GGU School of Law|Law Career Development

Staying Informed of Current Events Makes You Standout

by Jan Nussbaum
Assistant Director for Professional Development

I am a news junkie, so when I was looking for work I had to limit how much time I'd spend reading the New York Times and SF Gate online, and listening to Terry Gross or Michael Krasny on NPR. To my delight, being up on current events was extremely handy when I was at an interview or networking event. It provided an opener to start an engaging conversation with the people that I met, or if they brought up a current event, I could sound informed.

In addition, discussing with someone what is going on around you shows that you are a well rounded individual that can discuss a variety of topics with clients, coworkers and superiors, and that you have interests in addition to looking for an attorney position and the practice of law.

Having knowledge of current legal events is essential, such as the bankruptcy of the Dewey LeBoeuf firm, but knowledge of a wide spectrum of current events is also extremely beneficial and provides more to talk about.

Below are several websites to check out:

www.abajournal.com/blawgs - Good site to find law blogs of interest
www.nytimes.com - World, National and Local News ($15 per month for online access + smart phone app, but often has specials; i.e., currently 99 cents for first 4 weeks)
www.guardian.co.uk - Europe and World News, such as, the Recession/Debt Crisis in Europe; Queen's Jubilee; London Olympics; Rupert Murdoch's New Corp Hacking Scandal
www.metafilter.com - Wide variety of interesting topics for discussion
www.thecreatorsproject.com - Cutting edge projects that combine technology and art, film, and other creative endeavors
www.sfgate.com - Local Bay Area News and Events