Attorneys needed under new stimulous plan

Although "shovel-readiness" has been the focus of talk concerning new jobs coming out of the $787 billion stimulous plan, in fact many of the initial employment opportunities may go to attorneys. Of those dollars, $350 million are devoted to government oversight projects, so additional professionals with legal, accounting, and investigatory training will be needed. Read more in this New York Times article.

On a related note, our career services office has noticed, for example, that the FDIC has current postings for which law graduates might qualify. To work on tailoring your resume to demonstrate that your law school education qualifies you for the FDIC positions, see your counselor.

Two other federal agencies which will be taking on additional responsiblity, and, presumably, additional employees are the Recovery, Accountability and Transparency Board and the Government Accountability Office. CSO is keeping a watch to follow where new job possiblities appear, so stay tuned.

Legal bright spots in the economy

Not all firms are experiencing difficulties in the current economic environment. In fact, some smaller firms are actually experiencing business growth. Just last week, the online ABAJournal noted that certain practice areas, especially litigation, criminal defense, family law and estate planning, are not necessarily vulnerable to the effects of recession. To read more, click here.

"Tell me your greatest weakness."

Interviewers often ask predictable questions, so you should be prepared with substantive, personal responses to the range of possibilities. While coming up with original, specific and informative answers is often not particularly difficult with proper planning, one question always poses a challenge: "What is your greatest weakness?"

The careers section of the Wall Street Journal online recently included a discussion, from an employer's point of view, of potential pitfalls in answering the question along with some examples of successful interviewee responses. One employer says that answering with something that is not really a weakness can be a deal-breaker for him. Another notes that answering with a quality unrelated to the workplace is not helpful, either. The correct approach, say some employers, is to identify a work-related weakness that won't really affect your performance. Read more here.

Interested in learning more about bankruptcy practice?

If you are searching for a silver lining in the current economic cloud above us now, you might watch this panel presentation video from Lewis and Clark Law School, regarding bankruptcy practice, one of the practice areas currently finding itself relatively healthy.