In a piece written in the National Law Journal, serious questions are highlighted over the changing legal field and the implications of a legal education. A recent letter from the Dean of the University of Miami Law School, Patricia White, highlighted the changing legal market and asked students to rethink their reasons in going to law school. Quite bold considering the potential money the school could have lost if students took the Dean up on her advice.
The Dean’s letter was done, in part, to get students to think about the legal profession in a different way than they had thought of it when applying to law school. Dean White wanted to address some of the major elements that many career service offices already address when advising students: Opportunity building and networking. The article recaps much of her letter but emphasized a key concept known as “opportunity-making.” This practice asks students to “1) highlight an area that is most interesting to them; 2) identify the people with whom they want to associate; and 3) understand where key issues in their areas of interest proliferate. These factors give them a sense of direction. Students who take the time to craft this brief plan are not just looking for a job; they are architecting a career.” This sounds like a fundamental aspect of building a career. Pointing this out when entering law school can only help.
September 27th, 2009
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Externships – short-term positions with nonprofit organizations, government agencies or other organizations that are unpaid, credit-based and supported by a faculty member and supervising attorney – are apparently gaining popularity as a means to help recent law school graduates gain an edge in the job market and “stick out.”
The legal job market is shrinking and forcing law schools to rethink what will best prepare students for the changing face of the legal field. How can we, schools are asking themselves, better prepare students with hands-on legal experience prior to entering the job market? Externships are quickly becoming a new popular option, but the article admits they are only a small piece of the puzzle. Recent graduates are, in many cases, competing with seasoned attorneys for high profile internships, clerkships and even low level associate positions. Externships, while providing a potential “in” or stopgap solution, cannot change the new realities of a constantly changing legal job market. To read the full article, click here.
September 27th, 2009
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The University of Minnesota Law School launched a new fellowship program aimed at building legal experience for recent graduates entering the job market.
The article, found in Minnesota Daily, the campus paper, highlights the growing demand at Law Schools to address the the rapidly changing job market. What many career service offices within law schools are recognizing is the increasing shift in the legal job market and the growing demand being placed on public interest organizations requires a shift in thinking. Students are now looking to the public sector and government lawyering jobs more and more.
The program will place 25 Law School graduates in a wide variety of legal positions, including assisting state judges and public defenders, working for the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis and doing policy work for various public interest organizations.
September 22nd, 2009
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Steven Donziger ‘91, is at the epitome of what many may consider an epic David v. Goliath legal battle. Donziger is the lead U.S. Attorney in the case of Aguinda v. ChevronTexaco. The case pits 30,000 Ecuadoreans who claim oil drilling done by Texaco (now owned by Chevron) has lead to untold amounts of pollution of water and land where the Ecuadoreans live.
This article features a brief interview with Donziger and Am Law Daily, where the journal asks him about the most recent twists in the case. The lawsuit was filed in 1993 and has turned into a long arduous fight with multiple twists, including the most recent accusation of bribery on the judge presiding over the case, judge Juan Nunez.
Please also note that Steven Donziger is featured in a documentary about this case called Crude, which was released in New York on September 9th and in Los Angeles on September 18th.
September 22nd, 2009
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The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is reportedly undergoing significant policy and organizational restructuring according to a recent New York Times article. These changes could lead to new hiring within the division and a revamping of what has long been considered an historic division within DOJ that recently has been under some serious scrutiny.
To the new hiring, the article conveys that the Obama administration is working to reverse many of the current trends of the Civil Rights Division. With that comes new hiring. “To bolster a unit that has been battered by heavy turnover and a scandal over politically tinged hiring under the Bush administration, the Obama White House has also proposed a hiring spree that would swell the ranks of several hundred civil rights lawyers with more than 50 additional lawyers, a significant increase for a relatively small but powerful division of the government.”
The division has had a significant presence within the DOJ from the height of the civil rights movement to modern day (including an episode when former President Clinton attempted to appoint Professor Lani Guinier to lead the division). Only time will tell to see how many new appointments there are, but significant policy shifting should be expected.
September 11th, 2009
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