In Limine

IN LIMINE By: Allison Starnes-Anglea

LMU Duncan School of Law Director of Career Services

Carol Anne Long

UT Law Interim Director of the Career Center

PROFILING FUTURE JDS

Welcome to DICTA’s newest article, In Limine: Profiling Future J.D.s. This article will be a collaborative effort between the bar association and both of Knoxville’s law schools. The goal of the piece is to demystify the experience of the modern law student and to offer insights into how our bench and bar can foster an inclusive, authentic workplace culture. Each month, the authors will highlight a law student from either the University of Tennessee College of Law or the Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law. We hope you enjoy this introduction to the future of the profession, all from the comfort of your office. The students featured will be from diverse backgrounds and identities, and you will learn about this generation’s motivations and goals. For those who encounter a law clerk and find themselves saying, “I just do not understand this generation of law students,” this column is your new best friend. Selecting and profiling the law students of today may sound intimidating, but a fearless duo has stepped up. It may surprise you to learn the authors of the article are not professors of law, not clinic supervisors or attorneys moonlighting as adjunct professors, but come from the service side of the J.D. program. In a unique posture to explain who our next generation will be, our authors are two leaders from law school career services departments. Let’s meet them!

I am Allison Starnes-Anglea, Director of Career Services at the Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law in Knoxville. My job responsibilities include direct one-on-one career advising with law students and alumni, composing and executing an inclusive career development programming schedule, and serving as a resource to employers both active and potential. After five years in career development and spending individual time with hundreds of law students and new lawyers, I can confidently declare that the law students of today care about more than their own personal careers. This generation of almost-lawyers is one with an eye on social justice, inclusion, and selfrespect. Along with their personal career goals, law students want to make a larger impact on their communities, the justice system, and speak out against injustice. I am Carol Anne Long. In March 2022, I returned to my alma mater to begin serving as Associate Director of the Bettye B. Lewis Career Center at the University of Tennessee College of Law, and on January 3 of this year, I became Interim Director of the Career Center. Similar to Allison’s position, my job involves career counseling, student programming, and employer outreach and engagement. Because of my background as a career judicial clerk, I also serve as the judicial clerkship advisor, assisting and advising students as they navigate the application process. In my short tenure with the UT Law Career Center, I, too, have seen first-hand how deeply today’s law students care about making an impact, not just on the legal community but on their communities at large.

With this column, we hope to amplify the interests, passions, and goals of Knoxville’s law student population. Each month, we will profile a law student in Knoxville. We will explore their background, motivations, and career goals. Most importantly, we will get to the why. Learning who our Knoxville law students are and why they chose this path will not only educate you about trending initiatives important to the youth of our profession, but also enhance your engagement skills as the students featured apply for internships, clerkships, and J.D. positions in your offices. Taking time to learn about the why will improve your ability to authentically engage with this motivated, thoughtful generation. We also plan to include a Hiring Footnotes section each month, in which we will offer a quick tip that we hope will assist you in your search for interns, law clerks, and attorneys. With the ever-changing legal landscape, application materials and interviews continue to evolve, and we want to provide some insight into trends that we’re seeing.

We hope you enjoy meeting our students.