Conferences are a fantastic tool in your career development arsenal — you can meet and interact with legal peers interested in the same issues as you and keep up-to-date on the latest issues in the law. You shouldn’t be afraid to get out there and check some of these conferences out. Some that are taking registration or happening soon are:
- RebLaw, New Haven, CT, February 17th-18th, 2012
RebLaw (Rebellious Lawyering) is a conference run by and at Yale University’s Law School every year, with a focus on bringing together practitioners, law students, and community advocates from around the country to discuss innovative, progressive approaches to law and social change.
- Institute of Justice Law Student Conference, Washington, DC, June 22nd – 24th, 2012
The IJ “engages in cutting-edge litigation and advocacy both in the court of law and in the court of public opinion on behalf of individuals whose most basic rights are denied by the government-like the right to earn and honest living, private property rights, the right to free speech and educational choice.” The deadline for this conference is March 1st, and it is open to 1L and 2L students.
- LavLaw, Washington, DC, August 23rd – 25th, 2012
LavLaw (Lavendar Law) is the annual conference hosted by the LGBT Bar Association. LavLaw always features a job fair along with various interesting panels and network-building opportunities. Alternating sides of the country, it is on the east coast this year, and registration is now open.
- Ms.JD Annual Conference on Women in the Law, Washington, D.C., October 5th – 6th, 2012
Ms.JD is a fantastic blog and online resource, and, now it is also a conference in its 5th year! This year’s conference will be focusing on developing leadership for women in the law.
- SNT Conference, St. Pete Beach, FL, October, 2012
The Special Needs and Trusts Conference is one of Stetson’s very own! Discussing the creation, administration, and monitoring of special needs trusts while providing a great platform for network-building and meeting professionals from around the country, this conference is just in our backyard and a great opportunity.
- EJW Conference and Career Fair, Arlington, VA, October 2th-28th, 2012
Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair is the largest public career fair in the country. EJW focuses on helping lawyers help their community. This year’s conference will be in Arlington, VA.
Don’t see a conference in this list that interests you? Get out there and do some searches. There are a large number of legal conferences out there, including each state’s annual bar meetings and the ABA’s conferences (and section meetings). There is probably one out there that would be a perfect opportunity for you to both learn more about an area of law that interests you and meet your new peers!