Abby Bourgeois: Coordinator of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) at the University of Florida Levin College of Law Whenever tax season rolls around, the stress level of most Americans skyrockets. People spend weeks filling out the correct forms, worrying about exemptions, and trying to get back as much money as possible on their tax returns, all the while trying to ensure they do not receive the dreaded IRS tax audit. While many middle- and upper-class citizens choose to utilize tax... (88 views)
The Best Way to Prepare for a Job Search and Interviews Several years ago, when I was looking for a position in Los Angeles, I interviewed with numerous law firms. During virtually every one of these interviews, I ran into an attorney who knew not one, not two, not three, but numerous, numerous attorneys in my current firm. (159 views)
The University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law, Gainesville, FL Founded in 1909, University of Florida's law school, the Fredric G. Levin College of Law, is accredited by the American Bar Association and is ranked as a Top 50 law school by U.S. News & World Report. (457 views)
Faith and Law Come Together on DC Campus: The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC As the nation's only university founded by American bishops and sanctioned by a pope, The Catholic University of America, located in Washington, DC, offers its students a unique chance to study law in the academic traditions of non-secular thought. (136 views)
Supreme Court Hears IPO Antitrust Case On March 27, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Credit Suisse Securities v. Billing, the IPO antitrust case whose outcome will greatly impact the future of Wall Street, investments, and the manner in which companies are offered for sale to the public. (131 views)
Angela Williams Brings a Musician's Finesse to Her Job as General Counsel of the YMCA of the USA When Angela Williams was in the 11th grade, she had her career goals narrowed down to two options: she was either going to be a professional musician or an attorney. (198 views)
Want to Improve Your Legal Writing? First, Improve Your Writing. (Part I) I am not an attorney. My specialties are writing, editing, and communications. However, I have spent virtually my entire career working for legal publishers and legal-service providers, and I now speak legalese very well. My experience has taken me to the point where odd phrases like ''of counsel'' and ''sexy boutique firm'' no longer confound me. (137 views)
Should I Disclose a Chronic Illness to a Potential Employer? I recently represented a candidate who sent me information via email for his cover letter. I had asked him, ''Have you always known you wanted to be a lawyer?'' His response was ''no.'' In fact, he had always wanted to be a doctor. However, he had inherited a progressive neuromuscular disease that prevented him from pursuing a career in medicine. (9820 views)
Horse Care Can Be Expensive Whether you enjoy racing horses or just raising them, you may be interested to know there is a stable in Upstate New York offering a six-year-old white Abyssinian mare for sale with the modest price tag of $1 million. This lovely lady weighs in at 10,000 pounds and stands 19.3 hands high. I hear that her temperament is excellent. (207 views)
EEOC Watches Employers Closely 04/06/07 Many watched as Walgreen Co. made news recently when they were sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for putting their minority employees to work in poorer areas of town, and now, the commission is warning other businesses to beware. The EEOC recently created E-RACE which stands for Eradicating Racism and Colorism from Employment. The... (139 views)
Equal Justice Works Makes E-Guide Available 04/05/07 Want to practice law in the public service sector, but aren't sure which law school would best prepare you for this? It used to be that U.S. News & World Report's law school rankings guide was the only place you could research such a topic. However, Equal Justice Works, a public interest law organization headquartered in Washington, DC, is changing that, offering... (6 views)
Celebrate Brew Years Eve by Having a Beer 04/04/07 What will you be doing on Saturday, April 7? Not sure? Why not celebrate Brew Years Eve, a holiday praising the very first step in repealing prohibition? This year, craft brewers from all over the country are encouraging people to head out to their favorite dive bars, sports bars, and local hangouts for an ice cold brew in celebration of the fact that these days,... (7 views)
J. Kirk Osborn Dies 04/03/07 Many of you may recognize the name J. Kirk Osborn from the infamous Duke University lacrosse case. If so, you may be saddened to know that Osborn died last week of a heart attack at the age of 64. Osborn suffered the attack on Friday, March 23. He passed away in Chapel Hill, NC. (91 views)
Immigration Attorneys Pulling Out All the Stops 04/02/07 It's no secret that America is a mobile society, and most of that mobility occurs in our own, personal vehicles. We drive to the grocery store. We drive to the dry cleaner's. We drive to work everyday. But, what if someone asked you not to drive anymore in order to protect your personal safety? How would you feel, and would you comply? (28 views)
The Life and Career of Katherine Bacal: Partner with Baker & McKenzie, LLP Before going to law school, Katherine Bacal had no plans to enter the legal profession. In fact, she initially wanted to be a history professor. (4225 views)
April 2 2007 Legal Blog Roundup Well, it's officially spring...and that's always good news, even if it's freezing outside today and we're all stuck inside. I tend to rationalize things this way: Even if it were nice outside, I'd still be stuck inside working. In fact, if it were nice outside, I'd be even bitterer about the fact that I'm stuck inside working. So it's better that the weather sucks…at... (1 views)
The case of the bartered chinese bride and seeking asylum in the United States When this Case of a Bartered Bride began in November 2001, Hong Yin Gao was only 19 years old. That was when her family sold her to Chen Zhi for the Chinese equivalent of $2,200. Now her case is in the U.S. Supreme Court because Attorney General Alberto Gonzales wants to send her back to China. (38 views)
Boorish co-workers bring everyone down As I sit here in the middle of a big office, I know there is guy sitting 30 feet behind me I wish would just disappear. (576 views)
Right Customer Service Wrongs Most of us have a story or two to tell about lousy customer service. (14 views)
Egypt: look beyond the pyramids ''How could I have been so foolish as to have missed this until now?'' I said to myself over and over one day while 785 miles south of Cairo visiting Abu Simbel, near the Egypt-Sudan border in an area where the ancient Egypt of the Pharaohs once stood looking out toward the ancient Kingdom of Nubia. (50 views)
BMW M5 is a smoother mover The BMW M5 is a 500-horsepower, 10-cylinder super sedan that will bolt to 60 mph in 4 1/2 seconds. It has such finesse that I could toss the keys to my Camry-driving wife and know that even she couldn't get into performance trouble. (49 views)
Dating the Interviewer Forgive me now for the comparison I am about to make, but interviews are, in a lot of ways, no different from blind dates. Think about it. Each person involved asks empty, detail-oriented questions in an attempt to gain as much information as possible about the other before their time together comes to an end. (12 views)
The Paralegal Program at Wesley College, Dover, DE Located on 50 acres in the historic city of Dover, Delaware, Wesley College was founded in 1873 as a preparatory school. Delaware's oldest private college, it is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offers 30 bachelor's degrees, four associate's degrees, and master's degrees in nursing, education, business administration, and environmental science. (129 views)
Danny Katz: Singer, Songwriter, Paralegal, New York, NY Paralegal-singer-songwriter Danny Katz graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1999 with a general B.A. degree and concentrations in Asian/Asian-American studies and LGBT/gender studies. (174 views)
Allocation of time for each case and effective time management in legal firms Some projects—especially the most urgent ones—seem to demand time traveling as a requisite skill. Everyone wants work done ASAP, but there's only one you and 24 hours in a day. What's to be done? (69 views)
Grace Jo: Founder of the Elli Jo Art Project and 2L at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA With plans to be a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army, Grace Jo, now 30, was attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point when a family tragedy caused her to alter her plans. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 16, Jo's sister quickly lost her eyesight and was soon unable to walk. Jo put her military career on hold and, wanting to be closer to her... (222 views)
Peterson St. Philippe : 1L at Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, FL As a young boy growing up in Haiti, Peterson St. Philippe wanted to make a difference in people's lives and in his country. Already a young witness to two coups d'état by the age of 12, St. Philippe yearned for stability for his country. Having been left in Haiti at age one-and-a-half when his mother left to pursue a better future, St. Philippe did not speak English when... (291 views)
Sarah Perlinger: 1L at the Franklin Pierce Law Center On March 26, Sarah Perlinger was a guest speaker at the 233rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Perlinger, a 1L at the Franklin Pierce Law Center, spoke to those in attendance about "non-traditional" chemistry careers, focusing on her experience as a patent examiner and her decision to attend law school after studying chemistry as an undergraduate. (156 views)
Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, FL Based upon a foundation of Judeo-Christian values, Florida's first law school, the Stetson University College of Law, was founded in 1900 with the goal of preparing students ''to competently, professionally, ethically, and compassionately engage in the practice of law, serve in related professions, and pursue public service.'' (709 views)