Dad | #LegalPractice Prof. @GeorgetownLaw | Ex: DDC, 2d Cir, W&C |🎙Host, #HowILawyer Podcast (Top 50 Career Podcast on iTunes) | Board: @legalmentors
Washington, D.C.
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Lawyers out there:
Just your regular reminder that connecting a law student or junior lawyer to someone you know in their field or an adjacent field is literally ZERO work for you and CAN CHANGE THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREER and LIFE.
They may not know to ask. So volunteer.
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Law Students: What if I told you that you could be more successful on *all* your law school exams with a single word?
Seriously!
That word is BECAUSE
Short 🧵
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Law is a profession of passed down wisdom. But that wisdom is often siloed to a golden few. The internet offers an opportunity to share this knowledge asynchronously & at scale.
So in 2021 I interviewed 50 lawyers on the #HowILawyer podcast.
Here are 20 lessons I learned 🧵 👇
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⁉️This week many law students start On Campus Interviewing.Every single interview will end with “what questions do you have for me”?
Some of my favorites 🧵👇
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Too many law students seem to think that because they didn’t get the top grade in a course that their professors don’t think highly of them and their potential as lawyers.
That is absolutely not true.
You are so much more than a grade to us!
1/x
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Lawyers are often asked to give feedback on the writing of others but they are rarely trained how to do it well.
Every year I give written feedback on more than 350 pieces of #LegalWriting.
Here are 5 quick(ish) tips to give better written feedback on legal writing:
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As a former federal law clerk (district and circuit) and current law professor, this is the time of year that I get a lot of questions about clerking: should I apply? how can I stand out? what are my chances?
Time for a CLERKSHIP 🧵 (start today, will finish this week):
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I had coffee with a stellar former student yesterday who asked a great question:
"I know it’s important to keep in touch with mentors & former supervisors but how do you recommend doing that?"
Here was my answer:
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Dear New #1Ls,
You are probably taking a course called #LegalWriting, Legal Practice, or Legal Analysis.
You may be thinking "I know how to write" or "I can sneak by this one" or "I'll just focus on other classes."
On day 1, I was like you.
Pro Tip: Don't be me.
🧵👇👇👇
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I tried something new in my #1L legal practice class today: a short LEGAL TWEETING exercise
I asked my students to draft a tweet about a recently decided case from the perspective of an advocacy organization.
I was pleasantly surprised with how it went.
Some thoughts:
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🚨Personal News🎙
I am starting a podcast called “How I Lawyer.” On it I will interview attorneys about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.
Interested?
✅ RT and subscribe at howilawyer.com
✅ DM me with people to interview
Want to know more? 🧵👇
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I am so grateful to my @GeorgetownLaw faculty colleagues who earlier today voted to award me a new three-year contract.
As a proud @GeorgetownLaw alumnus I am so lucky to get to keep living my dream of training the next generation of Hoya Lawyas.
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Considering running a free Zoom training for lawyers & law students on how to create better digital presentations (eg PowerPoint).
I have studied the topic for a few years and the training would be based on my forthcoming @JALWD article.
Would you be interested?
If yes, ❤️👇
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REAL TALK: Being a top law student is not just about how smart you are, how much time you spend studying, or how often you go to office hours.
Those matter but I think something matters more: TIME MANAGEMENT.
And the great part is that it is a skill that can be learned.
🧵👇
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A 🧵 on mistakes 👇
Even in a profession where precision is prized people make mistakes. Big ones and little ones. They misspeak or guess wrong. Managing a million things makes this harder. Like way harder. Social media also makes everything look perfect. Idealized. It’s not. 1/
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Want to do better on law school exams?
Here is a lesson from the Winter Olympics that might help.
In 2010, I was a 1L during the Vancouver Games. Men’s figure skating pitted 🇺🇸 Evan Lysacek v. 🇷🇺 Evgeni Plushenko.
Their story changed my outlook on exams forever.
🧵👇
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If law students work on the brief and are allowed under the rules to be on the brief:
PUT THEM ON THE BRIEF
You don't often see this: law students participating on both sides of a federal appeal, and each wins (in part) in a published decision as the court affirms in part and reverses in part.
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Just learned that a former @GeorgetownLaw student had her student note cited in a Supreme Court cert petition! So wonderful and a good reminder for students: putting your words in the world can help create change if you share your ideas with the world.
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I am not going to name and shame this organization/institution but this is an organization/institution that ONLY my wife was a member/attendee/alum.
We’ve given in the past (because we are married).
It’s 20 freaking 21. Get your act together and give people their own names.
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Every year at this time I share this article with my students. It tells the story of Justice Kagan’s grades in the first semester of law school.
For #1Ls: The curve is hard. And remember your 1st semester is just one tiny moment in a long career. /1
nytimes.com/2010/05/25/us/po…
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Teaching legal e-mails (sometimes called e-mail memos or e-memos) this week and next. I’d love to give my students a sense of e-mail volume magnitude.
#lawtwitter: how many emails do you receive a day on average (include your practice area in the reply).
Thanks in advance.
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Bad: John battered Sam.
Better: John battered Sam because his fist touched him.
Best: Battery requires physical contact. John made physical contact with Sam because he punched him.
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Absolutely devastated. Clerking for RAK was one of the greatest honors of my life. He was a mentor and the ultimate mensch. He fought tirelessly to make the world a better place. I will miss him dearly and will always try to continue his fight for justice and the rule of law.
NEW: The U.S. Second Circuit in New York has just announced the passing of Judge Robert A. Katzmann, 68, the court's former chief judge and one of the nation's most influential jurists. He served on the bench for 22 years. Here is the court's announcement: ca2.uscourts.gov/docs/Katzma…
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I am sad to see that paternity leave is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Again. I don't talk about it much but I took a nine-month leave with my older daughter and a one-month leave with my younger daughter. They were key parts of my life and my relationship with them 1/2
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I think we sometimes forget how brave our #1L students are. Some leave their families and communities for 3y and/or strain the relationships to dive head first into a discipline that is demanding from day 1. And they often take on great debt to do it. It is worth it! Stay strong!
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You don’t get credit in law school (or in law for that matter) by making your reader figure out WHY. That is your job.
I am sure others have made this point. But it was worth making again.
So TL;dr get comfortable using because (explicitly and implicitly) a lot. Good luck!
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Meeting with a lawyer to learn about their practice area? Here is my new favorite question (easy to remember, three C’s)
Who are your clients, how do you communicate, and what does your calendar look like?
#lawtwitter
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Are you about to start law school?
There is lots of advice going around (mostly good IMHO). Here is what I'll add: the most important tool for success is to build a PROCESS so you always know what to do and why to do it.
Everyone has their own process, here is mine(YMMV) 🧵👇
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I got THE E-MAIL.
You know, the one from an amazing former @GeorgetownLaw student who has been working diligently gaining work and life experience the past few years.
And she just got an amazing clerkship even though she is a few years out of school. Super proud!
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This is one of my favorite gifts from my wife ever. The fish head lox platter. Brings me such joy.
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Just because a brief or opinion is simpler, clearer, and more elegant does not mean it took less time to write.
Quite the opposite.
The best #legalwriting is often refined over many drafts with many eyes.
Don’t be too demanding of your own writing too early in the process.
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Three Years as a Student. Five Years as a Professor. This view on my way to @GeorgetownLaw still gets me every time.
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Wearing my grandfather’s gavel cuff links to tonight’s @GeorgetownLaw grad gala.
I unfortunately did not get to know him well but I like to think I carry on his legacy. He was a first-generation American and lawyer who rose to be a labor leader and judge. I hope he’d be proud.
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This is your regular reminder that if your brain says, "I'll handle the citations and footnotes later."
DON'T LISTEN.
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In case I don’t say it enough to my students. Writing is hard.
From The Writing Workshop by Barbara Sarnecka
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As we head into the new school year I am hoping to add some new family-friendly, weeknight-friendly dinner dishes to our rotation.
Others may be interested in doing the same.
Drop a go to recipe in the comments👇
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1. Career Paths Only Look Straight When You Look Backwards.
When you read LinkedIn bios top to bottom career trajectories can seem obvious. But the truth is that they are often unplanned, serendipitous, and the product of chance and risk taking.
Good reminder when you read LinkedIn profiles that seem like the product of perfect plans.
As Steve Jobs said,
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."
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Brother: “So what do you actually do as a first year litigation associate.”
Me (2012): “I spend most of my days reading people’s email from 2005.”
👀
PSA:
Your DMs are discoverable.
Your sexts are discoverable.
Even the emails & documents that you labeled “CONFIDENTIAL” are, very possibly, discoverable.
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On Monday when I was sitting in Yom Kippur services my 8 year-old daughter caught a typo in the prayer book.
As a #legalwriting professor dad I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud 😂
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Lawyers learn from experience. So if you want to become a better lawyer then you need to get better at receiving feedback on your work.
But receiving feedback is hard & learning from that feedback is harder.
Here are 4 tips to get more value from feedback on #legalwriting:
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Personal news: Beginning in July, I will drop the "Visiting" part of my title and will be a full-time Associate Professor of Law, Legal Practice at my alma mater, @GeorgetownLaw. I am so grateful for the chance to continue working with my mentors and the wonderful GULC students.
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Last year we learned never to order pizza on Halloween.
This year we learned to learn from prior experience.
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Sometimes even the professor needs to head back to a quiet, remote, and inspiring space to make some progress on a thorny project.
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You build a reputation in a lifetime. You can sully it in an instant. Strive for perfection and work diligently but be remembered as someone who is humble and trustworthy. Someone who prizes precision over pride. Someone who sweats the details even if it takes another shot. /fin
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New #1Ls: You are probably taking a course called #LegalWriting or Legal Practice (full disclosure I teach it @GeorgetownLaw).
You may think "I know how to write & so I can sneak by this one."
As a starting student I thought that too.
That is a mistake. Here is why:
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You can always remove the “because” or write it out for style (I call this the “implicit” because) but writing it first makes you show your work.
Think of it like high school geometry. You only get credit if you show your work to get to the answer. Because forces that!
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Many #1L students are off for spring break or will be soon.
This is a challenging time. The novelty of 1L has worn of. You finally know enough to know you don’t know it all. It’s a marathon and you are at mile 16. Exhausted but lots to go.
Thoughts on how to finish strong 👇
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Partner: “I have a really interesting matter. It’s a pretty light lift and should give you cool experience. Do you have time?”
Associate: “Uh, I guess I could squeeze it in.”
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Today is our 10th Anniversary! Thanks for the decade of marriage @DebraPerlin!
The craziest part? Because of Hurricane Sandy we moved the wedding on 72 hours notice from NJ to DC. Seriously.
It might not have been the wedding we planned but it was the wedding of our dreams.
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Good reminder for law students and young lawyers. A cold email can change your life: an alum from your school, a partner at your firm, or someone who does what you want to do.
Helps if it’s well written. Most important part is that you send it.
Worst case: no response. NBD.
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🌀 Spiral Learning
Lawyers are constantly learning new topics & tasks. In law school we try to teach "how to think like a lawyer" but also "how to learn like a lawyer."
One of my favorite learning techniques is sometimes called "spiral learning":
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Congrats to all law students starting their summer internships today!
Remember you were not hired for your experience. You were hired for your potential and to gain experience! Good luck!
(I know many folks won’t start for a week or two but it does seem earlier every year.)
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I just finished meeting with my 57 1Ls in advance of their legal practice memo exam and I found myself giving the same advice over and over: tell me why. What LAW? What FACTS?
And one way to force yourself to do that and to tell the reader why is to use the word because.
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2. Find Champions, Not Just Mentors.
A mentor helps you find your way. A champion helps you pave the way and get across the finish line.
Having a champion is a key to success. Being a champion is perhaps the greatest value you can add to our profession.
CC: @cseguin03
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7. Good Writers Stand Out.
I often tell my @GeorgetownLaw students that they may not have realized it but lawyers are professional writers.
My guests have told me that the junior lawyers who are the best legal writers are the ones that stand out.
cc: @KannonShanmugam
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5yo is now wearing my tie and telling her sister “I am Jonah Perlin, I am going upstairs to have a meeting with my colleagues.” 😂😂😂
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As lawyers (and humans) the important thing is not the mistake but how we respond to it. Show candor and respect to your audience (boss, judge, etc). “Clean up” the mistake, don’t ignore it.
You may feel silly but you’ll take it more personally than your audience. I promise. 3/
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I recently had a #1L student who is about to start a judicial internship ask for some advice on how to get the most out of the experience.
As a former judicial intern, federal law clerk (x2), and now law professor, here are 7 tips:
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2/“What would I see you doing if I followed you around for a day/week/year”?
This shows real interest in day-to-day of job. Also reframes the common what you do question from abstract to concrete. Plus interviewer gets to talk about themselves 👍.
H/T @BrantMartin5
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Discussing the Bar Exam at breakfast with my kids this morning (they asked) and 8yo responds “Wait, 8 weeks of studying after three years of law school, that’s weird!”
So right darling. So right.
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Every semester that I teach legal writing I am more convinced that the best way to learn how to write is just keep writing the same thing in different ways. It is not always fun but trying to "figure it out" before starting is really no substitute for many attempts.
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Fun experience yesterday. I was waiting to catch a train home and was grading papers on my laptop which has a #HowILawyer Podcast sticker.
The person opposite me said “love that podcast by the way.” They had no idea it was my show. So 🤯 to meet a real listener in the real world
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3/ “What makes a junior lawyer at your firm stand out”?
This one helps in two ways. First it shows that you want to stand out (good for interview). Second tells you about culture at firm by what is prized and whether they fits your best qualities!
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Things that have happened in the last five hours:
- 3yo woke me up at 4AM because she was hungry “for dessert.”
- 3yo wanted peanut butter NOT on her French toast
- 3yo is now crying “I am ready” but it’s unclear for what.
And it’s only 8:30AM
Parenting is glam 😂
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Reminder for me, my students, and everyone working on a writing project today:
Writing is never truly “finished” it is just turned in / filed / published.
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What an amazing #lawtwitter IRL meet up with @strowhiro!
The internet has a lot of negatives to be sure but finding folks with shared interests and shared values and tons on laughs who live 3,000 miles away is special.
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When I left the law firm, several lawyers expressed surprise that I was leaving a (potentially) promising career as a litigator.
More than one said some form of: “you are going to teach writing!?! Make sure to at least tell 1Ls to stop using passive voice.” It bothered me. 1/
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What an honor. 12 years ago I graduated from Georgetown Law. This past weekend I gave the faculty remarks to Section 4 of the Class of 2024.
In my speech I spoke about how career trajectories are rarely linear and I encouraged the graduates to embrace serendipity.
Watch 👇
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Interviewing a lawyer who left a career in Big Law to work in legal tech today for the podcast. What questions should I ask?
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Today would have been Judge Robert Katzmann's 69th birthday.
He was an advocate for immigrants, a defender of civic education, a gifted scholar and jurist, and the best mentor.
I keep this copy of his portrait on my shelf. I like to think he is looking over my shoulder.
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I was really hoping to make it until 38 years old without getting Covid. Alas it looks like I missed that goal by one day. 😠
I am grateful for vaccines that will hopefully make this a lot less painful. Here’s hoping symptoms stay mild-ish and family members stay healthy 🤞
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I want to wish my not-so-social-media-active wife Debra a Happy Anniversary!
11 years ago we had a wedding that changed locations do to a once-in-a-generation hurricane.
We’ve weathered every storm since together. I love you and the family we have built more than anything.
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Shout out to the hardworking #1L students!
• You’ve learned how to read a case
• You’ve learned how to prepare for a class
• You’ve written some memos
But it’s about that time to start thinking about the next new skill: OUTLINING
Quick 🧵
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Do you really need to do it all?
Every year students ask me the following question: do I need to do [fill in the blank]?
The blank is different for every student. Some examples:
• Journal Write On
• Moot Court
• Clinic
Here’s my answer:
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🚨The How I Lawyer Podcast is officially LIVE!
The first THREE episodes are available today
#001: A short trailer about me and the podcast
#002: Interview with my friend @StaggAndrea
#003: Interview with #AppellateTwitter Dean @RMFifthCircuit
👇👇👇
pod.link/1546577526
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GREAT NEWS! I could not be more excited to welcome @steve_vladeck to @GeorgetownLaw this fall!
Some news:
I am really excited to announce that I will be joining the faculty at @GeorgetownLaw starting this fall.
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About to start law school? You are smart enough. You belong. The challenge is working smarter not harder.
The most important tool for success is PROCESS.
Steady work all semester >>> frantic cramming at the end.
Everyone has their own process, here is mine (visual thread) ↓
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3/ At least for me, all I can ask is that you work hard and try to improve better. If you do that I’ll think the world of you regardless of what it says on your transcript.
More than that I’ll support you personally and professionally. Forever. 3/3
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I thought my Amazon account got hacked because I got a bunch of Amazon links from *myself*.
7yo just said: “Dad did you get all the emails I sent you from my iPad with present idea.”
Dear reader, 7yo does not have an email address 😂😂😂😂
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Ok #appellatetwitter / #legalwriting fam.
There are so many great threads for law students and lawyers. But after a few days they disappear.
I am working on a way to compile and display them for posterity.
Reply👇 with your favorite lawyer advice 🧵 suggestions to add.
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Only a few more weeks until we welcome the newest members of our profession to their 1L year!
Lawyers: what is ONE thing you wish you knew before you started?
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A quick 🧵 on knowing when you "get it" in #legalwriting (or really anything else).
1/ Many #1L students have started to come to me to say I still don't "get it."
"I can do most things," they continue, "but the quality of my writing is just not where I want it to be."
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Alright folks. The decision is now in the hands of the Law Review editors🙏.
I submitted my longterm project looking at the lawyer's duty to protect client confidences stored in the cloud. SSRN soon but for now you abstract below. Happy to share draft directly if interested.
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Six years ago I went to my first #legalwriting conference. I knew almost no one and nothing about teaching.
Today I’ll be a keynote speaker at #ALWD2023 on the topic of Public Engagement as a professor (w/ @LevinsonJessica & @ProfessorAtkins).
So grateful for this community.
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One student even crafted a quick meme trying to capitalize on the recent Oscar's slap incident!
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Things I never thought I’d say: “Please do not put cereal between your toes. Your foot is not a fork.”
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Excited to share that my article, Client Confidentiality as Data Security, is now forthcoming in Vol. 99 of the @WashLawReview!
Draft available: tinyurl.com/PerlinCCDS. I'd appreciate feedback from any interested academics, practitioners, and law students!
#newlawrevarticles
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The blind spot of even the best mentors is that they *only* give advice on how to become like them.
But not all mentees want to become their mentors.
That’s why it’s best as a junior to build a “Board of Directors” of mentors to triage advice and get different perspectives.
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The great part about a JD is you can do almost anything.
The hard part about a JD is you can do almost anything.
The most fulfilled lawyers I speak to *tend* to find the sweet spot of:
1. What they are good at (Skill)
2. What interests them (Enjoy)
3. What drives them (Goals)
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Trying to improve this semester in law school? Focus first on NOTE TAKING and then NOTE MAKING.
Note Taking is capturing as you learn (case briefs, class notes)
Note Making is turning what you capture into actionable summaries to apply old law to new facts.
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📣 Pleased to finally share a draft of Disrupting Data Cartels by Editing Wikipedia (forthcoming in @YJoLT)!
I absolutely loved working on this project with @GeorgetownLaw collaborators Eun Hee Han & @levendowski where we advocate teaching Wikipedia to law students (seriously!)
ALT Abstract of Disrupting Data Cartels Wikipedia Article available on SSRN.
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4. One Moment or Conversation Can Change Your Career. Be Ready.
Every guest had an "aha" moment, connection, or "break" that changed their career.
Be ready for your big break. Do the things you need to do to be open to take that chance or next step.
cc: @megan_siddall
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I honestly can't believe it. I launched my podcast this morning at 7AM. At 10PM, the three episodes already have almost *500 listens*!
I am so excited for the interviews to come . . .
Thanks again to @RMFifthCircuit and @StaggAndrea.
And to @DebraPerlin for her support.
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Just finished recording an absolute 🔥🔥🔥 episode of #HowILawyer on how to succeed as a junior associate in BigLaw with Twitter LEGENDS @strowhiro & @smmarotta.
So glad #appellatetwitter brought us together. Keep an eye out for the episode in the next few weeks.
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November is a challenging month for #1Ls. Exam prep, class, job search.
I wish I could make it less stressful. But since I can’t let me offer this: make a schedule
Don’t just do what feels urgent. Make a plan down to day/hour. Intentionally assigns tasks & breaks to slots.
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Two years ago I started a podcast from my bedroom interviewing lawyers. 125,000 downloads later, I can honestly say it changed my life.
The cool part: I am not a professional podcaster or sound engineer.
Thinking about starting your own podcast? Here is what you'll need:
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