Common Mistakes When Creating Legal Writing Samples

Common Mistakes When Creating Legal Writing SamplesCommon Mistakes When Creating Legal Writing SamplesTop-notch writing skills are crucial in the legal industry, especially for lawyers and paralegals. If you are applying for a legal position, employers will frequently request a writing sample. Furnishing a poor writing sample can destroy your chance of landing the job. On the other hand, an excellent writing sample can help you get a leg up on the competition. It is a good idea to build a portfolio of writing samples during school and your early years of practice. This portfolio should include your best work in a variety of genres. Below are five common mistakes applicants make in submitting writing samples. Poor Writing Sample A poorly written sample that contains fundamental errors in grammar, word choice, sentence construction or other quality problems is a red flag for employers. Below are a few issues to watch Sentence clarityWord choiceRedundancies and/or inaccuracies in th e textConsistencyTone/voiceContent organizationFlow/transitionsSentence structureGaps in contentPresentation Have a mentor, professor, co-worker or other trusted professional to review your writing samples. If your writing skills need work, take a few writing classes or hire a tutor to help you improve your writing. Typographical Errors While applicants give much attention to creating an error-free resume and cover letter, their writing samples often receive a less meticulous review. We have seen many writing samples with typographical errors many of them published online, in law review journals and legal publications or filed with the court. A single typo is enough to instill doubt in the reviewer and eliminate you from consideration. Off-Topic Samples Make sure your writing samples match the employers request and the needs of the position. If, for example, you are applying for an associate position, dont submit your senior term paper on psychosocial behavior. Instead, sub mit a sample that demonstrates that you can perform the job for which you are applying. For example, if you are applying for a position as an associate in the firms litigation department, submit a brief, motion or memorandum of law. If you are applying for a position as a corporate paralegal, submit a resolution, escrow trust agreement or related transactional document. Failure to Follow Instructions Always follow the job ad or potential employers instructions for submitting writing samples, particularly with respect to Type of samplesMake sure that the schriftart of sample you submit (i.e., brief, correspondence, motion) matches the employers request in terms of format, style, and content. If you dont have a relevant sample in your portfolio, draft a new writing sample to fit.The number of writing samplesDont submit too many or too few samples. If a number is not specified, a good rule of thumb is two samples (one at a minimum and three samples max). Busy employers rarely have time to read more than three writing samples. Length of writing samplesFollow the employers instructions regarding the length of your samples. In the legal field, writing samples tend to be longer (5-10 pages) to enable employers to evaluate your ability to make a persuasive legal argument and analyze points of law.?The manner of submissionSome employers may want samples submitted as e-mail attachments while others prefer that they appear in the body of the e-mail or are mailed to their address. Disclosing Confidential Information Writing samples in the legal profession require special care due to attorney/client privilege, sensitive information, and confidentiality concerns. When submitting writing samples from a past or present case or transaction, even if that case is closed or terminated, it is important to remove the names of all parties, names of clients, and any other sensitive or confidential information. To preserve the flow of your content, you can substitute fictitiou s names, facts, and information.

Carbon Nanotube Super Springs

Carbon Nanotube Super Springs Carbon Nanotube Super Springs For certain applications, mechanical springs are superior to electrochemical batteries. A springs stored energy can be released quickly, with high power density. Springs can be recharged (redeformed) many times without degradation (as long as they are not deformed beyond their limits) and can hold stored energy without leakage. Springs also store energy robustly in the face of wide temperature swings.The energy density of springs made of conventional materials, however, is much lower than the energy density of batteries. Current lithium-ion batteries offer energy densities of about 500 kJ/kgthree orders of magnitude greater than the energy densities of high-performance steel springs in bending. But batteries have their own limitations, being typically optimized for either high power density or high energy density it is difficult to optimize simultaneously for both.What if you want the robustness and power capabilities of spr ings, but also need the energy density of batteries? One option is to look for new materials for springs.The ideal high-performance spring material will have both high material stiffness (like high-carbon steel) and high deformability (like rubber). Advanced nanoscale materials offer new options.Grown on a substrate using vapor deposition, each of these pillars contains a million aligned nanotubes.One promising candidate is the carbon nanotube (CNT). A CNT is essentially a graphene sheeta carbon lattice one atom thickrolled up to form a tube and capped off at the ends. Such a single-wall nanotube can be as small as 1 nanometer in diameter and under a micrometer in length. Larger multi-wall tubes (made of multiple coaxial layers of carbon atoms) may be a few hundred nanometers across and more than a centimeter long.Like graphene, the effective material stiffness of CNTs is quite highabout five times that of high-carbon steel. Moreover, the low-defect structure of the carbon lattice e nables CNTs to undergo large deformations before suffering failureup to six times the maximum yield strains of high-carbon steel under tensile loading (stretching).Although a single carbon nanotube may have exceptional mechanical properties, it is far too small to store a macroscopically useful amount of energy. Large numbers of CNTs must be deformed in a uniform way. For high energy density per unit volume, the CNTs must be tightly packed. And the complete system must be braced in a lightweight structure that can support the load of stored mechanical energy, plus have a means of extracting the energy for use.To examine the potential for elastic energy storage in CNTs, in 2006, Timothy Havel and I formed a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Continuum modeling revealed that for maximum energy storage, the ideal system would consist of many long, small-diameter, single-wall CNTs in well-ordered groupings and loaded in tension. Moreover, the system needs a support struc ture made of a high-performance material such as diamond or silicon carbide.When A. John Hart at the University of Michigan joined our group, we could test our mathematical models in experiments on real CNT springs. Hart pioneered a thermal chemical vapor deposition technique that grows well-aligned forests of multi-wall CNTs, as well as pillars (patterned sections of the forest). Although they do not have the single-wall structure that our modeling identified as ideal, a small piece of a CNT forest has 1 to 10 million parallel nanotubes several millimeters long, a significant fraction of them extending the full length of the test structure. The chunk of forest may be tested as is, or may be densified first using capillary forces or mechanical rolling to bring the CNTs closer together.So far, we have looked at when and how the multi-wall CNT springs fail when they are stretched in tension we have also tested their performance under cyclic tensile loading, mimicking the storage and e xtraction of energy from CNT springs. To date, the maximum recoverable energy density measured to date is about 5 kJ/kg, corresponding to total energy stored of about 1.5 microjoules. Although this energy density is much lower than the maximum theoretical energy density of springs composed of ideally ordered single-wall CNTs, it already exceeds the maximum energy density per unit weight of steel in bending by a factor of ten.What could be done with an energy storage medium having the energy density of batteries and the temperature insensitivity and burst power capability of a spring? For high-power applications, springs could be released in groups for low-power applications, energy could be released gradually through a ratcheting mechanism similar to the spring-driven escapement of a mechanical clock.One potential application might be portable home tools that currently run on gasoline engines. For example, after winding up your spring-powered leaf blower, you could clear leaves more quietly and cleanly than with a gas-powered blower. Spring-based energy storage may also have advantages for leak-free long-term backup power supplies.Given the promise of CNT springs, its easy to imagine ways they could help power a green and efficient future.Adapted from Carbon Super Springs by Carol Livermore, for Mechanical Engineering, March 2010.The ideal high-performance spring material will have both high material stiffness (like high-carbon steel) and high deformability (like rubber).

Leave, Liberty, TDY, and Monetary Travel Benefits

Leave, Liberty, TDY, and Monetary Travel BenefitsLeave, Liberty, TDY, and Monetary Travel BenefitsYour first experience with many of the liberty and leave benefits of military service will typically begin after basic training. However, if your basic training occurs during the Christmas Holidays, you may learn about leave time in the middle of your first few months of military service. During the two weeks around Christmas time, theArmyshuts down basic training and AIT schools. Other branches do leid allow recruits to have leave or liberty.Recruits are usually allowed to go home on leave at this time if they want, even if it results in going in the hole (having a negative leave balance) on their leave balance. Recruits who choose notlage to take leave at this time, are normally assigned to do details (answer phones, cut the grass, etc), because most of the instructors/drill sergeants will be away on leave, and classes are not conducted during this time. Leave After Basic Training With the exception of the Marine Corps, who authorizes all recruits to take 10 days of leave, immediately following boot camp, one does not normally get their first military leave until they graduate technical school/AIT/A-School. After technical school /AIT /A-School, one is normally authorized to take 10 days of leave if their first assignment is to a stateside base, and 15 days of leave if their first assignment is to an overseas base. (Note For extremely long schools, longer leaves may be authorized upon graduation). Leave (Vacation) Whether youre the lowest enlisted rankor a 4-Star General (or Admiral), all military personnel get the same amount of vacation time. Military members get 30 days of paid leave per year, earned at the rate of 2.5 days per month. modell leave is approved/disapproved by the members immediate supervisor. Emergency leave (someone in your immediate family dies or is seriously ill), is approved by the commander or first sergeant upon verification of the emergency (usually from the Red Cross). Except for emergency leave, and Christmas Exodus, commanders are usually reluctant to approve leave that hasnt been earned yet. This is because, under the law, if a person is discharged (for any reason) and they have a negative leave balance, they must repay the military one days base pay for each day they are in the hole as of the date of the discharge. Leave is calculated according to the fiscal year (1 October to 30 September). One is allowed to carry over only a maximum of 60 days from fiscal year to fiscal year. (Note Exceptions can be approved if one can show that they were denied leave due to military necessity for unusual situations, such as long-term deployments). In other words, if you have 65 days of leave on the books on 30 September, 5 of those days will be lost when the calendar rolls over to 1 October. Leave can be sold back at the time of reenlistment and separation/retirement. For each day of leave you have saved, you can sell it back for one days base pay (taxable). One can only sell back a maximum of 60 days of leave during a career. It does not have to be all at one time. For example, one could sell back ten days of leave during their first re-enlistment, then ten days during their next re-enlistment. Terminal LeaveInstead of selling leave upon your discharge, one can take terminal leave when they are discharged or retire. For example, lets say you are scheduled to be discharged (or retired) on 1 September, and you have 30 days of leave. You can out process from the military 30 days early, then continue to receive full pay (including base pay, housing allowance, food allowance, and any special pays), until your official date of discharge. Liberty Pass A reisepass is non-chargeable time-off also known as liberty. During a military members normal off-duty time, they are automatically considered to be on a Regular Pass. With a few exceptions (such as basic training, or phase restrictions in technical sch ool), a military person can leave the base when off-duty without special permission. Another type of pass is a special pass. An example would be the 3-day pass. These are special passes issued by the commander, first sergeant, or (sometimes) supervisor for time off, often given as a reward for superior performance. Usually, a special pass cannot be used back-to-back with leave, and cannot (in most cases) be used in conjunction with a weekend or other scheduled off-duty time. Permissive Temporary Duty Assignment (PTDY) Sometimes a military member wants to attend a conference, class, or function that the military wont pay for, but which benefits the individual professionally (which thereby benefits the military). In such cases, the commander can authorize a Permissive TDY. Members on Permissive TDY do not receive any travel pay or reimbursement (like they would for an official TDY) but isnt charged against their leave. Note If you are driving a car or procuring your own airline ticket for TDY (Temporary Duty Assignment) travel, therates are significantly more Travel Rates for 2018 MethodRate Per MileCar$0.54.5Motorcycle$0.51.5Airplane$1.21 AIT/Tech School/A-School In general, if your classes last longer than 20 weeks (at a single location), dependents are authorized to travel to the school location and set up a household at government expense (see First Duty Station Travel Entitlements, below). If the length of the classes is less than 20 weeks, government reimbursed transportation is not authorized, in most cases. However, dependents are certainly allowed to relocate, on their own, at their own expense. In either case, members in job school receive a housing allowance, based upon the actual location of their dependents. Its important to remember that (except for the Marines), leave is not usually authorized following basic training. This means the dependents would have to make the move completely on their own, without the members presence. However, if they are going to be a military family, this is something they should get used to. Additionally, the member is probably going to be restricted to base during the first part of their training (usually, the first 30 days or so), so the dependents may have to do all the house-hunting, to find a place to live. First Duty Station Travel Entitlements Travel PayWhen you graduate technical school/AIT/A-school, the military will pay the authorized costs for you to go from your technical school/AIT/A-school location to your next duty assignment (or, to the port of your military flight for overseas assignments). There are two ways that the military will do this (your choice) they will either provide you with an airline ticket for a flight directly from your school location to the next duty assignment (or port call), or they will pay you a mileage allowance plus per diem for each day you are in an authorized travel status. Before you depart your school, you can visit Finance (with copies of you r orders), and normally receive an advance (about 80 percent) of your estimated travel pay. Air Travel Suppose you leave cousine X, buy a ticket home for $800, then buy a ticket from home to Base Y for $300 (for a total expenditure of $1,100)? In that case, the military will pay you what it would have cost THEM to buy you an airline ticket directly from Base X to Base Y. Lets assume that they would have paid $900.00. In this case, you would be reimbursed $900, out of your total $1,100 expenditure. If you travel overseas for a tour, the military will either ship or store your vehicle for you at no cost depending on the location of your PCS move.

Survey 21% of adults have nothing saved for retirement

Survey 21% of adults have notlagehing saved for retirementSurvey 21% of adults have nothing saved for retirementYou may have grown up hearing that you should save for retirement as soon as possible - a new report suggests having twice your salary by age 35- but new data shows that some people havent actually put this advice into practice.New research from Northwestern Mutuals Planning Progress Study 2018 shows that 21% of American havent saved a dime for their Golden Years- thats right $0. Plus, while 33% of working people think theyll be able to retire between ages 65 and 69, 38% think theyll have to retire at age 70 or later.Harris Poll surveyed 2,003 American adults for Northwestern Mutual.Here are a few of the points that stood out.How prepared Americans are for retirementThe research found that among Baby Boomers, 33% have saved up $0-$25,000 for retirement. Around one in three people surveyed havent hit $5,000 in retirement savings yet.Among those who havent retired yet, pe ople have varying opinions on the future of Social Security 24% think its not at all likely that it will be around when they reach their Golden Years, 51% think its somewhat likely that it will be and 24% think its extremely likely.Rebekah Barsch, vice president of planning for Northwestern Mutual, commented on the research in a statement.As financial implications of retirement become increasingly complex, inertia just isnt an optionThe good news is that its rarely too late to start. In fact, we often compare financial and physical fitness because the hardest part is taking the first step. However, once people commit to a strategy and start seeing positive results, theyre motivated to meet and even exceed their goals.People plan to retire at different agesOf those who plan to put off retirement by working beyond age 65, 45% want to do soby choice, with wanting additional disposable income being the top reason why at 55%.Fifty-five percent think theyll do it out of necessity, with th e top reason being that they wont have enough money put away to retire comfortably, at 73%.So, just how freaked out are people about being able to have a comfortable retirement when it comes to their finances?While 22% arent concerned at all, 52% are somewhat concerned and 26% are extremely concerned. This data echoes separate, recent findings that 46% of non-retired Americans dont think theyll have enough money when they officially leave the workforce.

Cost of a Bad Hire Revealed

Cost of a Bad Hire RevealedCost of a Bad Hire Revealed*/Read the infographic text.Costs of a Bad Hire RevealedDoes your hiring process help you make the right decisions or lead you down a path of costly mistakes? Read on to see just how much a bad hire can cost you Among small and midsize business owners and managers polled 81 percent admit making a bad hire. 49 percent believe fruchtwein hiring managers underestimate the complexity of the hiring process.Percentage of business owners surveyed who experienced the following outcomes due to a bad hire54% time wasted hiring and training someone53% increased stress on the team37% increased stress on the manager20% decreased confidence in managements ability to make good hiring decisionsDo you have 17 weeks to spare?Even when firms realize they have made a hiring mistake, they are slow to take action.Realized Bad Hiring Decision58 percent said it took less than a month to realize they made a bad hiring decisionTime It Took to Let Person G obut it took more than twice that time on average (8.8 weeks) to let the person go.Time Passed Before a Replacement StartedNearly five more weeks passed before a replacement started working, with 68 percent of businesses putting the added workload on existing staff during this time.AVOID COSTLY MISTAKESBRANCH OUT. 58 percent of respondents said the best new hires come from referrals, including employees and recruiters. Of the businesses that use recruiters, 76 percent said a recruiter was able to find a candidate they wouldnt have found on their own.DELEGATE. 43 percent said working with a recruiter saved the firm time by doing most of the work 36 percent said it saved them money by finding someone quickly.GET A GUARANTEE. 32 percent of businesses working with recruiters said they do so for the tafelgeschirr guarantee.BRIDGE THE GAP. Along with lining up your next new hire, recruiters can help you find temporary professionals to ease the burden while roles are vacant.Robert Half sur vey of more than 1,000 business owners and human resources managers in the United States at companies with 1 to 499 employees.Are you taking too long to hire? Find out here roberthalf.com/time-to-hire 2017 A Robert Half International Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veterans.Hiring the wrong person can cost you time, money and more. View our infographic and discover how you can improve your hiring process.

The Newly Leaked Secrets to List Education on Resume Disclosed

The Newly Leaked Secrets to List Education on Resume Disclosed Things You Wont Like About List Education on Resume and Things You Will The simple fact which you are pursuing more education could make you more marketable to employers, plus you are going to be taking steps to guarantee youve got the credentials to be successful in a competitive job industry. Dutch Brothers is a rather quick environment to work in where we juggle several responsibilities at exactly the same moment. A skills section on your employment can enable a recruiter or reservierung manager receive a concept of what youve got to offer you. Opt for a help format Potential employers will shell out a brief quantity of time looking at your resume. Folks will endorse your business elend since they think that it looks good, but since they are aware that it is good. The Dirty Truth About List Education on Resume Use these advice to help it become attention-grabbing. You choose the info that you are interested in getting the employer to understand about you. Your contact information should go at the very top of the resume. Dont list high school details. Use social media websites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook professionals notify your social average price tag of resume writing services which you are interested in work and offer more details. Or, you might not be asked to publish a notice of intent to work. As a consequence of inadequate management, many tiny businesses fail in the early decades. Actually, being a small company might make you more inclined to be targeted. You should tailor the education section of your resume to satisfy your circumstances, including whether you continue to be a student, how much work experience that you have, and what number of academic achievements youve got. Its essential to understand how to list your education on a resume at each stage. If you dont have a great deal of work experience to show your abilities and capabilities at work, it ca n be important to list any appropriate college coursework, even when you didnt graduate with a degree. You may not have direct experience, but you need transferable skills which can help you secure work in education. Your objective statement ought to be brief and focus specifically on your present career-related experience along with your developed skills. If youve got little to no work experience, a coursework description can demonstrate you have the wisdom and skills needed for the job via your education. Even when you graduated more than four decades before, an appropriate honor still appears fantastic. List Education on Resume for Dummies Now you are prepared to compose your cover letter. You ought to use the exact paper and font thats used for your resume. Therefore the education section becomes an essential means to fill more of the webpage. Begin with the reverse-chronological resume format. Todays business people are much too preoccupied to listen to long-winded dis cussions. In fact, theres a bit of an art to deciding what things to include on your resume and the way to organize it. John chose to explore the principal reasons people were quitting. If youre thinking about how to create a resume, youre in the correct place Just consider it your very first step in convincing employers that youve got the qualifications they require. Many unique providers offer you online certification, so its important to find out more about the backgrounds of the companies to makes sure the coursework is written by experienced emergency care providers. Education is among a couple important sections employers search for on resumes. Its possible for you to set your education section before or following your experience section. The education section isnt an exception. If youve just graduated, look at placing your education section prior to your experience section. At the most fundamental level, a crystal clear education section demonstrates that youve got a superior background and the simple knowledge to be successful. List Education on Resume - the Story If youre a seasoned professional, place your professional work history section prior to your education. The education section on your resume should also have degrees youre currently pursuing and certificates necessary to carry out your job. Since you may see, it isnt tricky to understand how to list education in progress on a resume. Your education and academic accomplishments must be easy-to-read like the remainder of your paper. New Step by Step Roadmap for List Education on Resume If you continue to hit roadblocks owing to your educational background, it may be time for you to hit the books again. There are a lot of parts of advice and assorted rules floating online about the resume writing techniques it can be confusing. When youve reviewed resumes in your field, peruse resumes across fields to know how to vary using action verbs and receive a feel for what makes a pote nt accomplishment statement. The rest provides you with an edge over other candidates.

5 Ways to Survive and Thrive Under a New Boss

5 Ways to Survive and Thrive Under a New Boss When a new anfhrer comes in, you might feel somemixed emotions bitterness, excitement, apprehension, and anticipation are all common. However, it is duringsuch times of change that you need to draw on all your emotional intelligence to avoid negativity and stay focusedon your professional goals and successes.The reality is that, when a new boss arrives, there are winners and there are losers. Previous favorites often lose some esteemwhileoverlooked team members get the chance to step out of the shadows and shine.You cant take the status quo for granted when a new boss arrives, so here are a fewtips to helpyou be one of the winners1. AskQuestionsIn your first one-on-one meeting with your boss, you want to get a good understanding of their values and expectations byasking the following questions- What do youexpect from me over the next 3-6 months?- How often do you like to be updated with progress?- Doyoupre fer written reports or face-to-face updates?- How often will wemeet?- Whats the best way to approachyouwith questions?- How much power do I have to make decisions in your absence?By asking these questions andcarefully listening to your new bosssresponses, you will get a strong idea ofyour bosss values. You can then use this information to make sure your performance and behaviors always align with your bosss wants and needs.2. Observe Your Bosss ApproachIn an ideal world, youd have a meeting with your new boss on their first day at the job. Inreality, it might take a few days, a week, or even longer to get thatface time.Even so,your bosswill no doubt expect you to read their mind and treat them theway they expect to be treated. This is not as hard to do as it may sound. By observing your new boss in action, youll be able to get an idea of what makes them tick. So, keep a close eye on your boss and keep observing them, even after youve had yourone-on-one meeting.3. BeReady to Let Go of the Old and Embrace the NewThe new boss is probably going to make a few changes. You may like some of them, but others may cause you some distress. Theres nothing wrong with raising some subtle and constructive criticisms of your bosss new approach, but once its set in stone, its your job to forget the old days and fall in line.4. Become a Valuable AdvisorOnce you have established a reasonable rapport with your boss, you can take further steps to get yourselfnoticed. For example, you could act as a kind of buddy or tour guide. Your new boss is also doing some adjusting of their own. If you can help them get a handle on the companys culture and processes, theyll definitely appreciate it.5.Score a Quick WinIf you can register a quick win with your boss early on,you will be more likely tomakea strong and long-lasting positive impression on them.Scoring that quick win is easier said than done, of course, but its still achievable. Find out what your bosss pain points are, and then dev elop and propose a solution that could make immediate improvements in the area.Thriving under a new boss is largely about fitting in. You have to accept that change has come, let go of the past, and adapt your attitude and approach to fit the new regime.There is little time for resistance. Adaptability is key if you want to be a winner in your new bosss eyes.