this is a desirable region to live in and as with other firms; retention is an important aspect of what we need to consider. Based on what it costs for us to train an incoming associate before they become profitable for the firm, we feel that our odds are better if someone comes to work in our office if they have family in this area. It is not enough to say that your girlfriend lives here. A tie needs to be permanent."
Now I know what a lot of you are thinking: but I don’t have a tie to (insert the city that you want to live in following graduation), what can I do? For answers to that, speak to one of the career counselors here at the CSO.
NYU School of Law's Summer Living in New York Program
If you are planning to live in New York City next summer, and are
looking for a safe and convenient way to enjoy living in New York, be sure to check out New York University School of Law's Summer Living in New York program in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Each year they make their residential facilities available to summer residents. Most are summer associates and interns with jobs in the city's legal and business communities, are recent law school graduates studying for the New York bar examination, or are NYU School of Law students staying through the summer. Others are in New York for work, study, or simply visiting the city.
The 2007 program will run for twelve weeks, from May 20 to August 11. The minimum stay is four consecutive weeks, maximum is 12 weeks. Accommodations are available for single adults and couples age 18 or over, and for families with children.
Law School housing includes two high-rise buildings and two low-rise buildings. All of their housing is apartment or apartment-style, from studio and 1-bedroom apartments to double and triple suites in which each resident has a private bedroom in a 2 or 3-bedroom unit, sharing the kitchen and bath with the other resident(s) of the suite.
Information about the Summer 2007 program will be available at http://www.law.nyu.edu/depts/housing/summerliving/ in early January 2007.
Inside the Minds of Employers: Retention
In order to give everyone a little perspective into the minds of potential legal employers, I spoke with an alumnus in San Francisco who works for a mid-sized “lifestyle” firm this week and asked him what his firm looks for when they bring someone new into their office. He said that most applicants overlook the fact that the major concern for law firms is retention. To a certain extent, applicants, either for clerk or attorney positions, are looked at similar to investments. Hiring committees know that it is going to take a new attorney a few years until they start becoming profitable. The firm needs to believe that you are going to stay at the firm for awhile, not just to get a couple of years of experience so they can run off and go somewhere else. Of course this happens, and will continue to happen, but when writing cover letters or interviewing with firms, this is something that you should be aware of. This alumnus moved to San Francisco from Cleveland without a job, said that students need to have a firm answer to the question of why you want to relocate. While it is not impossible to get a job in a city if you have no ties to the region, it definitely helps.
Women in the Law
There are several events going on this fall focusing on women in the law. If this is an issue that interests you, why not take the opportunity to participate in one or more of these upcoming events.
- Notre Dame College is presenting its annual Women's Leadership Forum on Women in the Law on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 from 7:00-9:00pm. The event will feature Kathleen Burke, Jones Day; Rosemary Grdina Gold, private practice; Dena Kobasic, Thompson Hine; and Margaret Wong, Margaret Wong & Associates. This event is free and will take place at the Notre Dame College Performing Arts Center, 4545 College Road, South Euclid.
- The Cleveland Bar Assocation's Women in the Law Section meets monthly to discuss relevant issues. Meetings are open to student members of the Cleveland Bar Assocation with a minimal charge for lunch. The next meeting will be October 4 at noon at the Cleveland Bar Association. To register click here http://www.clevelandbar.org/EventDetail.aspx?Event=100406WIL.
- The Cleveland Bar Association and the YWCA are hosting a series of programs designed to develop and enhance women's leadership skills within the law firm environment and in the community at large. Upcoming events include:
- Raising your Leadership Profile through Community Service, Friday, September 29, 2006
- Enhancing your Personal Leadership Brand, Friday, October 27, 2006
- Negotiating your Leadership Future, A View From the Top: Leadership Succession Planning for Lawyers, Friday, November 17, 2006
- A View from the Top: Leadership Succession Planning for Lawyers, Friday, January 19, 2007
- How Powerful Women Get Their Way, Friday, March 2, 2007
To register for any of these events, go to http://www.clevelandbar.org/EventDetail.aspx?Event=WIL092206.
The Salary Calculator
For those who are having a tough time wrapping your heads around what a given salary is “worth” when relocating, homefair.com has created a relocation calculator which should give you a better understanding of your salary. This information can help you in potential negotiations with firms outside of Cleveland. Just as an example, let’s say you are making $75,000 in Cleveland and you are thinking about relocating. If you move to New York City and want to live in Manhattan, you would have to make $98,152 to maintain the same type of lifestyle. How about Washington D.C.: $95,695. However, if you are considering relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina, you would have to make $74,423. Below are some figures comparing what you would need to make in various cities to equal the salaries of $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 in Cleveland. While these figures can not provide for every lifestyle variable, they do provide a basic understanding for the value of a potential salary. Want to try it for yourself?
http://www.homefair.com/homefair/calc/salcalc
Continue reading "The Salary Calculator"
The Bar Exam -- Applications and Admissions
If you are a third-year law student, now is the time to be thinking about which state’s bar exam you will be taking next year. And no matter what year you are in, there are things you should know about bar exam applications and admissions now!
There are two primary elements to admission to a state bar – competence (established by completing undergraduate and law school degrees and passing the bar exam and professional responsibility exam) and character and fitness review. Problem areas in the character and fitness review element – which can result in delay or denial of an application for admission – include unlawful conduct, academic misconduct, neglect of financial responsibilities, evidence of mental or emotional instability, and evidence of drug or alcohol dependency. This is not to say that if your history includes any of the above you will not be able to sit for a bar exam or be admitted to a state’s bar. However, you need to be prepared for questions and to disclose information relating to these issues on your bar exam application and in character and fitness interviews. While your law school application may have included questions about some of the above, there will be much more scrutiny given by the bar exam authorities.
Something else to keep in mind is that the bar exam application process is very time-intensive. You may be asked for detailed information about your driving history from any states in which you have lived, lists of residences for ten or so years (and as students this can be hard to remember!), and references for all of your past employers. In other words, you can’t complete your application in one night!
It is also critical that you meet all application deadlines – late applications are not accepted. If you miss a deadline, you may have to wait until the next bar exam, and since they are only offered twice a year – in February and July – this can have a major impact on your career.
So, this is the time to be checking the application deadlines and requirements for your state or states of interest, and marking your calendar with upcoming deadlines. Links to every state’s bar exam authority can be accessed through the law school intranet at http://www.lawhome.cwru.edu/students/bar_websites.asp.
(This blog entry is adapted from an article in the August 2006 NALP Bulletin entitled “Beyond the Bar Exam: Counseling Students About Bar Admissions,” by Deborah Daddio, Director of Career Services at Quinnipiac University School of Law, and Maria Rivera, Director of Career Services at the University of Connecticut School of Law.)
What is NALP?
In case you have not yet heard of NALP or have a vague idea as to what this organization is, we strongly suggest you visit www.nalp.org ASAP and become familar with the various resources available to you.
Note that "The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) was organized in 1971 to promote the exchange of information and cooperation between law schools and employers. In order to advance those interests, the Association has developed these "Principles and Standards for Law Placement and Recruitment Activities."
Here are additional links you may find useful:
* Career Paths
* Directory of Legal Employers
* Resource Center: Diversity | Forms | GLBT Resources
* Public Service Initiatives
Greetings from Nader Ali-Hassan, Director of Employer Development
Hello everyone. My name is Nader Ali-Hassan and this past June I started working in the CSO as the Director of Employer Development. For those who don’t know, the main focus of my job is to meet with employers in markets where our students are interested in pursing employment. I gather information about their offices and the work that they do, and I educate those employers about Case.
A couple of weeks ago I met with an alumnus, who is now a partner at boutique law firm in New York City. The firm’s practice exclusively deals with the regulatory issues concerning the wine, liquor and beer industry. While their headquarters are in New York, they also have offices in New Jersey, Washington D.C. and San Francisco. This alumnus loved his time at Case (he believes that Professor Coffey’s BA class, while tough, taught him how to be an attorney and recommends it for everyone), and is interested in speaking with students who want to practice in New York. If you want more information about this firm and anything else regarding your job search, contact a career counselor here in the CSO!
Check Out the CSO Office Redesign!
If you are a second or third year student and have visited the CSO lately, you have no doubt noticed the major design changes the office space underwent over the summer! All of us here in the CSO wanted to make the CSO resources more easily accessible and to offer a more comfortable work space for students. So, you will now find all of the CSO resources and equipment available for you to use in your job search (including a computer, printer, fax, and copier) in one location rigth as you walk in the front door.
The CSO resources are constantly being updated and not only can you find a listing of all available resources on the CSO website, you can now also access all resources that are available in electronic format on the new CSO BlackBoard Course, which you are all automatically enrolled in! The course launched yesterday so be sure to check out all of the great resources that are now available to you online, including resume and cover letter tips, the Arizona Guide to Government Employment, the small/midsize firm lists for various cities, and much more!
If you have not been in the CSO since the redesign or are a first year student that has not had a chance to stop into the office please take a few minutes to check out the new CSO space! If you are a second or third year student, Brian would be happy to make an appointment with Sarah, Alyson, or Kelli for you to discuss your career plans. Although we cannot meet with first year students until after November 1st, please feel free to stop in, check out the office, and say hello!
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Welcome to the New CSO Blog!!!
Welcome back to school and to the new CSO Blog! In the past, you’ve known the “CSO News” which was published in paper format every week. We have now moved everything to this online format!
Instead of publishing only once per week, we will be giving you daily updates on the topics that are most important to your job search – interview advice, job searching tips, resume and cover letter do’s and don’t’s, and weekly job listings. We will also be offering up links to great articles, websites and other fabulous resources for your professional ambitions.
Stay tuned to the “CSO Blog” so you can pursue the most effective job search possible!
New CSO BlackBoard Course
In addition to the creation of this new blog, the CSO has also created a new BlackBoard course. (Yes, we have had a very busy summer!)
All three years of law students will be automatically enrolled in this BlackBoard course, which will launch on Tuesday, September 5. The BlackBoard course will house all CSO resources available in electronic format, including the small/medium firm lists, Vermont Judicial Clerkship Guide, resume/cover letter/interview tips, networking strategies, and Arizona Guide to Government Employment. You asked us to put our resources online, and we did!