Warning! Facebook Danger!

"Professionalism is knowing how to do it, when to do it, and doing it." ~ Frank Tyger

I know the idea of Facebook privacy is not a new concept and that reminding you to maintain a professional “e-presence” may be unnecessary for most. However, as a real life cautionary tale about what employers are doing, I wanted to pass on this bit of feedback that we received today from a recent UB graduate who is involved in the hiring process at her firm. As we continue to see the job market become even more competitive, it’s crucial to be mindful of the kinds of things that will affect your chances of getting offers. Here it is:

“I am writing to display my concern in regards to law students having inappropriate content on Myspace and Facebook. I understand that people maintain these sites for communication purposes (I have a facebook and myspace page), however, I cannot stress enough how the interview committee sometimes asks us younger associates to check some applicants and interviewees' pages, and how inappropriate they are sometimes. I speak very highly of UB as an alumni and always encourage the interview committee to seek out UB candidates. However, I was extremely embarassed the other day to find that some candidates had extremely embarassing and inapproprate content on their pages (in which one the head partners was viewing along with me). It cannot be stressed enough to UB Law students to censor such content on their pages. The inappropriate half naked drunken pictures and slogans saying "I'm a bad law student" are not acceptable in seeking a professional career. I remember when I was at UB law that this had been mentioned... but I feel it needs to be stressed quite a bit more, that when applying for a legal job, that this stuff simply be erased from their pages. You can have a fun page and not be embarassing or inappropriate. On the flip side, not all the pages were like this, and some were very simple and not at all bad.”

However you might feel about the appropriateness of employers using online social networking sites to gather “private” information about students, it is obviously being done, and has been for several years now. And, interestingly, both younger and older attorneys seem to be making the same judgments based on what they see there. Just because a new associate has her own facebook page doesn’t mean that she’ll cut you any slack on the content of yours. This is really just the latest manifestation of the problem of keeping your impression professional at all times. Whether it’s not getting drunk at the firm reception, or making sure that your voicemail message isn’t goofy, it’s all the same concept.


If you’re interested in the hundreds of articles written about this topic, pro and con, just google the phrase “law students facebook employers” to get a pretty good sampling.


What to do? If you have anything on your online pages (web pages, blogs, facebook, myspace, etc.) that is accessible to others (even limiting it to “friends” isn’t always enough if a recent-grad associate can show it to a partner), take it down or increase your privacy settings. If your friends have tagged you in pictures that you don’t want to be seen, remove the tags, or ask your friends to take them down. If you can’t take things down, at least stop putting them up! Going forward, make a conscious decision about anything—pictures, posts, rants, etc. that goes up for the public to see.


You may feel that you have a right to free speech, and you are certainly correct. You may also feel that if an employer is going to decline to hire you based on how you look online, that you don’t want to work for them anyway. If that is your feeling, then by all means, go with it. But, realize that, even though you only need one offer in the end, “unprofessional” material will most certainly limit the number of offers you will have to choose from. It’s a matter of making informed judgments, and I hope the message from our recent grad will help you to make those judgments for yourself.

If you want to discuss the issue further in the comments section, please do. Dawn Skopinski and I will be presenting a program with Mariely Downey and Mary Kelkenberg from Hodgson Russ at the next NALP Conference on this very issue, so if you want to put your two cents in, we'd love to hear it! We will also be collecting some data on perceptions and demographics, so stay tuned for an update.

Professionalism 101: Some REALLY Basic Tips from the National Law Journal

“Why not whip the teacher when the pupil misbehaves?” ~Diogenes

OK, Diogenes has scared me into posting this. To most of us, this advice seems mostly self-evident, but serves as a good reminder anyway. Myself, I'd prefer more positive language (dos instead of don'ts) but the message is the same. Whether you're soon to be starting that first job, even interning or law-clerking for the summer, take a look, even if it's to confirm to yourself that you are much more well-behaved than others out there. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a national article about it...

Thanks to Laura Reilly for the link! May we both escape Diogenes' wrath. Remember, if you find something interesting, please feel free to pass it on, or add it in a comment!

The ABA Journal's e-magazine highlighted a longer article in the National Law Journal. Both give some basic professionalism tips for new lawyers. In a nutshell, from the ABA Journal article:

1. Don’t cover up mistakes. Hiding a mistake can magnify the error and prevent it from being corrected. It also may give your supervisors reason to question your
judgment.
2. Don’t abuse the staff. Hurtful words, screaming tantrums and inappropriate physical contact or intimidation are big no-no’s. Your reputation will be harmed and staffers will make your job more difficult. Bad behavior could also result in lawsuits. Learn to “play nice,” and if you blow up at someone, make sure you apologize.
3. Don’t badmouth clients and higher-ups. Your words may get back to those you criticize. Others who hear your tirades may wonder if you are making similar comments about them.
4. Don’t write angry words in an e-mail, and don’t respond to a “flaming” e-mail in kind. Assume your e-mail will be forwarded to others.
5. Don’t drink to excess. Social occasions with colleagues or clients should still be treated as business meetings.

Whew! I need to insert some positive language here. So, here are some great resources affiliated with these articles.

The National Law Journal has a great career page, and the ABA Journal has a career topic page. The ABA Journal main news page also has a weekly or daily subscription option, and an RSS feed, and even a "blawg" (law blog) directory, if you really want to keep up with the legal news!

Summer Idea #1: Join a Bar Association!

"The only real training for leadership is leadership." ~Anthony Jay

This is the first in a series of ideas of things to do, besides work, intern, sleep and watch movies over the summer.

Remember back in high school when everyone told you that you needed to have a lot of activities to round out your college applications? Then, the same rule applied for law school? Know why? Our noble profession, as any great profession, thrives and grows through leadership and participation. Those colleges and law schools looked for future leaders to help shape the profession and to represent us well in society. As you transition from student to lawyer, start looking to bar associations and other professional groups as your next step. They can help you find the perfect job, and cultivate a ready-made network of peers at the same time!

The summer is a great time to join (you don't have to pass an exam or anything...)! There are hundreds and hundreds of bar and trade associations that would love you to join them as a student member. They are organized around many themes: geographic (national, state, county, city), demographic (gender, ethnicity/race, sexual preference), or practice (sector, practice specialty, function). Usually, membership for students is free or very nominal, and buys you incredible benefits that can help you as you move forward in your career. Although stated benefits of these groups often differ slightly, here is a short list of reasons to join (all of these are phenomenal job-search strategies too):

1. Periodicals: Usually, there is a newsletter or bar journal included in your membership that will help you keep up on current legal issues in the field, and start introducing you to familiar names in that circle.
2. Events: CLEs, receptions, dinners, committee meetings, etc. You’ll be in a room full of lawyers that do what you want to do, where you want to do it! Talk to them! Some organzations, like the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the American Intellectual Property Law Assocation, to name just two, host student job fairs for members!
3. Leadership Opportunities: Often, you can join a sub-section or committee of the organization, or at least introduce yourself to the chair of one, and offer to help. If you can contribute your energy and enthusiasm to a project, it is the best way to make a great impression!
4. “Virtual” Presence: If your intended job market is far away, an affiliation with
the local bar can give you the savvy, networking and recognition that you need to keep linked up with that market.
5. Practice Expertise: By participating with a professional organization, you’ll start to talk the talk and sound like a lawyer!

Sound good? Here are two really great lists of bar associations. Hieros Gamos hosts a fantastic one that is geographically organized, and includes all of North America. Click on the state you’re interested in and an incredibly robust list appears. FindLaw provides a good supplement to this one, that is more national and specialty-oriented. Of course, neither is absolutely exhaustive (I noticed that the American Association of Nurse Attorneys, isn’t on either of them), so Google up one that suits your interest.

And don't forget our UB Law Alumni Association! They offer all the same benefits and more for students and alumni. For more information, and to join, click here. Those clubs that you joined back in high school were good training for this!

Welcome to Our Noble Profession!

Welcome to the new Career Services blog for the University at Buffalo Law School, (SUNY). I hope that it will be a great source of information, news, events and inspiration for you as you continue to discover your career path in and around the legal profession. Our aim on this blog and in the CSO at all times is to provide resources to all of our constituents: prospective applicants, current students, alumni, and visitors. For as you may or may not know, most law graduates continue to grow and develop their careers throughout a lifetime.

Hence, this blog is named with this path of continuous improvement and education in mind. It is a reminder that the search for meaning and fulfillment extends beyond just finding jobs. We are all on a quest for work that fills the working third (or more) of our lives with the satisfying use of our skills, talents, knowledge and passion. Let's look to our roots, shall we?

The following quote is from David T. Link, Dean Emeritus of Notre Dame Law School. I hope it illuminates or demonstrates the basics behind the philosophy that your chosen field is not merely a memorization of rules, or preparation for a standardized exam. It is an honorable and ancient profession, one that is vital to the survival of our just society.

"No one event can be identified as the “beginning” of the legal profession, but it is likely that the development of the legal profession closely paralleled the development of the other ancient professions. As formerly nomadic hunters and gatherers settled into permanent communities, new opportunities arose, but so did new problems. The establishment of communities made a division of labor possible, allowing certain community members to become “experts” in certain subjects and use their expertise to serve the entire community. But the establishment of communities also gave rise to problems that people experience when they live in close proximity for long periods of time.

One ancient profession was medicine. Someone in each village or tribe was designated to treat physical problems - plights of health and of dying. Whether that person worked with herbs or animal parts or “magical” incantations, he or she was sought out to cure problems of the body. This ancient public servant was a predecessor of today’s nurses and doctors.

A second ancient profession was ministry. Someone in each village or tribe was looked to for help in answering spiritual questions. Whether this person was called a shaman, priest, priestess, minister, or some other name, he or she ministered to the spiritual needs of the people. This ancient public servant was a predecessor of today’s priests, pastors, rabbis, and other clergy.

There was a need for a third “professional” in ancient communities. In virtually every tribe, village, or settlement, someone was needed to resolve disputes about property and personal rights - to decide what those rights were, when those rights had been violated, and how violations of those rights would be remedied. In their need, the people of ancient communities turned to a Solomon-like person to heal societal divisions, resolve disputes, and record the rules or “laws” for the future. This ancient public servant was a predecessor of today’s mediators, arbitrators, and judges. "

--David T. Link

So again, I welcome you to our noble profession. Whether you seek to practice law in the private or public sectors, or in law-related or other careers, know that your education will serve you well in your life’s journey. As you navigate your options and callings, we invite you to use the CSO‘s counselors, programs and resources to help guide you.