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Last issue, we mentioned that the ABA’s Law Student Division Council comprises seven law students with distinct positions. We introduced you to the education director last issue, and this month, we want you to meet seven other students who have your back when it comes to ABA policies and programs.
This issue of Student Lawyer is dedicated to the idea of wellness—the proper balance of mental, physical, and emotional health.
News from law schools across the country including a legal incubator program, the business of recreational marijuana, Standing Rock Legal Connect, and a scholarship offer.
How do you create career opportunities for yourself? One way is to develop leadership skills—and it’s never too early to do that. The January/February 2018 issue of Student Lawyer gets you off the starting square and on your way.
Leadership is a skill that’s essential to most legal roles. As student now and shortly a new lawyer, you may think you’re not qualified to assume a leadership role today or when you land your first legal job because of youth, inexperience, or your short tenure on the job. However,
You’re busy with school. The bar exam looms, and career choices are pending. You’ve got no time to think about how the American Bar Association fits into your world right now. Maybe you can get to active involvement with the ABA later. I completely understand that mentality. But based on my own experience, it may mean that you’ll miss out on opportunities that could, literally, shape your career.
It began in 1976 when I was the American Bar Association’s Law Student Division representative for my law school. It—meaning my active involvement in the ABA— has continued for the past 41 years. And it has positively impacted me as an attorney and a person
It can be difficult trying to figure out exactly how you want to use your law degree. Do you want to work in the government? For a large firm? A smaller or medium-sized one? A public interest group? Lucky for us, we lawyers have lots of options. One of the best
Up until now, you’ve been climbing a ladder. You got good grades in high school, which helped you get into a good college. Then you worked hard in college so you could get into a great law school. Now you’ll be tempted to view law school as just another ladder. You’ll
News from law schools across the country including a new child-abuse prevention program, DACA assistance, an animal law legal clinic, and defending the rights of military veterans in Massachusetts.
What does the lawyer of the future need to know? It's a lot more than just the law. No matter where you land after graduation, fluency in technology and skills that go beyond the legal field will help you shine. The November/December 2017 issue of Student Lawyer gets you on
Pick one, or several, of the newest technologies to gain an expertise in, and you could be solidifying your career success.
Your first job out of law school can be exhilarating and terrifying. You’ll likely be making more money than you ever have before, but the pressure to perform will also be unprecedented. One of the areas where you may find yourself off balance is in dealing with firm finances. Unfortunately, few
You’ll join the Law Practice Division after you graduate, you say? No need to wait. You’ll benefit in so many ways from participation that starts today.
Stephanie Jackson, a 2L at Mississippi College, plays wide receiver for the DC Divas and hopes to use her law degree to launch a career in the NFL.
Paula Boggs says: "In my career, whom I know has been as important as what I know. Never burning a bridge and keeping friends close has been my secret sauce."
Written by a practicing lawyer, a film analyzes the start of Thurgood Marshall’s career. Here, the movie’s star, Chadwick Boseman, talks about his experience playing the larger-than-life character. Student Lawyer's September October 2017 also visits with Michael Koskoff, the writer of the movie.
When was the last time you watched a movie that was both entertaining and edifying to your legal education experience? If your answer is never, have no fear. The movie “Marshall,” released in October 2017, is a biographical film based on the life of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Did you know that the American Bar Association sponsors four skills competitions for students nationwide? For the record, they’re the: Arbitration Competition Client Counseling Competition National Appellate Advocacy Competition Negotiation Competition Also for the record, they’re pretty easy to enter. You’ll need to fill out some forms,
I entered the ABA Law Student Division Negotiation Competition to earn law school credits. I ended up having one of the most fulfilling and educational experiences of my life. At the beginning of the journey, there were one-on-one negotiations in front of the coaches. I was incredibly fortunate to be
The ABA Law Student Division Arbitration Competition was certainly my favorite moot court competition in law school. I competed three consecutive years, during one of which my team won the national title. The first year, I served as a 1L witness, and I genuinely had no idea what to expect. Aside
If you haven’t yet experienced that moment of clarity when you realize you might actually be a great lawyer someday and change people’s lives, then you probably haven’t participated in a law student competition. ABA competitions provide the opportunity to showcase your talent and build your legal resume while having fun—yes,
I learned about the ABA Law Student Division Negotiation Competition through my negotiation and mediation courses, which I was taking because I wanted to practice corporate law and thought they’d make me a more effective advocate in a transactional setting. I was loving the classes and professors, so when I
I was admitted to the bar in 1966. Since then, I’ve been a trial lawyer—at first criminal defense and later plaintiffs’ malpractice, product liability, and civil rights. Yet, unlikely as it may seem, after 51 years of practice, a movie is about to be released that I co-wrote with my
In today’s modern world, you may be among the law students who believe the law library is a relic of the past, a giant space filled with books you’ll never use. And honestly, that last bit about never using the books may well be true for some of you. But a
Before the Bar is the blog of the ABA Law Student Division. It brings together a diversity of opinions, experiences, and voices from those associated with the law anywhere in the world and is targeted to law students, current, past and future.
Unless stated, the opinions shared by our writers do not reflect the official position of the American Bar Association.
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