Staying Sane, Before and After Graduation

Law Schools Special Report: Staying Sane, Before and After Graduation by the National Law Journal 

This week, we present a “how-to” for students and for lawyers starting their careers. Amid a tight job market and the high cost of legal education, entering the profession is not a decision to make lightly. But success, as you’ll read, is not just getting good grades and nailing the interview. It’s about finding balance, enjoying the learning process and setting in motion a career that will cultivate a sense of purpose and professional fulfillment. It really is possible.

How to Clinch That ‘A’ and Not Lose Your Mind

Avoid procrastination, staying organized, and balancing courses are keys to success.

Before Going to Law School, Live Your Life

Gaining experience prior to pursuing a Juris Doctor degree made a KPMG executive a better student.

‘Soft Skills’ Are What Make Good Lawyers Great

The vast majority of job candidates know the law. Those who shine know themselves even better.

Stressing Out in Law School Is A Matter of Choice

You can decide whether to merely survive the experience or thrive by refusing to “compare and despair”.

Click here to read the entire article.

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The Importance of Getting a Mentor

Navigating the Mentor-Mentee Relationship by Director for Career Planning at Marquette University Law School, Erin Binns 

Depending on the relationship and the moment, they may serve as your cheerleader, coach, reality check, therapist, and/or teacher – and who doesn’t need one or all of those from time to time?

I find four compelling reasons, among many others, that make it particularly important for you to establish mentor-mentee relationships:

The legal market. Getting and keeping legal positions is a competitive business. You need direction, connections and endorsements throughout your job search and career. Having go-to people who know your strengths and potential and who are invested in your well-being and successes gives you an advantage. This is particularly true when you consider the number of graduates each year citing “referrals” as their job source.

The other stuff lawyers do. You’ll leave law school equipped to tackle nearly any set of facts a client delivers, but practicing involves a lot more than finding answers to legal matters. Client development and marketing, supervising staff, managing your calendar, traversing office politics, and handling client payments are examples among myriad other tasks and responsibilities that may befall you early in your career. Mentors can model for you and guide you through the how-tos of managing and running your practice.

Lack of perspective. All of us lack perspective as we approach new experiences. This is definitely true as a law student and young lawyer. It’s easy to misinterpret an assignment or misjudge a professor’s or partner’s expectations. You need someone to talk you off the proverbial ledge the first ten times you convince yourself you committed malpractice or made a career-ending mistake. Having a trusted adviser providing context to your missteps and successes can alleviate or keep in check anxiety and stress. A mentor who is willing to be an honest assessor of your work and professional development is a gift.

Read the entire article here.

Meet the newest justices of the Supreme Court of California

In 2014, for the second time in Gov. Jerry Brown’s historic four-term career, he was presented with the chance to reshape the California Supreme Court.

The first “Jerry Brown Court” became better known as the Bird Court and ended with the disastrous retention election of 1986, in which voters removed three of Brown’s appointees, including Chief Justice Rose Bird.

But decades after that debacle, opportunity knocked again for Brown with the retirements of Justices Marvin Baxter and Joyce Kennard – the two longest-serving appointees of Gov. George Deukmejian. Together with his previous appointment of Justice Goodwin Liu in 2011, Brown appointees are again the largest segment of the seven-member court. Meanwhile, California has seen the mellowing of the remaining appointees of Gov. Pete Wilson (Justices Kathryn Werdegar and Ming Chin) and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Justice Carol Corrigan and Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye).

Read the entire article here.