• Business Cards for Law Students

    Lawyerist recently wrote a great post about why lawyers need business cards. They are a simple yet effective tool to have when networking.  You never know whose hands your card will end up. The same lesson is true for law students, and law students have more freedom to design cards that fit their personality.

    Every law student should have business cards. Over the last year, I’ve picked up a lot of do’s and don’ts when it comes to selecting and designing a personal card. Every card should have the following information:

    • Your Name,
    • Your School,
    • JD Candidate,
    • Class of ______,
    • Your Phone Number, and
    • Your Email Address.

    There are three main options for cards.

    Option #1: School Business Cards
    Many law schools give their students the opportunity to purchase business cards. These tend to have a simple and clean look. Students customize their cards with their personal information.  This is my friend Stephanie Green’s card.

    Stephanie's Business Card – Address & Phone Info Removed

    She realized after she had them printed that she shouldn’t have put her address on them because she’s moved twice since then.  Additionally, you might not want to put your home address on your card because you never know who will end up with that information.

    I was happy when my school offered business card for sale; however, I cringed when I saw the template.  It was way too plain for me.  All the white space was a turn off for me.  I needed something with more personality and color.

    Option #2: Personalized Business Cards
    Vistaprint and Moo have many options for people who want more colorful and creative business cards. Vistaprint has many templates for free business cards that are suitable for law students. These companies make business cards for businesses, and the templates are designed to make the company the focus and not the individual. My classmate input his information exactly as the template suggested, and the result looked similar to this.

    Bad Business Card

    This design was perfect for his personality, but his card looks odd because you focus on the school and not him. Students who opt to have more personalized cards must remember that templates suggest where you put certain information but you can chose what information you put on it and where you put it. If I had this card as a law student, here’s how I’d do it.

    Good Business Card

    I think it’s better for students to put a non-school email address, because the information will continue to be current if someone wants to reach them after they graduate. However, the email address must look professional – something like YourName@gmail.com.

    Option #3: Untraditional Business Cards
    Some people are extremely creative when it comes to their business cards. Jason Tenenbaum got his business cards from Moo. It has a picture on the front and a QR code on the back that links to his information.

    A divorce lawyer has a sassy business card that’s perforated in the middle with the same information on both sides. It pushes the envelope on appropriateness, but it makes me laugh. It’s a great gimmick.

    In some industries, it’s common to have MiniCards – half sized business cards. I considered getting these instead of business cards, but I changed my mind when I showed a MiniCard to a young up-to-date lawyer, and he couldn’t understand what it was. In the future, I think I will have both standard business cards and MiniCards and will let the setting determine which one I use.

    Along with business cards, every law students should have a business card case.  Without a case, the corners of the cards will become bent and dirty in a wallet or pocket. Reasonably priced ones are available from Amazon and VistaPrint, and more exciting ones are available on ThinkGeek and UncommonGoods.

  • SALK Day 9 – ThinkGeek – Pure Awesomeness

    Today’s sponsor is ThinkGeek, online retail store loved by computer and science geeks.  ThinkGeek sells the Yoda Backpack, the Pi t-shirt, and the ultimate Star Trek Red Shirt; however, they also have a host of products that are pure awesome, even to normal people.  Here are some of my favorites:

    1. Executive Sand Timer: These elegant sand timers actually run out in about an hour.  I would have loved to have had one when I was a therapist.
    2. USB Monster Hub: There are days that I use all 4 USB ports on my laptop, with more devices I could be attaching to my machine.  This hub gives you 24 ports!  If the  Monster Hub is overwhelming, ThinkGeek has the 7-port USB Octopus too.
    3. Self Stirring Mug:  I have always wanted a mug like this.  It’s perfect for stirring the cream and sugar into my coffee or mixing my hot chocolate.
    4. All Things Caffeine: People who work hard and play hard often need an energy boost to get through the day.  ThinkGeek has an incredible selection of caffeinated products including candy, soap, nixie tubes, and Bawls – ThinkGeek’s favorite caffeinated soda.  For people who are bacon aficionados, they have a line of bacon products too.
    5. USB Heated Blanket: Last summer I worked in an office where an air vent blew cold air on me all day.  It was 110 degrees outside but about 60 degrees at my desk.  At the time, I considered getting a Snuggie, but I would have contemplated this instead if I knew that it existed.
    6. X-mini Capsule Speaker:  Music is one of my passions but wearing earbuds all day is painful and antisocial.  This tiny speaker is capable of producing a huge sound.  It would be perfect for listening to my iPod.
    7. USB LED Beverage Cooler:  This is the perfect device for chilling my favorite afternoon beverage.
    8. Onion Goggles:  I have these and they are a must-have for anyone who enjoys cooking.  The goggles seal off your eyes so the fumes from the onions can’t make you cry.
    9. FreeLoader Solar Charger: I run my life through my phone and it generally needs to be recharged during the day.  This charger is the best way to recharge any device without needing an electrical outlet or USB port.
    10. Laser Stars Projector: I have insomnia, usually when I can’t turn off my brain.  This projector turns a dark room into a glorious display of stars and clouds that constantly move and morph.  I could fall asleep under the calmness of this display every night.

    Today is also the annual No Pants Light Rail Ride in Arizona, which is part of the Global No Pants Ride. My thanks to ThinkGeek for providing my underwear for this event.  ThinkGeek has created a special promotional code in honor of this event, just for Sponsor A Law Kid readers.  Use the code NOPANTS to get $10 off orders over $50.

    Sponsor A Law Kid is my endeavor to pay for my last semester of law school. Today’s sponsor is ThinkGeek.  For more information about Sponsor A Law Kid or to see what days are still available for sponsorship, visit my Sponsor A Law Kid page.

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