It has been two weeks since I have done a GG Grab, which has meant that there were 1000+ items for me to sort through in Google Reader.  So this week’s structure will be slightly different to account for the content.

I apologise if I’ve taken a link without sourcing it – I don’t think I missed anyone but I’m a little bit brain dead after sorting through hundreds and hundreds of posts!

• The New Lawyer Stuff

TNL did some nice stuff while I was away. There is a two part series on lawyers working in rural areas. Also, an article quite relevant to current students, Grads Spill on the ‘Boys Club’ Legal Profession. And also they raise the idea of new Carbon Trading as a Criminal Loophole.

• Getting a Job Stuff

A blog written by a young lady in recruitment, the Lets Talk Turkey Blog, has listed their Top 3 Interview Mistakes. She has also written about Whether You Should Have a Visual CV (which is like your resume, except on Youtube).

Lifehacker explains why we need to Get Comfortable Bragging to Perfect Our Elevator Pitch. The Simple Dollar has a list of Ten Unusual Ways to Improve Your Confidence.

The Mac Lawyer has written about How and Why a Lawyer Should Implement a Getting Things Done System.

Slaw considered whether there Is Such a Thing as Work Life Balance.

• U.S. Stuff

The Young Lawyers Blog have compiled a list of some of the stuff ups U.S. students have made with Web 2.0, entitled the Web 2.Oh No! Awards. They also comment on the awkwardness of recommending someone via LinkedIn right before you fire them LinkedIn Recommendations Not Recommended.

This one is actually Canadian, but chances are they don’t read this so I will put in here anyways – Law Librarians are Loving the Facebook (if you’re wondering why I linked this, it’s because good Law Librarians are solid gold – make friends with one).

If you’re someone who likes to get in on the ground floor of stuff, you might want to check out HUBStreet (via Robert Ambrogi’s LawSites)

While we don’t condone violence, this New York lawyer definitely is definitely more awesome’er than I am – Above the Law, Lawyer of the Day: Kick Ass Korean American Attorney.

• Funny Stuff

The Insider blog has a list of 8 Reasons Not to Go to Law School. (via Law Librarians Blog)

Above the Law ran a vote on Megyn Kelly v Sonia Sotomayor: Who Wore it Better? (News anchor and U.S. Supreme Court Nominee both wear the same outfit in television interview).

Slaw are asking whether there should be a law Against Shaving Your Head While Driving?

Legal Geekery have done up a nice chart to show students How Employable They Really Are …

A friend of mine linked this on Facebook. It’s an Australian Commonwealth DFAT Minute from 1963. Note,

“a man normally has his household run efficiently by his wife, who also looks after much of the entertaining. A woman Trade Commissioner would have all this on top of her normal work;”

Finally, Courtoons.

Just a quick note to say Good Luck to all of the competitors at the ALSA Conference in Brisbane!

Rumour has it that 4 medical students left the AMSA (Medicine) Conference last week – so let’s see if we cant break that record.

• Typography for Lawyers
  

This find gets to go first because it is an excellent, excellent resource. It is something that all law students and in my (respectful) opinion, all legal professionals, should take a good look at. I’m afraid I don’t quite remember who passed this onto me (sorry!) so I will claim it as my own discovery.

• Note Taking Tools and Techniques

Two sites have discussed successful methods for taking notes. Lifehacker are again asking for input on people’s note-taking experiences, this time specifically comparing Microsoft Onenote vs Evernote. Another blog, Academic Productivity (a blog for academics but quite useful for students also) has looked at ways to integrate referencing techniques (that is, programs that will sort out where you got your information from) into your work.

Remember, one of the early Green Grads articles was on something similar to this – Tech Tips: Taking Notes

• Top 400 Colleges in the World

US News have released their list of World’s Best Colleges. Generally these kind of lists are only important to the people who come within the top 50 or so – but they provide a good list of places you might want to go on exchange to at the very least.

Australia wise, ANU did very well at rank 16 (beating out Stanford, Brown and 384 other top-400 institutions). University of Sydney came in at 37, one places above Melbourne at 38.  University of Queensland is ranked 43, UNSW ranked 45 and Monash 47.

• American Funny Stuff

Law student pays his way through US Law School via professional gambling,  says that “With the economy as it is, it’s definitely nice to have poker to fall back on.”

A local council election somehow became deadlocked between two candidates, so the Arizona judge did what any reasoned judicial officer would do and decided the deadlock by cutting a deck of cards. Mr McGuire, a 65 year old retiree, drew the Six of Hearts and was beaten by Mr Trenk, a 24 year old law student, who drew the King of Hearts. His mates now call him ‘Kingy’.

[Both of these are via Above the Law]

Legal Geekery have written an article which considers the American First Amendment and its impact upon the Japanese sub-culture of hentai. It’s actually a semi serious article, but I’m immature enough to get a chuckle out of the idea of a US Judge considering the legality of animated alien pornography.

• Student Loan Bailouts

Above the Law have also been promoting a US Government bailout of all US student loans to help stimulate the economy. It’s recently been picked up by the UK, who have reduced the interest rate to 0% on current student loans.

In Australia I think we have a pretty good higher education funding scheme, at least compared to the rest of the world. But then if they wanted to wipe out my $35,000 debt, then you know what, in the interests of saving the economy (and the world) I will let them.

Who do I speak to about getting this done?

• Rio Tinto Outsources Legal Work to India

The New Lawyer has reported that Rio Tinto has started to outsource some of its legal work to Delhi. It writes, “In a year the unit is expected to double, and save the company 20 per cent of its annual legal budget, which commentators are estimating would be around $US100 million ($126.8 million).”

• Courtoons

This post can be ignored by our RSS readers.

In an attempt to plug GG to a wider audience, we will be signing up to the Technorati blogging network. To prove that we are who we say we are, they require that we make a post linking our Technorati Profile.

Now that’s done, here is a funny picture of a cat.

• I Don’t Wanna Work. I Just Want to Bang on the Keyboard All Day.

We’ve all been here. Study week, exams looming, textbooks open and a blank stare at an empty Word document. Procrastination sucks, slowly. This article discusses ways to get out of Struggletown and not suprisingly it comes to the conclusion that the best way to beat procrastination is to just get started.

• Tech Degrees a Waste for Lawyers.

The New Lawyer has written a nice piece that is relevant to law students looking to get into IP and tech areas. A senior partner from the firm Gilbert + Tobin advises people to focus on building a foundation of core legal skills first before thinking about developing any specialisation in the tech industries.

• Career Alternatives for (Laid-Off) Lawyers: Interior Designer

Above the Law do a great series that focuses on alternative careers for lawyers who are looking for a bit of a change. Generally they’re pretty zany out there alternatives, like professional gamblers or  wrestlers. But this one seems pretty reasonable. Guy gets laid off and turns his interior-designer hobby into a new career. Good for him :-)

• Great Firewall of China Descends on Tiananmen Square

Yesterday (or now in the slow parts of the world) was the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident, where the dude stands in front of the tanks. Slaw has written about the measures the Chinese Government have taken to stop the Chinese people talking about this historic event.

In a somewhat related topic, it seems the Chinese Government have also taken steps to block access to Twitter.

• Read the Hays Report on the Legal Sector

One of the few little grabs that I have actually stumbled upon myself, Hays have released their 2009 Sector Commentary on the legal sector. This information could be extremely useful to graduates. It gives some advice to graduates looking for work (for example, you should highlight your ability to ‘hit the ground running’) and also gives a general outline of what is happening in the market.

Information like this is solid gold to graduates as it helps you sound like you know what you’re on about. It’s pretty much common sense and stuff that we’ve been saying for a while, insolvency up banking and finance down etc – but it is definitely worth a read. It also has some statistics on average salaries and the like, information that can be extremely helpful if you’re fortunate enough to make it to the negotiation stages.

• Courtoons

Hi Grad Girl,

I’m in my final year of my law degree and I’m a bit scared about what is going to happen next year. I’ve been applying for clerkships and putting my name and resume out there but it looks like the current law firms are struggling to keep the staff they’ve got – and to get a foot in the door someone needs to have a solid gold halo above their heads!

What is the work like, day to day at your firm? Are there any areas that are doing particularly well right now? If there are, how would a 09 graduate like me get started in those fields of work?

Sincerely,

Sans Halo.

———————————————-

Dear Sans,

I know things seem a horrible right now.  GFC, pay-freezes, the budgeting-out of chocolate biscuits.  Yes, things aren’t as flash as they used to be around here.

But the first thing you need to know is this: Don’t Panic.

For a law student, the recruitment process is tough in ANY economic climate.  It was never an easy game; no matter how many times Lawyer’s Weekly wants to harp on about “Gen Y feeling the pinch for the first time ever”, what they do not seem to understand is that to write a bloody cover letter 17 times, to get an interview, to schmooze at a drinks night, to get an offer, WAS NEVER EASY.

(While it may not feel like it, this is supposed to make you feel better… bare with me.)

So you need to remember not to think things are the worst they’ve ever been and that you’re in a horrible position.

You’re a law student. You should be used to feeling like a useless failure on a regular basis even though you’re not, so take this all in your stride.

So my advice to a GFC law student going to the articles process is the same as it was two years ago: do you best, check for typos and shit grammar in your cover letters, and BE YOURSELF at the interviews.  Don’t try to mould yourself into what you think the firms are looking for — be your (slightly more polite and reverent) self.

And my advice to those who don’t make it through are the same too — suck it up, do College of Law, and seriously, not getting articles won’t matter one iota.

It’s kinda like the end of highschool, really — those exams seem like the end of the world, but who remembers their score the week after Leavers? (I suppose no one remembers much the week after leavers, but you know what I mean).

The second thing you need to know is that you have to pick your firms.  You know the ones that are cutting back on grad programs to save a few thousand bucks? DON’T BOTHER APPLYING THERE.

The myopic guppies running those places haven’t got a clue and don’t realise that when things pick up again, they’re not going to have enough people to do the work.

The firms you want to be at are the firms that are laying the foundations of their practices from the ground up, and understand that graduates eventually become lawyers, and like, are the people that help them print money.

My firm hasn’t changed any of its recruitment numbers and I know it’s going to be a sound investment for them (even though I do say so myself).

As for the second part of your question — well, it’s pretty cool to work at my firm (they are not even paying me to say this. I should demand a Tim Tam).

I’m learning a heck of a lot, and frankly, I can’t think of a better time to be a graduate — there is a LOT TO DO and that totally means that there is A LOT TO LEARN.  The GFC really is not so bad when you don’t have a mortgage or a dwindling superfund, and a pay freeze doesn’t matter when you’ve just come off five years of Youth Allowance.

I’m in litigation, doing insurance and insolvency, and maybe that’s why I’m loving what I’m doing right now. This is where all the fun stuff is happening, kiddo. The corporate cowboys have had their day — this is dispute resolution town, baby: litigators make lawyering look good.

Here’s what you need to do: Read the Bell judgement, focus all your study energy on Civil Procedure, and read law firm info-bulletins on restructuring, insolvency, and litigation.  And then show all that knowledge off in your cover-letter. Halos totally optional.

Aside from that, exercise, sleep well, see your friends, hug your mum/puppy and floss reguarly, and you’ll be JUST FINE!

All the best!!!

You know you love me (and law)
xoxo Grad Girl

• 3 Geeks Test Crowdsourcing
  

Crowdsourcing is a new twist on the established concept of outsourcing. Essentially, companies use the internet to outosource their work to ‘crowds’ (that is, an anonymous group of people) and use that output in part of a bigger, usually internal, project.

The people at 3 Geeks and a Law Blog are testing whether this new Crowdsourcing method can be useful for law firms. At the moment they are yet to come up with any kind of solid conclusion, but I imagine the results will be quite interesting.

Fake Edit: It looks like the initial results are pretty positive.

• Matt Homann’s Ten Rules of Networking

Matt Homann, from the blog the [non]billable hour has come up with a nice list of his ‘rules’ for networking. Definitely worth a look.

• Make Your Own Business Cards with Business Card Star

Now that you’re an expert on how to schmooze, you need business cards, right? Well a new free service called Business Card Star will help you get them. All you need is some thick card like paper (and everyone loves an excuse to go to Office Works) and a home printer. Get to work!

(Remember to make sure you identify yourself as a law student, or whatever your current status is. There will likely be laws against palming yourself off as a lawyer if you’re a student or articled clerk!)

• “Judicial Smackdown” in the States

To be honest, I think I’d have a much easier time remembering the ratio of a judgment if I knew that its author could beat me up.

• US Judge “Knows His Sex Toys”

I’d also be more inclined to pay attention to judgments if I thought the author .. well, see for yourself.

• Swine Flu Will End All Life As We Know It.

The Good News – We have something to talk about that isn’t the depressing global financial crisis.

The Bad News – A global flu pandemic is racing across the globe. Did you ever see that movie 28 Days Later? Yeah … yeah …

As exams approach, perhaps now might be a good time to forge a strong relationship with your law school Dean. “I’m sorry <Insert Dean’s Name Here>, but my poor results were a result of my fear of contracting Swine Flu in the exam room.” Let us know how it works out!

Read more here:

- Flu Pandemic: Is Your Company’s Business Contiuinty Plan Ready?

• National Legal Profession

Last week the Council of Australian Governments announced their plans to get all of the States onto the same page and enact national legislation to regulate the legal profession. This is going to be kind of a big deal to us students, who are going to be the first lot of lawyers through any national system.

Read more here:

- The New Lawyer: National Profession Within 12 Months and Imminent, but Hurdles Remain.

- The Australian: Kevin Rudd to Create New Regulations for the Legal Profession (this article is actually back from Feb, so it looks like this has been toyed with for a while).

• Defence Spending Goes Beserk

Staying with the Government, the Commonwealth also released a whitepaper this week that announced a huge increase in military spending. 09 Graduate’s might want to consider graduate positions in the Defence Force (there are civilian positions for wusses like me) as it sounds like they’re about to come into a bit of money and might be hiring.

Read more here:

- Crikey: Rudd Sticks with “Fortress Australia” Among Funding Doubts

- The Australian: We Can Afford Defence Spending Spree

• Courtoons

Another funny Courtoons cartoon.

-

It seems that a nice little theme has developed for this Green Grads Grab, although I will say that it was quite untintentional. Anyways – stuff has happened, let’s recap.

• LinkedIn Promotes New Graduate Services

I’m not quite sure what new services actually come as part of their new Graduate promotion. At first glance it looks like the whole thing is just about signing up graduates to LinkedIn (which should be a no-brainer, anyways). There is a new Grad ‘09 Group, though, and it is probably worth joining.

I think LinkedIn is a great idea and definitely something that all Grads should be registering for, but I don’t think it has quite the same impact in Australia as it does in the States. But maybe in a few years..

Also, read: Lawyerist: How Law Students Should Use LinkedIn

• In a Poor Job Market, Students Look to Online Networking

This is an article (again from the States) which argues in favour of students using online networking to promote themselves professionally. It suggests that “In five years, you’re not going to need a resume,” as all the relevant information will be online.

• Google Launches New Profile Service

Following on from those two pieces nicely is Google’s new service which claims to help you control what comes up when someone types your name into a Google Search. The jury is still out on this one, with some people claiming it will be used to create a more detailed profile for market research purposes, and others saying it’s all good. Personally, I think it might be worth a try.

You can read more about this service:

The Other Blokes Blog: Google Profile – Yes or No

SEOmozBlog: Google Profile Search (aka How to Rank for Jennifer Lopez)

• ‘Cisco Fatty’ Teaches us an Important Lesson About Twitter

Finally to bring some levity to things, we have a great story about a perfect example of what not to do.

Stuff has happened, let’s recap.

• IceTV Beats Channel Nine in the High Court

You might remember this case from late last year, when we referred to it in our Tuesday Transcript section. Well the case is now over and Ice TV has emerged victorious (Note, I’m taking the high road and not making any ‘icy’ or ‘frost’ type puns).

If you’d like to look at this case further you can take a look at IceTV’s statement and summaries at Crikey and LawyersWeekly.

• Building a Better Legal Profession Students Still Dream of Power

This is an interesting article about an American student-group named Building a Better Legal Profession. In a way it is similar to what Green Grads is all about, except it looks as though the students there might be getting a bit carried away with their good intentions.

The article suggests that some students are actually turning down job offers because their potential employers aren’t progressive enough (specifically, are not doing enough pro bono work) for them? We think it’s great to be idealistic and it’s important to want to innovate and change the way things are for the better — but it’s very hard to do that when you’re unemployed. Take the job!

• Learn Willpower Techniques from the Marshmellow Test

A friend of mine told me about this research a few months ago but I’m only just now stumbling onto it myself.  It is pretty interesting. Enrolling into law school is, for a lot of us, very much a decision about delaying short term goodstuff for what we think will be a greater amount of goodstuff in the future.

How many law school students would end up eating the marshmellows?

• Laid Off Lawyer of the Day: Hudson River Plane Crash Passenger Frank Scudere

Man survives a plane crash into the New York Hudson River. His employer, who had planned to fire him the very next day, decide to give him a reprieve and allow him to keep his job. Man then loses job anyways two months later. Man then uses plane crash publicity to voice his anger.

You know personally, I think the buzz of ‘holy shit I just survived a plane crash into the Hudson River’ would probably see me through the rest of the year. Sure losing a job sucks, but, come on – your plane fell out of the sky!

• Top Ten Home Office Hacks

Not all of us spend a lot of time in the law library, some of us prefer to get our work done at home. If you’re one of those people then make an effort to jazz up your home office. These simple little ‘hacks’ can end up making a big difference and it’s pretty obvious that if your study area is a nice place to work, you’re going to get more done.