Friday, November 30, 2007

LeGaL Summer Judicial Internship

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Law Association of Greater New York (LeGaL) is an association of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) legal community in the New York metropolitan area.

The Dr. M.L. “Hank” Henry Jr. Fund for Judicial Internships, sponsored by LeGaL, is accepting applications for the LeGaL Foundation’s summer internship program. The intern will receive a $3,500 stipend to support a 10 week judicial internship. The internship is designed to give exposure to a variety courts and tribunals. Applications are due by January 4, 2008. The applications will soon be posted on LeGaL’s website, and can also be obtained by contacting the LeGaL office at 212-353-9118 or by emailing le_gal@earthlink.net.

2008 Summer Labor Law Fellowships

The Peggy Browning Fund is a nonprofit corporation established in memory of Margaret A. Browning, a prominent labor attorney and member of the National Labor Relations Board. President Clinton appointed Ms. Browning to the NLRB in 1994, and she served in that position until her death in February 1997.

The Fund's mission is to provide law students with diverse and challenging work and educational experiences in the area of workers' rights. Such unique and positive opportunities will both increase student understanding of workers' needs as well as promote their entry into the practice of public interest labor law.

This summer, the Fund will sponsor 40 positions in labor-related organizations throughout the United States.

Complete information about these fellowships is here.

Application deadline: January 15, 2008.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

NYU Job Fair: News and Deadline!

The following students should register for the NYU Job Fair (to be held in early February):

1. All first-year students.

2. All upper-class students who are interested in public service/public interest (if you do not know if you are so interested, register and then look at the employers who will be attending the Fair; some of them may be of interest to you).

Go here to register.

The deadline to register is Wednesday, December 5, at 3:00 p.m. Do not wait until the last minute, as the NYU servers have been known to crash due to the high level of traffic and you may not be able to log on to the system.

Remember
, registering for the Fair commits you to nothing. There is no penalty for registering and then deciding not to participate in the Fair. However, if you fail to register, you may not participate in the Fair.

Cover Letters:

The NYU Job Fair people have just announced a new rule regarding cover letters that may be sent to employers. Here is the message:

"This year, students are allowed to upload a cover letter in addition to their resume so long as the two are uploaded as a single document. When a student selects the "Apply" link next to an organization, the following instructions are given:

Upload Resume

You have selected to submit your resume to [organization name]. We recommend that you submit a cover letter along with your resume. If you wish to do so, you must first combine the cover letter and resume into one document. You may upload most common document formats, including Word (.doc/.docx), Works (.wps), WordPad (.rtf), WordPerfect (.wpd), Portable Document Format (.pdf), HTML (.html), and Plain Text (.txt). Shortly after you upload your résumé, a PDF version will become available.
Select 'Browse' to select your resume/cover letter and click 'Upload' to continue.
"

A cover letter is a great way to highlight experience and interests you may have that are relevant to an employer. We encourage all students to have their cover letters and resumes reviewed by a CSO counselor before these documents are uploaded to employers through the NYU Job Fair online system.

Please be mindful that the primary deadline to choose and apply to employers and upload your resume (and any cover letters) is January 1, 2008. After that date, your ability to choose a large number of employers is severely diminished. Look on the online system for details about the deadlines to upload your resumes and cover letters.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

ABA Business Law
Summer Clerkship Opportunities

The American Bar Association Summer Business Law Diversity Clerkship Program encourages students to pursue business court clerkship opportunities and to consider careers in the practice of business law. In considering a student's diversity, the Section will give special consideration to individuals who have overcome social or economic disadvantages such as physical disability, financial constraints, or cultural impediments to becoming a law student.

The objectives of the Program include:

• To encourage more diverse law students to apply for clerkship positions
• To foster relationships between business court judges and diverse law students
• To provide students with a foundation in various aspects of business law

Up to nine interns will be placed in business court clerkships in the Philadelphia Commerce Court or the Delaware Court of Chancery. Interns will also be given a summer stipend of $6,000.

The Application Process:

Applications are due January 31, 2008. Students will be notified in March 2008.

For more information about the Business Law Diversity Clerkship Program click here.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Take the Fear Out of Your Job Search

Job Search Networking and Interviewing

Thursday, December 6, 2007, 9-10:30 am
House of the Association, 42 West 44th Street

This is an interactive workshop that will provide guidance on how to network and interview, and discuss ways to take the fear out of those job search processes.

Speakers:

CAROL KANAREK, J.D. C.S.W.
Kanarek & Brady LLC; Career Management for Lawyers

LINDA E. LAUFER, J.D.
Director of Career Development, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Sponsored by:
Committee on Career Advancement and Management, Tanya Gill, Chair

Space is limited to 25 people. Registration is necessary. The fee is $10. Please register online here.

Monday, November 19, 2007

International Pro Bono
and Public Service Opportunities

A World of Opportunity:
International Pro Bono and Public Service


Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 6-8 pm
New York City Bar Association, 42 West 44th Street

This program will cover international pro bono and public service work that can be done here and abroad, the variety of organizations sponsoring such opportunities, and firsthand accounts by attorney volunteers. The panel will be followed by a reception, giving attendees a chance to chat with panelists and volunteers. This program is open to attorneys who are interested in exploring pro bono and public service opportunities with an international focus.

Speakers:

JOAN VERMEULEN
Executive Director, Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice

JEAN BERMAN
Executive Director, International Senior Lawyers Project

CHRISTINA STORM
Founder and President, Lawyers Without Borders

EDWIN REKOSH
Executive Director, Public Interest Law Institute

PAUL WILLIAMS
Executive Director, Public International Law & Policy Group

Sponsored by:
Committee on International Environmental Law, John Rousakis, Chair; Committee on International Human Rights, Mark Shulman, Chair; International Legal Services Task Force, Steven Hammond, Chair; Committee on Pro Bono and Legal Services, Madeleine Schachter, Chair; Committee on Senior Lawyers, David Ellenhorn, Chair

Co-sponsored by:
City Bar Public Service Network; Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Coordinators; Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice

Registration is necessary. Please respond to rsvp@nycbar.org

Friday, November 9, 2007

The Fastest Growing
Legal Field That Doesn’t Pay a Dime

Today, Long Island Business News has an article about how big Long Island law firms are taking pro bono matters into their own hands. The article provides another reason why even those students who seek to go into private practice should consider having a semester or two of public interest experience before they graduate. Go here to read the article.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Criminal Defense Training in the South

Are you interested in indigent criminal defense practice in the south? The Southern Public Defender Training Center (SPDTC) is an organization committed to providing training to new public defenders throughout the south. SPDTC offers a three-year training curriculum designed for public defenders with less than three years of experience representing indigent defendants. This curriculum includes roughly 100 hours of instruction during the first year and 16-20 hours of instruction the following two years.

The SPDTC is designed to fill a void in training currently available to young public defenders. It takes into consideration a big-picture view of what public defenders need to better represent their clients. Rather than being limited to trial skills or discrete legal topics, the SPDTC offers a comprehensive curriculum designed specifically for public defenders. Training is designed to be interactive, making use of exercises requiring role play and simulation. With an average student to faculty member ratio of three to one, participants receive an extraordianry amount of individual attention in small group settings. The SPDTC offers a faculty of both current and former public defenders from around the country. These lawyers are all committed to the improvement of indigent defense representation and have been responsible for raising the standard of practice in jurisdictions nationwide.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Bad Handshake? Fix it.

CareerBuilder recently ran a column entitled The Worst Ways to Shake Hands, describing some of the classic examples of bad hand shakes, including the "I won't let go" and the "cold and clammy."

To read about these poor attempts to shake hands and suggestions on how to shake hands well, go here.