Job Postings on myspace!!

"Out on the road today, I saw a dead-head sticker on a Cadillac. A little voice inside my head said, dont look back. You can never look back." ~Don Henley

Cheesecake, beer and diamonds. Who could ask for more! The myspace job$ section is funneling legal intern postings for Cheesecake Factory, Coors Brewing Company, Tiffany's and many others like Hewlett-Packard, Citi, and Allstate, for those of you who are turned on by printers, banking and insurance. Check out this link to a "Legal Intern" search.

I guess Corporate America is catching onto using "social networking" sites as marketing and recruiting tools! Fun's over, kids.

Dr. Strangelaw or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Law School

“Pride is a personal commitment. It is an attitude that separates excellence from mediocrity.” ~Unknown

This spring, amid all the rankings-rancor, a Facebook group popped up called Proud to be a UB Law Student! Today it has 146 members. In the midst of a situation that many used as an excuse to gripe in public forum (they bit off their noses to spite their faces, you know), these 146 stood up and spoke for all that is great and wonderful about our school. Bravo to them!

I don't understand those people who decided to use the WSJ blog to air all their pent up law school frustration! If you find good things to say to the world about UB Law, you make yourself look better, too. I’m not trying to be Big Brother, saying that people can’t voice opinions and give criticism. Our Ideas Day was a fantastic outlet for all kinds of feedback, positive, negative and innovative. Everyone complains about stuff in school, especially in a discipline that trains you to think critically. I wish everyone would also just think critically about their audience, and the impression they’re giving...that they would find sensible outlets for all their comments. Don’t you think that being at a school with really amazing Vault-survey student comments is going to be better than being at a school with snarky ones?

Since this is a career blog, let me tie this all in with interviewing and networking. In the real world, it boils down to this. Browse the Law School website—look at all the great stuff that goes on here. Make that part of your interview and networking material. Want an example of how to do that? Our own Vice Dean Alan Carrel recently addressed a reunion luncheon. I’m not a fan of rankings, but Dean Carrel would rank #1 if we measured pride among UB Law Alumni. Here is a link to his speech. I hope you will take the time to read it, not only for its content, but also because it is an ideal example of how a proud alumnus talks about UB Law.

So here’s my takeaway. Join the UB Believers. Be proud. Be proud as heck. Not just of your law school, but of your college, your high school, or any other group that you may represent. They had a part in getting you to where you are today. But remember that the relationship is symbiotic. A school only looks as good as the person representing it at that moment. The reputation of any school lives and dies by the actions and character of its students and graduates. You are our ambassador forever. You have the power to move the school forward, or hold it back, just by how you perform, behave, speak. If you excel in your summer job, your employer will come back to hire students again. If you burn bridges, you have potentially burned them for years of students to follow you. You, yes YOU. One person can make a difference.

NYS Judicial Institute Summer Internship!

"There is hardly a political question in the United States which does not sooner or later turn into a judicial one" ~Alexis de Tocqueville

This JUST came in!! Due date May 18, but don't wait that long if you can help it. It will be on Symplicity, but you saw it here first!

THE NEW YORK STATE JUDICIAL INSTITUTE is offering unpaid Summer Legal Internships for students who are currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and have completed at least one year of law school.

The New York State Judicial Institute is a year-round center for judicial education and research designed to enhance the quality of the courts and ensure that the judiciary of this State sets the standard for judicial excellence around the country. Recognizing the importance of an informed and up-to-date court system, the Institute provides educational programs not only for its judges but for the State’s court attorneys and court personnel as well.

Law Intern Responsibilities: Assist the New York State Judicial Institute in the preparation of materials for Judicial programs. Contact program faculty to follow up on specific requests. Help develop and administer the program evaluation process and draft speakers’ biographies. Perform legal research on Westlaw, Lexis, government search sites, and the Internet. Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: - Currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.- Completion of one year of law school. - Able to work 20 hours a week.APPLICATIONS: To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume, including in the cover letter dates of your availability and number of hours you are available per week, to:

Leonie McCaulsky
Management Analyst
NYS Judicial Institute
84 North Broadway
White Plains, NY 10603

POSITIONS AVAILABLE: 2 (to start June 2, 2008)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 18, 2008

Comment Call #1: Do you have a cool summer job?

"Life is the only real counselor; wisdom unfiltered through personal experience does not become a part of the moral tissue.” ~Edith Wharton

We have a number of "series" posts planned for this blog, as the more observant of you could surmise by the #1 in the "Summer Ideas" post. The COMMENT CALL series is an open invitation for you to participate with your own stories, insights and wisdom! Thanks to R&W Professor Laura Reilly for this great idea!

So without much (more) ado, Comment Call #1:

Do you have a really cool summer job, internship or study abroad lined up? Tell us all about it!

Click on "# comments" below and try to include:

1. Name of your "employer"
2. Your title/function
3. What city it's in
4. Briefly, what your project will be (if you know)
5. Why you're excited about it
6. We're going to be putting out a comment call in the future asking for stories about how you found your jobs/internships, but feel free to tell us here too!

(remember this is a moderated-comment blog, so there will probably be a delay before you see your comment appear...)

As you're thinking about this, don't forget to let the CSO know what you're doing! Weren't you curious about what people did over the summer? We don't know until you tell us! Email me directly (you could even refer to your comment on here and just tell me privately who you are) or fill out the survey in Symplicity (in your profile, click on "employment" and then "add new").

And. if you would like to submit a post about your experience during the summer, e.g., a really gratifying project, or enlightening event, let me know and I will give you a guest spot!

Life After buffalo.edu...

"The moving cursor writes, and having written, blinks on." ~Dave Barry

Guilt. It's the main reason we fall out of touch. Maybe you have a friend from college that you forgot to email back...three years ago. Now it's just awkward. Or, you haven't had time to keep in touch with that professor who wrote your recommendation for law school, and now you'd like to ask her advice again.

Soon, you will have the perfect excuse to send that procrastinated email! Several people have asked me what happens to the buffalo.edu email addresses after graduation. The CIT help desk informs me that they will still be active for six months, and will continue to forward to a new address for another six months. You can also sign up for a free lifetime forwarding address through the UB Alumni Association. There's a pretty clear explanation of the policy here.

The bottom line is that you will have a year to phase out your buffalo.edu address. It's great excuse to recontact old friends, family, professional contacts, and even pending job applications. "Here's my new email address," can be a wonderful ice-breaker to rekindle all kinds of communications! I think you'll find the guilt was unwarranted, and that people will be delighted to hear from you.

We're Getting Press!

"There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary." ~Brendan Behan

The wonderful folks at "Out of the Jungle," including our own illustrious Jim Milles, Vice Dean for Legal Information Services and Director of the Law Library, have given a nod to our humble new blog. Check out our first review at:

Out of the Jungle: New UB Law CSO blog

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!

Succeed in your Summer Job! Research Tips from the Job Goddess

“You hit home runs not by chance but by preparation." ~Roger Maris

No, I'm not the Job Goddess. She is Kimm Alayne Walton, author of the immensely popular and fantastically helpful Guerilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams. Kimm also writes a great resource called What Law School Doesn't Teach You But You Really Need To Know. Links to both are on the sidebar, and they are both available from the CSO for borrowing.

Feeling a little wonky about legal research outside the classroom? Here's an abstract from What Law School Doesn't Teach You that will give you some great and comprehensive guidelines on handling those assignments, from beginning to end! You'll quickly find that you are a much better writer than you thought, and that how you approach your assignments is half the battle! Write on...

Turkey Vultures

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.” ~Ashley Montagu

In the spirit of this being a true blog, with its accompanying anecdotal qualities, I couldn't help but make a post about this. Tuesday night at about 7 pm, I saw a turkey vulture on top of Park Hall through the window in the O'Brian stairwell on the 7th floor! Here it is:




Turkey vultures, robins. What is it with birds and Park Hall?
By the way, the robin's eggs are hatched, and there are babies! The picture is fuzzy because the mama bird was very upset at me taking their picture, and I was trying to get it done quickly.


I suppose if there is an inspirational message to be taken from these feathered friends, it might be:


Keep your eyes open, because you never know what strange and wonderful things you might see in unexpected places...

Finally, Federal Loan Forgiveness!!

“We must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves.” ~Thomas Merton

For professionals and students heading into not-for-profit or government jobs, one of the most exciting developments ever to happen in educational legislation was the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA), signed into law in September 2007. Basically, it ensures a manageable income-sensitive repayment schedule and a full FORGIVENESS of the balance after 10 years (or 120 payments) in a public interest, government or not-for-profit job (defined in the act). Note, these need not be just law-related, but ANY, including teaching, law-enforcement, social work, you name it.

The details are complicated, and still have some wrinkles; the final forgiveness is still a taxable event until lobbyists get their way in the form of an amendment. But if you anticipate being in public service for the next ten years, it is an amazing deal. For more information, see the following links.

UB Law Links Article
Equal Justice Works Resource Site
Law Review Article by Georgetown Professor Philip Schrag
IBR Info: A non-profit information resource regarding the CCRAA

The Federal Direct Consolidation loan application is here.

Just another great tool to help you on your way to your dream job!