Careers
From Summer Associate to Softball Player
My first day at my internship with Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch this summer started out perfectly. We met all the attorneys over bagels, we were set up with keys and parking passes, and we were taken to lunch by one of the attorneys who initially interviewed us. After lunch, things took a…
Hunting for a Job? Maybe a 'Strategy Group' is in Order
I’m currently reading "The Happiness Project" by U.S. Supreme Court clerk-turned-author Gretchen Rubin. In a chapter about seeking happiness in her work life, she reveals one of her “Secrets of Adulthood”: “It’s okay to ask for help.” She describes how she came up with the idea of meeting with two…
Career Services: Gearing Up for the fall
As June draws to a close, the Office of Career Services is busy preparing for the onset of the fall semester. Today we will post a nearly complete list of our fall Tuesday/Thursday programming on the “Events” section of Symplicity. Our schedule includes panels on the state of the legal economy, on-…
Small Firms, Big Opportunities: Prepare Now for Hiring Increase on the Horizon
In the legal profession, more than 80 percent of all private practitioners work in law firms of 50 or fewer attorneys, and only 10 percent work in firms of more than 100 lawyers. Hiring at small (two-10 attorneys) and mid-sized (11-25 attorneys) firms accounted for 41.1 percent of the law firm jobs…
Twenty-Eight Days Later
Today the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) released “28 Tips for 28 Days,” an informational handout with tips for law schools and employers regarding its new timing guidelines. The NALP Board of Directors unanimously approved two changes for the 2010 recruiting cycle: The adoption…
Interviewing Advice: Tell a Better Story!
Our office prepares hundreds of students (and a number of alumni) each year for interviews with legal employers. During this interview prep, which often includes the review of a videotaped mock interview, we talk about strategies to enhance responses to common interview questions. Often our advice…
The Business of Law: Knowing the Basics Can Advance Your Career
Yesterday’s New York Times contained an eye-opening article about law firms’ responses to recessionary pressures. Over the 18 months, corporate leaders reeling from bleak economic times instructed their legal departments and other divisions to reduce expenditures. Armed with this directive, in-…
Know Thy Self: KU Basketball Coach's Job-hunting Prowess Teaches Importance of Persistence
At this time of year, it’s a tradition of mine to compare hunting for a job to the NCAA basketball tournament. Usually the March Madness analogy works well, but sometimes it’s more strained than the look on Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s face as he tries, once again, to rationalize a big game loss.…
Student Spotlight: Jessie Pringle Hopes to Increase Access to Justice
Through a legal tech fellowship at Kansas Legal Services, Jessie Pringle spent the summer learning how technology can help close the justice gap. “I am empowering people to navigate the justice system when they can't afford an attorney or there aren't enough resources for us to represent them…