Networking
Attention Law Students: Use Legal Writing In Your Job Search
October 25, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to talk to some students at New York Law School about networking, job search, and non-legal careers for lawyers. These students are facing the bleakest economy since the Depression, particularly in the legal sector. Law firms have imploded. Mega firms have merged with mega firms to create ultra-mega firms, thereby necessitating layoffs. And law schools continue with traditional On Campus Interviewing that largely address the top 20% of the class – law review students, Moot Court Board students, and the like.
For the other 80%, even a summer job may not be likely. Nor will a volunteer position at a legal agency because of the sheer inundation with resumes triggered by the scarcity of paying jobs.
So how can a law student distinguish himself or herself? Write.
The New York State Bar Association has several practice sections with a journal for each section. Approach an editor by phone or e-mail to see their processes for accepting articles for publication. Spending some of your summer by researching a legal topic for an article with your byline will be a good investment. For job interviews during the Fall, your fellow students will be armed with excerpts from briefs, motions, and memoranda they wrote during the summer. You will be armed, on the other hand, with a published article in a prestigious journal read by your interviewer’s peers, competitors, and clients.
Plus, there’s a bonus. You can use your article research to network. When you pick your topic, find out the leaders in that area of law. Then, send an e-mail request for an interview so you can include their views on the topic in your article. Suddenly, you are building a network of power!
So, even if you can’t get a legal job for the Summer and you wind up in a part-time position for the family business, a professor, or a non-profit organization where you get school credit in lieu of a paycheck, use some of your Summer to put those legal writing skills to work.
Of course, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with The Bluebook again. Oh well, who said Summer reading was supposed to be pleasurable anyway?
david@davidkrell.com
Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to talk to some students at New York Law School about networking, job search, and non-legal careers for lawyers. These students are facing the bleakest economy since the Depression, particularly in the legal sector. Law firms have imploded. Mega firms have merged with mega firms to create ultra-mega firms, thereby necessitating layoffs. And law schools continue with traditional On Campus Interviewing that largely address the top 20% of the class – law review students, Moot Court Board students, and the like.
For the other 80%, even a summer job may not be likely. Nor will a volunteer position at a legal agency because of the sheer inundation with resumes triggered by the scarcity of paying jobs.
So how can a law student distinguish himself or herself? Write.
The New York State Bar Association has several practice sections with a journal for each section. Approach an editor by phone or e-mail to see their processes for accepting articles for publication. Spending some of your summer by researching a legal topic for an article with your byline will be a good investment. For job interviews during the Fall, your fellow students will be armed with excerpts from briefs, motions, and memoranda they wrote during the summer. You will be armed, on the other hand, with a published article in a prestigious journal read by your interviewer’s peers, competitors, and clients.
Plus, there’s a bonus. You can use your article research to network. When you pick your topic, find out the leaders in that area of law. Then, send an e-mail request for an interview so you can include their views on the topic in your article. Suddenly, you are building a network of power!
So, even if you can’t get a legal job for the Summer and you wind up in a part-time position for the family business, a professor, or a non-profit organization where you get school credit in lieu of a paycheck, use some of your Summer to put those legal writing skills to work.
Of course, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with The Bluebook again. Oh well, who said Summer reading was supposed to be pleasurable anyway?
The Power of a Handshake
June 09, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Social media is a necessity for networking in the digital age.
From microblogging on Twitter to posting on Facebook to making connections on Linked In, social media allows us to exponentially expand our network with a few keystrokes.
Sometimes the old-fashioned way works, too. Nothing replaces face-to-face conversation, handshakes, and body language.
When I attended the International Trademark Association Annual Meeting last month in Seattle, I was part of a group approximately 7500 strong. Like other trade association conferences, the pace is challenging.
From early morning to late night, I created new connections, reinforced existing relationships, and cultivated new business. I met people at workshops, seminars, and after-dinner parties in a continuous loop during the course of a few days.
And the conversations all began with a handshake.
I got an assignment to write an article about legal writing through a chance meeting with an editor from Marcasur, a Latin American intellectual property law magazine. She asked about Write This Way and the conversation ended with the assignment.
I learned about an article in need of an author for The Trademark Reporter, INTA's scholarly journal. Topic -- Trademarks in Virtual Worlds. My discovery came through a conversation with a friend at a Mariners game. My friend is a premier intellectual property litigator and a member of the editorial staff at The Trademark Reporter. I immediately volunteered to write the article about this relatively new phenomenon.
A couple of hours before the Mariners game, I attended a cocktail hour for the media. Since I had an extra ticket in my block of tickets for the game, I invited a law firm marketer whom I met at the cocktail hour. He and I are having lunch today to discuss a potential web site copywriting project involving one of his international intellectual property law firm clients.
At the same cocktail hour, I met a British legal journalist who later agreed to be a member of the writing workshop I will moderate at the INTA 2010 Annual Meeting in Boston.
I also connected with an already existing contact who graciously arranged to send the materials for the Write This Way CLE workshops to the decision makers at her downtown Manhattan law firm. Getting in front of the decision makers is the first step to creating new business. To be fair, our conversation in Seattle took place via E-Mail, however, we first met a couple of years ago at a legal seminar -- not by following each other on Twitter, friending each other on Facebook, or joining each other's network on Linked In.
To be sure, those actions have a definite place in networking. One ignores social media at his or her peril in the digital age.
But don't discount the power of a handshake.
david@davidkrell.com
Social media is a necessity for networking in the digital age.
From microblogging on Twitter to posting on Facebook to making connections on Linked In, social media allows us to exponentially expand our network with a few keystrokes.
Sometimes the old-fashioned way works, too. Nothing replaces face-to-face conversation, handshakes, and body language.
When I attended the International Trademark Association Annual Meeting last month in Seattle, I was part of a group approximately 7500 strong. Like other trade association conferences, the pace is challenging.
From early morning to late night, I created new connections, reinforced existing relationships, and cultivated new business. I met people at workshops, seminars, and after-dinner parties in a continuous loop during the course of a few days.
And the conversations all began with a handshake.
I got an assignment to write an article about legal writing through a chance meeting with an editor from Marcasur, a Latin American intellectual property law magazine. She asked about Write This Way and the conversation ended with the assignment.
I learned about an article in need of an author for The Trademark Reporter, INTA's scholarly journal. Topic -- Trademarks in Virtual Worlds. My discovery came through a conversation with a friend at a Mariners game. My friend is a premier intellectual property litigator and a member of the editorial staff at The Trademark Reporter. I immediately volunteered to write the article about this relatively new phenomenon.
A couple of hours before the Mariners game, I attended a cocktail hour for the media. Since I had an extra ticket in my block of tickets for the game, I invited a law firm marketer whom I met at the cocktail hour. He and I are having lunch today to discuss a potential web site copywriting project involving one of his international intellectual property law firm clients.
At the same cocktail hour, I met a British legal journalist who later agreed to be a member of the writing workshop I will moderate at the INTA 2010 Annual Meeting in Boston.
I also connected with an already existing contact who graciously arranged to send the materials for the Write This Way CLE workshops to the decision makers at her downtown Manhattan law firm. Getting in front of the decision makers is the first step to creating new business. To be fair, our conversation in Seattle took place via E-Mail, however, we first met a couple of years ago at a legal seminar -- not by following each other on Twitter, friending each other on Facebook, or joining each other's network on Linked In.
To be sure, those actions have a definite place in networking. One ignores social media at his or her peril in the digital age.
But don't discount the power of a handshake.
Laid Off Means Don't Lay Down
June 02, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
A layoff, firing, cutback, or Insert Euphemism Here presents the massive challenge of repackaging your skill set for another buyer. Refining your resume, interview skills, and job search strategy becomes a daily chore. The work is tough. The rewards, somewhat elusive in this brutal economy.
Productive breaks in the job search refresh the mind, renew the body, and revive the spirit.
Reading.
Exercising.
Meditating.
Writing will also be a productive use of time during a layoff. What better way to show your expertise than starting a blog, writing an Op-Ed piece for your local paper, or authoring an article for a scholarly business or legal journal?
Channeling the writing skills that you use to burnish your resume, cover letter, and follow-up E-Mail communications can be an immensely valuable resource during a job search. Ceteris paribus, a tangible example of your expertise, passion, and knowledge will set you apart from the competition.
Wouldn't you rather show your depth in an article than explain it in a cover letter?
There's a hidden networking value as well. With the credential of researching an article, getting into inner sanctums will be smoother than if you're armed solely with a resume and cover letter.
Wouldn't you rather appear as an insider with sincere interest about the opinions, experiences, and challenges of decision makers than a simply competent professional with similar credentials as the competition's?
david@davidkrell.com
A layoff, firing, cutback, or Insert Euphemism Here presents the massive challenge of repackaging your skill set for another buyer. Refining your resume, interview skills, and job search strategy becomes a daily chore. The work is tough. The rewards, somewhat elusive in this brutal economy.
Productive breaks in the job search refresh the mind, renew the body, and revive the spirit.
Reading.
Exercising.
Meditating.
Writing will also be a productive use of time during a layoff. What better way to show your expertise than starting a blog, writing an Op-Ed piece for your local paper, or authoring an article for a scholarly business or legal journal?
Channeling the writing skills that you use to burnish your resume, cover letter, and follow-up E-Mail communications can be an immensely valuable resource during a job search. Ceteris paribus, a tangible example of your expertise, passion, and knowledge will set you apart from the competition.
Wouldn't you rather show your depth in an article than explain it in a cover letter?
There's a hidden networking value as well. With the credential of researching an article, getting into inner sanctums will be smoother than if you're armed solely with a resume and cover letter.
Wouldn't you rather appear as an insider with sincere interest about the opinions, experiences, and challenges of decision makers than a simply competent professional with similar credentials as the competition's?