May 18, 2010

LCS Points Program Raffle Winners

Congratulations to all of the raffle winners from Law Career Services Points Program 2009-2010:

The Grand Prize Raffle Winners for the most points accrued throughout the law school year were Ashley Davis and Elizabeth Boe, both 3Ls. Each won a dinner cruise for two on the Odyssey. Nice way to celebrate your graduation! Congratulations!

Our monthly raffle winners were picked randomly from a list of all students acquiring points in a given month:

September 2009: Brenton Schmitz (2L) - $10 Quiznos gift certificate
October 2009: Stacy Streur (LLM) - 2 Chicago Architecture Foundation walking tours
November 2009: Amanda Chesley (3L) - 4 Chipotle burritos
December 2009: Natalie Sanchez (2L) - 4 Chipotle burritos
January 2010: Aaron Dozeman (1L) - 2 salads from Salad Creations
February 2010: Brian Konkel (1L) - $50 Miller's Pub gift certificate
March 2010: Shana Mora (1L) - $25 Akira Chicago gift certificate
April 2010: Andrew Martineau (2L) - 2 Chicago Architecture Foundation walking tours
May 2010: Daire Laurence Fallon (visiting student) - 2 salads from Salad Creations

We thank these businesses for sponsoring the prizes for our Points Program Raffle and encourage students to support these generous businesses located conveniently nearby.

Law students receive LCS points for months in which they attend LCS programming (after first RSVP’ing on Symplicity), complete an advising appointment, receive approval for a resume on Symplicity, complete designated surveys, follow LCS on Twitter, and/or become an LCS fan on Facebook. For more details, see the Points Program Description in Symplicity’s Document Library.

Congratulations raffle winners! Thanks for playing...

Leopard Solutions Research Resource

Leopard Solutions. Law Career Services is currently working with this company to offer its services, on a trial basis, through Symplicity’s home page. You can access research on attorneys and law firms, job postings, legal blogs and more, all nationwide. Visit Symplicity’s homepage for a link to this versatile resource.

May 17, 2010

Recommenders & References

We are often asked about letters of recommendation and reference lists. For the vast majority of jobs, you only need references, whereby the folks you list may be called, which usually happens after a successful interview. But you need to have the discussion with your references about how often they want updates on your job search. Sometimes, recommenders only want to know once you've secured interviews, others would like a weekly update as to where you've applied, where you plan to apply, etc. Take the time to better understand the connections your recommenders have so you know when to make an exception to their preferred method, especially when it is time sensitive and you know they may have additional insight into an employer or practice area. And don't forget to periodically thank your recommenders for staying on your side throughout your career and continue to develop your relationships with these folks. You do have something to offer to the relationship, even if it is sometimes just paying it forward.