1Ls - Save the Date

Greenberg Traurig invites all members of the University of Miami School of Law class of 2011 to attend its Coast-to-Coast reception taking place on June 16, 2009 at many of its U.S. offices. A save the date card has been emailed to all 1Ls to the email address listed on Symplicity. More information will be sent in May.

Great Networking Resources Available Through the Florida Bar

There are excellent networking resources available on the Florida Bar's website:

Did you know there are over 200 voluntary bar associations in the State of Florida? Voluntary bar associations are a great way to meet attorneys who share something in common with you, whether it is practice area interest or geographic location. You can view a full list of voluntary bar associations or view bar associations by specialty or location. The website also contains a calendar of upcoming events sponsored by the various voluntary bar associations.

Did you know that the Florida Bar has a number of sections devoted to different practice areas? Many of these sections have student membership rates and opportunities to network with its members. You can view a list of all Florida Bar sections here.

Reminder: Great Networking Opportunity This Wednesday

The 11th Judicial Circuit Historical Society cordially invites UM law students and alumni to attend its annual reception on Wednesday, March 25 at 6:00 p.m.

The reception will be held at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, 101 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami.

The 11th Judicial Circuit Historical Society is an affinity group of the Historical Museum of South Florida. The group's mission is to preserve, document, procure, collect and memorialize the history of South Florida's rich legal heritage.

The event is free for 11th JCHS members and $10 for non-members. To RSVP, please call 305.375.1619.

Careers in Employment Law Event, Orlando, FL

On Friday, April 3, 2009, the American Bar Association’s Section of Labor and Employment Law Law School Outreach Task Force will hold a panel on Careers in Labor and Employment Law. During this event, experienced practitioners will provide plaintiff, labor union, government, and employer perspectives on the practice of employment law. This event will take place at 12:30pm to 2:00pm at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, FL.

This program is being presented as part of the Section of Labor and Employment Law’s National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law which will be attended by more than 250 attorneys from around the country. Law students attending the Careers in Labor and Employment Law Lunch are also invited to attend, as guests of the EEO Committee and at no charge, an Immigration for Employment Lawyers seminar from 1:30pm to 3:30pm, and a reception with National Conference attendees from 6:00pm to 7:30pm, at the Ritz-Carlton. If you wish to attend the panel, the Immigration program, or the social, please RSVP to Tracey Moore at mooret@abanet.org. When you arrive at the hotel, check in at the ABA Registration desk.

Complete information about the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law’s National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law, April 1-4, 2009, is available in the attached brochure or at http://www.abanet.org/labor/mw/2009/eeo/eeo-mw09.shtml. If you have time to attend the regular conference seminars and events, the law student rate for the full conference is $275 (as compared to regular registration rates of $395 to $625).

If interested, please email cdo@law.miami.edu for more information.

Resource for Law Students with Disabilities

The National Association of Law Students With Disabilities would like to share the following message with University of Miami School of Law Students:

The National Association of Law Students With Disabilities (NALSWD) is a coalition of law students dedicated to disability advocacy and the achievement of equal access, inclusion, diversity, and non-discrimination in legal education and the legal profession. Our goal is to assist individuals in achieving their best employment potential by ensuring that students receive the accommodations and cultivate the skills they need to be successful members of the legal bar.

NALSWD was founded in 2007 with support from the ABA Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities and is currently in the process of becoming an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. We have also received broad-based financial support from the largest law firms in the country. Our 2008 conference featured many prominent lawyers with disabilities. Our keynote speaker was the Honorable Richard S. Brown, Chief Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and the only deaf judge in the country. Andy Imparato, CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities; Acting Vice Chair Christine M. Griffin of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Olegario Cantos VII of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division; and Claudia Gordon of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are among the many lawyers with disabilities who spoke at our conference and have continued to support NALSWD’s development. The conference demonstrated that lawyers with disabilities are capable of ascending to the highest ranks of the private and public sectors.

We are seeking all law students with disabilities, whether they have physical, psychiatric, intellectual, learning, or emotional disabilities. While law students with disabilities from over twenty law schools currently comprise NALSWD, our goal is to reach law students with disabilities at every law school in the country. We are especially interested in expanding our membership among two categories of students that are presently underrepresented in NALSWD: 1Ls with disabilities, to help facilitate their success in a wholly new learning environment, and students with hidden disabilities (e.g. learning or mental health disabilities) so they can connect with other students in law school going through the same experience.

NALSWD was formed to facilitate a sustained community for law students with disabilities to seek support and professional advice as they navigate law school and the legal profession. In this vein, the former President of NALSWD is now forming an affiliated Lawyers With Disabilities group, thanks to a generous Hearne Leadership Grant from the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD). This will ensure that disability leadership is continuous and that the foundation being laid for law students with disabilities won’t erode as students graduate and pursue their careers.

We invite you and your students to visit our website at www.nalswd.org to learn more about NALSWD. At www.nalswd.org, students can learn about opportunities to get involved with NALSWD, read monthly newsletters, join the e-mail listserv, participate in our burgeoning mentorship program, and learn about upcoming events and career opportunities.

We are currently planning our third annual conference, to take place August 7-9 in Washington D.C. The conference is being held in conjunction with the IMPACT Career Fair, the only national employer recruitment event for law students with disabilities. NALSWD is also developing an annual awards program for law schools and law firms that have shown a commitment to advancing disability issues, access, and inclusion in their institutions.

We invite students to get involved right away by completing our online registration form.

UM Law Students interested in attending the IMPACT Career Fair should contact CDO Advisor Tere Rodriguez for more information.

CABA Annual Spring Mentor Reception Invitation

The Cuban American Bar Association

invites you to attend its

Annual Spring Mentor Reception:

Passing on Leadership

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

at

Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP
200 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 2500
Miami, Florida

Complimentary wine & hors d’oeuvres

Remarks by:

Roland Sanchez-Medina Jr.

President

Raúl J. Chacón Jr.

Scholarship and Mentoring Co-Chair

Victoria Mendez

Scholarship and Mentoring Co-Chair

RSVP by Friday, March 27^th to diana@cabaonline.com

Great Networking Event for Students and Alumni

The 11th Judicial Circuit Historical Society cordially invites UM law students and alumni to attend its annual reception on Wednesday, March 25 at 6:00 p.m.

The reception will be held at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, 101 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami.

The 11th Judicial Circuit Historical Society is an affinity group of the Historical Museum of South Florida. The group's mission is to preserve, document, procure, collect and memorialize the history of South Florida's rich legal heritage.

The event is free for 11th JCHS members and $10 for non-members. To RSVP, please call 305.375.1619.

11th Annual Informational Career Fair

Career choices keeping you up at night? Get the answers you've been looking for at this year’s Informational Career Fair. Take this opportunity to speak with attorneys practicing in different areas of law about how they got started in their fields and what it is like to practice law on a day-to-day basis. The fair will include attorneys working in a variety of practice areas – including appellate, banking, commercial litigation, corporate, criminal defense, entertainment, immigration, in-house, insurance litigation, intellectual property, international, labor and employment, maritime, media, probate and estate planning, real estate, securities and tax – in small, midsize and large firms; government agencies; and multinational corporations.

What: Eleventh Annual Informational Career Fair

When: 12:30-2:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Where: The Student Lounge

Who will you have an opportunity to meet? Attorneys from many different organizations, such as:

Akerman Senterfitt

American Express

Baker & McKenzie LLP

Burger King Corporation

Carlton Fields, P.A.

Caterpillar Inc.

Discovery Communications LLC

GEICO

Greenberg Traurig, P.A.

Holland & Knight LLP

LexisNexis

Lucas Group

Moore & Co., P.A.

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP

TotalBank

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Why should you attend? You’ll have the opportunity to:

· meet and network with many attorneys

· learn firsthand about various practice areas

· assess your qualifications for and interest in particular practice areas

· sound like an “insider” when meeting with future potential employers

· collect written information on different practice areas

Please direct any questions about the Career Fair to Cristina Ortega.

This Week at the CDO

Monday, March 2, 2009

DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR CEPS SUMMER FELLOWSHIP (1L students)
The deadline to apply for the Center for Ethics and Public Service (CEPS) Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program is Monday, March 2 at 12:30 p.m. Please submit completed applications to Suzanne Nelson in room G288, Law Library. A copy of the application is available on the CEPS website.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

11th ANNUAL INFORMATIONAL CAREER FAIR (all students)
The Informational Career Fair is an excellent opportunity to meet practicing attorneys from law firms, corporations, government agencies and public interest organizations and ask questions about their various practices. Don't miss this chance to network with practitioners. The Informational Career Fair will take place on Wednesday, March 4 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Student Lounge. You need not dress up to attend.

DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR HOPE FELLOWSHIP (1L and 2L students) The HOPE Public Interest Resource Center provides stipends to law students who work in otherwise uncompensated public interest jobs in exchange for a year-commitment to actively serving on the Public Interest Leadership Board. HOPE’s success and growth over the past 10 years is due largely in part to the energy, dedication, and leadership of former and current HOPE Fellows.

HOPE Fellows work with domestic and international public interest agencies & non-governmental organizations to provide much-needed legal advocacy to underserved and marginalized populations. All 1Ls and 2Ls are encouraged to apply.

To learn more about eligibility and program requirements, please view a copy of the fellowship application. You may obtain a copy of the application at the HOPE website or on the CDO Student Portal.

Excellent Networking Opportunity in Broward County

Interested in working in Broward after graduation? A great way to make inroads in a particular legal community is to attend events that bring together the most powerful members of that community. Here is one such event:

South Broward Bar Association
President's Installation Dinner

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Guest Speaker:
Chief Justice Peggy Quince

South Broward Bar Association
President's Installation Dinner

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Signature Grand
6900 West State Road 84
Davie, Florida

6:00 p.m. Cocktails
7:00 p.m. Dinner and Presentation

Special Guest: Chief Justice Peggy Quince

$75 Members
$95 Non-Members
$60 Government Attorneys & Students
Complimentary for Judges & (1) Guest
*Kosher or Vegetarian option available upon request

To RSVP Please Call by February 23rd
Nellie Hassett (954) 791-3939
Mary Jacobs (954) 581-6632

This Week at the CDO

Monday, February 16

FLORIDA SUPREME COURT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM INFORMATION MEETING POSTPONED (1L and 2L students)
The Florida Supreme Court Internship Program Information Session scheduled for today, Monday, February 16, has been postponed. The new meeting date is Monday, February 23 at 12:30 p.m. in Room 110. Former interns will be on hand to answer questions about their experiences at the Supreme Court. The application and selection processes will also be discussed.

Applications for the summer 2009 Florida Supreme Court Internship Program for Distinguished Law Students are now available in the Career Development Office, Room A112. First and second year students are eligible to apply. The application deadline is now Friday, February 27, 2009.

Tuesday, February 17

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY OCI BIDDING ENDS (1L and 2L students)
Bidding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ends on Tuesday, February 17 at 11:00 p.m. DHS will be on campus on March 4 to interview prospective candidates.

SPRING OCI (FEBRUARY PHASE) INTERVIEWS BEGIN (all students)
Those students interviewing during the February phase of OCI should check in at the front desk of the CDO 10 minutes prior to their interviews. Good luck to all interviewing students.

Wednesday, February 18

FLYING SOLO: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OPENING YOUR OWN SHOP (all students)
Join Spencer Aronfeld (JD '91), a successful alumnus and one of our most dynamic speakers, as he gives his annual, highly acclaimed presentation, "Flying Solo: Everything You Need to Know About Opening Your Own Shop." The presentation will be held on Wednesday, February 18 at 12:30 p.m. in Room 108. This is a fun, energetic and extremely informative program, which is one of the most popular with students each and every year.

CORAL GABLES BAR ASSOCIATION LUNCHEON (all students)
You are cordially invited to the following Coral Gables Bar Association Luncheon:
When: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 11:45-1:00 pm
Speaker: Attorney General Bill McCollum
Topic: Duties of the office and some of his initiatives regarding cyber crimes and the growth of gangs in the state
Location: Westin Colonnade Hotel, 180 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL
Member Cost: $30.00 Non-Member Cost: $35.00
RSVP to: www.coralgablesbar.org
Make checks payable to: Coral Gables Bar Association. *Please bring check to luncheon*

Thursday, February 19

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR LOANS AND LAND THE RIGHT JOB (all students)
The CDO and the Office of Financial Aid present "How to Manage Your Loans and Land the Right Job" with guest speaker Alexander Rundlet, an associate at Podhurst Orseck. Prior to joining the firm, he worked in the public sector in several capacities, as a federal law clerk, a post-graduate fellow and public defense attorney. Mr. Rundlet will share his experience in meeting his financial obligations on a public sector salary and the CDO and Office of Financial Aid will offer tips on how to manage your student loans at various pay levels.

Join us on Thursday, February 19 at 12:30 p.m. in Room 108.

***A word about the March Phase of Spring OCI***

To accommodate the delay in completing the student ranking process, bidding for the March phase of the Spring 2009 OCI program will begin late this week. An email will be sent to all students with information at that time.

Want to Know More About Small Firm Practice?

Last week, the Career Development Office welcomed Ana Veliz, the chair of the Florida Bar's General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section to campus to discuss small firm practice. During her discussion, she shared the following information which students may find helpful.

The largest entry level law firm market in Florida is the small firm market;

Firms of 10 attorneys or less comprise of 73% of Florida Bar membership;

According to the ABA, 86% of law students expect to practice at a small firm;

According to NALP, 22.4% of graduates obtain their entry level position through targeted mailings;

The GPSSF welcomes student members. The rate to join is $35/year and among the benefits to membership is access to a small firm directory that is on their website. Students may obtain an application form online.

Each March, the GPSSF hosts a conference in Orlando. In conjunction with the conference, the section hosts a job fair for those students interested in interviewing with small firms. This year’s conference is Friday and Saturday, March 20-21 and the job fair will be held on Saturday, March 21. More information about the job fair will be forthcoming from the CDO shortly.

Second Annual Central Florida Diversity Picnic

For those students interested in practicing in Central Florida, the Second Annual Central Florida Diversity Picnic will be an excellent opportunity to network with attorneys in the area. Alumni who are interested in attending should also reach out to the various sponsoring bar associations.

When: Saturday, February 28, 2009, from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Where: Stetson University College of Law, Tampa Law Center
1700 North Tampa Street, Tampa, FL 33602

Why: All law school students from all Florida law schools are invited to attend the
Second Annual Central Florida Diversity Picnic. The event will allow law
students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to meet and establish
mentoring relationships with attorneys and members of the judiciary from
all of Central Florida.

Sponsored By: The Tampa Bay Hispanic Bar Association, George Edgecomb Bar
Association, Sarasota County Bar Association’s Diversity Committee, The
Hillsborough County Bar Association, Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division,
and more.

RSVP: rsvp@hillsbar.com

This Week at the CDO

Monday, February 2

FIRM NIGHT INFORMATION SESSION (1L students)
1L students participating in Firm Night should attend this session to learn important information about the process. The session will take place at 12:30 p.m. in Room 108.

Tuesday, February 3

INTERVIEWING AND NETWORKING SKILLS WORKSHOP (all students)
Prepare for interviews and networking events like Firm Night by getting tips on the interviewing and networking process. The workshop is at 12:30 p.m. in Room 108

Wednesday, February 4

IMMIGRATION LAW OPPORTUNITIES (all students)
Interested in immigration law? Learn more about employment opportunities at 12:30 p.m. in Room 108.

Thursday, February 5

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU IN GOVERNMENT AND THE JUDICIARY (1L and 2L students)
Join a group of students as they discuss their summer experiences with the government and judiciary. Learn how they obtained and prepared for their positions and get tips on how to have a successful summer experience. 12:30 p.m. in Room 352.

Coral Gables Bar Association Luncheon

You are cordially invited to the following Coral Gables Bar Association Luncheon:

When: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 11:45-1:00 pm

Speaker: Attorney General Bill McCollum

Topic: Duties of the office and some of his initiatives regarding cyber crimes and the growth of gangs in the state

Location: Westin Colonnade Hotel, 180 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL

Member Cost: $30.00 Non-Member Cost: $35.00

RSVP to: www.coralgablesbar.org

Make checks payable to: Coral Gables Bar Association. *Please bring check to luncheon*

Panel Discussion on Marketing Yourself in Today's Economy

The Florida Bar Young Lawyer Division's Law Student Division Presents:

A Panel Discussion on Marketing Yourself in Today's Economy


at this year's Florida Bar Mid-Year Meeting

Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 3:30 p.m.


Hyatt Regency
400 S.E. 2nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33131



Reception to follow. Admission is free for law students.

Quarles & Brady First Year Law Student Reception

Quarles & Brady Invites First-Year Law Students to Their Annual Home for the Holidays in Milwaukee

Quarles & Brady LLP cordially invites you to join them for their annual Home for the Holidays reception for first-year law students on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 5:00pm - 7:00 p.m. The reception will be held in the firm's Milwaukee office, located at 411 E Wisconsin Avenue, 24th Floor, Patrick Ryan Conference Room.

If interested in attending, please RSVP by Monday, December 29, 2008 to Donna Key. Dress is business casual. Park in the attached parking structure. Enter the structure from Jefferson Street. (Parking will be validated).

This reception is for students attending out-of-state law schools.

RebLaw Conference

The RebLaw Conference is an annual, student-run conference that brings together practitioners, law students, and community advocates from around the country to discuss innovative, progressive approaches to law and social change.

Where: Yale Law School, New Haven, CT. When: Friday, February 20–Sunday, February 22, 2009 Cost: Standard registration is $30. (Registration is free for members of the Yale, UConn, New Haven, and Quinnipiac communities)

Go to www.law.yale.edu/reblaw to register. Also check out our schedule, information, and links, including the Reblawg, updated frequently with rebellious tidbits.

Annual Sympoisum for Clerkship & Career Development

Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP is hosting its Annual Symposium for Clerkship & Career Development on Friday, January 30 and Saturday, January 31, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. The two-day Symposium for first-year law students provides a unique, inside look at the recruiting process and summer associate programs, and also focuses on practical aspects of career development.
The featured guest speaker this year will be attorney and author Marci Alboher.

A sampling of other Symposium sessions includes:

What Firms Really Look for and What Evaluation Forms are Used;
Don't Let Your Last Name Become a Verb! How to Have a Successful Summer Clerkship;
Why Don't Associates Know this Stuff? Classes Not to Miss in Law School and Other Beginner Pitfalls;
The Real Power Players! Working with the Non-Lawyers in the Firm;
May We Have the Room? An Associate Panel Answers Your Questions and Tells What It's Really Like;
Rhetoric or Reality? Learn How to Evaluate Law Firm Diversity and Inclusiveness; and
How Law Firm Economics Really Work and How Hard You will Need to Work.

First-year students may apply by completing the symposium application and submitting it along with a resume, transcript (if available) and cover letter by Friday, January 9, 2009. In your cover letter please indicate, to the extent you know, your geographic preference for law practice.

Applications may be sent via mail, fax, or e-mail to:
Jenny Kiely, Legal Recruiting Manager
Husch Blackwell Sanders LLP
190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 600
St. Louis, MO 63105
E-mail: mailto:symposium@huschblackwell.com
Fax: 314-480-1505

Please understand that an invitation to attend the Symposium does not guarantee future consideration for employment, and the lack of an invitation does not signal a lack of future employment interest by the firm.

Florida Chapter of National Employment Lawyers' Association Seminar

Florida's chapter of the National Employment Lawyers' Association invites students to participate in its two annual seminars. The NELA is a plaintiffs’ employment organization that provides in depth training and assistance to plaintiff's lawyers and law students in matters pertaining to Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts Florida Statutes 760 Civil Rights Act, ERISA, Family Medical Leave Act, American Disabilities Act, and the Federal and State Equal Employment Opportunity Administrative process.

Seminars are held in the winter and summer. The next conference will be held January 15-17 at the Plaza Resort and Spa in Daytona Beach. The fee for students to attend is usually half of the regular rate that will be between $200 - $300. (The final rate has not yet been set.).

Attending students can learn about cutting edge litigation on civil rights matters. Time between sessions can be used to network with plaintiff's attorneys and seek summer employment part or full time work.

More information on the organization is available on the NELA's Florida Chapter website. To learn more about attending the conference, please contact Keisha Siriboe at 850-769-7825.