Office of Professional and Career Development

Suffolk University Law School

Spotlight

Weekly OPCD Student Newsletter

 

• Welcome to the first issue of Spotlight, the weekly OPCD student newsletter.  Spotlight will be emailed to all students on Tuesday afternoons and will also be archived on the OPCD website.  Most items will not be repeated in future issues of the newsletter, so be sure to read Spotlight every week to keep updated on all career-related news and information. 

• The Career Development Office has been renamed the Office of Professional and Career Development.  We have been changing all resources over the summer from the CDO to OPCD to reflect the change.

• DISH Network LLC has announced the topic for its second annual DISH "Best in Class" eDiscovery Legal Research and Writing Competition.  This year, law students will be challenged to address the question of "Under what standard should a court subject an employee's non-business personal computing activities (e.g. social media, documents stored on a personal computer, and/or personal email accounts) to civil discovery involving her or his employer?"  Complete contest rules and additional information can be found at www.dishediscovery.com.  The submission deadline is October 13, 2012.

• Interested in Judicial Clerkships? Contact Margaret Talmers, Judicial Clerkship Advisor in the OPCD - mtalmers@suffolk.edu.  Check out the Judicial Clerkship and Internship Resource Center on Symplicity (Announcements section) for resources, cover letter, and resume samples, announcements and more.
• Interested in careers in government and public service? The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service can provide additional assistance. Sign up to receive their Rappaport Center Weekly Public Service Email, which includes information on programs, pro bono opportunities, and public service employment internship postings.

• Patent Law Forum - Monday, September 10th, 4:00 to 6:00pm, room tba. Have a hard science background? Planning to sit for the patent bar while a law student? Come meet and mingle with area firms looking to meet you.
• Federal Job Information Session - Monday, September 17th, 3:30 to 5:00pm, room tba. Find out about job opportunities with the federal government, including the Presidential Management Fellows Program. Co-sponsored with the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service.  RSVP on Symplicity.
• CPCS Information Session - Thursday, September 20th, 2:30 to 3:30pm, room tba.  Several attorneys from the Committee for Public Counsel Services will come to the law school to speak to students about the many divisions of the office, their experiences representing indigent clients, how to apply to work at CPCS, and how to improve your chances of success.  Sponsored by the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service.  RSVP on Symplicity.

• As you ready yourself for the Fall Semester, please start thinking about the Pro Bono Program!  For those students who have not yet joined, please take a look at the updated website for information on how to participate.  For existing Pro Bono Program members, dozens of public interest and government employers have internship openings for law students, and now is an ideal time to apply.  All placement opportunities are now posted on Symplicity.  To view them: (1) use the Pro Bono Program Widget located on the Pro Bono Program Student Participation web page; or (2) log on to Symplicity, click on the "Job Postings" link, and select "Pro Bono" as the "Position Type."  Checking Symplicity is just ONE way to find a pro bono placement.  Students may also initiate their own projects and are encouraged to make an appointment in the Rappaport Center to discuss options for a placement.  To make an appointment, email rappaportcenter@suffolk.edu.   If you have questions about the Pro Bono Program, do not hesitate to contact the Rappaport Center.
• Starting in September, SULS is launching a Housing Discrimination Testing Project in the areas of disability, LGBT, source of income, and familial status.  Participants in the Project will make a difference in the lives of others, learn about the law, develop practical legal skills, and earn money.  There will be two tester training sessions in September.  If you are interested, please email jlangowski@suffolk.edu as soon as possible to indicate which session you can attend:  Wednesday, September 12th, 4:30 to 7:30pm, Main Function Room or Thursday, September 13th, 8:30 to 11:30am, room 375.  Also, an informational session about the Project will be held on Thursday, September 6th from 2:30 to 3:30pm, room 365.  RSVP to mfriedman@suffolk.edu. Last, students are invited to a luncheon and event on Wednesday, September 12th at noon.  For more information see http://fairhousingkickoff.eventbrite.com.
• The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office is seeking entry-level attorneys for their 2013 Fellowship Program.  The Program offers entry-level attorneys the unique opportunity to engage in the practice of law and policy in the largest public sector legal office in the Commonwealth. Fellowship participants will receive training and supervision in particular practice areas to enhance proficiency and develop skills while in the program.  Through the Fellowship Program, new attorneys will enrich their legal experience, broaden their exposure to the public sector, and assume substantial individual responsibility for their work. Selected fellows will be assigned a particular bureau and will complete three bureau rotations over the course of the fellowship. The Fellowship Program is competitive, and candidates will be selected on the basis of several factors:  academic achievement; legal, professional or personal experience related to the mission of the Attorney General's Office; law journal participation; law school competitions and extracurricular activities.  The Attorney General's Office seeks applications for its Fellowship Program from third-year day or fourth-year evenning law students scheduled to graduate in 2013, and current full-time judicial law clerks who received their JD prior to 2013.  For detailed information on the Fellowship Program, download the view the 2013 AGO Fellowship Brochure.  The Program begins in September 2013.  All individuals invited to participate must commit to a two-year term and must take the bar exam in Massachusetts no later than July 2013. The salary will be $50,000 per year and the application deadline is September 14, 2012.  Selected candidates will be invited for interviews in October/November 2012.  Offers will be extended in December 2012.

Other Programs   

• Advanced Legal Studies (ALS) runs programs frequently on different areas of the law.  These programs are attended by numerous attorneys who practice in the area of the specific presentations.  The programs are practical and give law students insight into the real world practice, as well as nuts and bolts of interesting and emerging areas of law.  These programs are free or at a minimal cost for students. These are great networking opportunities and wonderful ways to help you decide which area of the law most interests you.  Students are asked to register for programs in advance.  Some of the upcoming programs include:
  • Corporate Counsel Institute: In-House from the Inside - Friday, September 14th, http://www.law.suffolk.edu/academic/als/coursedetail.cfm?cid=763 
  • Hot Topics in E-Discovery - Friday, October 5th, http://www.law.suffolk.edu/academic/als/coursedetail.cfm?cid=765 
• Sterling Education Services is holding a Workers' Compensation Law and Practice seminar in Springfield Massachusetts on Friday, September 21st.  They are offering five law students free scholarship passes to the seminar. You get a day-long overview of a particular aspect of the law, a seminar manual, and an opportunity to network with practicing attorneys. Students who wish to register can call 715-855-0495 or register through www.sterlingeducation.com/free-law-student-passes.

Recruitment Programs  

• We continue to receive additions and changes to the fall recruiting lists that were emailed to returning students over the summer.  A complete list of changes and additions is available on the OPCD website. 
• Upcoming bidding deadlines:
• Wednesday, September 5th at 10:00am - OCI4 Session on the Suffolk Symplicity site
• Monday, September 10th at 10:00am - COLLECTION4 Session on the Suffolk Symplicity site
• Wednesday, September 12th at noon - GOV/PI Session on the MLSC Symplicity site
• Each year public interest and government employers come to Boston in the Fall to interview students from all of the Boston area law schools for summer and post-graduate positions.  This year the MLSC Government and Public Interest Interview Program will be held on Monday, October 15th and Tuesday, October 16th at Boston College Law School.  Bidding or applying for these positions is done through the Consortium Symplicity site.  Bidding will open on September 6th and close at noon on Wednesday, September 12th.  Details about participating employers will be available soon.
• Would you like to connect with public interest employers from across the country and meet fellow public interest-minded students, graduates and attorneys?  Then you should attend the EJW Conference and Career Fair in the Washington, DC area on October 26 and 27.  Students must register and apply for positions no later than September 13th.  There is a $25 registration fee per student (which will be reimbursed by SULS).  For more information visit their website.