NALSWD Blog

Hello NALSWD Members,

The big news for NALSWD this month was the election of a new slate of officers to our governing Executive Board and the addition of several Junior Officer/Committee Chair positions. Thanks to everyone who ran or voted! We have a really talented group of students stepping up to lead this next year. They are:

*President: Beth Kolbe
*Co-Vice Presidents: Deepa Goraya & Nora Devine
*Membership Director: Patrick Dennis
International Recruiting: Marie Burgoyne
Social Outreach Chairs: Katie Tastrom & Krista Selanu
*Conference Director: Kate Carroll
Conference Advisor: Nora Devine
*Chief Financial Officer: Greg Oguss
Fundraising Chair: Jason Savageau
*Chief Information Co-Officers: Kevin Fitz & Alexander Thompson
Blog Editor: Kate Carroll
Access Technology Officer: Sasha Boronkay-Flynn

If you are interested in volunteering to help with any of these committees, please email and we will put you in touch with the appropriate officer. In particular, we need additional team members to work this summer and fall on organizing the 2012 NALSWD Conference (which will likely be on the East Coast). This next month will largely be about transition at NALSWD as new officers get trained. The 2010-2011 Board will continue in their positions until May (so we’re not quite out the door yet).

We are also excited to announce that NALSWD has  YouTube channel! The channel name is “nalswdvideo” (http://www.youtube.com/user/nalswdvideo). Thanks to a generous donation from Lewis, Feinberg, Lee, Renaker & Jackson, P.C., all panels and speeches at the 2011 NALSWD Conference were recorded and are being uploaded to our channel. Currently, the keynote speech, opening remarks, and a panel on obtaining bar exam accommodations (relevant for all students, not just 3Ls!) are online. The rest of the panels will be posted shortly. Please subscribe to be notified as new material becomes available. We hope that students who were not able to attend the live event can still benefit from the vital information our many conference speakers provided!

Stay abreast of new developments at NALSWD by checking out our blog (http://nalswd.dreamhosters.com/wordpress/) and Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4173468419). There are lots of exciting projects on the horizon as new energy and talent joins the board!

Very best wishes,

Anna Scholin, President
Beth Kolbe, Vice President
Michael Nunez, CFO
Greg Oguss, CIO
Deepa Goraya, Membership Director
Patrick Dennis & Nora Devine, Conference Co-Directors
(The 2010-2011 Executive Board)

Two NALSWD alumnae — Rebecca Williford and Stephanie Enyart — have co-authored a book with trail-blazing law professor Carrie Griffin-Basas on lawyers with disabilities. The advice in the book is getting raves from people who’ve read it. Students with disabilities can pick up a copy for $19.95 if you use the source code PCD0ALLL. There is also an electronic version coming soon. To pick up a copy, visit: http://apps.americanbar.org/abastore/index.cfm?section=main&fm=Product.AddToCart&pid=4410212.

NALSWD has launched its own video channel on YouTube: nalswdvideo. Subscribe to be alerted to new content!

With the generous sponsorship of Lewis, Feinberg, Lee, Renaker & Jackson, P.C., all panels and speeches at the 2011 NALSWD Conference were recorded on video and are being up-loaded to this channel. We hope that students who were not able to attend can still benefit from the vital information our many speakers provided!

Presentations such as, the panel on receiving accommodations on the bar exam!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

If you are in the Bay Area, there is a mixer for minority law students and young lawyers, including PWDs, coming up on March 30th in San Francisco. Details below. Free food and what sounds like a great networking opportunity.

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BALIF law students are organizing a Solidarity mixer and would like law student and young lawyer groups from other minority bar associations to join them on March 30, 2011.

Solidarity for Bay Area Law Students and Young Lawyers
Where: Lime Restaurant, 2247 Market Street (between Noe and Sanchez)
When: Wednesday, March 30, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Come join BALIF for a special happy hour and mixer with other Bay Area minority
bars! BALIF’s goal for the mixer is to encourage solidarity among minority law
students and young lawyers. The mixer will be a great way to meet and network
with other young and budding lawyers to share common experiences and strategies
for us to succeed in the Bay Area legal community–and beyond.

Free appetizers and drinks provided. For more information, please e-mail
. Hope to see you there!

Chelsea E. HaleyNelson (BALIF)

Law Offices of Chelsea E. HaleyNelson
436 14th Street, Suite 716
Oakland, CA 94612
Tel:
Fax:
Email:

315 Montgomery Street, 9th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104
Tel:
Fax:
Email:

The San Francisco bar is sponsoring a Minority Law Student Scholarship: http://sfbar.org/diversity/scholarships.aspx. It is open to students with disabilities and they are encouraging PWDs to apply. Deadline is May 13th.

I am not sure where this internship is located, but it sounds like a fantastic opportunity for any 1L out there with a disability still looking for summer work. If you’re interested, email Bill Phelan at the ABA for more info. The deadline to apply is 3/28.

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Attention 1Ls with a disability:

This summer, Prudential Financial has a position open in its summer internship program for a current first year law student with a disability. We applaud Prudential and their commitment to disability diversity in the legal profession.

About the internship:

The summer intern will have the opportunity to work with attorneys who support the broad reach of the Prudential businesses.  The summer intern will also participate in the summer intern training program, which includes programs presented by Prudential attorneys that highlight different areas of the business and the legal department.  Each intern will be paired with an attorney who will serve as a mentor during the program and will provide guidance on projects.  The summer intern may also have an opportunity to practice interviewing skills, prepare presentations and shadow attorneys on various projects.  The summer internship will run between May 23, 2011, and August 12, 2011.  The summer intern will be paid a stipend of approximately $8,500, which shall accrue and be paid on an hourly basis.

The qualifications are as follows:

1) Candidates must have at least a 3.0 GPA in law school

2) 1st year students with a disability only.  LLM students will not be considered.

3) Must be eligible to work in the United States

4) If selected for an interview, candidates will be reimbursed for economy US domestic travel and one night hotel stay, if applicable, per Prudential’s travel reimbursement policy.

5) Interns will be responsible for their own summer travel and housing.

6) Prudential’s Law Department does not hire interns for part time or full time employment after the summer.

If you are eligible and interested, please send me a copy of your resume  no later than 5:00 P.M. Monday, March 28.

Best,

Bill Phelan

William J. Phelan, IV, Esq.

Special Projects & Technology Coordinator

Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law

American Bar Association

740 15th Street, NW, 9th Fl.

Washington, DC 20005-1022

Two former NALSWD Presidents, Rebecca Williford and Stephanie Enyart, along with NALSWD supporter Professor Carrie Griffin Basas have just published a book on lawyers with disabilities called “Lawyers Lead On: Lawyers with Disabilities Share Their Insights.” It is available for preorder from ABA at a law student discount price of $19.95.  A great book for any NALSWD member to own!

http://apps.americanbar.org/abastore/index.cfm?section=main&fm=Product.AddToCart&pid=4410212

For anyone interested in researching Alternate Dispute Resolution, the ABA is sponsoring a law student writing competition on the subject. Deadline is April 30th. See below for more info.

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The ADR Committee is sponsoring a law student writing competition entitled, “Recent Developments in Alternative Dispute Resolution.” We invite law students to submit articles addressing innovative legal topics relating to
negotiation, mediation and arbitration. The submission deadline is April 30, 2011. Please feel free to pass along this email to any law students on your committee and encourage them to visit http://apps.americanbar.org/tips/adr/students/Competition.pdf for additional information about the competition, including submission requirements.