Office of Professional and Career Development

Suffolk University Law School

Spotlight

Weekly PCD Student Newsletter

 

• Welcome to Spotlight, the weekly PCD student newsletter.  Spotlight will be emailed to all students on Tuesday afternoons and will also be archived on Symplicity (in the News Feed).  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.

• Apply for a PAID Consumer Law Public Service Fellowship: The Consumer Law Public Service Fellowships support current students at Suffolk Law School working in unpaid public service internships in the field of consumer law. Fellowship applications are now being accepted for Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 internships - apply by noon this Friday, September 12 (extended deadline) on Symplicity (job posting #12408). While it is not necessary to secure an internship prior to applying for a fellowship, the award is contingent on obtaining a placement with an eligible employer. Former and present Fellows have found placements at agencies such as the Boston Fair Housing Commission, Greater Boston Legal Service's Consumer Rights Unit, an the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. 

• Apply for a prestigious $7,000 Summer Fellowship in Criminal Justice: The Drinan and McLaughlin Fellowships each give one 2LD/3LE student the opportunity to complete a paid summer internship in the offices of the United States Attorney, the Massachusetts Attorney General, the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Federal Public Defender, or within another government office of the criminal justice system. Apply on Symplicity (Session: Drinan/McLaughlin) by 10:00am on Friday, October 3.
• Participate in the Pro Bono Program - As the Fall semester begins, law students should start thinking about the wonderful opportunity to join and participate in the Suffolk Law Pro Bono Program. Pro bono service is the responsibility of all members of the legal profession. The Pro Bono Program allows you to begin that service now. Participating in the Program allows you to do good in the community, gain practical legal experience, and make networking connections. Last year, students in the program completed over 10,000 hours of pro bono service! Now is a particularly good time to join the Pro Bono Program (if you haven't already) and consider doing a Fall Semester pro bono internship - many employers just started looking for Fall Semester interns. Dozens of pro bono opportunities are currently available. Opportunities exist in many different areas of law and in many different types of non-profit and government organizations. Students are encouraged to contact Quaime Lee, Assistant Director of PCD, at qvlee@suffolk.edu or 617-573-8094 with any questions about joining the Program or finding an appropriate pro bono placement.
• Can't attend a PCD program but want to know what happened?  Program audio for many past PCD programs is available in a playlist on the Symplicity News Feed.
• Student Business Cards - As a reminder, students are able to order business cards with the Suffolk Law logo from Andrew T. Johnson Company.  Order Forms are available in the PCD office.
• Visit the Judicial Clerkship and Internship Resource Center on Symplicity for information on judicial internships and post-graduate clerkships. Scroll down the News Feed and click on the link!

• ePortfolio/Symplicity Training Sessions for First Year Students - If you need additional assistance with ePortfolio's Resume Builder or Symplicity, attend one of these training sessions in the PCD Library. RSVP on Symplicity.
            Thursday, September 11, 3:00 to 4:00pm
            Monday, September 15, 11:00am to 12:00pm
            Tuesday, September 16, 5:00 to 6:00pm
            Wednesday, September 17, 3:00 to 4:00pm 
• CPCS Information Session - Wednesday, September 17, 2:30 to 3:30pm, room 335. The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) will be speaking to interested students and graduates about careers with CPCS. CPCS oversees the provision of legal representation to indigent persons in criminal and civil cases and administrative proceedings in which there is a right to counsel. Joining us will be Krista Gadzala, Assistant Director of Human Resources and Diversity Officer, as well as attorneys from CPCS' Private Counsel (for criminal cases and related matters), the Children and Family Law (CAFL) (for child welfare cases), Youth Advocacy (for delinquency, youthful offender, and GCL revocation cases), and Mental Health (for guardianships and mental health/substance abuse commitments) Division. Graduating students and graduates applying to employment positions with CPCS in the coming months are strongly encouraged to attend, as this program will offer helpful guidance in preparing your application. For all other students, this program will also provide a solid overview into the breadth of opportunities available in CPCS. RSVP on Symplicity.
• Breaking Into Sports Law - Thursday, September 18, 6:00 to 8:00pm (new time), Main Function Room. Attend and get an inside look at the practice of Sports Law from the perspectives of Legal Counsel for the Boston Red Sox, Michelle Genwandter, and the Vice President for Labor Litigation & Policy for the NFL, Lawrence Ferazani. Find out what their practice is like, how they got there, what skills are needed and what are the current issues they are dealing with. The panel discussion will be followed by a reception. RSVP on Symplicity.
• PMF Information Session - Friday, September 19, 3:00 to 3:50pm, room 375. Learn more about the Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF).  RSVP on Symplicity and get login information for the webinar.  
• View the listing of upcoming PCD Programs on the Symplicity News Feed for additional programs. 

Diversity Announcements    

• Latham & Watkins is once again pleased to announce the Latham Diversity Scholars Program, which will award a $10,000 non-renewable scholarship to each of six second-year law students. Details are available on their website.  Interested students graduating in 2016 must apply by September 26, 2014.

Other Programs   

• The Suffolk Law Labor and Employment Law Concentration and NECCA are hosting the 3rd Annual Corporate Counsel Institute: Tackling Hot Topics in Labor and Employment Law at Suffolk on Friday, September 19 from 9:00am to 4:00pm with a reception to follow. Students are invited to meet practitioners and learn about the practice area. The program is free; register online. 

• The Women's Bar Association New Lawyers Committee is hosting their fall panel, Don't Miss the Boat: Recognizing When to Seize an Opportunity on Thursday, October 2 at 6:00pm at the offices of Edwards Wildman Palmer, 111 Huntington Avenue, 20th Floor, Boston. Details and registration information are available on their website.

• On Friday, October 3, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office's Trademark Trial & Appeal Board (TTAB) and Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) will hold hearings in the Moot Court Room on the campus of Northeastern University School of Law, Dockser Hall, 65 Forsythe Street. Registration is required. Details are available online.

• Boston Women in Public Finance invites students to a panel discussion and networking reception on Career Opportunities in Public Finance on Tuesday, October 7 from 5:30 to 8:00pm at Simmons College, School of Management, 300 The Fenway, Boston.  Join them for an opportunity to meet professional women working in various sectors of the public finance industry, learn about what they do, and explore possible career opportunities in this industry. RSVP on their website or email events@bostonwpf.com.

• The National Law Students Workers' Rights Conference will be held on Friday and Saturday, October 17 & 18, 2014 at the Conference Center at the Maritime Institute, just outside Baltimore, MD. The conference will (1) create a greater understanding of, appreciation for, and interest in the issues facing American workers; and (2) provide law students with opportunities for networking with fellow law students, top labor lawyers, professors, nonprofit practitioners and government officials.  Details and registration information are available on their website.  You must register by October 10.

Recruitment Programs  

• We continue to receive additions and changes to the summer/fall recruitment programs that were emailed to all returning students over the summer. An updated list of participating employers is available in the Document Library on Symplicity. UPCOMING DEADLINES - session OCI4 due by 10:00am on 9/10; session OCI5 due by 10:00am on 9/17.
• Government & Public Interest Recruitment Program - DEADLINE EXTENDED:  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 & Public Interest Recruitment Program will be held on Monday and Tuesday, October 6 & 7, 2014 at Boston College Law School. Applications (bidding) are being accepted on the MLSC Symplicity site and are now due by noon on Wednesday, September 10.  THREE NEW INTERVIEWING EMPLOYERS have been added to the program; an updated list of participating employers is available in the Document Library on the Suffolk Symplicity site.
• Register now for the October 24 & 25 Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair! The Equal justice Works Conference and Career Fair, held this year in Bethesda, MD on October 24 & 25, is the largest national public interest career fair in the country. More than 1,200 students from 165 law schools attend for two days of interviews, workshops, networking and other career opportunities. Public interest employers conduct interviews for internship and full-time positions and meet with students in informal "table talk" settings to discuss public interest legal opportunities. The Conference and Career Fair also features workshops on various public interest careers and job search advice, resume an cover letter review, mock interviews, and more. Students who plan to apply for interviews at the Career Fair must register and apply before September 16. More information is available on their website.
• Please notify Michelle Dobbins in the PCD (mdobbins@suffolk.edu) if you receive a callback interview or offer. This feedback is appreciated.