INSPIRED BY CURRENT EVENTS: A Good Reason To Censor Your Social Media Content

By Michelle Queirolo 
Grad Fellow 
Law Career Services

“Watch what you post online.” We are advised of this time and time again because employers and colleagues refer to social media to learn about who we are professionally (remember the Name Brand blog). Well, a recent news story reminds us of how true this is.

According to The Detroit News, a prosecutor posted her opinion on Facebook about how to handle the recent Baltimore protests. She opined that the protestors should be shot. Although the prosecutor only left the post up for a very short time, her colleague, who is a criminal defense attorney, took a screen shot of her message and posted it on his wall. Thereafter, the media discovered the content and reported it to the public at large. As a result, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office informed the public that the prosecutor would resign.

Stop Squandering Opportunities

By Victoria Capinpin 
LCS Graduate Fellow 

Students listen to lawyers present on career panel. The end. 
Students attend class with lawyer as guest. The end. 
Students attend a Student Bar Association event and mingle with lawyers. The end. 

So begins Erin Binns’ article describing common networking mistakes that law students make, and how opportunities like these throughout law school can be turned into ongoing relationships with professionals.

Some law students find "networking" to be easy; to simply be a result of their charming socializing skills or a result of the confidence that stems from an impressive pre-law background. Other law students see networking as a way of being insincere or unreal, or worry that it never leads to any solid connections. Well, what if we told you that networking is very simple and starts right inside the lecture halls of GGU?

From the first day of law school orientation, we are told that networking is critical in any profession. However, we are not told how to go about it. We were not told that what "networking" really means is to build great solid relationships with people that we genuinely connect with.

In the December 2013 edition of ABA's Student Lawyer, Ms. Binns not only emphasizes the importance of networking, but also emphasizes how much easier it is to build those professional connections during law school. Professionals are already "delivered" to you--lawyers and judges come in as guest presenters, lawyers and judges present at events hosted at GGU, alumni lawyers come to speak at student organization meetings--there are plenty of opportunities to build your network in your very own law school.

Here are some tips Ms. Binns offers law students about how to take advantage of networking opportunities that arise via guest lecturers, speaker panels, and other in-school events:

• Make the effort. While attending, look excited and open to meet others. Show that you are genuinely interested when meeting others. 
• Be on the lookout. Events where you can meet professionals are happening all around you every week! So make sure to recognize these opportunities and then GO to the events! 
• Express gratitude. If you enjoyed a particular guest lecture or just really connected with the presenter's experiences or personality, send the presenter a simple "thank you" email. Even though saying "thank you" is a small gesture that can sometimes just feel like an automatic response to everything, the gesture never goes unnoticed. 
• Request a meeting. The key to building relationships that last is to pursue meetings with lawyers who you are genuinely interested in talking to and lawyers with whom you anticipate a good rapport. 
• Give an update. Once a connection has been established, nurture this connection by continuously updating your professional contacts on what you are up to in school. Continuously invite them into your life. 
• Give back. Don't just sit back and receive the benefits from the professional relationships you have now established and nurtured. You can send links to articles that relate to their practice or send them fliers to events that you think they would interested in or that you are going to. 
• Connect via professional networking sites. Utilize websites like LinkedIn to let a person know that you want to remain in contact.

Are you missing announcements about on-campus events where you can meet lawyers? Keep an eye on Law School News every Monday and on the weekly This Week at LCS email—GGU panels, speakers, and networking events large and small are posted every week!

Read more about creating and fostering your professional relationships in the article, which includes extremely helpful sample emails you can use to make your own connections!

Time to pencil it in!: “How to Make Your Job Search Fit Your Schedule”

by Karla Jean Bacayan

LCS Graduate Fellow

We are all familiar with squeezing in “search for jobs” in our daily planners, but between school, work, family and an attempt at having a social life, we may not always get around to it. Updating your resume may seem like a fun task, until you can’t seem to come up with enough attractive action verbs to begin each bullet point. At that time, the job search can seem tedious and overwhelming, making its way to the bottom of the priority list.

In the September 2013 Edition of ABA’s Student Lawyer, Carla DeVelder outlines how to manage a jam-packed schedule with enough time to search for jobs in 6 quick and easy steps.

• Get Focused. A tight job market does not necessarily mean students should be open to take any type of experience that is available. Students should actually focus their interests to make the job search more effective.
• Get Your Materials in Order. Once students have focused areas of interest lined up, they should update their resume, cover letter, references and writing samples, tailoring their materials to each area of interest.
• Make the Actual Searching as Easy as Possible. Create job agents that notify you of local opportunities. Virtual agents, like the one available on LCSOnline, allow you to create job agents based on your search criteria. Since some posting are more general and don’t refer to a specific field of practice, it’s best to expand your search criteria for these agents and filter out the job postings that you are not interested in.
• Stay on Top of Your Applications and Contacts. Students should keep track of applications and communications to remember which resumes are outstanding, names of interviewers, and thank you cards that need to be sent. The article provides tools to make this task easier!
• Be Consistent. Once the job search flow has started, students should be consistent and keep the search high on their priority list. After getting your materials in order, the job search task should not be difficult to maintain.
• Stay Positive. Searching for jobs can be a draining process, but staying positive and keeping your search a priority will ultimately lead to successful results!

Along with the steps in this article, I recommend that you make known your status as a law student and your particular fields of interest to all communities that you are involved with – legal or non-legal. I found a great summer internship with a non-profit organization in public health policy just by mentioning that I was a law student interested in public health at a dinner party. Lawyers and networking opportunities are hiding everywhere!

You can read this article in its entirety by clicking here. Access to recent editions of ABA’s Student Lawyer Magazine, and a wide variety of helpful tips and articles for your job search is waiting for you at the LCS Resource Library. Also, you can meet with a counselor at LCS for tips, pointers, and a confidence boost for your next job interview.

Interviewee’s Nightmare: “Do You Have Any Questions For Me?”

by Greg Blueford
LCS Student Assistant

In the April 2013 edition of ABA’s Student Lawyer, Carla DeVelder explores the do’s and do-not’s of one of the most feared questions that haunts interviewees: "Do You Have Any Questions For Me?” DeVelder explains that interviewees must recognize the question as a critical moment of the interview process and, instead, should take the opportunity to make a positive, lasting impression to finish the interview on a strong note.

While asking a question shows confidence, the interviewee must be prepared with information about the employer and interviewer. By using attorney directories, Lexis/Nexis, Westlaw, LinkedIn and one's own personal network, an interviewee has a vast array of sources to find out the kinds of cases the firm and interviewer have handled and other accessible information that will show the competency and preparedness of the interviewee. Finally, DeVelder analyzes what she considers are "bad questions" and gives a few examples of insightful questions that will demonstrate that interviewee has prepared for the interview. This allows the interviewee a chance to demonstrate that he or she is the best candidate for the position.

You can read this article in its entirety by clicking here. You can also locate the April 2013 edition and the latest editions of ABA’s Student Lawyer Magazine in the LCS Resource Library. For help in preparing for your next job interview, meet with a counselor at LCS.