Duke Law Career & Professional Development

The end of another OCI, Segment I

As we near the end of the week of OCI Segment I here at Duke, take a moment to reflect on your interviews and how you feel the week has gone. Though it was exhausting, we do hope you enjoyed the experience and feel confident coming out of it and heading toward classes next week.

Here are a few articles to keep you encouraged, and to give you some advice for the next steps in your job searching joruney. Keep your chins up, and remember, this a grueling process for everyone, so you are not alone!

Connecting with others - without social media!

Dressing for the job you want

Keep your head above water - at all times, not just the summer.

Finding, keeping and evaluating your job

Here are some articles that might interest you as your summer progresses, and you learn the ins and outs of being an associate.

Keys to Finding a Legal Job

Remember, you are always being evaluated

What's Hot in the Legal Market?

We hope your summer is going well - make sure you keep us in mind if you have questions or concerns!

Summer 2011 - your time to shine

Congratulations on finishing the year at Duke Law! We're excited to hear about your summer - and we wish you the best of luck. 

Looking for ways to make yourself indispensible this summer? Here are a few articles you might find of interest.

Creating a Mentoring Network to be proud of

Finding Your Niche

Acing that interview!

Be proud of what you've done - but, be modest.

 

Upcoming opportunities for you!

As the semester fully gets underway, don't forget about the extracurricular activities put on or offered by firms and other types of employers for your benefit. Some of these activities, and information about them, are listed below!

 

• Parker Poe presents, "Life in a Law Firm: An Overview (A Program for Minority Law Students)" on Saturday, February 5, 2011. The event will be held at the Parker Poe Raleigh office (150 Fayetteville Street, Suite 140) and will be from 8:30 am-1:30 pm. If you can't make this one, Parker Poe will hold another session on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at its Columbia, SC office (1201 Main Street). Again, the event will be from 8:30 am-1:30 pm.
• O'Melvany & Myers presents the "O'Melvany & Myers, LLP Coffee Break Series". This webinar series is set up to maximize student outreach and assist students in every stage of their career, be it law school, career planning or work-life balance. To sign up for one, or all, of the webinars, follow the corresponding link found here:

Session I: Maximizing the Law School Experience, Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 12:30 pm PST. Register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/639127970.

Session II: Career Planning, Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 12:30 PST. Register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/909340138.

Session III: Work-Life Effectiveness, Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 12:30 pm PST. Register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/564000850.

• PSLawNet.org has some good advice for your Public Interest cover letter: http://pslawnet.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/public-interest-cover-letters-tips-and-best-practices-for-summer-job-applications/
• PSLawNet.org also has some good tips for networking, which can be found here http://pslawnet.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/expert-opinion-10-public-interest-networking-tips/

Please come see us if you have any questions, or need more information!

Hanging in the balance

Have things changed in the legal culture for women, and men, trying to achieve work-life balance? As discussed last week, the idea of work-life balance in general may be a terribly false sentiment, but it seems to be one that people are beginning to cling to more and more as times change. Vivia Chen of The Careerist blog wrote about flex time a few weeks back, which wondered if the law firm culture had changed at all in its estimation of the benefits of flex time, or its use of flex time. Following this, a back and forth of sorts occurred between Chen and an author she highlighted in her original post. What transpired is an interesting take from two women on the merits of trying to balance, and the changes that are occurring, or not occurring, in the legal world. The three articles are listed below.

Vivia Chen's original post

Response to the original post by Chen

Chen's rebuttal to the critique

The changing landscape of lawyering

The following articles focus on the changing landscape that is the profession of the law.

7 tips for new lawyers

The workforce repercussions of the economic downturn can be seen everywhere you look. What is being done to combat this? How are young lawyers supposed to 'get in the game' now?

New methods of hiring for Federal Clerkships?

Are clerkship hirings changing in the federal system? Will we be returning to the approaches of years past? Some say yes. But what is the impetus behind this?

Work-life balance?

The question of work-life balance never seems to be answered. Do you ever really achieve an actual balance? Or does one aspect of your life (professional or personal) always have more precedence over another? Does one form of practicing law bring more happiness than another? Is work-life balance an attainable, or even realistic, goal? According to Vivia Chen, these questions are not the ones being asked; rather, they are the ones being glossed over and ignored.

Don't forget about the little guy!

The smaller firms and markets could be benefiting from the generational mindset of current law school attendees. Don't think you won't work as hard in the smaller firms, though.

Food for thought

The links below focus on the 'new-age' associate. In the first, you'll see how social networking has created a brand new animal in jurors, and what you must look for when vetting your potential jurors. The other two links focus on your emotional quotient, and explain why firms, and new associates, should be thinking about the performance and their satisfaction.

Facebooking in Court

Creating satisfaction among associates

Helpful hints

We hope you have enjoyed Fall Break. Be sure to stop by and see us at the Career Center if you have any questions or need some advice, or simply to visit!

The employment situation and its swinging pendulum

Below are a few articles with different takes on the current employment climate. Because of the decreased offer rates over the past few years, it is important to take note of the first two articles which highlight things you should be doing in addition to keeping up your academics. It is becoming increasingly popular for firms to focus on emotional maturity, EQ (emotional quotient) and social skills as an impetus to hire you. Bear this in mind as you continue your law school career!

5 Things Firms Want You to Say in an Interview

Behavioral Interviewing Gains Momentum in Law Firm Hiring

Are things looking up for Law School On Campus Interviews?

Summer Associates Survey 2010: Chill in the Air

John Yates

John Yates ('82) is on the Board of Visitors and is a guest lecturer for L244 The Business & Economics of Law Firms.  Understanding client service expectations as a law student can build a foundation for success in private practice. 

 

Recent articles of interest

As the semester continues, the CPDC will be putting up articles of interest dealing with searching for jobs, developing your professionalism, and other career-related areas. The following are recent articles we have found.

Latham launches iPhone App for Deal Lawyers

Whether they’re discussing no-shop provisions or pro forma financials, corporate finance lawyers have a language all their own. Latham and Watkins’s recently released iphone application “The Book of Jargon” briefly defines 750 terms commonly used by capital markets and banking attorneys, and provides some helpful tips for new associates and students along the way.  

Commentary: Don't rely on Law Firm Rankings in Job Searches

'Fit' is a very important word in terms of finding your place in the professional world. Rankings listed by accredited agencies are helpful in locating your fit, but it is important that you understand what exactly YOU are looking for in a job, not just what you think you should be looking for. Take your job search as seriously and meticulously as you took your search to find the right law school. Use the rankings you find as a framework for your search - not the definitive set of standards by which you measure your choices.

Market picking up? Possibly for Mergers & Acquisitions..

After witnessing a sharp decline with the relative economic collapse in 2008, legal insiders (and outsiders) have been holding their breath to see what type of practice would bounce back. It seems Mergers & Acquisitions may come out ahead of other types of law, with markets showing signs of closing in on 2005 levels of productivity. While this is a welcome occurrence, cautious optimism is required.

 

Relaxed, engaging, authentic conversation

Good grades, curricular engagement, involvement in journals and/or Moot Court, and a high GPA will do much to enhance the attractiveness of your resume. But, what about the items you don't put on paper? How much do interpersonal and conversational skills help in garnering you another interview, a callback, or a job offer? By exhibiting these skills during an interview, will you change the interviewer's perception of who you are, and what you can bring to the table?

According to Stephen Harper, in an article for the American Lawyer, asking an interviewer what they see as the highlights to their career can bring new depth to their appreciation of you as a candidate. Asking them to think back to when they were in your shoes never hurts, and might actually create that connection that comes from person to person contact - and isn't translated on paper.