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Q: I’m just getting started with LinkedIn. I see LinkedIn identifies some of the members who view my profile. I’d like to reach out to those people, but I’m not sure how to do that. It feels weird to say, “I’ve seen you looking at my profile. Want
Chicago attorney and playwright Jay Paul Deratany was already a successful practitioner of the law when the case came across his desk. Something was different about it. It involved a woman who’d brought a 15- year-old-boy into her home
“I just want to sue people.” It’s an all too familiar phrase and one that perhaps all of us law students, current and prospective, are guilty of uttering at one time or another. It’s not surprising. Here in the U.S., legal pop culture thrives
It is never too early to start your job search. As soon as you finish your last 2L class, you should be thinking about finding a job. Assuming you took the time in your first and second years of law school to polish your resume, writing sample(s), and
In this edition of the ABA Law Student Podcast, new co-host Meg Steenburgh welcomes US Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska for an in-depth discussion of his career. He shares highlights from his time in law school, his legal practice, and his service as a US Marine, and
As you begin to get your 2020 calendar of events lined up, it’s time to think seriously about how to make the most of the opportunities that you have, so that you’re best leveraging your limited time. Here are some quick tips for making the most out of your attendance!
Whether they are excellent or less-than-ideal, your grades don’t define you. You define you. You are worthy of this profession and we need you.
As the calendar turns to 2020, the ABA Law Student Division was waiting for a sign, any sign, that indicated one of the remaining 16 holdout states would consider adopting the Uniform Bar Exam. It's been 8 months since last we heard from a jurisdiction
Intensive bar preparation is a “long, strange trip” (apologies to the Grateful Dead). You need your Bar Success GPS—something you don’t want to be frantically pulling together in June and July. Start early. Start now.
Q: How do I find a legal recruiter I can hire to help me find a job after I graduate and pass the bar? A: Congratulations on nearing the finish line for law school! And congratulations on thinking ahead about your job search. As you’re already seeing, earning
The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is working to remove the questions about mental health from the Character and Fitness examination to join the bar. I was part of the NYSBA Working Group on Mental Health that determined that the questions had an adverse impact on law school students.
As law school exam season approaches, the tension in academic hallways thickens like soup. Over the past few weeks, as I’ve met with students in office hours, I’ve seen worries etch into their furrowed brows right before my eyes. Everyone seems to be ahead of me in their outlining. I still don’t
Remember that everything on your resume is fair game during the interview. Pull out your resume. Read through it carefully, think about every line, every accomplishment. Why is it on your resume? What technical qualification or “soft” skill does it convey? What is the story behind it? What did you learn?
Learning from seasoned lawyers truly helps law students gain perspective on where they want to take their legal career in the future. In this edition of the Law Student Podcast, New ABA Law Student Division Chair Johnnie Nguyen talks with Colorado’s U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn about his career experiences and how he came
Study groups can be helpful for test preparation, but relying heavily on others in law school is not always the greatest strategy. This article will provide tips and tricks on figuring out if study groups will help or hurt you as a student, beginning with five
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
Amy Dickinson is a syndicated advice columnist. In a recent installment of “Ask Amy” she responded to a letter from “Chatty-Sister.” Sis complained that her brother, who was living at home while preparing for the LSAT, demands absolute silence in
Good legal writing is a lawyer’s stock-in-trade. Use these tips to up your writing game. Make it easy for your reader Legal readers are busy. They don’t want to have to stop and think to figure out what you mean or
Our student leaders are the the voice of law students in the American Bar Association. The opportunity to learn leadership skills, advocate on behalf of your peers, and make connections with attorneys encompasses the main role of those that serve on the Law Student Division's Council. Applications
Rachel Gentry, Kennedy LeJeune, and KyMara Guidry join host Ashley Baker for a roundtable discussion of law student mental health issues.
It’s never too early or too late to start thinking about paying off law school loans. In some cases, if you go to the right school, make the right amount of money, and follow confusing steps that may go horribly awry at any point, you
When I made the decision to go to law school, I honestly gave serious contemplation to leaving my two fur-babies behind. I wasn’t sure that I could fit them into my already stressful student budget. I had to account for monthly pet rent, food, cat litter, and medical
I started law school in one of the most difficult ways I could have ever imagined starting law school. Six days before 1L orientation, I suffered a trimalleolar fracture of my ankle—basically, it was broken in three places—which required surgery for two plates and nine screws. That’s how
Asking for—and getting—letters of recommendation is not as hard as you think. The law professors and practicing attorneys you’re nervous about won’t be surprised by your request. They know jurisdictions can require bar candidates to submit these letters as part of their bar application. They were in your shoes once too—they all applied for bar admissions, and likely they had to collect similar letters from people they didn’t feel they really knew well.
In June, sports apparel giant, Adidas, had its stripes thrown back at it by the European Union General Court in a shocking decision ruling against the arguably deserved
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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