Clear Out the Clutter and Make Room for Excellence It is finally the start of a new year, and whether you are looking to revitalize your current job path or jumpstart the career you hope to have, you will want to give an invigorating boost to your career and your resume. Make it your New Year's resolution to think about the goals that you have for your future, as well as the ones you have already accomplished, and... (8 views)
Andrei Iancu Went from Designing Satellites to Arguing Cases Before becoming an attorney, Andrei Iancu was an award-winning engineer at Hughes Aircraft. He said he always had an interest in law and decided to go to law school after working at Hughes for four years. (67 views)
Remembering an American President Gerald R. Ford: 38th President of the United States On December 26, 2006, flags all across the country began flying at half-staff, waving their sad salutes to President Gerald R. Ford, who died in his California home this past Tuesday. Ford, who was the only president ever to hold office without being elected, is often referred to as an ''accidental'' president. However, while his journey to the White House may have been... (95 views)
The Art of Creating the Perfect Business Letter for Better Coverage In the heat of the moment, many job applicants ignorantly toss together messy and ineffective cover letters, hoping to beat out the rest of the eager crowd. When applying for jobs, you should craft each cover letter as if it were an individual work of art. Taking the time to sit down and outline each cover letter properly will make better use of your time and energy—and... (148 views)
Strong Relationships and Resources Helps in Job Search Developing strong relationships with law school professors can be rewarding later on down the road. For instance, Bart Epstein, who is now the Vice President of Corporate Development and General Counsel of Tutor.com, said his professors were instrumental in helping him land his first job. (11 views)
Wayne Lovett: Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Mercury Air Group, Inc. It was not Wayne Lovett's dream to become a lawyer. In fact, one might say he fell into the profession by accident. (64 views)
Survey finds dissatisfaction of companies hiring outside Consel Corporate America is not happy with its outside counsel, according to a recent client-service survey. Only 32% of surveyed executives said they would recommend firms that worked for them, and 70% said they were dissatisfied with their primary law firms. (29 views)
Karen Mayer: General Counsel of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Ask any bookworm you can find, and he or she will tell you that Karen Mayer has a pretty cool job. As General Counsel of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Mayer plays an integral part in getting books into the hands of readers all across the country. She is involved in negotiating author contracts, as well as dealing with issues pertaining to copyright law, trademarks, and... (1608 views)
Virtually Anyone Can Volunteer While it might make you feel good to offer your services as a volunteer during the holiday season, it may be better not to give in to your warm, fuzzy urges. With everyone rushing to do good deeds during the last two months of the year, particularly post-9/11, there are actually—at certain times and in certain places—gluts of donated food and volunteer bodies. (50 views)
The Life and Career of Sandra Pfau Englund: Founder of Pfau Englund Nonprofit Law, PC, Alexandria, VA Unlike most people, Sandra Pfau Englund actually looks forward to going to work. ''I must say I love what I do,'' said Englund, founder of Pfau Englund Nonprofit Law, PC. Her law firm provides legal services to a variety of nonprofit organizations. (567 views)
New Disclosure Rules for Public Employers As new accounting rules go into effect for public employers, lawyers can expect an influx of legal work. (13 views)
The Online Resume: A Window into One's Soul? I have said it once, and I am going to say it again: technology has given many of today's job seekers the misconception that a good old-fashioned hard copy resume is way too old school. As a result, many candidates are sending employers links to their personal webpages, which happen to showcase their resumes, revealing perhaps too much information, if you catch my drift. (48 views)
From Engineering to Law: How the transition happened for Nobles This week, LawCrossing talks with Kimberley Chen Nobles, who is a partner in Crowell & Moring's intellectual property and international practice groups, about how she got her job at the firm. (33 views)
The Life and Career of Jerome L. Ringler: Partner with Ringler Kearney Alvarez, LLP, Los Angeles, CA When Jerome L. Ringler decided as an undergrad at Michigan State University that he wanted a career in the legal field, he had a very clear idea of the type of attorney he wanted to be. (248 views)
Law Integral to Society, says Vanderbilt General Counsel With about 1 million practicing attorneys in the United States, it is often argued that there are too many lawyers. However, according to one attorney, quality is more important than quantity. ''We don't have enough good lawyers,'' said David Williams, Vice Chancellor, General Counsel, and Secretary of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. (37 views)
Dealing with Seasonal Stress Lawyers and law students tend to be perfectionists. This drive for perfection in studying for exams or preparing briefs combined with the demands of the holiday season can be a recipe for stress and depression. (6 views)
The ill effects of lying about facts and information in Resume When most law students graduate, they face an oh-so-daunting Catch-22: many entry-level jobs require previous experience, which many law graduates obviously do not have. They may also be encouraged to lie about which schools they attended, since consideration of the school a candidate graduated from is often a make-or-break factor in getting hired by a top firm. This leads... (457 views)
The Life and Career of Barbara L. Johnson: Partner with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, Washington, DC Employment litigator Barbara Johnson had already established a solid career before going into law. She worked as an analytical chemist and instrument engineer for The Dow Chemical Company in Midland, MI, for five years prior to becoming an attorney. She said two attorney friends piqued her interest in law while she was working at Dow. (1076 views)
Civil Rights Movement Motivated Marvin Krislov to Pursue Legal Career Marvin Krislov grew up in the 1970s, a time when social activists challenged the government and, consequently, influenced social and political change. After witnessing the civil rights movement firsthand, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in law. ''Law can be an instrument in bringing about social change and greater opportunity for all people,'' said Krislov, who is now... (14 views)
The Life and Career of Thomas Cole Edwards: A Career Journey from the Courtroom to the Caribbean Having a law degree does not mean you are doomed to a career trapped behind the doors of a treacherous courtroom—though some may fantasize about that. Just ask Thomas Cole Edwards. He is an attorney turned mayor turned fiction author, and he is not looking to slow down anytime soon. Owning and running his own law firm in Orange County, CA, since 1977, Edwards has... (268 views)
Surviving the Holiday Office Party Yes, it's that time of year again; 'tis the season for the holiday office party. Holiday parties are typically held to thank employees for all their hard work and to try to motivate them to continue their efforts. Parties are also viewed as great opportunities for coworkers to mingle without pressure and develop camaraderie. If you dislike your company and the people you... (321 views)
Bart Epstein: General Counsel and Vice President of Corporate Development for Tutor.com It is Sunday night, and tomorrow is the start of another long workweek. Has the weekend once again gone by too quickly, or are you excited about getting back to the office? (107 views)
Going Over to the Business Side of the Fence Several years ago, I was at a seminar and a brilliant lawyer introduced himself to the group. The lawyer had recently retired; however, he had spent the better part of his career working for a major motion picture studio. He was a Harvard Law School graduate and one of the most relaxed and carefree attorneys I had ever met. He lived in Malibu, CA, on a street where I... (1225 views)
The Life and Career of Naomi Harlin Goodno: Assistant Professor of Law at Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, CA Professor Naomi Harlin Goodno was in the eighth grade when she decided that she wanted a career in law, and the environment in which she grew up played a part in that decision. (821 views)
General Counsel Frustrated with Licensing Rules Frustration is brewing for many general counsel, as new licensing laws are being approved in more states. Abiding by the new rules, which require lawyers to obtain limited licenses to practice in states in which they have not been admitted to the bar, can be costly and time-consuming. (19 views)
Daring Resumes: Are They Worth the Risk? As we look around at the 12-year-olds blabbing on their BlackBerry devices and jamming to thousands of songs on their microscopic iPod shuffles, there is no debate as to whether our society has become overwhelmingly technologically savvy, but is that necessarily something that should be reflected on our resumes? With many of today's businesses looking for more streamlined... (69 views)
The Life and Career of Tom Mighell: Senior Counsel at Cowles & Thompson and Author of inter alia, a Weblog Tom Mighell, Senior Counsel at the Dallas, TX, firm Cowles & Thompson for the past 16 years and author of the Internet legal research blog inter alia, is not just any lawyer. He is a pioneer in his field out to revolutionize the current legal system by sharing technological breakthroughs and educating lawyers about how to become more effective. Mighell's contributions as... (47 views)
Preparing Curricula Vitae for the International Market These days, with our global economy expanding at such a rapid rate, many young American law school graduates and professionals are broadening their horizons and applying to foreign firms, companies, and organizations. When applying for a job with a foreign employer, the application process has a few considerable differences that must be addressed, as our American practice... (39 views)
The Life and Career of Adam Levin: Partner with Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, LLP, Los Angeles, CA Labor and employment litigator Adam Levin said he likes to comb through all the details and facts of a case, taking them apart and putting them back together like the parts of a three-dimensional puzzle. And he also loves a good mystery. (1395 views)