The law is a deeply complex subject. And I know virtually nothing about it. Which is why I need a little help from you with the subject material.
I’ve only spent about five years on in the legal field – four years at a legal newspaper and magazine in Chicago and a half a year here at the American Bar Association. So a little bit of expertise in this field may have seeped into my brain by osmosis.
If it’s social media-related, I can talk about it – especially if it’s about gifs and hashtag games and memes like Lawyer Dog. Writing as well. Being a godmother in the Catholic church? Strangely, I have that covered. And soon, I’ll be sharing a great story about networking here.
But when it comes to the continuing legal education of our audience – sharing useful information about surviving law school, passing the bar, getting a job, and succeeding in a legal career – that information should probably come from you.
Student Lawyer is new on the legal blogging scene. We have the resources of many ABA publications at our disposal to share here. Which is all well and good, but we want to have original content as well. So I’ve been reaching out to educators, law firms and lawyers, marketing professionals, and the students themselves to ask them to write for us.
Why should you be interested in writing for law students?
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- You’re doing something innovative: Does your school operate a clinic whose work could be used as a model? Is your firm working on alternative billing or alternative dispute resolution? Is there an emerging niche young lawyers should be thinking about? Tell them about it.
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- We’ve already met your first-year associates: Each year, tens of thousands of 1Ls enter law school. Those students are also taking advantage of the fact that the ABA Law Student Division is now free to join. They’re going to be looking at law firms as well as other places where they can practice. This is a great forum for you to introduce yourself to them and why they should consider you.
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- Career development: Student Lawyer is one of many places that can help a lawyer establish their credibility and expertise. Your digital footprint can help you get hired, make a move, or set out into private practice. And contributing to us is another way to build your personal brand.
- Your organization is working on something important: Are you working on saving Public Service Loan Forgiveness? So are we. Maybe you’re trying to change the demographics of the industry by bringing more women and minorities into the ranks of managing partners, general counsel, or the judiciary. We want to help. Or is access to justice important to you? That knowledge needs to be shared.
- You know things that I don’t know: This category is almost too large to break down. Because I never even took the LSAT let alone went after my J.D. We’ve got 60,000+ students who want to succeed – and they’ll do better if you are their guides and mentors.
We’ve posted our guidelines so you can see what writing for us entails. If you’re passionate about the law and want to be a part of our roster of contributors, I’d love to talk to you about it.