Consider the following scenario:
Sam, a 2L trans woman who uses “they/them” pronouns, answers a question and the professor responds by asking the rest of the class, “Do you agree with his argument?” Sam quietly stares down at their desk, hoping not to draw attention to themself. It was an innocuous follow up question during
For better or worse, grades and class rankings are here. With fall recruiting and our Early OCI Program upon us, you’ll need to consider whether and how to make adjustments to your resume and other application materials to reflect your class rank and GPA. There are no hard and fast rules that fit every situation,
You can learn a lot from attorneys that have come before you. Specifically, those that have sat in the very classrooms where you now learn can offer unique insights about the law school experience in Sacramento, finding a job, and advancing your career. McGeorge alumni know how to find success without the name of a top 3 law school to open doors. Alumni Board Member and Administrative Law Judge Claire Yazigi (’04), Office of Administrative Hearings, offered this piece of advice:
Continue Reading Advice from Alumni | Claire Yazigi, ‘04
A law degree without a career utilizing the knowledge you’ve gained is like an oil painting – it looks nice on your wall, but that’s about it. What was all the time and effort (and money) for if not to pursue your dream job, to have a career enacting change in your community, state, country, or the world? To achieve those goals, you’ll likely need some help along the way. While you may not have thought about it when initially weighing your law school options, you will see the importance of a functional and responsive Career Development Office as soon as you begin your law school journey. Our job is to help set you up for – and support you during – a long and successful career, so knowing what services are provided may influence your decision to attend one law school over another. Here are five ways that the McGeorge CDO works with students and alumni to accelerate their careers:
Continue Reading Why is a Career Development Office So Important?
As you prepare for your role as a summer associate or intern, you may be wondering how to navigate the nuances of office culture and expected work product. It’s a daunting prospect for many law students, but it doesn’t have to be. With a little preparation, you can make a strong first impression and immediately
First-generation law students often find themselves facing unique challenges and difficulties that many of their peers do not. From the general environment and structure of law school, to financial matters, networking, and even simply feeling like you belong with your cohort, it can be extremely taxing to try facing these issues by yourself. However, first-generation
Law school is not easy, and every student experiences it differently. Here are some tips on law school essentials. In addition to pulling from my own experience now as a 3L, I’ve included thoughts from some of my classmates.
What’s in your bag?
When we discuss professionalism in class, we associate it with preparedness. Here are some essentials to keep in your bag:
Technology Essentials
This can really vary for each person depending on how comfortable they are with technology.
Continue Reading Now that you’ve been admitted to law school, what do you need?
You got accepted to Law School! Congratulations! Now, I want you to take a deep breath and buckle up for an information dump, because that is what the 1L Orientation is. Once you get through that, you will go straight into trying to figure out what a case brief is and how you can possibly get through all your reading assignments. You will likely feel as though you cannot focus on anything else because if you do, for even a second, you will forget everything you just learned in class and will fall desperately behind in your reading. So, I want to take a moment to point out some things I missed in my first semester.
Everyone’s first semester is the same to some extent. None of us have ever encountered anything like law school–and we will likely never encounter anything like it again. But law school is not only about learning the law; it’s about networking and building connections, finding out more about yourself, and discovering the type of law you want to practice after law school. I didn’t realize there were opportunities to advance these facets of my life running in the background during my first semester.
To start, let’s talk about an acronym that you will see in early emails that may make no sense to you (Was that just me? Oh well, I’m going to tell you anyway.) “CDO” stands for “Career Development Office” and it was my number one missed opportunity; not that it’s too late–I am still a 1L after all–but I wish I had understood what it represented, not just what the letters stood for, earlier. I cannot stress enough how useful their website is. I highly recommend starting here: Create Your Career Plan. From there you can find awesome timelines to assess what you can do for your career during each year of law school.
A couple years ago we shared a post about law student business cards. Since that time, a rather large event has occurred that may affect the demand for law students to carry business cards: the COVID-19 pandemic. With many people still wary of transmitting and catching the virus from contact with physical surfaces, not to mention the slough of new variants that seem to be discovered every other week, it’s fair to wonder if law students should bother getting business cards. However, it looks like the business card is one of those things that just won’t go away – after all, business cards have been around since the 17th century and survived through many epidemics already.
While many people may still be wary of handshakes and touching public surfaces, an old-fashioned business card is still an important tool for successful professionals, lawyers included. There have been a few waves of “digital business cards” throughout the years that would have been great for today’s world, but none of them were able to stick around for long (remember Bump?). One of the problems with these products is that there will always be security risks involved when connecting two smart devices; but likely the biggest inhibitor to going with fully digital business cards – at least for the time being – is
Continue Reading Did COVID-19 Kill the Business Card, and Do Law Students Still Need One?
Are you looking for a unique post-bar opportunity? 2Ls, 3Ls, and recent graduates should consider using the summer to apply for project-based fellowships, that typically begin in the fall (often one year out). Fellowships are highly competitive and provide a unique opportunity to jumpstart a career in law, so it’s never too early to start