At lunchtime on November 14th, our Firms committee hosted a panel on work-life balance.

The panelists discussed the ways they’ve dealt with balancing their work and life at the various stages of their careers.  The panelists recommended earning “capital” early in your career so that you can exchange it later for things like flex time, part time schedules, or just to make time for your relationships and hobbies.  Working really hard when you have time and flexibility can allow you to prove yourself so that when you have more constraints on your life or need something in the future, your colleagues will be more accommodating.  The panelists also discussed the importance of having a great support system.  Whether it’s a team of babysitters, a nanny, a husband, a partner, or a family member, they stressed how helpful it is to have someone to call for help or to assign certain tasks to.  Finally, the panelists discussed thinking of work life balance in a larger context than the traditional “female-with-children” perspective.  Work life balance should include men and women, families and friends, hobbies and activities. Continuing conversations like we had during the panel can help spread this broader perspective, increase awareness about issues of work life balance, and provide individuals with practical tips to succeed.

On Friday, November 9, the WLA and the Board of Student Advisors hosted an panel event sharing exam preparation tips with a large crowd of 1Ls and LLM students. The panel discussed various methods of exam preparation, including the various forms of outlines and methods of constructing them, as well as a host of alternatives to making your own outline from scratch or making an outline at all. Panelists included members of the Board of Student Advisors and the Harvard Law Review. The panelists also shared from their experiences of how to keep sane and healthy as pressure begins to mount and what they do in the last few days before an exam. The panel was put together to help alleviate 1L stress and confusion as the Class of 2015 approaches its HLS exam period, and emphasized the importance of remembering what has worked in the past and adapting tried and true methods to law school studying.

As part of their advice to the students, the panelists felt it was importance to familiarize oneself with the expectations and past examinations given by the professor giving a particular exam. If anyone wishes to connect with a 2L/3L who has had any specific professor, contact your BSA and she/he will put you in touch with someone who can give you more details and/or advice.

And don’t forget! The WLA has a collection of outlines that is available to all members on the “resources” tab of our main webpage. You can submit your outlines at any time by emailing them to hlswla@gmail.com.

Back by popular demand, the WLA hosted a screening of MISSRepresentation, a powerful documentary on women’s portrayal in the media.  About 90 students attended the screening and enjoyed some delicious Thai food.  Thanks to ACS, BLSA, and HLSRJ for co-sponsoring this great event with us!