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N O R T H C A R O L I N A L A W Y E R S W E E K LY I Octo ber 11, 2021
What to ask as you look for that first law firm job ■ BY JESSICA MARKHAM BridgeTower Media Newswires As I have now been practicing law for over 16 years I’ve started to crowdsource what information and advice young lawyers would find useful based on my experience. I was reminded today that when a young lawyer is first looking for a job it’s hard to figure out what to prioritize in order to decide where to go. I recall specifically looking for a job and investigating and asking around about the law firms’ reputations. Beyond that I didn’t do any other research or ask specific questions that I now know would’ve help me decide if the firm was the right fit for me. If you are fortunate enough to have multiple offers to choose from here are a few questions that you can ask in order to figure out if this is actually a place where you want to work: How often will I be going to court? How long until I might be able to go to court in an independent role as opposed to being second chair? How many partners will I be working for? How many people will be delegating to me? What is the billable hour requirement? How many of the hours can be billed to pro bono? This will give you an idea of how many hours you need to work. If you were going to be billing hours you will soon find out that you cannot bill every hour that you are
physically present in the office and working. You need to be sure that you were comfortable with the expectations of the firm. What is your policy on CLE? How many can I take? Will the firm pay for all of them and if not, who decides? Does CLE count toward the billable hour requirement? How many people will be working in the office? I never asked this question but I think it is significant because a four-person office is very different from a 15-person or a 30-person office. If you are very social you may not enjoy working with only three other people. What is the mentorship and what are the performance reviews like? Some firms are better than others at providing constructive feedback. Will you have a weekly or monthly manager meetings? Some firms have daily meetings. Hear what this firm does and WHY they do it that way. Does the firm socialize? Do they do teambuilding events? Do they have a human resources person? These are aspects of your work life that don’t relate directly to practicing law. However they will inform your career development in meaningful ways. Does the firm value diversity, equity and inclusion? How so? How would you see that on a monthly or yearly basis? Examples? Best of luck to all of you who have just passed the bar! It’s an exciting time in your life, when you can actually go forth and be the lawyer you’ve been training to be.
FAKED CHARGES / C o nt inu e d f r o m 5 ►
in additional prosecutions of innocent plaintiffs.” Officers also failed to notify or timely notify the Wake County District Attorney’s Office about the test results, the suit says. Charges against all of the plaintiffs were subsequently dismissed, but their attorneys said that because of the wrongful incarceration, their clients were separated from their loved ones, lost jobs, were forced out of their homes, and missed birthdays and funerals. “All were traumatized because of their wrongful detention or incarceration and the fabricated allegations against them,” the attorneys said in a release. “The RPD VICE unit’s actions also resulted in the unlawful detention of numerous women and children and at least one illegal SWAT raid of a family’s home.” In addition to the monetary award, the plaintiffs have made recommendations and requested that the police department and the Wake County District Attorney’s Office adopt new policies regarding the testing of controlled substances, how drug crimes are charged, and how informants are handled. Rubert-Schewel said that the policy recommendations were not made demands because they were not finalized until shortly before mediation. “We hope the City adopts them,” Rubert-Schewel wrote. “They were drafted by us, with input from our clients, and our expert Howard Jordan, the former Oakland Chief of Police.” Dorothy Kibler of the City of Raleigh Attorney’s Office represented the city of Raleigh. In an email, public information officer Julia Milstead wrote that city leaders “appreciate the efforts of all involved” and that while the settlement ends the lawsuit, the police department is dedicated to making sure that nothing like this happens again. “No one should ever be arrested based on fraudulent evidence,” Milstead wrote. Jason Benton of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein in Charlotte represented Abdullah. Benton did not immediately return a request for comment. Follow Heath Hamacher on Twitter @NCLWHamacher
BAR EXAM / Return to in-person exams planned for 2022 C o nt inu e d f r o m 1 ►
Central University School of Law at 56.8 percent (46 of 81), Elon University Law School at 56 percent (14 of 25), and the Charlotte School of Law at 21 percent (4 of 19). Overall, the pass rate for first-time test-takers was 84 percent (566 of 674), down from last year’s 89.7 percent 511 of 570). Just 33.6 percent (48 of 143) of repeaters passed. Because Elon offers a two-and-a-half year curriculum, most of its graduates take the bar exam for the first time in February rather than July. Because repeating test-takers are less likely to pass than those sitting for the first time, July’s results are not as accurately depictive of the school’s overall pass rate as they might be for other schools. This year, five of Elon’s eight firsttimers passed (62.5 percent) while nine C o nt inu e d f r o m 6 ►
Alexandra Brianne Russell Christopher Wilson Sanborn Lexus Tiel Sanders Edgar Emilio Santiago Jon Anthony Schlotterback Troy Eugene Schultingkemper Andrea Maria Schwehr Claire Suzanne Sears Monica Layne Sessoms Morgan Lee Sexton Adella Grace Shaffer Deborah H. Shartle Shaefer Allen Shepard Kevin Siebs Robert Gray Simmons Thain Douglas Simon Colin Michael Simon Rishi Singh Savannah Marie Singletary Jasmine M. Singleton Heidi Rose Sinsley Austin Katherine Smith Sistrunk Rebecca Skahen Ross McNeill Slaughter
of its 17 repeaters passed (52.9 percent). NC Central’s overall rate suffered significantly from the 20.8 percent pass rate of its repeat test-takers. Out-ofstate repeaters also struggled as just 22 of 69 (31.88 percent) passed. Although Charlotte shuttered its doors in 2017, dozens of its graduates are still sitting for, and struggling with, the bar exam. In July, two Charlotte graduates took the exam for the first time—neither passed. Seven of Charlotte’s 31 repeat test-takers passed (18.8 percent). Kimberly Herrick, who chairs the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners, said that this exam will likely be the last remotely proctored exam and that she expects an untroubled transition back. “Last July’s in-person exam took a lot of preparation, but the administration itself went very smoothly,” Herrick
said. “It took more time from start to finish than usual to administer, but we were able to address any problems immediately.” If so, it closes the door on an unprecedented experiment for bar exam administration in North Carolina. The NCBLE offered a remotely-administered exam for the first time ever in February. The new format allowed applicants to take the exam with proper social distancing via computers, with cameras and artificial intelligence used to ensure that all codes of conduct were adhered to. Although some of the requirements for the remote exam--like keeping one’s face in full view of the camera for the entirety of the test--created added stressors for test-takers to layer onto the usual crucible of taking the bar exam, the remote exam by and large received high marks from both test-takers and
administrators, who said they were pleased with how the test played out. Herrick also said that switching to the UBE has likewise been a great decision for both the board and for applicants. “The UBE has led to better consistency with scoring essays, and incorporates a practical assignment component into the essay portion,” Herrick said. “We also receive excellent support and grading from the [National Conference of Board Examiners].” The exam is graded on a 400-point scale and passing scores range from 260 in several states to 280 in Alaska. Based on data it received from ExamSoft and the National Conference of Bar Examiners, and considering technical issues many examinees experienced during the remotely administered exam, the NCBLE temporarily lowered its passing score from 270 to 268.
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