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It can be incredibly isolating to feel like your experience is dramatically different from that of everybody else around you and that few others will understand where you come from. That can feel especially true in law school, where the vast majority of students are young, single, child-free
These lawyers trusted their instincts and took a leap of faith to find their perfect career.
Find out how the ABA is helping immigrant families get due process at the border and survivors of natural disasters recover through the YLD's Disaster Legal Services program. Plus, students tell their pro bono stories and offer their advice on how you can begin making your own legal
Lawyers and law students come together in this issue to help you become the lawyer you’ve always dreamed you’d be. Lawyers reveal the best advice they’ve received from their colleagues
Lawyers reveal how mistakes made early on taught them lessons they still recall today.
#MeToo is perhaps the most complex topic we’ve covered in Student Lawyer, but it’s also arguably one of the most important. This issue of Student Lawyer lays down the law on office behavior, combating bias, finding those willing to help, and working to stem sex trafficking.
On the heels of the 2018 midterm elections in the United States, Americans have demonstrated an ideological shift in the way previously-incarcerated individuals are treated, as well as a reevaluation of which activities constitute a crime. This issue of Student Lawyer examines how Americans are reevaluating what justice means in
Nine students who’ve devoted part of their law school career to public interest opportunities explain why they chose the path they’ve taken, along with the most satisfying—and most challenging—aspects of their efforts.
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.
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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