By Lynnette F. Baclig, Esq.
Graduate Fellow
Law Career Development
Graduate Fellow
Law Career Development
As the fall semester quickly approaches, law students will soon find themselves back to law school and back to the grind. It’s back to juggling the role of being a law student while adulting; simply put, it’s back to the law school hustle. This also means keeping up with the endless email hustle and bustle!
No law student should lose sight of the contents appearing in their inbox. Part of becoming a professional, in particular becoming an attorney, is practicing effective communication. Since email is the most used form of communication for lawyers, law students should start developing effective email management. Managing your inbox is paying extra close attention and diligently responding to correspondence, especially when receiving an email from law school professors, supervisors, law school administrators, and even Law Career Development. Students should always pay close attention to each email even if at first glance it may seem irrelevant. It would be a shame to miss out on an opportunity and relevant information due to hasty email management. More often than not, students imprudently skim through emails and as a result are at risk of becoming uninformed on pertinent information. Rule 3-110 of the Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of California, suggests that an attorney who acts incompetently to perform legal services can be subject to discipline. What’s more, law students are constantly being assessed of their good moral character and fitness to practice law. Any “bad behavior” as a result of being uninformed or lacking communication skills can be construed as incompetence and could find its way to moral character investigators, which could prevent a student’s acceptance to the state bar. Therefore, it is essential to not miss out on emails containing important information to prevent rejection from the state bar and to stay on top of career opportunities.
Next blog post, Keeping up with the Email Hustle and Bustle, Part II discusses how to stay on top of incoming emails.
