Monday, March 30, 2009

CSO Goes to Washington

NALP, the Association of Legal Career Professionals, is dedicated to facilitating legal career counseling and planning, recruitment and retention, and the professional development of law students and lawyers. All of the counselors in CSO are members of NALP, participate in NALP activities, and attend the annal Educational Conference. This year, NALP's conference is in Washington, D.C. from Tuesday, March 30, through Friday, April 3, and we will be learning about new developments in the field from other law school career services people and also from recruiting personnel in large law firms and other large employers.

This year, Tom Maligno will be a presenter at two conference programs: “Counseling for Public Interest Careers from 1L to Retirement” and “A Report on the New Guide to Student Practice Rules: Boosting Practical Skills Training in Government and Public Interest Settings.”

Brett Gilbert will be a presenter at a program entitled “Learning to Blog II” (a continuation of his program last year about blogging and the Career Services Office).

Brett also has been selected to be one of seven NALP members to blog the Conference in real time. So, if you want to check in and see what is happening at the NALP conference (What? Not on your top 10 list?), go to the NALP blog here and read all about it.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Touro Wins Again!

For the third time in as many years, a Touro Moot Court team defeated teams from CUNY, Hofstra, and St. John’s law schools to win the Nassau County Bar Association Moot Court Competition. In the final round, Touro, competing against a very polished team from CUNY, argued in front of a distinguished panel of jurists, including Justice Leonard Austen of the Appellate Division Second Department.

Second-year Touro students Scott MacLagan and Jessica Mannix demonstrated impressive command of the law and the facts and, in a very close round, went on to win the competition. In addition, Touro’s brief ranked second in the brief part of the competition. Professor Patricia Rooney coached the team to victory.

Congratulations Scott, Jessica, and Professor Rooney!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Speed Mentoring for Law Students

The Nassau County Women's Bar Association, a chapter of the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York, is hosting a program entitled, Speed Mentoring for Law Students, designed to offer law students the opportunity to speak with attorneys in various practice areas in the private and public sectors. All law students are invited to attend.

Thursday, April 23, 2009
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
at the Nassau County Bar Association
15th and West Streets, Mineola, NY

There is no fee for this program, but please RSVP to Joseph H. Lorintz, Esq.

Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair:
Registration Now Open!

The Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair is a relatively new initiative designed by the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association's Diversity and Managing Partner Committees. In 2005, the first annual HDLJF was held in Kansas City, Missouri. This job fair, held on August 7-8, encourages students to make Kansas City their first choice to begin their career.

Who May Register

All 2L (graduating in 2011) and 3L (graduating in 2010) Law Students and 2009 Law Grads are invited to participate regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, nationality or disability.

How to Register

Student Registration begins March 26, 2009.

To register for this event, please email your registration request to heartlanddiversity@kcmba.org. Please include in the request your full name, the name of your college or university, your expected graduation date and a permanent email address. After submitting your request, an ID and password will be assigned to you so that you may access the Fair's web database and upload registration information needed for employers (i.e., cover letter, resume, transcript, and writing sample). The registration deadline is June 20, 2009.

For additional information, go here.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

LeGal Mentor Program

LeGaL is proud to announce the start of its exciting and new Mentor Program for LGBT lawyers and law students. LeGaL encourages each of its lawyer members to recall those difficult first years as a law student and lawyer and to consider becoming a mentor for a local LGBT law student or new lawyer. Law students and new lawyers should take advantage of this opportunity to meet experienced lawyers and build valuable professional networks. Mentors are expected to meet with mentees approximately once every other month for a period of one year. This program is a wonderful and easy opportunity to get involved and make a difference in the future of the greater New York area's LGBT legal community.

Go to LeGal's website for more information. LeGaL will do its best to match mentees with mentors in similar geographical areas, whose substantive legal practice is of interest to the mentee and who match any other criteria requested by the mentee, to the extent possible. LeGaL seeks a diverse pool of mentors to reflect the increasingly diverse population of LGBT law students and new lawyers.

Join LeGal for the Mentor Program Kick-off party on Wednesday April 29 from 6 – 8 pm (All LeGaL Members are invited to attend) at The Stonewall Inn, 53 Christopher Street (at 7th Ave. South). (LeGaL has a reserved a private room on the second floor).

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Are You Interested in Bankruptcy Law?

The economy is driving an uptick in the number of bankruptcy lawyers needed to handle all of the cases that arise from people losing their jobs. In response to this need, the Federal Courts have created an 8-part self-teaching web course designed to teach lawyers and lay people about the fundamentals of bankruptcy law and court procedure. This is a great thing to watch and include on your resume.

To access the course, click here.

"Writing Well & Writing Better"

On May 8, 2009, Touro Law Center is hosting a half-day CLE program entitled "Writing Well & Writing Better," at which members of the judiciary, practicing attorneys, and legal writing professors will talk about better legal writing. You may also arrange to have your own writing reviewed and critiqued.

This is a great program for recent alums. You should include your participation in this program on your resume and in your cover letter.

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Looking to Hang Your Own Shingle?

The Suffolk County Bar Association's Academy of Law is hosting a Continuing Legal Education course entitled "Birth of a Law Practice" to be held on Tuesday, March 31, from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. See below for more information.

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Professor Post in the New York Times

Our own Deborah W. Post, Professor of Law and the Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, co-author of the book “Contracting Law,” and co-president of the Society of American Law Teachers, was published in the New York Times online op-ed section regarding the bonuses being paid to AIG employees.

As any lawyer knows, there are few things more common — or easier — than finding legal arguments that call into question the meaning and validity of contracts. Every day, America’s commercial courts are filled with litigations between parties to seemingly clear-cut agreements. Particularly in circumstances as extreme as those prevailing at A.I.G., there are arguments and legal strategies that any lawyer would immediately recognize that bestow A.I.G. with leverage either to be able to avoid these dubious payments or, at the very least, force substantial concessions.

There are almost certainly viable claims that the contracts were induced via fraud or that the bonus-demanding executives themselves violated their contractual obligations. Separately, there must be substantial counterclaims that A.I.G. could assert against any executives suing to obtain these bonuses, a threat which, by itself, provides substantial leverage to compel meaningful concessions. Many of these executives were, after all, the very ones responsible for the cataclysmic losses. The only reason for a company like A.I.G. to throw up its hands from the start and announce that there is simply nothing to be done is that it is eager to make these payments.


To read the rest of Professor Post's piece, go here.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The Fall On-Campus
Interview Season Explained

Please join CSO for our program:

The Fall On-Campus Interview Season Explained.

If you are interested in summer (classes of 2011 and 2012) or post-graduate (class of 2010) jobs with large firms (a/k/a BigLaw) in New York City or on Long Island (or anywhere else, for that matter), or post-graduate jobs with District Attorney and County Attorney Offices, Federal agencies, and public interest fellowships (class of 2010), you need to come to this program to learn about these employers' hiring procedures and deadlines. Deadlines for many employers are in the summer.

Tuesday (today!), March 17, 12:30 and 5:30, Room 209.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Nassau County Attorney's Office
Pro Bono Opportunities

The Office of the Nassau County Attorney has launched a program where lawyers can volunteer in one of the county's litigation bureaus. According to Martha Krisel, Chief Deputy County Attorney for Special Projects, while the office would prefer attorneys with experience, lawyers at all levels, including recent law-school graduates, may apply. Lawyers would have the opportunity to work on appeals, motions, depositions, and trials, she said. While the office cannot offer the prospect of long-term, paid employment, flexible hours allow volunteers to actively search for work. Applicants must be admitted to the New York bar. Direct inquiries to Ms. Krisel.

CSO routinely encourages alums, including new grads, to participate in pro bono legal projects to keep their resume current while they look for work in this difficult economy. This sounds like a great opportunity to do that.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

International Law Meeting;
Students Invited

The year’s most important event for international lawyers is the Spring Meeting of ABA International in Washington, DC, April 14-18. Over 1,200 participants from over 50 countries will attend the more than 80 world-class, substantive, programs being presented: three full days of programming in 8 program tracks covering all practice areas of international law: Corporate Counsel/Transactional; Dispute Resolution/Litigation; International Trade/Customs; Regulatory/Regional; Public International Law/Rule of Law; Young Lawyers; Taxation; and Environmental Law/Climate Change.

To view the 2009 Spring Meeting Agenda, go here.

Law students can take advantage of the special low registration rate of $75 (for ABA members).

To Register, go here.

Getting Out into the Crossroads

While not specifically geared to law school students and graduates, Career Opportunities is a nice blog which offers job search advice and motivation to all job seekers.

Recently, Career Opportunities featured a podcast on how those who have been laid off (or, for that matter, are looking for work in any sense) should get themselves out into the crossroads to maximize their potential to find new work.

To listen to this worthwhile podcast, go here.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Happy Pi Day

Happy Pi Day to all.

March 14.

3/14.

3.14.

Pi.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Economic Recovery Resources

The American Bar Association has created a new Economic Recovery Resources page on its website. The new page offers links to articles, books, and other materials about free CLE courses, jobs and networking, law practice management, career transitioning, and stress management. Check it out.

Great Government Opportunities Program

Following up on CSO's program this semester on government opportunities, the New York City Bar Association is holding a nice presentation on the same subject:

Career Opportunities in Government
Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 6:30-8:00 PM
House of the Association, 42 West 44th Street, New York, NY

Interested in working for City, State or Federal government?
Come hear a panel of government attorneys discuss their own career paths, the various employment opportunities within government, and advice for students seeking a career in government.

Moderator:
Natasha Demosthene
Court Attorney to the Hon. Robert R. Reed, Judge, New York State Family Court, Bronx County

Speakers:
Margo Brodie
Chief, General Crimes Unit - Criminal Division Office of the U.S. Attorney, EDNY

Barbara Smith
The Port Authority of NY and NJ

Co-sponsored by the Committee on Law Student Perspectives and PALS (Practicing Attorneys for Law Students)

Members of the Association, their guests, and all other interested persons are invited to attend. There is no fee for attending the program, but registration is necessary. Please register here.

Desperate Interview Techniques
During Desperate Times

It is said that desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes this is true. However, while an interview often makes or breaks an applicant's chance to receive an offer from a prospective employer, I do not suggest that you go to the extreme to which the applicant in this interview went.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Your Reputation in Cyberspace

"It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it” -Benjamin Franklin

On the other hand...

“I wrote the story myself. It's about a girl who lost her reputation and never missed it.” -Mae West

The University of Chicago Law School produced a podcast of an interesting recent program entitled Reputation and Cyberspace. To listen to the podcast, go here.

Looking for Work in a Far Away Place?

Every year, a number of students seek either a summer or a post-graduate job away from the greater New York City metropolitan area. While CSO receives job listings from employers in distant geographical areas, there is no doubt that law schools in those areas will have a greater number. Wouldn't it be great to be able to visit another law school and utilize its Career Services Office as you use Touro's CSO?

Well, you can. Most law schools have entered into agreements with each other, whereby students from one school can use the CSO facilities of another school. The system is known as reciprocity. You apply for reciprocity by providing CSO with certain information, we reach out to the law school(s) you have selected, and we wait for those law schools to respond.

Each law school has its own policy. Some law schools hand out Internet ID's and passwords to use their online job databases, while other law schools require you to visit them and be logged in by a staff member. A grant of reciprocity is typically for a time period certain, so you should not apply for it too soon. In addition, the reciprocity system shuts down between August 1 and December 1 each year. A grant of reciprocity often is not available with another law school in the NYC area.

So, if you are thinking about a summer or post-graduate job in a faraway place, speak with a CSO counselor to learn more about the reciprocity system.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

PSLawNet: The Essential Facts

PSLawNet is an incredible job search resource that contains a comprehensive database of over 12,000 public interest organizations, public interest law firms, and government agencies located throughout the United States and the world. Touro Law Center subscribes to the service and, as a result, Touro students and alums may access the database free of charge. Students log on to the PSLawNet website and self register to create their own profile.

The database has two search features: (1) “organization searches,” which yield lists of organizations and agencies that focus on a particular practice area in a particular state, city, or metropolitan area; and (2) “opportunity searches,” which yield current postings for summer and school-year internships, post-graduate jobs, and fellowships. In addition, the site contains numerous publications with career advice, summer funding sources, fellowship opportunities, and a guide to federal legal employment opportunities.

We recommend starting with an organization search in order to find employers that practice the kind of law and are located in the geographical areas in which you are interested. You may search by practice area, type of job (internship, fellowship, attorney), type of employer (public interest organization, government agency, etc.), and city, state or metropolitan region. The list that is generated from your search will contain information about the organization and a contact person to whom to address a cover letter. You will also see a link for each employer’s website.

While an opportunity search will yield actual job postings, not all organizations actively post jobs. Rather, they wait for resumes to come to them. Accordingly, you should apply to an organization even if no active job listing is posted on the website.

Please see Tom Maligno or any counselor in the Career Services Office for more information about PSLawNet. All students, especially first-years, should know how to use this site.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Tankleff Case
and the Problem of Unjust Convictions

Marty Tankleff had just turned 17 when he was arrested for killing his parents, Seymour and Arlene Tankleff, in their home on Long Island, NY. Based on an unsigned "confession" extracted from him following hours of interrogation by a detective, Mr. Tankleff was convicted and sentenced to 50 years to life. After 17 years in prison, Mr. Tankleff's conviction was vacated by the New York State Appellate Division, Second Department, in December of 2007. On July 22, 2008, a judge signed off on a motion by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to dismiss all charges against Mr. Tankleff.

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Real Estate Law Program

The Touro Law Center Real Estate Law Society will present a real estate law program featuring attorneys from Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman on Thursday, March 12, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. in the Faculty Conference Room.

Featured speakers are:

Howard M. Stein, Esq.: Managing partner of the Certilman's Real Estate Practice Group; concentrates on matters related to real property acquisitions, leasing, real estate finance, and loan workouts; Adjunct Professor of Real Estate Law at Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center; and Chairman of the Law Center's Board of Governors.

Michelle Cohen, Esq.: 2007 Touro Law Center graduate who practices as an associate in the Real Estate Group. While at Touro Law Center, she served as President of the Women’s Bar Association, Vice President of the Public Interest Law Organization of Touro, Election Chair of the Student Bar Association, and Competition Editor of Touro’s Moot Court Board.

During this program, Mr. Stein and Ms. Cohen will discuss the practicalities of being a real estate lawyer. Refreshments will be served.

Bar Admission Requirements
in the Fifty States (and D.C.)

Published each year by the American Bar Association in conjunction with the National Conference of Bar Examiners, the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements sets out the rules and practices of all U.S. jurisdictions for admission to the bar by examination and on motion.

To access the 2009 Guide, go here.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Are you interested in the
Federal Loan Repayment Program?

On February 27, 2009, NYC metropolitan area law schools, including Touro Law Center, co-sponsored an important program at Fordham Law School (similar to the program held at Touro last semester) regarding the College Cost Reduction & Access Act (CCRAA) and loan forgiveness. The CCRAA has many implications for public service legal positions in the U.S. and will enable many more graduates to pursue government and public interest jobs without regard for debt. This new law is one of the most significant financial breakthroughs for public service and public interest law in a generation.

If you would like to understand how your loans, or a portion of them, might be paid for you, you should review the video of the February 27 program here (click "download").

For printed materials, you may visit the Equal Justice Works website here.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

An Opportunity to be Published

The Women's Bar Association of Suffolk County publishes a regular newsletter to keep its members aware of news, events, and recent developments in all aspects of the law. The Newsletter Co-Chairs are requesting substantive articles (as well as Chapter Notes and announcements) for the March/April Women's Bar News. All articles must be 375 words or less. Please forward all articles in Word or WordPerfect to Christine Krahulik or Lori Currier Woods . They look forward to sharing your legal and scholarly articles with the entire membership.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Beware: Rogue Facebook App
Puts Users at Risk of ID Theft

A recent article by Martha Neil on the online ABA Journal reports on a danger to Facebook users from rouge applications that can steal personal information:

The Facebook social networking site soared in popularity after it began allowing users to customize their profiles with mini-applications put together by outside developers.

But the change also made it easier for those with nefarious intentions to install rogue applications, reports Agence France-Presse. And seemingly innocuous material posted on a profile, such as photos of pets or close relatives, can provide information useful to identity thieves, including likely code words that might be used to obtain an e-mail for a "forgotten" password.

Once entry has been gained into a Facebook user's account under the latest "Koobface" worm variation, it steals the cookie needed for access into other personal accounts, such as MySpace, the news agency writes.


To read the entire article and to catch up on all of the latest news in the legal community, go here.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Research Skills to Become
an Effective Summer Associate

Do you want to create a good impression with your summer employer? The amazingly good program detailed below will teach you research skills that will help you become the most effective summer associate or intern you can be.

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