Our last 1L Hack

The time is winding down😔. As we move closer and closer to the end of the semester, and the highly anticipated finals week, here are some tips to get you through Thanksgiving break as a law student:

• Give yourself permission to take a break! We as law student sometimes feel so guilty about taking a break that we don't get to enjoy the holiday. It is perfectly fine to use parts of your break to give yourself a recharge. The time with your family and friends and hearing their encouraging and supportive words may be just what you need to return back to school and get the job done!
• Create REALISTIC GOALS for what you want and need to accomplish over the holiday break. Students (especially me) usually pack every single casebook, supplement, and notebook because they just KNOW they're going to study everything they brought home over the break.  Usually when we create unrealistic goals for ourselves, we give up as soon as we realize that it's not actually possible and end up not doing anything at all. Don't be that student! Set your realistic goals now!
• Create a schedule and STICK. TO. IT! This goes with the aforementioned statement. If you create a schedule to accomplish specific goals, make sure you stick to it. Make sure you put plans with family and friends in your schedule so that you can be sure you'll meet your goals. You could study all morning and spend the evenings with family. You could spend entire days studying and use one or two days out of the break to spend time with family and friends. How ever you prefer to make your schedule, make sure you stick to it. 
• Get some sleep, PLEASE! Make sure you come back from Thanksgiving break refreshed and ready to attack those finals!

See you all next semester!

Go to your local bar (association)

Time To Explore your Local Bar (Association):

Go explore your local bar…

No, not that bar, your local bar association!  Bar Associations are professional associations of lawyers.  Many bar associations are responsible for regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction, while some are merely professional organizations.  Regardless of their function, Bar Associations provide Law Students, New Attorneys, and even the Seasoned Legal Professional the opportunity to grow by providing a plethora events including, but not limited to:

1.     Continuing legal education events (CLE)

2.     Sample Forms Including Complaints, Answers, and other items a new lawyer or a firm starter may need.

3.     Committee Meetings-focusing on areas of law as well as other committees

4.     Mentorship Programs to help law students and young lawyers learn from seasoned professionals how to grow properly and be ethical

5.     Networking Opportunities-meet lawyers in your city, build your professional network, you never know who you will meet!

6.     And many more!

In addition to your local bar association, you can visit your state bar association for even more resources.  If you happen to reside in Columbus, you are in luck!  The Columbus Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association are both less than ten miles apart from each other, giving you as a rising lawyer, a young lawyer, or the seasoned legal professional, no shortage of opportunities.

For more information, you can visit the following:

http://www.cbalaw.org/cba_prod

https://www.ohiobar.org/Pages/Home.aspx

Images Courtesy of Twitter

Professionalism and Landing that Coveted Legal Job

Professionalism and Landing that First Legal Job

You’ve gotten through a semester of law school, you know how to IRAC, but now its time to take your legal knowledge to the next level by securing a legal clerkship for the summer, and maybe through the remainder of your education.  However, gaining that job can be difficult, but with some few tips, your first legal job may be easier to find then it appears.

Know your Academic Standing:

Although you never want to see yourself as a number, you want to take into account that some larger firms and government/corporate entities tend to only hire the top 25% and above.  If your grades meet this requirement, and depending on your interest, it may be worth looking into options like this available for first year students.  If you’re not in the top 25%, no need to worry! Many smaller firms and government/corporate entities hire from all walks of academic success!

Update Your Resume/LinkedIn Profiles/Create Cover Letters:

If you haven’t already, go ahead and update your resume and LinkedIn Profiles.  One of the easiest ways to get noticed is through a solidly built resume, which highlights relevant skills that show the employer how you can grow their area of law and practice even further.  LinkedIn is a great way to supplement your resume as you only have so many pages to highlight yourself on paper, where LinkedIn gives you the ability to display courses, more jobs, involvement, endorsements, and professional recommendations. 

Finally, work on some base cover letters.  You will obviously want to tailor each cover letter for the job, but having these basic forms that outline your skill sets and some proper wording never hurts!

For Resume/Cover Letter Resources, please visit the Office of Professional Development Located in the Law School!  You can schedule a meeting with the assistant dean of professional development, or look to sample cover letters and resumes!

Tighten up your Writing Sample:

Now that you have a semester of school down, you also have a few writing samples to show how you argue legal issues to your boss.  It’s important to get these in the best form possible, as employers want to see how you write, and how you can persuade them to follow your course of action in a particular issue.  If you did well on a particular memo or motion, go ahead and tighten up the grammar and citations to make it even more convincing.  If you didn’t do so well on a memo or motion, talk to your legal research and writing professor on how you can fix it for the future. 

Make Sure to Dress Professional:

This should come as no shocker, but when interviewing season comes, you need to look the part.  Even if you join a firm with a casual dress code, you still need to come to the interview in business attire!  If you have a suit, go ahead and get it dry cleaned!  If you do not have one, it may be time to consider an investment in one!   

Need more tips? Please feel free to visit the following:

http://www.careerthinker.com/interviewing/dress-to-get-hired/

https://www.forbes.com/pictures/lmj45klek/dress-to-impress-2/#4bddd3a42240

http://law.capital.edu/OPDServicesResources/

 Taken from today.com kiss99.3 photo

Career Advantage Program!

Career Advantage Program

Once you make it through the first semester you are one step closer to that coveted Juris Doctor and a step closer to taking and (hopefully) passing the bar examination to become a licensed attorney.  While you may have the academics part down, some of you may be asking, “what next?”  Some of you may have jobs lined up thanks to family or friends, but for the majority of you, starting your career is relatively new and you may need that extra push. 

The Career Advantage Program is a student-alumni career conference that brings together students and distinguished alumni to foster and strengthen student career and professional development. 

Saturday, January 27, 2018
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Capital University Law School
303 E. Broad St., Columbus 

The 2018 Career Advantage Program offers a number of diverse programs and sessions throughout the day that you can select to attend during registration.

The career advantage program is a great way to learn invaluable skills including developing your personal brand, networking properly, and practice area sessions designed to show you one of the many facets of the law available to you. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the program offers you TWO chances to network with esteemed alumni, including attorneys at Bricker and Eckler, Kegler Brown Ritter and Hill, as well as the Ohio State and Columbus Bar associations.  As you may know, in this age, job placement is highly dependent upon networking, so why not get an early start! 

For more information, incuding how to register and a schedule, please visit the following link:

Admitted Student Registration 

Future Student Registration 

*Deadline to register is Friday, January 19^th 

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Finals Finals Finals...SO SO SOON!!!

The Final Final Exam Message

Midterms: Check

Papers: Check

Finals: Ehhh

As the semester comes to a close, you are probably freaking out about finals.  The truth is, Law School exams are different then any other exam you have taken.  They require you to think deeper, come up with solutions, and use the applicable law to come up with a solution or discussion for your paper.  They also come with anonymous grading, so while your class participation may earn you some extra points in the end, the professor won’t know your grade until you find out.  While this time period may be exhausting, nerve racking, or even terrifying; you can get through this and will get through this.  Here are some tips on how to get through this:

1.     Organize your outlines

By now, you have at least learned to organize your outlines.  Finish them up, preferably outlining daily to organize your notes and concepts. 

It may be beneficial to cut your outline down to the necessary components by creating a study outline.  This will allow you to study the necessary pieces of the law and not get bogged down by the additional elements placed in your outline that may be repetitive or not relevant. 

2.     Practice writing out final examinations

Law School Exams are a craft, they require you to look at the issue, rule, analyze the rule with the facts, and conclude, otherwise known as the infamous IRAC.  Practicing this craft in advance will lead to further success by being able to issue spot the facts relevant to the question, match the appropriate law, and successfully conclude why your argument is the best argument.

3.     Meet with your professors

I know, they may scare you in class, but these are the people making the exam and grading the exam…their input on your writing and outlining is crucial!  Meet with them if you feel confused, meet with them to go over practice exams, or even overview of an outline.

4.     The Day Before/Of The Final Exam

a.     Get to bed at a reasonable time-you may think that you can study into the wee hours of the morning, but you need time to rest your brain.

b.     Get some good food in you-I know pizza may be your staple, but brain food is essential to cognitive growth.  Try some of these: https://draxe.com/15-brain-foods-to-boost-focus-and-memory/

c.      Cut off studying after a certain time-I know you think that cramming until the last minute helps, but that last second is proven not to be as beneficial as you may think.  Study hard, but get yourself some rest and relaxation.

d.     Keep calm…which may sound like the last thing you want to do, but freaking out will only make taking a final exam worse.

Law School Exams are a different beast then any other exam you will take.  They require rigor, energy, and memorization.  Study, study, study!!!

Best of Luck! See you next semester! 

https://earlyamericanists.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/end-of-semester.jpg