Lawyers Journal
By Denise Squillante
"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people …They
are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our
liberty."
- Thomas Jefferson
At a time when more citizens are more familiar with pop culture
icons than the third branch of government, lack of court resources
will further jeopardize awareness of the important role the
judicial system plays in modern democracy.
As practitioners, we understand the immeasurable impact
attorneys, judges and other stewards of the judicial system have in
the lives of citizens. However, for the average citizen, who may or
may not have had any experience with the system, convincing them of
its importance is an increasingly difficult challenge. This problem
is further accentuated by a finalized state budget that jeopardizes
the courts' operations.
"Entry-level law is very soft. Competition is high," says
Seckler, president of Seckler Legal coaching in Newtonville. "There
are a number of things to do and a number of things to
avoid."
Seckler has 20 years' experience in legal job consulting and
recruiting in the Boston area, and is now a legal coach - which, in
today's economy, is a growth area.
By Christina P. O'Neill
The outlook for legal jobs last year was so grim that experts in
the legal-jobs field are saying that the recruitment business model
traditionally relied on by big law firms is a thing of the past.
Summer clerkships - if the classes of 2009 and 2010 could get them
at all - won't necessarily lead to a job offer. But the bleak job
numbers of 2009 have given way to flat demand, or even modest
growth, this year.