Making the Most of Your Membership

Take advantage of all the opportunities available to you as a member of NBLSA! Check the NBLSA website frequently for updates and information for members, including education and career guidance.


Here's a preview of some of the NBLSA Scholarship and Employment opportunities available on the NBLSA website:

Faegre & Benson LLP Diversity Scholarship Program
K&L Gates LLP National 1L Diversity Fellowship
2011 Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship Program
ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program
ACLU Summer 2011 Legal Internship
Public Advocates Legal Clerkship

Check back frequently for updated postings and the e-development and e-consultant series.

NBLSA Scholarship Opportunities -- Deadline Approaching! Apply Today!

Every year NBLSA acknowledges the academic success, strong leadership skills and chapter involvement of its members by presenting them with scholarships and awards at its annual national convention. We appreciate your continued involvement and commitment to our programming and look forward to honoring you this year. We encourage you to learn more about our scholarships and awards. Apply today!

*Note: Some of the applications require a letter of good standing from the chapter by December 31, 2010. Please contact Ashley Banks at abanks1@tulane.edu, by December 28, if you are applying and need verification of your membership.

General Scholarships

If you have questions about general scholarship opportunities please contact educationcareer@nblsa.org.

Sandy Brown Memorial Scholarship
Application Deadline: December 31, 2010
The Executive Board of the National Black Law Students Association is pleased to announce the annual Sandy Brown Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is named after the late Sandy Brown, a past NBLSA western regional director and will be given in her honor. To be eligible for this award, entrants must currently be in their first or second year of law school. Apply today!

NBLSA Most Outstanding Student Award
Application Deadline: December 31, 2010
The purpose of this award is to recognize the NBLSA member who has excelled academically, in addition to being active in their BLSA chapter and community. To be eligible for an award, entrants must be first, second, or third year law students. Apply today!

Rodney Pulliam Memorial Scholarship
Application Deadline: December 31, 2010
The Executive Board of the National Black Law Students Association is pleased to announce the annual Rodney Pulliam Memorial Scholarship. Mr. Pulliam served as our National Chair for the 1998-1999 academic year. Mr. Pulliam was an inspiration to all who knew him as a husband, father, minister, attorney and community activist. This award will recognize a NBLSA member who exemplifies Mr. Pulliam's dedication to social action and community service and is intended to be used exclusively toward a bar preparation course. To be eligible for an award, entrants must be a third year law student who plans to work in the public interest sector following graduation. Apply today!

Social Action Awards

If you have questions about social action award opportunities please contact socialaction@nblsa.org.

Oliver White Hill, Sr. Social Action Award
Application Deadline: February 28, 2011

This award will be presented to individuals who are active in the community, advocating on behalf of social justice initiatives. Those who continuously promote equality and justice for all mankind should apply. In addition, the award will recognize an individual who has used creativity and hard work to successfully implement NBLSA's national initiatives. Apply today!

Johnnie L. Cochran Social Consciousness Award
Application Deadline: February 28, 2011

The Johnnie Cochran Social Consciousness Award recognizes social action at the chapter level. Chapters whose initiatives best represent his life's work are encouraged to apply. Apply today!

Intersted in a Position on SRBLSA?

Any member of a 2010-2011 active SRBLSA Chapter or any member who submitted membership dues to the National offices of Black Law Students Association for the 2010-2011 academic year, 1 may run for office.

The following SRBLSA positions are eligible for election.
· Regional Chair
· Regional Vice Chair
· Regional Director of Sub-Region 1 (Arkansas and Tennessee)
· Regional Director of Sub-Region 2 (Louisiana and Mississippi)
· Regional Director of Sub-Region 3 (North Carolina and South Carolina)
· Regional Director of Sub-Region 4 (Florida and Puerto Rico)
· Regional Director of Sub-Region 5 (Alabama and Georgia)
· Regional Director of Programming
· Regional Treasurer
· Regional Director of Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition
· Regional Director of Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition
· Regional Director of Communications
· Regional Attorney General

1 An active chapter is a chapter who has paid membership dues and has uploaded a membership roster to the NBLSA Membership database. In order to be considered a member of an active chapter, your name must be included in the chapter’s membership roster. An active member is a member whose name is included in the National Black Law Students Association’s Membership Roster for the academic year.

If you are interested in running for an office, please review the election packet that was emailed to you on December 24, 2010.

** Legal Internships and Constitutional Course Credit in Washington, DC**

The Legal Studies Institute provides the opportunity for law students to gain a first-hand look at the American legal system through guaranteed legal internships, a 3-credit constitutional law course, guest speakers and briefings, and professional development activities.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS
· Legal Internship: Participants will be placed in a 9-week summer associate position, clerkship or legal internship where they will work full-time and gain substantive experience in the legal profession. Placement sites include law firms, courts, public interest organizations and the legal departments of trade associations, corporations and government agencies.
· Briefings and Activities: Participants will attend private briefings at institutions of the judicial, legislative and executive branches and will meet with prominent judges, lawyers and judicial scholars. Last year’s class met with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and D.C. Federal Court of Appeals Judge Douglas Ginsburg.
· Career Development Activities: Workshops will be held to help prepare participants for success in their law careers, and planned networking events will facilitate professional interaction.
· Attorney Mentor Program: Each participant will be matched with an experienced lawyer who will serve as a professional mentor during and after the program.
· 3-Credit Course on Constitutional Law: Participants will attend a course on Constitutional law for the first week of the Institute. The course is accredited by Ohio Northern University College of Law and is taught by leading legal scholars, including Professor John Baker of Louisiana State University and Dr. Roger Pilon of the Cato Institute.
· Housing: Students will live in fully-furnished apartments in downtown Washington, DC and are matched with other Institute participants. The apartments provide easy access to the DC metro transportation system.
· Scholarships: 75% of students receive scholarship awards based on financial need and merit. Merit Scholarships are also available, providing $3,500 towards tuition and housing costs. Please click here for more information on the Merit Scholarships: www.DCinternships.org/LSI/admissions/merit_scholarships.asp.

“LSI was the most remarkable experience for which I could have asked. I met wonderful people, was placed in an intellectually stimulating internship, and was offered many professional opportunities. If I could, I would participate again in a heartbeat.”Jeremy Clare, University of Texas School of Law Legal Intern, Safari Club International

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Students are encouraged to apply by the early deadline of February 11, 2011 to receive priority admissions consideration and a 5% discount on their tuition balance. Many legal internship sites request resumes early in the year for their upcoming summer positions, so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. To request an informational brochure, please visit this link: www.DCinternships.org/tfas/brochure/index.asp

Looking for a Job?

Now that the semester is over, and you've hopefully had a chance to relax, winter break provides a great opportunity to look for, and apply to, summer jobs! Read below for some interesting opportunities of firms, organizations, and programs that reached out to us at Tulane BLSA!

[Note: This is a LONG post... full of resources and opportunities.]

If you have questions about these opportunities, or ways to conduct the best job search for your interests, be sure to reach out to the CDO with any questions or concerns. The counselors are working to provide you with support, so make sure you take advantage of your resources!

Arent Fox 6th Annual Diversity Scholarship Program

Arent Fox is seeking applicants for its 6th Annual Diversity Scholarship Program. The firm will award three first-year law students $15,000. The scholarship recipients will also join Arent Fox's 2011 Summer Associate Program. Each of the firm's three offices - Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC - will host a scholar this summer. Candidates may only apply to one office. Arent Fox will accept program applications from first-year law students beginning December 1, 2010 through January 15, 2011. For consideration, the full application package must be received before the January 15th deadline (please note that law grades must be forwarded thereafter upon receipt). Please view our online application for eligibility requirements and a list of application materials.

For more information:

Libby Z. Tracy Attorney Recruitment and Professional Development Coordinator

Arent Fox LLP Attorneys at Law
1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036-5339

202.715.8503 DIRECT 202.857.6395 FAX tracy.libby@arentfox.com http://www.arentfox.com/

Goodwin Procter Public Interest Fellowships for Law Students of Color

For the past five years, Goodwin has invested in a diverse legal community by offering fellowships to high-achieving law students of color. This year, we will again offer awards of $7,500 to students of color who work in public interest positions the summer after their first year of law school. This program allows us to connect with a wide array of talented students early in their legal careers who are committed to giving back to their communities.
In addition to the monetary fellowship award, selected fellows are guaranteed a "straight-to-callback" interview with the Goodwin Procter office of their choice in the fall interview season during their second year of law school. Fellows will also be invited to participate in some of our summer associate program events during their summer at the public interest organization.
For additional information on the Fellowships, please click here.

Practicing Attorneys for Law Students Program, Inc.

The Following Opportunities May Be of Interest to PALS Law Students (Please indicate you found out about the opportunity from PALS when you apply):

Summer Law Clerk Position MetLife is seeking three current law students to participate in its Summer Law Clerk Program in its office located in New York, New York (Midtown). The clerkship is for 10-weeks beginning May 23, 2011 and ending July 29, 2011. Each law clerk is expected to work 40 hours per week and will be compensated at a rate of $32.50 per hour. Practice areas in the New York office generally include: Insurance, Commercial, Significant Tort, Securities, Marketing and General Corporate Litigation; Employment Law, Litigation and Benefits; Personal and Group Insurance Law; ERISA Products / Tax; Intellectual Property and Technology; Public Company and Corporate Law; Securities Products and Regulations; Corporate Real Estate and Procurement Operations; and International Law. Applicants may send their resumes to:

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company

Legal Affairs

1095 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10036
Attn: Karen Bellamy

Applicants may also send their resumes via e-mail to: kbellamy@metlife.com. If sent by e-mail, the subject line should state: "Summer Law Clerk Position."

Please submit resume either by U.S. mail or e-mail; do not send it both ways.

To be considered for the positions, resumes must be received by no later than close of business on Friday, January 14, 2011. Please note that if submissions are made by e-mail, applicants should state "PALS Participant: Summer Law Clerk Position" in the subject line.

Due to the anticipated number of resumes, only applicants selected for interview will be contacted and resumes received after January 14, 2011 will not be considered. Please do not call unless we contact you. If you require any additional information, please e-mail ­­­­Ms. Bellamy at the above address. Equal Opportunity EmployerMetLife is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, citizenship status (if legally authorized to work in the United States), disability, covered veteran status, marital status, or any other protected category. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. MetLife is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.

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PALS Mission Statement:
PALS is dedicated to enhancing the skills and careers of minority law students and early career attorneys. PALS does this by offering customized mentoring, educational and professional development opportunities. PALS provides resources to augment the law school and employer training of, respectively, minority law students and beginning lawyers, and will continue to offer its services free of charge.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings is offering our Annual Diversity Scholarship. Bradley Arant Boult Cummings will award two scholarships a year to two deserving students. A $10,000 scholarship will be awarded to a student in his or her second year of law school, and a $5000 scholarship wil be awarded to a student in his or her first year of law school. In connection with receiving the scholarship, recipients will be required to clerk in one of our seven offices for at least six weeks of the summer after the scholarship is awarded. We are currently accepting applications for first year law students and ANY students interested in our summer program and our diversity scholarship should contact Mary Screws, Director of Recruiting, at mscrews@babc.com or by phone at (205) 521-8445. The deadline for applying for the scholarship is February 15, 2011.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings is a full service, regional law firm with more than 370 attorneys and seven offices strategically located in AL, MS, NC, TN, and DC. We are one of the largest law firms in the Southeast and represent a wide variety of local, regional, national, and international clients with nationally recognized practices in health care, commercial real estate, construction, finance, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate securities, among others. Our firm received the fourth highest number of top-tier rankings in the country in the inaugural U.S. firms and 144 of the firm's attorneys have also been named to the 2011 edition of Best Lawyers.

Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, L.L.P.

We are a Dallas law firm with nationally prominent litigation and corporate reorganization practices. We also have well-known corporate governance, employment, and real estate practices, to name a few. But practice areas don’t define us; our clients do. In Dallas, there is an imposing bigger-than-life statue of a Texas Ranger. It reads: “One riot, one ranger.” That’s the spirit in which we approach every matter. Our clients benefit from the results we deliver – not the number of attorneys we assign.

We emphasize realistic associate-level assignments, and summer associates are treated as part of the legal team on a given matter so that they can make a realistic appraisal of the challenges and opportunities offered by the practice of law at our Firm. Summer associates work on a wide variety of active matters and can choose to work on projects in either the transactional or litigation practice areas or both. They also participate in related activities such as hearings and other court appearances, depositions, client meetings, and closings. Each summer associate works with a variety of partners and associates, including one partner who acts as a mentor to help train the summer associate and ensure that the summer associate is receiving meaningful, timely feedback on work projects. We also encourage our lawyers to get to know each and every summer associate, and vice versa, so our social functions are generally smaller, casual events geared to the individual interests of our summer associates.

If you would like to apply for a summer associate or associate position with Carrington Coleman, please send your resume to Andrea Glover, our Recruiting Administrator, at the following address:

Andrea Glover

Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, L.L.P.

901 Main Street, Suite 5500Dallas, Texas 75202

Phone: (214) 855-3536
Fax: (214) 758-3762

Email: aglover@ccsb.com

For more information on the summer program and the firm, visit www.carringtoncoleman.com

Business Law Section Diversity Clerkship Program

The Section is Now Accepting Applications for the Business Law Section Diversity Clerkship Program.The Diversity Clerkship program is a summer program providing business law clerkship placements for qualified diverse candidates who are first or second year law students, and will provide support and mentoring to the student participants in order to give them the exposure to business practices that many of them lack. In considering a student's diversity, the Section will give special consideration to individuals who have overcome social or economic disadvantages such as physical disability, financial constraints, or cultural impediments to becoming a law student. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please encourage them to apply. Applications are due January 21, 2011. For more information about the program, please click http://www.abanet.org/buslaw/students/clerkship.shtml

Education Pioneers Summer Consultants

Education Pioneers is looking for summer consultants and I hope you can share this with your members.

The Education Pioneers Graduate School Fellowship Program is a full-time, paid, ten-week summer fellowship where talented graduate students work with school districts, foundations, charter management organizations, and various other education organizations in a consultant capacity to tackle a mission critical education reform based project.

In 2011, Education Pioneers is seeking 335 Fellows across our seven sites; Houston, Boston, Chicago, DC Metro Area, Houston, Los Angeles, New York Metro, and San Francisco Bay Area.

Our priority deadline is December 15^thand we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. We have already received more than 900 applications and interview slots are filling up.

Apply online now at www.educationpioneers.org!

Visit us on facebook at

Thank you,

Elena

ABA Business Section Clerkship

ABA Now Accepting Applications for the Business Law Section Diversity Clerkship Program.
The Diversity Clerkship program is a summer program providing business law clerkship placements for qualified diverse candidates who are first or second year law students, and will provide support and mentoring to the student participants in order to give them the exposure to business practices that many of them lack. In considering a student's diversity, the Section will give special consideration to individuals who have overcome social or economic disadvantages such as physical disability, financial constraints, or cultural impediments to becoming a law student. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please encourage them to apply. Applications are due January 21, 2011. For more information about the program, please click http://www.abanet.org/buslaw/students/clerkship.shtml

Ashley N. Wicks

Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis, P.A.

190 E. Capitol St., Suite 800

P.O. Box 427 (39205-0427)

Jackson, MS 39201

601-949-4828 (direct)

awicks@watkinsludlam.com

Midnight Snack: BLSA Fundraiser Tonight!

Studying late? Need a snack? Come to the BLSA table from 9pm to midnight in the lobby tonight and tomorrow night for a much needed break. Coffee, granola bars, and other treats will be available for $1 each. See you tonight!

Vinson & Elkins Diversity Fellowships

Diversity and inclusion are two core values which guide all that we do at Vinson & Elkins. Since our success ultimately depends on developing exceptional legal talent, Vinson & Elkins is committed to attracting and retaining the finest lawyers from all backgrounds and perspectives. To that end, we are pleased to continue offering our Diversity Fellowship. The fellowship provides $7,000, in two $3,500 installments, paid at the beginning of the second and third years of law school, to four first-year law students from historically underrepresented groups in the legal profession. In addition, the Diversity Fellows will be considered for the V&E summer associate program in the Austin, Dallas, or Houston offices during the summer after the recipients’ first year of law school.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible to become a Vinson & Elkins Diversity Fellow, students must attend and be in good standing at an American Bar Association accredited law school. Only law students with an anticipated graduation year of 2013 and joint degree candidates who will receive their degrees in 2014 may apply. Eligible students must (i) be a member of a racial/ethnic group which has been historically underrepresented in the legal profession (i.e. Asian, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Multiracial, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander),(ii) have a strong undergraduate and law school record, (iii) possess excellent writing skills, and (iv) demonstrate interest in working in a law firm setting.

The application is attached, and it can also be accessed by clicking on this link:http://www.velaw.com/uploadedFiles/VEsite/Resources/DiversityFellowshipsApplication.pdf.

Applications will be accepted from December 1, 2010 through January 31, 2011.

A selection panel will evaluate all completed applications, conduct interviews, and announce the fellowship recipients in February 2011. For more information, please contact Julie Tran, at 713.758.2458 or via e-mail at jtran@velaw.com.

For nearly a century, Vinson & Elkins’ has provided smart legal counsel to corporate clients in a multitude of industries. With more than 780 lawyers in 14 offices in financial centers, energy hubs, and political capitals across the globe, V&E’s vast resources are mobilized rapidly and efficiently to solve our clients’ most challenging matters. Clients include public and private companies, financial institutions, municipalities, governments of sovereign nations, entrepreneurs, families and individuals.

Vinson & Elkins is recognized as a national, top-tier law firm in the 2010 U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firm” rankings. In addition, V&E was named among the 2011 "The 20 Best Law Firms for Diversity" on Vault's annual list, among the 2009 "Top 50 Best Law Firms for Women,” according to Working Mother Magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers, and among the top 100 law firms for diversity, according to both the Multicultural Law and the Minority Law Journal.

Julie T. Tran

Talent Manager

Vinson & Elkins LLP

First City Tower

1001 Fannin Street, Suite 2500

Houston, TX 77002-6760

Tel 713.758.2458

jtran@velaw.com