What does it mean to be an Appellate Attorney In an appeal, a higher court—an appellate or supreme court—reviews the decision of a lower court—generally a trial court or an administrative agency. Lawyers specializing in appellate practice handle the process of appealing a final judgment. This may happen in a civil or criminal case after a trial before a judge or jury, or after dismissal of a case upon... (24062 views)
What does it mean to work as a civil litigation attorney If you talk to successful trial lawyers, they will typically agree that most cases are won or lost before the trial ever begins. It is the pretrial process—in which evidence is gathered, facts and case theories are developed, witnesses are interviewed and deposed, and various motions are filed, argued, and decided by the judge—which occupies the vast majority of the... (6504 views)
What Does It Mean to Be a Banking and Commercial Finance Attorney? In the classic movie It's a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart played George Bailey, the quintessential small town banker, a pillar of the community who bore the burden of running the local savings and loan. If George Bailey were to return to Bedford Falls today, he would likely find the local savings and loan had become part of a national conglomerate that offered numerous... (15404 views)
What does it mean as an attorney to work in entertainment and sports law The field of entertainment and sports law covers a remarkably broad and varied practice area. The practice involves such substantive areas of the law as contracts, labor, corporate finance, intellectual property, and antitrust. Lawyers in the sports and entertainment fields are specialists because of their knowledge of their clients' worlds (entertainers, athletes, and... (3858 views)
What Does It Mean to Work as an Antitrust Lawyer? With their potential for multimillion dollar damage awards as well as their potential for restructuring entire industries (such as the telecommunications or petro-chemical industries), antitrust cases are complex high-stakes cases that often make fBillt page news. Antitrust law was responsible for the breakup of the Standard Oil Company into numerous competitors as well as... (15632 views)
California Top Recruiter Liz Hudson Interviewed about California’s Growing Real Estate Attorney Market Liz Hudson, as a Managing Director at BCG Attorney Search, has her finger on the pulse of West Coast Law. With her unique position working with many of the largest firms in California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Alaska, and Hawaii, she is excited that to tell us of the improvements the market has made in the second half of 2012. Herself a lawyer with a J.D. from... (194 views)
Ideal Qualities in a Bankruptcy Attorney Lawyering is often overwhelming, full of important decisions, adversarial situations and, especially in bankruptcy law, constant negotiation and communication with people. A few guiding principles will help you navigate this thicket. These principles are pretty simple - be honest, be ethical, and be clear. It's not so much that these standards of behavior will make you a... (482 views)
A Day in the Life of a Bankruptcy Attorney Kelly Koyama is a third-year associate in the Workout & Bankruptcy and Litigation practice groups of the New York City office of decay, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. Her practice is focused on Chapter 11 corporate proceedings, representing a variety of clients including debtors, individual creditors and asset acquisitions. This is an account of how she spent her day... (3221 views)
Bankruptcy Law Jobs: Salaries, Benefits, and Work/Life Balance Enough about the job. What about the work itself? What should you expect, what will your life be like, and how can you make the most of it? (137 views)
Types of Careers in the Bankruptcy Law Field Bankruptcy law provides a multitude of options for the aspiring bankruptcy ace. First, there's the basic choice between corporate and consumer bankruptcies. Then the decision to specialize, or at least slant, your practice towards a particular aspect. Within each of these categories lies further sub¬groups, based on the nature of the client, the type of work performed,... (1618 views)
How to develop your bankruptcy law career So you've spent a few years at your firm and you're trying to figure out what's next. Most attorneys, after two or three years of practice, enter a restless period. Unhappy attorneys stay this way, drifting from job to job, without any pattern or actual career path. Not a happy way to live your professional life. (584 views)
How to carry out a successful job search in bankruptcy law So your transcript teems with A's and your resume shines with law review and clinical experience. How do you translate that into a job, whether for summer or post-graduation? There are several routes for getting a job straight from law school. First is through your school's OCR - on-campus recruiting - program. Second is seeking out prospective employers yourself. Although... (56 views)
Studying Bankruptcy Law Onward and upward; before you develop a bankruptcy practice, you've gotta get a job. Landing a job in bankruptcy law is no different than getting any legal job. The routes to getting the "right" bankruptcy law position are the same as those for any other legal position, give or take a few bankruptcy-specific tricks. (885 views)
Bankruptcy Law & Chapter 7 Explained Chapter 7 proceedings are the mirror image of Chapter 11 proceedings: But instead of attempting to reorganize and continue operations, the Chapter 7 debtor shuts down and liquidates all assets. Appropriately, Chapter 7 corporate debtors do not operate as debtors-in-possession; instead, the Office of the U.S. Trustee appoints a Chapter 7 Trustee to "wind-down" the business... (335 views)
Bankruptcy Law & Chapter 11 Explained Probably the best way to understand the various roles of a bankruptcy lawyer is to walk through a sample Chapter 11 process, exploring its various twists and turns, from pre-filing to plan confirmation. This section focuses on a corporate Chapter 11 proceeding, as opposed to the alternative corporate process, a Chapter 7 liquidation. (1096 views)
Bankruptcy Law's Ancient Origins and Current Trends Bankruptcy law, or at least some variation thereof, existed as far back as the Roman Empire, although modern U.S. bankruptcy law springs from British bankruptcy statutes dating back to the sixteenth century. Bankruptcy was originally more of a sword than a shield, initiated by creditors and often leading to imprisonment for the delinquent debtor. A fresh start it wasn't. (272 views)
The Benefits of Practicing Bankruptcy Law Let's face facts - most aspiring lawyers don't grow up dreaming about arguing on behalf of reorganization plans in Bankruptcy Court. Lots of folks go to law school thanks to the passion of such mythic (albeit fictional) lawyers as Atticus Finch from "To Kill A Mockingbird." They go to law school because they believe in passion and justice and all that is good about... (4768 views)
The Diverse Skillset of the Bankruptcy Lawyer What is the uniform of a bankruptcy lawyer? The rolled-up sleeves of the litigator, poring over case reporters? The broad pinstripes and wide lapels of the M&A bigwig, twisting arms in the boardroom? Or the glen plaid suit and tasteful pocket handkerchief of the gentleman bank counsel? (430 views)
Advice from Practicing Labor Attorneys The advice offered to students by labor practitioners can be summarized as follows: (7 views)
How To Be a Successful Labor Attorney An even temper, a good sense of humor, an ability to relate to a variety of people, flexibility, creativity, aggressiveness, persuasiveness, and people-orientation were some of the responses given when labor attorneys were asked to describe a successful labor lawyer. It is clear that strong interpersonal skills are of paramount importance to the successful labor attorney.... (33 views)
Predicting Labor Law's Growth Areas Labor attorneys expect their practice specialty to enter the next decade in a position of strength. It appears that this specialty will present considerable practice opportunities in the next five to ten years. (25 views)
Labor Law Practice Trends There are a number of factors that affect labor practice trends. Future labor specialists will have to contend with changes in the very nature of the management/union structure: for example, as union workers have faced more difficult economic conditions and thus more complex bargaining sessions, the division between the workers and management sides has begun to blur.... (4 views)
Labor Law as an Evolving Practice Area Changes in the tenor and scope of the work force, developing economic conditions, and differences in the enforcement and interpretation of labor-related government regulations all have a great impact on the growth of labor law as an area of specialization. (10 views)
The Labor Law Job Market Cautious optimism is a term which can be used to describe the view of the job market for recent graduates who wish to enter the field of labor law practice. Many labor attorneys share the opinion stated by a Kansas City union-side practitioner: "At present [1984] best bets [for job opportunities] are in large management oriented law firms, government agencies (federal,... (25 views)
Getting Placed as a Labor Attorney The development of a resume and cover letter are the next steps to take after goals, practice area, and geographic location decisions have been made. Law school and college placement offices should have a counseling staff available to assist students with the writing of job descriptions, the establishment of resume format and writing style, and the sequence of listings on... (45 views)
Breaking into Labor Law A second- or third year student who has taken recommended labor-related electives and obtained some experience as described in the preceding section, may begin seeking an entry-level position that will begin after graduation. For more information on job hunting skills, see From Law Student to Lawyer: A Career Planning Manual, by Frances Utley and Gary A. Munneke, another... (22 views)
Arbitration in Labor Law Once a contract is signed and the rights, duties, and responsibilities of each side have been established and agreed upon, both the employers and employees must live within the tenets of the agreement. Disputes that arise during the life of the contract that cannot be resolved by union and management representatives are referred either to the NLRB, a state's labor hearing... (55 views)
What is Labor Law? Labor law developed as a vital area of legal specialization through ef¬forts to clarify the rights, duties, and obligations of employers and em¬ployees. Labor attorneys have attempted to establish and maintain an equitable balance of power between these two factions from the earliest interactions of labor and management. These efforts have been guided by (1) the... (3 views)
Recommended Experience for Labor Attorneys A student should begin acquiring labor-related experience during his or her college years. According to most labor practitioners, students should gain this experience with summer jobs either in industry (as a laborer in a factory or in construction, preferably in a union-represented company) or in a social service agency (e.g., unemployment office or community health... (8 views)