Tag: Careers

Posted on

Corporate Lawyer on the Loose: Becoming a Social Entrepreneur

Figuring out life after graduation, whether we are LLMs or JDs, can be a bit daunting for most of us. Law school has the potential to make us more risk-averse, so we want to have a plan, and a back-up plan, and a back-up plan for the back-up plan.

LIDS and SELA helped students see a different perspective on November 13th, 2014 by presenting Benjamin Stone, Co-founder & Vice Chairman of Indego Africa, Director of Strategy & General Counsel of MCE Social Capital, and co-founder of Dollar a Day.Mr. Stone graduated from New York University School of Law in 2004, and completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship in 2010.

In 2006 he was a practicing attorney working at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, when he decided to leave his job and start Indego Africa, a non-profit social enterprise which helps women in Rwanda earn a living by facilitating market access and providing business education. Despite a few hick-ups, since it’s launch Indego has helped female artisans sell their product online at various stores including Anthropologie, DANNIJO, J.Crew, Madewell, and Nicole Miller.

Mr. Stone admited that if he could do it all over again, he would do things differently, but was also adament that the only way to figure this out is by just going out and doing it. He advised students not to overplan, noting that lots of people map out hundreds of ideas but never actually get started. Just do it and be okay with failure. Put yourself out there in an uncomfortable situation and when you find something wrong, recognize it and learn to do it better.

It is no surprise Indego Africa is such a success. Mr. Stone certaintly gave me food for thought.

nthawiwannabun@llm15.law.harvard.edi

 

Posted on

LIDS Students Travel to Washington, D.C. to Discuss Careers in Development

April 9, 2014 – Daniel Holman

Last Friday, April 4, LIDS members traveled to Washington, D.C. for a day of meetings with law school alumni and others working in international development. The goal of the trip was to offer insights for students thinking about career options in development, whether as legal practitioners or in more cross-cutting roles. To provide an array of different perspectives, invited speakers included both lawyers and non-lawyers from a variety of institutions.

A first meeting with Jon Jacoby and Gawain Kripke from Oxfam and LIDS Advisory Board Member Katrin Kuhlmann of New Markets Lab offered views from the non-profit sector, with a focus on Oxfam’s work on Make Trade Fair and other campaigns aimed at channeling private sector behavior to benefit development.

At lunch, a series of meetings at Skadden LLP gave LIDS students the opportunity to hear from the firm’s D.C. Pro Bono Counsel and former Public Defender Don Salzman and Meghan Stewart, VP and Senior Counsel for LIDS/Orrick project client Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG), about working for pro bono clients on development projects. Next, Skadden Counsel and former Chief Counsel of the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Sean Thornton and USAID Director of Policy and Planning Steve Feldstein spoke about their work for the U.S. government. Skadden Counsel and HLS alumnus Jorge Kamine, Associates and HLS alumni Tyler Rosen and Jennifer Golden, and Associate Lauren Gaffney also participated.

Finally, the group met with 11 attorneys from the World Bank Legal Vice Presidency, led by Chief Counsel for Operations Policy and HLS alumnus Ferenc Molnar. The group shared stories from their careers advising the Bank on every aspect of its operations, from project frameworks to rule of law and regulatory issues. Students concluded the day with a happy hour in central DC that was attended by a number of HLS alumni in DC, including LIDS co-founder Alastair Green and members of the new Law and International Development Society at Georgetown Law Center.

LIDS wishes to thank Oxfam America and the World Bank for hosting meetings and LIDS 2013-2014 sponsor Skadden LLP for hosting and providing lunch and coffee. LIDS members attending included HLS JD students Kamola Kobildjanova and Marian Grove, HLS LLM students Amrita Khemka, Valeria Guimaraes de Lima e Silva and Anna Chuwen Dai, HLS JD/Fletcher MALD student Jacob Kuipers, HKS MA student Bevan Narinesingh, and LIDS Executive Board Members Becky Wolozin, Raj Banerjee, Maryum Jordan and Daniel Holman.

photo (1)

Posted on

Opportunity: Law Fellowships in Legal Empowerment, Namati

Namati is an international NGO dedicated to advancing legal empowerment. Namati works at the grassroots level to put law into people’s hands.  They currently have programs in Sierra Leone, India, Liberia, Uganda, Mozambique, Burma, Kenya, and Bangladesh, where we address a range of issues, from strengthening rights over land and natural resources, to improving accountability for essential services like health and education.  Harvard Law School alumna Abigail Moy is a Program Director at our Washington, DC office.  A variety of fellowships are available to current students and recent graduates in Namati’s US and foreign offices. Fellows are provided with a hands-on experience working on behalf of communities around the world. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.namati.org/about/employment-opportunities/ or click here.  Kindly note that these fellowships are unpaid, so students are encouraged to seek independent funding sources.
Posted on

OPIA Legal Practice Settings: Public International Panel

When:  Wednesday, October 9, 2013, 5 – 6:30pm

Where: Wasserstein 1015

Please RSVP by clicking on the sign-up tab in the left hand corner.

International public service law varies as much as the populations it serves. With practice settings ranging from intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations to nongovernmental organizations such as Human Rights Watch, attorneys working within the public international arena address questions of diplomacy, state succession, expropriation, and more. Listen as panelists provide descriptions of their practice, work environment, career path, and professional values, and learn how you can become part of these organizations dedicated to public service worldwide. A buffet dinner will be served.

Panelists:

• Andrew Painter, Senior Protection officer, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

• Param-Preet Singh, Senior Counsel, Human Rights Watch International Justice Program

• Abigail Moy ‘09, Program Director, Global Operations, Namati

IDEAS Global Challenge Generator Dinner, hosted by MIT

Working on a project to help underserved communities? Need Funding? Want to recruit new members for your IDEAS Global Challenge team? Want to get involved, but don’t yet have an idea?
Then join the IDEAS Global Challenge Generator Dinner, taking place at MIT from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, in Walker Memorial, Morss Hall, Building 50.

Come hear what IDEAS Global Challenge and hear what other creative social impact projects teams are getting started on. This is the chance to pitch your idea and recruit teammates or pitch your skills to get hired onto a team. With the first chance to submit an Initial Scope Statement two weeks away (10/24), here’s your chance to share your idea, meet teammates and form a team.

RSVP at http://bit.ly/UPOCTN or email globalchallenge-rsvp@mit.edu with “Generator” in the subject to sign-up for a 60-second pitch opportunity. Include the following information, choosing one of the following:
Category One – Recruit the IDEAS Dream Team
Category Two –  Get Yourself “Hired”
Posted on

IDEAS Global Challenge Generator Dinner, hosted by MIT

Working on a project to help underserved communities? Need Funding? Want to recruit new members for your IDEAS Global Challenge team? Want to get involved, but don’t yet have an idea?

Then join the IDEAS Global Challenge Generator Dinner, taking place at MIT from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, in Walker Memorial, Morss Hall, Building 50.

Come hear what IDEAS Global Challenge and hear what other creative social impact projects teams are getting started on. This is the chance to pitch your idea and recruit teammates or pitch your skills to get hired onto a team. With the first chance to submit an Initial Scope Statement two weeks away (10/24), here’s your chance to share your idea, meet teammates and form a team.
RSVP at http://bit.ly/UPOCTN or email globalchallenge-rsvp@mit.edu with “Generator” in the subject to sign-up for a 60-second pitch opportunity. Include the following information, choosing one of the following:
Category One – Recruit the IDEAS Dream Team
Category Two –  Get Yourself “Hired”
Proudly powered by WordPress