CBA Meetings for Next Week

Meetings for Week of May 23, 2011

The following is a list of committees that have notified the CBA of their speaker / topic. Meetings are held at 12:15 p.m. for one hour at the CBA unless otherwise noted. Bring your CBA card to obtain MCLE credit for meeting attendance. Lunch is available in our servery for $9.50. There is no need to RSVP for committee meetings. Member may attend any meeting they choose.This schedule was generated on May 19. View most recent list. 

CBA Member Appreciation Week & Special Events

The Chicago Bar Association is celebrating Member Appreciation Week the week of May 9th with a slew of extra events which means more opportunities for career development, CLE, and networking. Additional special events for May are also included below.   Check out the various activities and programs today!

CBA Meetings for Next Week

Chicago Bar Association Meetings for Week of May 9, 2011 The following is a list of committees that have notified the CBA of their speaker / topic. Meetings are held at 12:15 p.m. for one hour at the CBA unless otherwise noted. Bring your CBA card to obtain MCLE credit for meeting attendance. Lunch is available in our servery for $9.50. There is no need to RSVP for committee meetings. Member may attend any meeting they choose. This schedule was generated on May 5. View most recent list.

Personal Branding

So what the heck is personal branding? It is really just considering your marketing plan -- what is it that is the most valuable about yourself to potential employers and how do tell them that? It is not only thinking about what you have to offer, but also the path you are taking to get there, especially if your long-term goals will take several steps to get there.  Where does your personal brand come into play? In every networking context such as your initial elevator pitch/introduction; emails to professors, law school administrators, and professional colleagues; your LinkedIn profile/google profile/twitter account/comments on blogs/everywhere else online; every encounter you make along the way. (After all, the last impression you made on someone is just as important as your first impression.)  To consider how to build your brand from the top down check out this blog post.

Networking 101: Follow-Up

We can all do a better job of networking -- we fall behind in catching up with people, don't keep LinkedIn updated, etc, but we can all do a better job of follow-up.  Sometimes this is creating a spreadsheet of your contacts and when/why you last contacted them.  Sometimes this is reaching out to old contacts for new reasons.  Or trolling through LinkedIn every month for contacts you've recently solidified. Check out this blog entry for more thoughts on follow-up.

ABC Mixer Networking Reception - April 28

Connect with professionals from the Illinois CPA Society and the Chicago Chapter of the Risk Management Association on Thursday, April 28, 2011, at 5:00 p.m., at The Plymouth, 327 S. Plymout Ct., Chicago (next to the CBA!). Cost is $65 per person. See details and registration form in PDF.

Lawyers in the Classroom - April 27

The Chicago Bar Association YLS has been paired with 5th and 6th grade classes at Decatur Classical Elementary School, 7030 North Sacramento Avenue, to participate in Lawyers in the Classroom on the morning/early afternoon of April 27, 2011. Using materials developed by the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago, the project aims to help local elementary students understand the U.S. Constitution and our legal System. Volunteer attorneys will be provided materials and asked to attend a one hour training on how to lead interactive lessons. Transportation is the responsibility of the volunteer. For more information or to volunteer contact Skip Harsch.

Networking Myths Debunked: Receptions

We've been hearing a lot of networking myths lately so let's spend some time debunking those.  Today, we'll start with I can't stay for the entire event, so I won't go.

CBA Meetings for Next Week

Meetings for Week of April 11, 2011
This schedule was generated on April 7. View most recent list. 

The following is a list of committees that have notified the CBA of their speaker / topic. Meetings are held at 12:15 p.m. for one hour at the CBA unless otherwise noted. Bring your CBA card to obtain MCLE credit for meeting attendance. Lunch is available in our servery for $9.50. There is no need to RSVP for committee meetings. Member may attend any meeting they choose.

LinkedIn Tips

LinkedIn Tips: Whenever you update your resume, don't forget to update all of your online profiles, including LinkedIn.  Take the time to check any links in those profiles to make sure they aren't broken or otherwise dead (for example, including a link to your locked/private twitter account should not be on your LinkedIn profile). Need more guidance? Check out the LinkedIn Professionalism programs on April 7th or 13th. After a quick half hour, you'll also be eligible to be invited to join the College of Law Alumni group on LinkedIn. RSVP in Symplicity today!  Also in the Symplicity Document Library are a series of checklists on setting up a profile, online networking etiquette, researching employers, and more.  Use 'LinkedIn' as your keyword in the Document Library search.

**NEW FROM THE LINKEDIN BLOG: 4 Easy Ways to Spring Clean Your LinkedIn Presence

CBA Meetings for Next Week

Meetings for Week of April 4, 2011
This schedule was generated on March 31. View most recent list. 

The following is a list of committees that have notified the CBA of their speaker / topic. Meetings are held at 12:15 p.m. for one hour at the CBA unless otherwise noted. Bring your CBA card to obtain MCLE credit for meeting attendance. Lunch is available in our servery for $9.50. There is no need to RSVP for committee meetings. Member may attend any meeting they choose.

Informational Interviews: Part I

When questions spike around a topic, we know it is time to address it in a blog post! Today, we begin to address Informational Interviews.

This link is a bit dated, but it a great post about informational interviews, plus a great link to pet peeves about those who abuse informational interviews (think of this as this "not to do" list). While most students are using these opportunities to focus on career exploration and build their networks, taking these opportunities to really listen for the chance to provide value to the person across the table as well as consider possibilities for future joint endeavors.  You never know when you might want to ask someone to provide a guest blog post on your future blog or invite part of their network to participate in a speaking engagement or CLE panel.

Make the Most of Your Law Degree

Don't miss this event, For Your Summer, For Your Career: Making the Most of Your Law Degree, presented by the Women's Bar Association of Illinois at ITT Chicago-Kent College of Law with keynote speaker Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke.

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.

CBA YLS Events

Meetings for Week of March 21, 2011

This schedule was generated on March 17. View most recent list. 

The following is a list of committees that have notified the CBA of their speaker / topic. Meetings are held at 12:15 p.m. for one hour at the CBA unless otherwise noted. Bring your CBA card to obtain MCLE credit for meeting attendance. Lunch is available in our servery for $9.50. There is no need to RSVP for committee meetings. Member may attend any meeting they choose.

FREE Landlord-Tenant Law Seminar

Sterling Education Services, Inc. is a non-profit continuing education company that conducts seminars across the nation. We are holding a Landlord-Tenant Law seminar in Springfield, IL on April 14, 2011 and we would like to offer five law students free scholarship-passes to this seminar. The students get a day-long overview of a particular aspect of the law, a seminar manual, and they also get an opportunity to network with practicing attorneys. This is a win-win situation.

To take advantage of this opportunity, students must register before the seminar via phone or email. No walk-ins will be allowed. Only current law students may take advantage of these passes and MUST provide their student id number or other proof of enrollment in order to register. If you wish to register, please email or call Tasha Badzinski directly at 715-855-0495 directly with the following information:

• Information on the seminar (Title; City, ST; Date)
• Student Information (Full Name, Student ID#, Phone Number, Email Address, Full Mailing Address, School Name).

Keeping Up with the Headlines

It is a challenge to keep up with all the news -- legal, local, world, financial, government.  Whew, it is a busy world out there!  Here's some tips for keeping you current:

CBA Meetings for Next Week

Chicago Bar Association Meetings for Week of March 14, 2011

This schedule was generated on March 10. View most recent list. 

The following is a list of committees that have notified the CBA of their speaker / topic. Meetings are held at 12:15 p.m. for one hour at the CBA unless otherwise noted. Bring your CBA card to obtain MCLE credit for meeting attendance. Lunch is available in our servery for $9.50. There is no need to RSVP for committee meetings. Member may attend any meeting they choose. 

Job Board Tips

In addition to Symplicity, there is a wealth of job boards out there --Chicago Bar Association, American Bar Association, PSLawNet, Illinois Legal Advocate (this is just a sampling; check out the Orientation Guide and other Job Search Guides in the Symplicity Document Library for more suggestions).  However, how do you make job boards work for you? Here's some tips:

CBA Meetings for Next Week

CBA Meetings for Week of March 7, 2011

The following is a list of committees that have notified the CBA of their speaker / topic. Meetings are held at 12:15 p.m. for one hour at the CBA unless otherwise noted. Bring your CBA card to obtain MCLE credit for meeting attendance. Lunch is available in our servery for $9.50. There is no need to RSVP for committee meetings. Member may attend any meeting they choose. This schedule was generated on March 3. View most recent list.