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Podcast Episode 299: Law School Activities for Long-Term Career Prospects (w/Sadie Jones)

June 29, 2021 By Law School Toolbox Team Leave a Comment

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we’re excited to have ex-BigLaw recruiter Sadie Jones with us to talk about what matters in law school, long term, for your career.

In this episode we discuss:

What activities to consider that will help your career over the long term
Typically, which activities are employers most interested in?
The importance of grades in law school
Does the type of job you want determine the activity you should focus on?
Should you take a hard class that is relevant, if you think you won’t get the best grade?
Career planning for rising 3Ls

Thanks for listening!

What do you actually do on Law Review? An Overview of Opportunities

June 23, 2021 By Tiffany Gee Ching Lo Leave a Comment

Many students hope to get on Law Review for multiple reasons: to develop valuable legal skills, learn about legal academia and interesting debates, to help promote certain authors and scholarship, and much more.

However, few people outside of the organization have a deeper understanding of the different roles and duties on Law Review beyond its general mission of publishing articles. Putting out thoughtful and substantiated pieces of scholarship is a huge endeavor, so it is no surprise that students on Law Review take up specific roles and delegate (or are delegated) different tasks. Thus, there is no uniform experience for each journal member. You can pick your own adventure! Of course, each journal is organized differently, not to mention changes from year to year based on lessons learned and the leadership’s goals.

My objective here is to provide more transparency into the work and opportunities once you become a member of Law Review, especially for students who do not have lawyers in their family or have little understanding of how journals work. Law Review is a substantial undertaking, and it is important to know what the commitment will entail.

Based on my experience, here is an overview of opportunities on Law Review, or a comparable journal.

Podcast Episode 298: Listen and Learn — The Dormant Commerce Clause

June 22, 2021 By Law School Toolbox Team Leave a Comment

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! In today’s episode from our “Listen and Learn” series, we’re focusing on the Dormant Commerce Clause, also known as the Negative Commerce Clause. We previously discussed the Commerce Clause in episode 215.

In this episode we discuss:

A brief review of the Commerce Clause
When the Dormant Commerce Clause comes into play
What constitutes an unduly burdensome regulation
The market participant exception
Other issues tested alongside the Dormant Commerce Clause
Analyzing two hypos from previous California bar exams
How to approach questions where it’s possible to argue either way

Thanks for listening!

Five Questions to Ask When You Receive a Work Assignment this Summer

June 16, 2021 By Christen Morgan Leave a Comment

Finally, summer is upon us and if you recently completed your 1L or 2L year, you may be gearing up for quite the summer ahead! A season of no classes, an opportunity to reclaim the social life that your busy law school semesters absorbed, and if you have a summer job coming up, the possibility of earning an income.

If you’re reading this post with a summer job on the horizon, you may be wondering what steps you should take when you ultimately receive your first summer assignment, or if you’ve already started your summer job, perhaps you’ve completed an assignment but found yourself a bit lost during the process. If you find yourself in either of these categories, don’t stress! Legal assignments can be extremely complex, and you are by no means alone in your concerns about whether you can execute them correctly.

Considering these concerns, I’ve put together this quick guide with a couple of questions you can ask your assigning attorney this summer. Keep in mind that this is not a foolproof guide, but just a couple of tips that have helped me through the years.

Podcast Episode 297: The 3L Job Hunt Process (w/Sadie Jones)

June 15, 2021 By Law School Toolbox Team Leave a Comment

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we’re discussing the ins and outs of the 3L job market with our guest Sadie Jones. We take a look at recruiting in BigLaw firms, as well as government and public interest organizations and in-house options at smaller firms.

In this episode we discuss:

Who might be looking for a job as a 3L?
How easy is it to get a job in BigLaw as a 3L, as compared to other organizations?
The timeline for 3L hiring
What if you’re in a situation where you summered and didn’t get an offer?
Recruiting at firms outside of BigLaw
Is it ever okay to accept one offer and switch to something else later?

Thanks for listening!

Five Ways to Use Spreadsheets in Law School

June 9, 2021 By Tiffany Gee Ching Lo Leave a Comment

Spreadsheets have been a good friend to me in law school. In my book, organization is key to success, and using a spreadsheet has been a great way to keep myself on track. Here are five ways to incorporate spreadsheets into your routine as a law student.

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