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We are no longer accepting submissions, however, Blog Archives can be accessed below. The opinions expressed in entries in the LC Blog are those of the author, not of Lawyers Club of San Diego.
Networking 101: Teamwork
Unfamiliar. Uncomfortable. Unnerving. Three words law students often use to describe “networking.” Overcoming those hurdles requires time, a rather limited resource. Luckily, Lawyers Club is intentionally structured to guide attorneys and law students over and around hurdles such as these, that inhibit the advancement of women in law and society. Personally, I have learned that taking full advantage of being a Lawyers Club member requires teamwork. In fact, it has been clear to me from day one that each attorney or judge I interact with remembers being in my shoes. That familiarity seems to lead Lawyers Club members to do what they can to help students like me achieve my individual goals.
Gloria Steinem contends that gender is probably the most restricting force in American life. Many believe that it is certainly the most restricting force in the legal profession. To be sure, we’ve come a long way since former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor graduated third in her class at Stanford in 1953, but the only job she was offered was legal secretary. And since Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Notorious RBG!) received not one offer from a law firm despite tying for first in her graduating class from Columbia Law in 1959. (She instead accepted a clerkship with a federal judge.) Those were definitely not the good old days for women in the law. As a result of the feminist movement, we’ve come a long way, but we all agree that we are not there yet. We need the “last wave” of feminism to get us there.
Work vs. Life vs. Me As a little girl, I wasn’t really interested in dolls or playing house. I played business. I loved setting up my desk and rubber stamping paper and answering calls, taking notes – I loved it all. Someone might suggest that I was influenced by my parents, however, my dad was a pastor (not a traditional office environment), and while I have memories of being a “latch-key kid,” my mother is quick to remind me that she stayed home until I was in 6th grade (then she went on to conquer the world of health care). So, while my parents have been an enormous influence on me and my career goals, I take pride in and embrace my innate young work ethic and ambitions!
Lawyers Club is proud to launch LCB, the Lawyers Club Blog. The goal behind LCB is to generate a creative space for Lawyers Club members to provide personal insight, experience, and expression. A team of bloggers, our “writers-in-residence,” are already hard at work to bring you fresh views on topics related to the LC mission to advance the status of women in the law and society. LCB will cover everything from students’ perspectives to the history of feminism. The blogs will be available to the public, but only Lawyers Club members will be able to comment. LCB will generate thought-provoking content that is dynamic, interactive and driven by our members. With time, we hope that the content will help us build a community that’s entrenched in the Lawyers Club mission.
