Book Review: The Modern Rules of Etiquette

Book Review: The Modern Rules of Business Etiquette by Donna Gerson and David Gerson

If you are anything like me and my friends, you have had questions about what is appropriate to do at work, what you can ask of your bosses, if what you did or said at an interview was okay, if what you did and said at an office gathering was appropriate. From my understanding, this is completely normal. We are law students trying to figure out the real world of business etiquette, and while asking your friends and other law students for advice is a great way to dissipate your worry, it is nice to have a resource to go to that can answer these questions. An easy way to figure out the Dos and Don’ts is by breezing through this short, easy read on The Modern Rules of Business Etiquette by Donna Gerson and David Gerson.

SUMMER FUNDING: EJW Summer Corps

Are you working in public interest this summer? The Equal Justice Works Summer Corps application opens on March 16, 2011 so mark your calendars.  The application takes a bit of time to work through so don't leave it until the deadline to complete (which is April 5, 2011).

1L Government Honors & Internship Upcoming Deadlines

The following government programs have 1L deadlines coming up in the next two weeks. Details of these programs are provided in the 2010-11 Government Honors & Internship Handbook (login/password located in the Symplicity document library) . Additional programs are included below the jump.

Summer Programs

• Dept. of Justice - Volunteer/Part-time Legal Intern Program (Unpaid, Between Dec. and April 2011)

• Transportation Security Administration – Office of Civil Rights Summer Law Student Internship Program (Unpaid, After 12/01/10, but no later than end of March)

• Environmental Protection Agency – R1 Legal Internship Program (Paid & Unpaid, Between 01/01/11 & 02/28/11)

• Federal Communications Commission – Wireline Competition Bureau Pricing Policy Division, Student Internship Program (Unpaid, Between 01/01/11 & 03/15/11)

• Oregon Dept. of Justice – Summer Law Clerk Program (Paid, Deadline 01/26/11)

• Dept. Health & Human Services – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Summer Honors (Unpaid, Deadline 01/29/11)

• Dept. of Interior – Office of Regional Solicitor Pacific NW Summer Law Clerk (Unpaid, Deadline 01/29/11)

• Environmental Protection Agency – R3 Law Clerk Program (Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)

• Dept. of Education – R8 Office of Civil Rights Volunteer Legal Internship Program (Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)

• Export-Import Bank of the US – OGC Summer Intern Program (Paid & Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)

• Dept. of Interior – Office of Solicitor Law Student Volunteer Program (Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)

• Nebraska Office of Attorney General – Summer Law Clerk Program (Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)

• Sacramento County CA District Attorney’s Office – Summer Intern Program (Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)

• Texas Attorney General – Law Clerk Program (Paid & Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)

• Attorney General of Washington – Summer Law Clerk Program (Paid & Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)

2L Government Honors & Internship Upcoming Deadlines

The following government programs have 2L deadlines coming up in the next two weeks. Details of these programs are provided in the 2010-11 Government Honors & Internship Handbook, (login/password located in the Symplicity Announcements). The information below the jump includes more summer and programs for next fall.

Summer Programs
• Oregon Department of Justice – Summer Law Clerk Program (Paid, Deadline 01/26/11)
• Dept. of Interior – Office of Regional Solicitor Pacific NW Summer Law Clerk (Unpaid, Deadline 01/28/11)
• Dept. of Health & Human Services – Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Summer Honors (Unpaid, Deadline 01/29/11)
• Office of the District Attorney Denver, Colorado – Legal Internship Program (Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)
• Environmental Protection Agency – R3 Law Clerk Program (Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)
• Dept. of Education – R8 Office of Civil Rights Volunteer Legal Internship Program (Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)
• Export-Import Bank of the US – OGC Summer Intern Program (Paid & Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)
• Dept. of Interior – Office of Solicitor Law Student Volunteer Program (Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)
• Nebraska Office of Attorney General – Summer Law Clerk Program (Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)
• Attorney General of Washington – Summer Law Clerk Program (Paid & Unpaid, Deadline 01/31/11)
• National Labor Relations Board – Division of Enforcement Litigation Contempt Litigation Student Internship Program (Paid & Unpaid, Rolling Basis but not later than Feb. or 2 months prior to semester for which applying)

Summer Funding Resources

So you've landed an unpaid summer public interest gig (or are working toward that), and are thinking out ways to make it work financially.  Here's some resources and suggestions:

Determine if there is any flexibility to work only 25-30 hours so you can pursue paid work, such as:

• Research Assistant to a College of Law Professor or in one of the Centers or Institutes.  Network your work into finding out about these opportunities from the professors, Directors, and past research assistants.
• A non-legal gig, like a coffee shop or part-time nanny.  Yes, you'll have to report all employment to the bar for character and fitness someday, but you don't have to include it on your resume.
• Working as a legal assistant or courier for a legal employer -- do some networking, and learn where to file everything at the courthouses.

Pay attention to newsletters, discussion lists, and other emails you receive from the College of Law for funding opportunities.

• For example, the Center for Public Interest Law and Law Career Services collaborate to provide one application for their funding sources.  This will be coming later in December.
• The centers and institutes usually advertise their opportunities to their discussion lists and fellows.

Use external resources for funding.

• PSLawNet provides an overview of external summer funding opportunities (and for postgraduation too).  Many of our students have received funding through the Equal Justice America Law Student Fellowships and Equal Justice Works SummerCorps programs (yes, these are two separate organizations)
• Through its Library and Philanthropy Centers, the Donors Forum provides free access to the Foundation Center's Foundation Grants to Individuals Online.  This resource will be the most helpful for those that are seeking to do non-legal work.

College Cost Reduction & Access Act

To learn about the new Income Based Repayment plan (lower than Income Contingent Repayment) and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness provisions of the College Cost Reduction & Access Act, check out this presentation by Heather Jarvis, national student debt expert. In addition to her education and advocacy work on behalf of student debt, she also follows trends on Loan Repayment Assistance Programs. A wealth of tools are also available on the Equal Justice Works website. Thank you to Illinois Legal Aid Online for making this available online for everyone!

PICs Picks: Google Alerts

Guest Blog post by Tiffany Hayes, Public Interest Coordinator

Another great tool to use to keep on top of what is important to the people and employers important to you is Google Alerts. Relationship building guru Keith Ferrazzi has screen shots in this blog post to explain how to use this powerful tool.

PICs Picks: Digest Emails - Controlling the Flow

Guest Blogging Post by Anne Schneider, Public Interest Coordinator

As you join bar associations or are setting your LinkedIn group setting preferences, there are generally opportunities to request that emails be sent in digest format. A digested email simply provides you a summary of all the activity on the discussion list or in the group for the period specified (generally daily or once a week). You can adjust the settings depending on the timeliness of the discussions, as well as it could you help you identify which emails you are routinely deleting without even reading. If this is the case, it may be a sign that your membership is in name only, and it may be time to cut your ties and find groups whose information, events, and activities you will actively engage.

Google Reader -- A True Lifesaver

Guest Blog Post by Geeta Shah, Public Interest Coordinator

Google Reader is a lifesaver for organizing information flow. For any blog, newsletter or public twitter account (amongst others) that has an RSS or Atom feed, you set up the 'feed' to go to your Google Reader account (just another one of the various features of your gmail account), where you can organize the various feeds by your own topics. You can star your favorites, mark as unread to return to later, and even add subscriptions to blogs that don't have an RSS/Atom feed already. This is particularly helpful to utilize when you don't want to create another account (such as twitter), become a public "follower" to a blog, or have each individual (or even digest) form emailed to you.

PICs Picks: Bar Association Memberships, Part Deux

In the on-going series, the Law Career Services Public Interest Coordinators share their greatest hits of advice and resources. A great resource for finding professional bar associations globally, can be found here.

Joining organizations can further your career search in at least two meaningful ways. First, membership in general bar associations such as the Chicago Bar Association can expose you to many practice areas and specialties of which you may not have been aware. Beyond the informational and organizational meetings conducted by these groups, there are often opportunities to be exposed to tangible applications involving the particular area of law of the specialty committee or section, including various pro bono, community service and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars. These opportunities highlight the second major benefit of organization membership, which is networking and socializing that is a significant portion of most meetings and events. The chance to meet attorneys, judge, and fellow law students will allow you to begin to make inroads and contacts in your area of interest well in advance of graduation, a necessary and valuable advantage in the increasingly competitive legal market.

PICs Picks: Writing Competitions

The LCS employs law student Public Interest Coordinators (PICs) to help with various research and administrative projects in the office. On a regular basis, they provide insight and advice to their fellow students on various opportunities and resources. The first one of the school year is about writing competitions. For law students seeking ways to make their resumes stand out from the crowd, as well as displaying their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, writing competitions can be the perfect answer. These contests cover a wide range of topics, and can be sponsored by DePaul, various bar organizations, or private foundations. The DePaul newsletter is an excellent source for information about these competitions, and many more can be found through simple Internet searching, especially various bar associate sites. No matter your area of interest, there is likely to be a contest that addresses it. Winning one of these contests can mean scholarships, possible publication, and a nice item for your resume. Employers will be impressed at your initiative in locating unique opportunities as well as the dedication you demonstrate in completing a writing project outside the confines of LARC.