August 2006 Weddings
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
**HRPARKER**
Can we talk human rights law? ?You worked with a human rights group, right? ?
I have an offer to work with a Roma rights group here in the Czech Republic with the understanding that is will turn into a full time job when I graduate. ?I'm trying to figure out if I want to do this or if I should wait for something else. ?The problem is, unless I get a Czech law degree (which wouldn't be that difficult as my last year of law school here is made up of half the classes I need for the Czech degree), other options may not be available.
Re: **HRPARKER**
I should say that I'm really excited about the offer and the opportunity to work with them. ?I'm slightly worried though, about pigeon-holing myself into an area of law in the event that we ever move back to the States (if that makes sense). ?On one hand, I think it'd be great to have some sort of legal experience on my resume, as opposed to doing nothing for the next several years, but on the other hand I'm just afraid that I'll be stuck doing this forever and if I decide it's not for me down the line I won't have any options.?
I'm not hrparker, but I don't think it will be that big of an issue, coming from the side of someone who assisted an attorney on the recruitment committee.
The stuff that always matters to BigLaw are your school, your grades, and your personality. At least 2 of the 3 have to be very impressive. I think your unique experience in Prague could give you a leg up - those are the parts of the interview I tend to hear. The people spinning their other not-so-related experience as contributing to how interesting they are, basically.
Plus you can always leave if a better opportunity came about. Clearly an American accounting firm is there if you wanted to do tax law, for example. (Giggling at the thought of being the child of an accountant and a tax attorney...)
This is true to a certain extent. What Marquis says is accurate for incoming first year associates. So, if this is something you want to do while in law school, go for it. However, if its something you want to do for 3+ years, you probably will be pidgeon-holed to the practice area when you return to the US. When it comes to lateral hires, firms are looking for associates than can hit the ground running in a particular substantive area. They don't want to hired someone as a 3rd or 4th year, who has the skills of a 1st year in a particulare area. You will likely be able to break into litigation, but I wuoldn't expect to be able to transition to a firm in any other substantive area unless you can demonstrate that the skills you've garned in human rights are highly applicable. You could probably transition into international something or another, although I don't really know what, because you wouldn't have int'l arbitration, trade, or M&A experience.
That's what I'm worried about FBR. ?I'm thinking about doing this for the school year while looking for something else for after graduation in the event that I don't want to do it forever.
I've been floored by the amount of practicing attorneys here with JDs (you can tell because they put their degree in front of the name). ?It's possible there are other opportunities out there.
Honestly, I don't know that I'd be too concerned about being pigeon-holed, but I guess I don't know enough about you to really have an educated discussion.
You have a US JD right now, right? But you're living in the CR, and thinking about getting a CR legal degree as well?
I'm a 3L. ?I'm still enrolled at my university in the US, and am essentially "studying abroad" for my last year (which I know is a stupid thing to do, but it was the best option available to me given the circumstances). ?Barring any unforeseen issues, I'll have my JD in may.
I'm toying with the idea of getting a Czech law degree as well, but at this point I think I would have to know that I need it before making myself go to any more law school.?
Gotcha.
And now worries about being somewhere else for your last year. I was somewhere else for my last semester. They b!tched about it, but it worked out best for me, too.
As for getting your Czech degree, can you double count those credits? I mean, if you're using them to get credit for your US JD, can you still use them for . If so, and if you're only six months or so away from getting the rest of the credits you need for a Czech degree, my feeling would be to go for it. But then, I'm an elitist education junkie.
And as for being pigeon-holed. I think that as long as your able to explain to firms why the SKILLS you obtained working at the HR organization are relevant in another substantive area, I think you'll be fine. I have a couple of friends who had NOTHING but HR-related work on their resumes (primarily LGBTQ work) and LOTS of it; they were still able to get big firm (as in the same firm my FI is working for) jobs after graduation. If they can do it, I'm sure you can.
Though, to be honest, I think you might just become addicted to HR work once you start, and you'll won't need to worry about it. If people switch between the two career tracks, it's usually the other way around. Do big boring law firm work for 5 years, then switch to the non-profit sector. You're just starting out in the fun part.
Yeah, the Czech degree would be an additional year. ?I'm currently trying to figure out if I would have to take the national public school entrance exam or not. ?If I do, I probably won't bother as I hear it takes about a year to study for the test. ?If they'll waive the exam requirement because I'll already have two degrees, then I'll probably do it.
About Big Law: I've already given up on it. ?I have no desire to work on a bunch of meaningless and endless memos and briefs that I don't get to see the end of for 60 hours a week. ?I had a summer associate position lined up in NYC for this past summer, and then pretty much decided that I'd rather stay at the small firm I clerked at my first summer.
So I'm not really worried about not being able to get a job at Big law, it's more of a worry that I won't be able to get a job period.
I've also decided that I don't need to be working for money, so I better find a job that I really like. ??
If you're not wanting to go into big firm, then DO IT.
You WILL be able to find a job. Especially with two law degrees and a couple years experience working for an international HR organization.
It's been hard for me now, but that's because the economy SUCKS. It's not that my resume sucks or anything (although, trust me, I'd love to have an Ivy league school on there right about now), it's that there aren't enough jobs to go around because no one has the money to pay to open up more positions.
You'll be fine. I think most employers would be wowed by the fact that you were able to adapt to another countries legal system.
No worries about the nosiness. I'm not too terribly concerned about internet stalkers. My name's WAY to common. (Seriously - try googling me
).
And yes, I went to UC. Law and grad. SOOOOOO glad to be out of there. And right now wishing I had held off for a year in going to law school (I applied really late in the law school cycle - April - and most of the "good" schools had stopped accepting applications) so that I could have gone to a higher-ranked school. ::le sigh::
I've actually been told by employers that my school is one of the reasons that I was having trouble getting summer jobs, and "grown-up" jobs after graduation before the economy totally tanked. Nevermind the fact that I have a really good GPA, two graduate degrees, 8 years of experience in the non-profit sector, and three publications (including a book). Apparently UC = death in the NYC market. ::sigh::
For my last job here, I found out after I was hired that the hiring partner actually THREW MY RESUME AWAY because it didn't have an Ivy league school at the top. His secretary saved it, and MADE him give me an interview because she recognized that the only thing he was upset about was the school.
::grumble::