What's Hot and What's Not

Robert Denney Associates is a group of experienced professionals who provide strategic management and marketing counsel to clients in selected professions and industries. The firm puts out Legal Communiques that "discuss current trends and issues in the legal profession, not only in the United States but internationally."

The latest Communique includes such hot topics as red hot practice areas:

• Energy. At many firms throughout the U.S. but particularly in Texas, Ohio, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania. Oil & gas are the main drivers while air and water quality continue to be environmental issues.
• Health Care. Most of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) goes into effect 1/1/14 but there are still questions about certain issues. A major one for employers, their advisers  most states and even the federal government is setting up the exchanges and whether or not some employers will drop insurance altogether.
• Sports Law. As discussed in Steve Taylor’s excellent lead article in November Of Counsel, it’s not really a separate area because it involves various practice areas such as M&A, Labor & Employment, Intellectual Property and Advertising.

For more from the latest Communique, checkout this PDF. 

National Law Review March 2013 Law Student Writing Contest

March 2013 Law Student Writing Contest 

Submission Deadline: March 4, 2013

The National Law Review is hosting it's March 2013 Law Student Writing Contest with the winner's article to be published on the National Law Review website, the National Law Forum blog, and included in our October newsletter.

Submissions are now being accepted.

Suggested Topic: Labor Law

Please note that although students are encouraged to submit articles pertaining to the above-listed topics, they may also submit entries covering current issues related to other areas of the law.

How To Submit: 

Please email all article submissions to: lawschools@natlawreview.com

For complete submission guidelines and accompanying materials go to:

http://www.natlawreview.com/NLR-law-student-writing-competition

Why Students Should Submit:

·         Law students have the opportunity to publicly share their   knowledge and skills on a national digital platform.

·         Winning articles will be placed alongside with those written by respected attorneys from AM Law 200 firms.

·         Great resume building opportunity for future employment.

·         Great name exposure, with a full accompanying author bio.

·         Brand expansion opportunity for your law school, with an accompanying school logo.

www.natlawreview.com

Legal Analysis. Expertly Written. Quickly Found.

The National Law Review · 4700 Gilbert Ave., Suite #47 #230 · Western Springs, IL 60558

Northern Ohio/Midwest APALSA Conference

Asian American Bar Association of Northern Ohio/Midwest APALSA Conference at Case Western Reserve University

The Asian American Bar Association of Northern Ohio is celebrating our twentieth year of existence.  In connection with that celebration, we are partnering to hold the APALSA (Asian Pacific American Law Student Association) Midwestern conference at Case Western Reserve Law School on Friday February 22, 2013 and Saturday February 23, 2013.  Although the conference is focused toward Asian American law students, non-Asian American law students are welcome and might also profit from the panel sessions and interacting with law students and practicing lawyers who participate in the conference.  Conference organizers have obtained sponsorship from several leading Ohio law firms and the Cleveland Marshall School of Law.

The conference will open on Friday evening with a gala dinner featuring a keynote speech by Justice Goodwin Liu of the California Supreme Court.  Justice Liu's nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals by President Obama gained much national attention because he was viewed as a potential future nominee to the United States Supreme Court.  On Saturday February 23, there will be a variety of panels on various law topics, including a panel featuring Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, Judge Karen Nelson Moore of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit as well Chief Judge Solomon Oliver of the Northern District of Ohio.  They will discuss among other topics how law students and lawyers might prepare themselves for a career in the judicial branch and how the profession might increase the representation of minority lawyers, including Asian American lawyers on the judicial bench.

Those interested in registering for the conference and the gala dinner can do so at http://law.case.edu/orgs/apalsa/content.asp?id=491

Table Settings

Approaching a table during a formal meal may seem daunting with all of the china, stemware and silverware; but it does not have to be. Table settings vary depending on the restaurant or the meal. It is common to have the following standard items on a table:

• A napkin
• A salad fork, a dinner fork, a knife and a spoon
• A water glass or a wine glass
• A bread and butter plate with a butter knife For more formal and elegant events, you may find all the flatware and stemware you will need for the entire meal.

From time to time, you may attend a luncheon or dinner with a formal table setting.

Building a Professional Wardrobe

Lots of questions come in to our office about professional attire, especially when wanting to make a good first impression at an interview. But once you have secured a clerkship or externship, it is important to maintain a professional appearance each day in your office. Consider the following suggestions and resources for building your professional wardrobe:

• Evaluate what you have: many students already have a number of key pieces such as dress pants and shirts, or accessories such as dress shoes and belts. Take a look at your existing wardrobe so you are only purchasing what you really need to add.

• Stay frugal: You do not need to buy high-end designer pieces to impress everyone in your office. While it may be a good idea to invest more in a staple item such as black dress shoes, everyday items such as white dress shirts or a black pencil skirt can be purchased from any typical department store.

• Check out OPD's presentation: Our annual Dress for Success Program has already taken place for this school year, but you can always watch the video of the presentation on Symplicity in the Document Library. 

• Consider this checklist: The website Online MBA provides a concise list of wardrobe suggestions, broken down by "Essentials; Nice to Have; and Luxuries" to help you prioritize your new purchases. Check out that list HERE.

• Peruse our Pinterest boards: If you are looking for concrete suggestions for an interview or everyday professional attire, look at our online bulletin boards on Pinterest HERE. You do not need to have a Pinterest account to view the boards.

• Stop by the OPD: Students have often come by the office to show us the outfits they are planning for an interview or their first day of work, especially when concerned about whether a certain piece such as a shirt or shoes are appropriate. We can also help with suggestions of what outfits would be appropriate for a new job at an office in which you are unfamiliar. Feel free to come by with questions. And remember! The OPD business center stocks emergency items such as a lint roller, shoeshine kit, Shout wipes, and ties in basic colors.

Legal Studies Institute in Washington, D.C.

Legal Studies Institute

May 18 – July 27, 2013

Sponsored by The Fund for American Studies                                                                 

Washington, D.C.                                                      

www.DCinternships.org/LSI

Final Deadline: March 15, 2013                  

Do you have plans yet for this summer? Have you thought about spending it in Washington, DC completing a legal internship and earning academic credit?

The final application deadline for the Legal Studies Institute in Washington, DC is March 15. It’s not too late to apply and there is generous scholarship funding available!

Top 5 Reasons to Intern with LSI this Summer:
1. Gain real world experience to make yourself more attractive to future employers.
2. Develop your legal research and writing skills.
3. Expand your knowledge of the areas of law that you may one day want to practice.
4. Develop professional relationships with contacts in the legal field.
5. Hear from distinguished speakers including: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, D.C. Federal Court of Appeals Judge Douglas Ginsburg and former Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

• Legal Internship: Participants will be placed in a 9-week summer legal internship where they will work full-time and gain substantive experience in the legal profession. Internship sites include law firms, courts, public interest organizations and the legal departments of trade associations, corporations and government agencies.
• Briefings and Activities: Participants will attend private briefings at institutions of the judicial, legislative and executive branches and will meet with prominent judges, lawyers and judicial scholars. Previous guest speakers have included; Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski and D.C. Federal Court of Appeals Judge Douglas Ginsburg among others.
• Career Development Activities: Workshops will be held to help prepare participants for success in their law careers, and planned networking events will facilitate professional interaction.
• Attorney Mentor Program: Each participant will be matched with an experienced lawyer who will serve as a professional mentor during and after the program.
• Constitutional Law Course for Credit: You will be enrolled in a constitutional law course titled “Originalism and the Federalist Papers.” Classes will be held at Georgetown University Law Center. Students will receive credit from Ohio Northern University Pettit School of Law, or for an additional fee from Georgetown University Law Center.
• Housing: Students will live in fully-furnished apartments in downtown Washington, DC and are matched with other Institute participants. The apartments provide easy access to the DC metro transportation system.

“LSI was the most remarkable experience for which I could have asked. I met wonderful people, was placed in an intellectually stimulating internship, and was offered many professional opportunities. If I could, I would participate again in a heartbeat.”

Michelle Anderson, Louisiana State University Law Center

Legal Intern, D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until March 15. To learn more about the Legal Studies Institute and to begin an online application, please visit www.dcinternships/LSI. Questions may be directed to the Legal Studies Institute Manager, Stacie Allen, at 202.986.0384 or LEGAL@tfas.org. 

Smith-Doheny Legal Ethics Writing Competition

Notre Dame Law School sponsors an annual writing competition on the topic of legal ethics.  All students with an interest in legal ethics are invited and encouraged to participate.

• The competition is open to all law students at U.S. and Canadian law schools.
• Entries should concern any issue within the general category of legal ethics.
• Entries must be original, unpublished work.
• Entries must not exceed 50 pages, including notes, on 8.5 x 11 paper, double space, and standard font.
• Coauthored essays may be submitted.
• Submissions will be judged by a panel of faculty of the Notre Dame Law School.
• A prize of $2,500 will be awarded for one winning entry.

All entries must be received before 5 p.m., Friday,April 26, 2013.

To apply:

Please include cover letter with contact information and name of current law school.

All entries should be submitted to:

Smith-Doheny Legal Ethics Writing Competition

Notre Dame Law School

P.O. Box 780

Notre Dame, Indiana 46556

(574) 631~6749

Fax: (574) 631~3980

Email: sumption.l@nd.edu

Website: www.nd.edu/~ndlaw/writing_competitions/smith_doheny.pdf