Law School Career

The job market is improving, companies are beginning to hire again and yet you still find yourself receiving those frustrating “thanks, but no thanks” form letters after being positive you’d aced your latest interview. How do you remain determined and keep your faith when it seems you can’t catch a break?

As mentioned, there are already strong indicators that things are finally on the rebound, but when’s the last time you took an objective look at your resume? A. Harrison Barnes, career coach and Hound.com founder, says if he could stress one important factor for those looking for jobs, it would be the role of the resume. “Too many people don’t emphasize their resumes and assume it doesn’t play as significant role as much as career coaches such as myself keeps saying”. The Hound.com founder continues, “If you’re that willing to take a nonchalant approach towards getting the job, how does an employer know you won’t take the same approach once you’ve landed the job?”

What advice does Barnes offer? “Simple”, he says, “allow an expert, such as the resume service offered via Hound.com, to give your resume the once over and be sure it’s as powerful as it could be”.  He continues, “Commitment shines through.” It’s that commitment that will be the determining factor on how soon you move into a job you’re better suited for and that will challenge you.

One recent trend of underemployment seems to be improving. In late 2009, nearly 18% of those currently employed were considered “underemployed”, meaning they were currently in jobs that didn’t allow them to use their education to its full capacity. Those numbers are closer to 14% these days, although official figures aren’t in yet. It’s important to remember it’s only temporary. Those underemployed cited several reasons for taking any work that come their way over the past couple of years:

• Unemployment benefits aren’t enough to cover expenses or worse, have already run out
• Many feel being in the public keeps their minds occupied and keeps them out of the house, where they might otherwise dwell on their lack of a career in their chosen profession
• Their savings aren’t dwindling as fast when they’re working for any kind of income
• You never know when opportunity will present itself in the most unlikely of places – even those who are underemployed can still network and quite successfully, too, says Barnes

Let’s face it, these challenging times will speak strongly of our character and we can learn a lot about ourselves. We might discover we’re stronger than we realized and who knows, you might meet your next business partner that will become the other half of an extremely successful business in your chosen profession. Regardless, it’s important to not allow negativity to take over and cause doubt. Nothing is worse for a career than those emotions that serve no real purpose.

If we’re to believe what’s coming out of Washington, national unemployment rates will remain above 9% through 2012, despite predictions of a 4% growth of the economy in both 2011 and 2012. Deciphering the many numbers from various governmental agencies is difficult, at best and these latest figures only highlight discrepancies and even what some say are contradictions. Still, says A. Harrison Barnes, career coach and EmploymentCrossing.com founder, these numbers from the White House are much more optimistic than other forecasts from economists. The White House is relying on “rapid growth” in business investments and a strong emphasis on exports. A White House spokesperson says the numbers are “completely reasonable”.

So what makes the Obama Administration so sure? The EmploymentCrossing.com founder says the more assertive numbers are based on the imminent expirations of tax cuts put in place by former President George W. Bush’s administration.

The Federal Reserve predicts unemployment will fall between 8.3% and 8.7% in 2011. It could be the White House is closer than what the Fed predicts, especially if one considers the reports released in June and early July, says A. Harrison Barnes. Retail sales are down and hiring isn’t as brisk as many had hoped by now. In fact, the economy lost jobs in June. The Labor Department said a net loss of 125,000 jobs in June was mostly due to the quarter million census jobs that ended.

So does all this data point towards a double dip recession? Not surprisingly, opinions run the gamut. Some are already predicting the second half of 2010 will yield even more disappointing changes. “It’s like a vicious cycle”, says Barnes. “Businesses are pausing their efforts of adding to their payrolls because of concerns of a potential double dip recession, yet the economy can’t grow until businesses begin hiring again”.

To put it in perspective, 2008 and 2009 collectively lost more than 8.5 million jobs. By June, 2010, there have only been 593,000 new jobs added to American businesses. Par for the course, Democrats are blaming Republicans and Republicans are blaming the Democrats. In the meantime, some sectors, such as the construction sector, continue to cut even more jobs. July is expected to bring even more bad news as nearly 400,000 of the remaining census workers will find themselves unemployed.

The key could be in temp jobs. More employers are committing to filling positions with employees that are temporary in nature in an effort to ensure they’re choosing the right candidates. This trend, while not necessarily new, has seen a recent surge. The good news is once employers are confident in their temp’s capabilities, they’re offering full time permanent positions.

For now, all eyes are on the national unemployment rate, which is still hovering around 9.6%. Unfortunately, the recent drops are being credited to those who have become discouraged in their job searches and who have given up. They are no longer receiving unemployment benefits and so they don’t have to prove to anyone they’re actively looking.

After a few days of careful thought, you think you have pieced together the lost night when you consumed one cold beer too many, which led to an interesting tattoo that you can’t even understand why you chose, much less why you sat still long enough to have the ink injected.  Now, you’re wondering if you’ve just blown your shot at being taken seriously when you begin your job hunt in the legal sector.  A. Harrison Barnes says ideally, a tattoo has nothing at all to do with whether you’re offered a job or not.  Well, mostly, anyway.  If your friends convinced you a lovely shade of red would look just dandy in a rose…on your forehead…then maybe it’s time to get new friends.  If the ink is in an awkward place that can’t be hidden, you should consider having it lasered off.  Fair warning, says the LawCrossing.com founder; it’s both painful and expensive.  Then again, missing out on the perfect position in the perfect law firm is going to cost you far more.  Did we mention it’s time to get new friends?

Usually, tattoos are easily covered and in fact, if you were to conduct an impromptu poll, many would have no idea the paralegal for the senior partner has a tattoo of a cowboy hat on her ankle.  She has complete control over who, if anyone, sees it on the job.  Since this person exists, we asked her about it.  “I love my tattoo and I have no regrets.  My only consideration before I got it was I wanted control over when it was exposed and when it wasn’t.  This was important since there are those times in life when displaying it might be in poor taste.  Fortunately, that hasn’t happened.  And I wear dresses and business suits every day.  The freedom comes in knowing I could wear pants and no one would know.  Bottom line for me personally, though, is that I have no regrets and don’t mind showing it.”

“That’s a healthy approach”, says A. Harrison Barnes.  “As long as you’re not making a controversial political statement on your forehead or your hand (areas you can’t cover), odds are, a tattoo won’t keep you from becoming the country’s best attorney if that’s what you wish to do”.

In fact, the profiles of typical clients entering a tattoo shop today are middle age business owners, doctors, bankers and even government employees.  This comes from always wanting to do it, but opting not to because the wife, the mother, the husband convinced them otherwise; there’s always someone to discourage it.  By the time we hit our forties, we’re putting less stock into others’ opinions.

If you’ve carefully considered it, have a tasteful design in mind and have committed to placing in a place that allows flexibility on when it shows and when it’s hidden, a well placed tattoo could be good for the soul.  Just ask the cowboy hat yielding paralegal.

If you haven’t heard of legal outsourcing, you will.  A new trend in delivering legal services has emerged.  Known as LPO, or legal process outsourcing, many legal firms in the U.S. have begun to ask themselves if sending work overseas is a beneficial practice.  Unlike other sectors, this practice requires a bit more due to confidentiality laws and attorney – client privilege.  “It’s a fine line”, says LawCrossing.com founder A. Harrison Barnes.  Even as it begins to pick up momentum, there are disadvantages to outsourcing any legal work, including secretarial duties.  Still, some of the benefits are difficult to ignore.

Most law firms consider the cost savings as a big advantage.  A. Harrison Barnes says those savings are only as good as the quality of work that comes back. If you have to pay overtime to a paralegal or your legal administrative assistant, then your savings are shot – and then some.  It’s true the wage and salary differences are substantial, but keep in mind, you’re putting your law firm’s reputation on the line.  The LawCrossing.com cautions attorneys to think long and hard before opting to outsource.

Keep in mind, too, that traditionally, a law firm has one or more face to face interviews before bringing new talent on board.  From new attorneys to secretaries, with outsourcing, you forfeit that advantage.  And if you’re using a third party, you forfeit even more in terms of picking and choosing the best talent for your needs.

Most law firms spent at least part of their time meeting court deadlines.  If you’ve outsourced a task and are waiting for the work to be completed, you could be causing yourself ulcers wondering if your overseas legal help is going to drop the ball or come through at the eleventh hour.  And, as Barnes says, “No judge is going care if your briefs aren’t ready because it got lost in the process.”  If you do choose to give legal outsourcing a good effort, choose a project that allows you to effectively gauge the experience of the contractor, but that doesn’t jeopardize your reputation.

Finally, it’s important that just because it’s 1:30 on a Wednesday afternoon at your office, your outsourced help could be turning in for the night, depending on where in the world they are.  You might enjoy a bit of flexibility, but it’s also at the outsourced employee’s mercy.  It’s a gamble and a huge leap of faith.

Law firms that consider outsourcing are looking at the benefits, and there are several.  That said, be sure the benefits are worth the sacrifices – there will be sacrifices made along the way.  Ask other attorneys who have given outsourcing a try and then weigh their experiences against what you hope to gain in your own efforts.  Avoid going into a long contract, keep the initial projects small in an effort to gauge the level of comprehension and always be prepared to pick up the pieces if necessary.

Hearing those three little words: “the difficult boss” can make most of us cringe; after all, we’ve all been there and we can all relate to answering to someone whose ego is the size of Texas and his knowledge of the job is closer to the smallest Caribbean island known to man.  Each day brings a new adventure, as far as a difficult boss is concerned.  His employees, however, might agree that each day brings a new potential for developing an ulcer.  So how do you deal with these folks who have no management finesse, yet who sign your paychecks?  We asked EmploymentCrossing.com founder and career coach A. Harrison Barnes for his thoughts on this uncomfortable quagmire.  Here’s his advice:

Cover your bases!  Never show up for a meeting unprepared.  That’s the golden opportunity for the boss to reveal just how difficult he really can be.
As tempting as it is, you’re not doing your career any favors by pointing out any of his 733 shortcomings.  If one of his moronic demands could prove detrimental to the company or your career, wait until you can speak with him in private.  Highlighting it in a public forum will only result in an incredibly difficult day.  In fact, says A. Harrison Barns, there’s no guarantee your consideration of waiting until you’re alone won’t result in his passive aggressive punishments, either.

Resist the urge to tell the entire department about the rumor you heart about his wife being seen with another man during karaoke night at the local bar.  Gossiping is never a good idea anyway, especially at the office, but even if it’s true it’s none of your business and the odds of it getting back to him are pretty good.
The EmploymentCrossing.com founder also says it’s important to keep in mind the contributions and stronger points he possesses.   This will allow you to keep perspective, even as you’re contemplating lacing his coffee with white-out.

On the flip side, it’s important that you document every project that failed due to his difficult or impossible demands.  Other things you should document (quietly and without letting anyone else in on your efforts) are inappropriate outbursts, any offensive comments and even empty threats.  Include the date, time and circumstances.  Ideally, you’ll end up tossing it when the time’s right, but again, it’s all about covering the bases with these bosses.

Finally, and this might prove most difficult for many, you have to show a degree of respect, or at the very least, you must eliminate any suggestion of disrespect.  After all, to not do so can land you in hot water.  Make up your mind that until the dynamics change – those dynamics meaning you resign or the boss gets transferred to the Tokyo office – you’re going to have to adapt for eight hours a day.

There’s a sense of satisfaction in knowing you can quit anytime you’ve had enough (with proper notice, reminds A. Harrison Barnes).  Be sure you play by the rules, though.  Remember, there’s always a chance a potential new employer gives the boss from a hell a phone call in search of a reference.

With a growing common denominators between the legal and medical fields, many would-be lawyers are choosing healthcare law.  A. Harrison Barnes, founder of LawCrossing.com, says one reason the two fields tend to merge from time to time is due to the advances in science and medicine.  DNA revolutionized the way lawyers present cases and DNA has also become a powerful weapon in closing those cases that have long since gone cold.  If it’s healthcare law you’re considering, odds are, you’re aiming high in terms of which schools you apply to.  U.S. News World Report recently updated its list of highest ranking colleges that offer healthcare law curriculums.  You might be surprised at which schools made the cut.  Odds are, there are at least a few on the list you might never have even considered.   A. Harrison Barnes says while the list isn’t all inclusive, it’s a great place to start and as this specialized area continues to grow, more schools will be adding their own healthcare law programs.

1. St. Louis University School of Law, located in St. Louis, Missouri ranks at the top of the list.  It’s intense programs provide incredible opportunities.
2. The University of Maryland is the publication’s second choice.  It’s also ranked number 48 of all the colleges in the U.S.  It’s a superb school with a rich heritage and the technology needed to ensure its placed at the number spot is deserved.
3. Coming in at number three is Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.   An impressive campus and a program that was created in 1953, this is the oldest program that combines law and medicine.
4. Boston University School of Law ranks at number four.  This school is responsible for some of the nation’s brightest minds, including Lelia Robinson, the very first woman who was admitted to the Massachusetts bar.
5. Rounding out the top five is Georgia State University.  This southern campus offers it all.  Located in Atlanta, those who choose Georgia State will enjoy the seemingly endless access to databases and other resources.
6. Another southern campus, University of Houston, has long since been a favorite among law students.  It’s one out of twenty three American law schools that touts more than three nationally recognized specialty programs.

Rounding out the top ten are Georgetown University in Washington DC; Seton Hall in Newark, NJ; Loyola University at Chicago and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, located in Minneapolis.

Once you’ve completed the educational requirements and pass the bar, you’re sure to discover the many opportunities that will suddenly be before you, says the LawCrossing.com founder.  He continues, “The more dedicated you are, the more sure you’ll be as you close one chapter of your life and begin another.”

Looking for a career that has endless advancement opportunities?  A career that is visible enough so that your contributions don’t get overlooked, yet just enough out of the fast pace that you can actually concentrate on many tasks at once?  Paralegals enjoy these environments every day and the best part is they’re often afforded many career avenues.  City, county and state municipalities, major corporations and other agencies always notice a paralegal’s contributions.  After all, in many ways, a paralegal is the project manager of any case he or she may be working on.  Along with the attorneys, paralegals ensure the proverbial bases are covered, says A. Harrison Barnes, career coach and founder of LawCrossing.com.  This makes it not only a coveted career choice for many, but also opens up doors for other advancement opportunities outside a traditional legal office.

The very qualities that make a good paralegal, such as interviewing clients, writing legal briefs, correspondence and evidence gathering, are just what’s needed to define an excellent leader.  Because part of the educational process includes effective writing, it’s no surprise some seasoned paralegals decide to become investigative journalists, says the LawCrossing.com founder.

One example that’s currently making news is the major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Lawyers are loading up and heading south.  With them, they’re bringing their best paralegals to keep them organized and ahead of the curve.  Clearly, these personnel are offered a unique stance from witnessing the events as they unfold.  Many are keeping detailed notes, which will help forever memorialize this important moment in time that’s unprecedented.  Of course, they’re maintaining a timeline for the attorneys they’re working for, but their first hand view of the events will lend to opportunities for making significant contributions away from the law firm.

If you’re interested in becoming a paralegal and believe this is the career option you’ve been looking for, check into your state’s programs.  There are educational requirements, of course, and most states require some kind of licensing process before you can work as a paralegal in or out of a law firm.  And rest assured, attorneys are always looking for those bright minds who are good at what they do and who can ease the burdens they face on a daily basis.  If you’re dedicated, you’ll find the perfect position.  If you build your reputation, you’ll always have your choice of perfect positions.

Once you’ve completed your educational requirements, A. Harrison Barnes says your next step is to prepare a flawless resume that will not only get you noticed, but will ensure job offers.  Visit LawCrossing.com today for more information and background on paralegals, their salaries and other advancement opportunities.

Incase you are going for divorce; you will inevitably require legal assistance. A divorce lawyer will help you to deal with the case, fight for justice, and represent your interest during the times of negotiations between you and your spouse in the court. The competent and professional lawyers can bring about settlement of the court trials within the shortest possible time.

The duties and responsibilities of the divorce lawyers have been discussed here by A. Harrison Barnes the CEO of Legal Authority. In the first place you need to fix an appointment with the legal professional and brief your situation to the lawyer. The divorce lawyer must be able to communicate very effectively and must see to it that the person seeking divorce is able to share with you all personal details and the reasons behind seeking the divorce. It is the responsibility of the lawyer to provide you with assistance, whether you should move out of the marital home or seek custody of your child. The divorce lawyer also provides you with information with regards to matters relating to marital possessions, bank accounts, money and credit cards, says A. Harrison Barnes. The empathetic and compassionate lawyers make also help you to seek treatments for the stress and anxiety you and your child is going through during the entire divorce period.

The divorce lawyers are required to prepare documents for the custody of the child, says A. Harrison Barnes the CEO of Legal Authority. The credentials will contain details about financial supports provided to a child. The responsibility of preparing a formal divorce report falls within the purview of the divorce lawyer. It is very important that the lawyer analyses and evaluates the cases very minutely by referring to the pension, financial, real estate documents , insurance, business, copy of the tax returns provided by you. The orders with regard to custody arrangements, temporary visitation, motions related to the spousal or child support are prepared by the divorce lawyers, says A. Harrison Barnes. If the lawyer requires more information, he must ask for relevant information and documents from the party. The advocate may have to interrogate the party to avail further information.

Your lawyer has the responsibility of responding to your mails or letters in a time bound manner. The lawyer is required to send relevant copies and messages that he receives from the spouses attorneys. It is the responsibility of the lawyer to keep the parties abreast with the latest developments of the case. The divorce lawyer must provide you with the latest developmental reports relating to distribution of assets and the decisions pertaining to the custody of the child. Finally when the time arrives for solidification of the settlement terms, the divorce lawyer files a final draft settlement, which the party reviews and approves.

With the progress of your case, the need for legal assistance increases. The divorce lawyers are responsible for arranging for the child’s custody, business valuations and material goods appraisal. For some of these purposes the divorce lawyer may refer you to some of the professionals of the particular field, says A. Harrison Barnes. It is the responsibility of a lawyer to assist you in the court proceedings, depositions and hearings. The issues relating to spousal, child support, business valuations also fall within the purview of the divorce lawyers. The lawyers may also advise you about the way you should dress up while going for the trial cases in the law courts.

The divorce lawyers committed to the cause of their clients may assist in adoption of several labor-intensive tasks. These not only saves your money but also other resources. He may help you to arrange and organize the tax returns papers, receipts, and other important credentials and finally draw up a list of marital assets.

In order to become a divorce lawyer, you must earn a JD or jurist doctoral degree. Communications, English, philosophy, jurisprudence, argument and civil procedure are included within the broad purview of jurist doctor says A. Harrison Barnes. The divorce lawyers are required to pass both the BAR and LSAT examinations, so that they can practice. Previous experience in the legal profession as an intern can provide additional benefits. They are required to possess the JD degree from an Accredited Law School. The candidates who wish to pursue their career in this field must possess three years of experience in family law. Along with this the matters related to dissolution of marriage must also be studied by the law students. He must also be licensed in order to be able to practice.

When you are thinking about applying for a job, you will find many concerns that might trouble you. You may be wondering whether you are going to get paid enough, you might be worried about job security, or you may be wondering if the job offers enough insurance for what you need. The truth of the matter is that when you are looking at getting a job that will take care of you, you need to turn your attention towards getting a government job! A government job is widely considered to be among the most desirable kinds of jobs out there, so take a moment to consider what you need to know to get it.

The first thing that you need to do is to head to the correct website. There are a number of different websites that can point you towards government jobs in many areas; whether you are looking for a job with the federal government or you are looking for a job that actually keeps you a little closer to home when you are looking at getting a job for your state or even for your city. You will find that these sites will give you a lot of information on how to apply and they will also allow you, in many cases, to get the application process started online. Remember you not only need to fill out the right forms, you will also need to make contact with the office in question right away. Take a moment to consider what your options are going to be and what you can do to make sure that you are getting into the right position.

Depending on the job that you want, you are going to need to consider how and when you can take the civil services exam. There are many people who are interested in getting these jobs thanks to the good pay and the high amount of security. The exam that you are looking into can be something that is very much in demand. Make sure your chances are as good as they can be by reviewing any practice material that might help. Ensure you are feeling alert and confident about the exam. Take some time and consider what your options are going to be and how you can prepare. If you know someone else who is already working where you want to work, remember to pick their brain!

If you are looking into getting a government job, remember that you might need to go through a security check. Outstanding credit problems can be a real issue when you are thinking about moving forward. You will find that it is a good idea to get them resolved as soon as you can. This can be instrumental in getting hired and it can be a huge help to impressing the people who are interviewing you.

Take a moment to think about the benefit of applying for a government job; it might be precisely what you have been looking for!

Today going for an internship is very necessary for every law students. It is in fact a must for them. The legal employers these days pay interest to only those law students who have been an intern during their law school days. In fact the experienced interns are much in demand in the legal job market. If you have not been an intern during the days of law institutions then the legal employers may start believing that you are not competent enough for the job or may even believe that you are not here to become a lawyer and thus are not serious with your job.

Internship is a kind of agreement made between the legal employer and the law student. According to this agreement the law student has to work for the legal employer for a fixed period of time and in reply the legal employer has to teach the law students about the workings at a law firm. The internships for law students are mostly unpaid. But there are few legal organizations that pay a very small wage to the interns working at their law firm says A. Harrison Barnes, the owner and the creator of Legal Authority.com.

Internships for the law students is very important and beneficial because they get to know about the environment of a law firm, the workings of the law firm, the expectations of the legal employers, the kind of different attorneys working at the law firm and most importantly will give them the knowledge about the law field they are interested to work in. knowledge about the different law fields will help the law student judge the right field for his legal career believes A. Harrison Barnes. Almost all the colleges provide their law students with the chance of internship during their vacations.

These internships are also the methods for hiring good and efficient lawyers in the law firm. The legal employers prefer this method because they get the chance to know the capability and skills of the law students; they get to know how beneficial a law student can be in performing in the law firm. It is through the internship the legal employers judge the perfect employee for their firm. This method even doesn’t ask for expenditure on the legal job search engines and other hiring processes and thus is very much preferred by the legal employers says A. Harrison Barnes who has been in the recruiting field past many years. Thus internship is a great opportunity to get a permanent job with the potential legal employer for the law students.

Not only will an internship help you get a permanent law job but will also help you set long term career goals to enhance your future legal career believes A. Harrison Barnes. Thus in order to help you in your future legal career, try helping yourself at the level of internship by setting up goals before going for an internship at a law firm. You have to decide on what exactly do you want from your internship and how will it help you move ahead in your legal career.

Once you have set up goals decide on the kind of legal firms that fit in your set of goals. You have to consider the size of the firm along with the culture, environment and practice areas. This will help you know what kind of environment and work culture will suit you and will also provide you with enough experience feel A. Harrison Barnes. Your choice of law firm should also include the geographical location you want to live in during the days of internship. It is suggested that if you get a good opportunity outside your locality or city then definitely go for it. You will have a very different kind of experience working at a distance area from your home.

Make sure that you are not only looking for paid internships but as well as unpaid internships. Many large law firms do not pay their interns thus if you are looking for only paid internships then you are closing many good opportunities for you. A. Harrison Barnes says that most of the paid internships are very professional and thus they legal employers make sure that they get the most out of the paid services that you give them.

You should take time in preparing your internship resume. Make it a very effective one that catches the eye of the legal employer and helps you get to do the internship at the legal firm along with the law student cover letter. Once you have the chance of being an intern, make sure that you utilize the opportunity well.