MSU Law Holding Social Media Contest for Law Students
Sponsors MSU Federal Credit Union and BARBRI Providing Prizes
Media Contact:
Robyn Caulfield
913-663-4200
A contest underway at Michigan State University College of Law emphasizes to law students the importance of building an online presence.
The first-of-its-kind MSU Law Career Services Office social media contest is designed to help students use social media as a career-development and relationship-building tool. It’s an important lesson given the changing marketplace for lawyers, said Daniel W. Linna Jr., assistant dean of career development and professor of law in residence.
"To be competitive, lawyers must develop personal brands and professional connections both offline through face-to-face networking, and online through social media channels," Linna said. "We hope students competing in the contest learn to better market their professional expertise and demonstrate why employers and clients should hire them."
The contest, which uses the hashtag #MSULawSM, was open to all MSU Law students, who submitted a social media plan by January 12. Contestants shared examples of their online activities on or before January 26 for the contest’s first status update. The second status update is due by the end of the day on March 2, 2015.
Social media industry judges will select eight to ten finalists in March, and those students will present their social media campaign strategies on April 10. After the presentations, the panel of judges will announce the winners.
Prizes include $2,500 in cash awards funded through a Dean’s Choice Grant by MSU Federal Credit Union to the Law College and legal courses from The BARBRI Group, the nation’s leading bar review and legal education firm. The first-place winner will receive $1,000 from the MSUFCU grant and a “Beyond the Bar” course from BARBRI’s Legal Practice Group valued at $495. Two runners-up will each receive $500 from the MSUFCU grant and a $99 BARBRI gift certificate for a financial skills course. Five contestants will receive honorable mentions and $100 each from the MSUFCU grant.
Both BARBRI and the MSUFCU will provide judges who work in the social media field. Melody Glatz, BARBRI’s social media manager, will join a representative from MSUFCU, Paul Jaques of Spartan Innovations, MSU Law Dean Joan Howarth and others on the panel of esteemed social media judges.
ABOUT THE BARBRI GROUP
At the core of The BARBRI Group Companies is BARBRI Bar Review, which has helped more than 1 million U.S. lawyers pass the exam. Now, The BARBRI Group companies meet the legal education needs of both law students and attorneys throughout their careers with expert instruction and innovative technologies. The BARBRI Group comprises affiliated companies working to improve legal learning in the United States and around the world by providing superior opportunities for law schools, law firms and law-related businesses to prosper. Founded in 1967, The BARBRI Group is headquartered in Dallas with offices throughout the United States. To learn more, visit www.theBARBRIgroup.com.
Last Updated: February 18, 2015
