Mid Law-School-Life Crisis

I can feel it coming; this mid law-school-life crisis. Soon, half of my journey through law school will be complete. Then I'll be over the hill. But will it be downhill from there? I can already guess that this will never get any easier. But just because something is easier does not mean it will be more enjoyable.

To truly succeed in law school means to love learning. One has to love learning new things and researching to really feel the success of school. Otherwise, this is three years of torture. There are some out there who love law school. Others, like myself, are not too keen on it.

For those who love law school, there is a relatively good chance they might see themselves back in law school after graduating, either for the LLM or finding a job as a professor of law. The world of law may not be for them. That is because law school offers a safety net where one is protected from the outside world. In law school, one has to research topics that will not be presented before a judge or drastically change the life of a person. Some people cannot handle that type of pressure.

For those who do not like law school but know that it is a means to an end, there is a good chance you will enjoy the practice of law because it is so vastly different from the study of law. Instead of looking at the art of others, you have a chance to recreate the art yourself. Justice Stevens created art with a horsehair paintbrush and oil on canvas. Justice O'Connor created art with a paintbucket and a brick wall. You then have a chance to make your own new art by taking those previous paintings and applying the relevant paints and brushes to your scenario. That is how I see it. And that is what I cannot await!

But for now, back to getting hit by that crisis.

1L Omniscient

I see these new students with their, literally, bright and shiny faces. Their eyes are wide. The girls are wearing make up and brand new outfits. They expect law school to be something that I have long since forgotten.

They are in for a huge punch to the face.

I see them and I cannot help but feel so miserable for them. I, and the other upper-level students, know what is about to hit them. And they do not have a clue! It can only be described as the longest running hazing ritual in all of America.

I want to do something to help them but I cannot just barge into their life and give advice freely. Nay, they will see soon enough. I don't want to seem 'preachy' and I tell you that I do not intend the following in any attempt at preaching, rather it is more just a thought. I feel like this is why God doesn't just come in and save the day with a touch of a thought. I could easily approach people and guide them through the whole thing but what good would that do for them? This would be bad for them! That is why God lets us all do what we gotta do because that is how we will better ourselves. Sure, we can ask for help, no problem. We know what we have to do, we know where we have to go, the path to that end is where we'll need help. And the help is available. All we have to do is ask. Of course, I hope the reader does not think I am comparing myself to God or vice versa, I am merely attempting to establish a parallel between the metaphysical and the physical.

I remember being at the student club fair. I could see the Law Review table a few stalls down. Loads of students had of course heard the 'prestige' offered by joining the 'elite' law review. So they flocked to it like it was the new Mecca. All of them with eyes focused on the prize of being in the top ten percent, getting a spot on law review, and then getting that corporate law job with all the money to make it all worthwhile.

But they don't know what it means for 'it all to be worthwhile.' They have barely licked the iceberg! All of them will realize the enormous workload on their shoulders (the good ol backpack and laptop bags), many of them will fade away from the dream (it is good to wake up), and the rest will literally be just a tad bit crazy enough to do that extra work (get that extra line on the resume).

I don't have anything against those who make an attempt for the prestige. I was nearly crazy enough to apply for one of the journals myself. What it comes down to is that I am not gunning for that big firm job, I am not shooting for money; I'm here to simply give meaning to the words 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' for those who have been surrounded by death, slavery, and been pursued by malice.

I am crazy enough to do that.

Second Day, Second Year

So first year is behind me. Far behind me. What can I say about it, three and a half months later?

It was like being on a roller coaster that pulls you backwards up the ramp so you can stare at what should be your impending death. You imagine a tragic scene over and over worthy of a part in a movie as you are slowly pulled back. And then, at the height of the incline, you hear the CLICK and everything is suspended for but a moment. Then, FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, physics comes back into play and the train rushes down and up and around and then it all stops and you are slowly pulled up on a ramp. Things are different now because you can see the clear blue sky. This isn't the part where they tell you to exit the seat, but who cares, life is good for the moment. You hear the familiar CRICKLE CLACK CRICKLE CLACK as you are being pulled upwards, with hopes oh so high. It dawns on you that this track doesn't last forever. You realize this whole thing is about to happen again. But you've been on the track already, so you sort of know the way.

In but a moment, you will have to do the whole thing again, backwards. You try to remember what the ride was like. The latter part of the coaster was more recent than the beginning, so you work your way backwards. Starting with finals, how you studied for finals, what you read throughout the course, your study spot, the first day of school.

Ok, so you remember it now?

CLICK.

Working

I wrote my first judicial decision the other day. That was pretty awesome. Of course, I am not a judge, so it wasn't "mine" per se. When I say "I wrote my", I mean it as a collective. I had a good group backing me in my pursuit of writing. The judge supported me. The secretary said I could do it without a problem. My fellow interns even offered to proofread my work and help edit it. I was very thankful for that kind gesture. It is always nice to see and work with good people in a seemingly cutthroat world.

Having written that, I now have two research assignments I am working on. Oh crap, I just ended the sentence in a preposition. Let's see, how to fix that and make it better. "I am working on two research assignments after having written the decision." Better? I suppose. It could probably be written better though, I'll leave that up to the reader.

Oh, so this talk of interns. Let me bring you up to speed. I'm working in a family court for a judge. This will last until the end of July. I have definitely learned a lot. Not so much as knowledge that will help me in a final, but I definitely learned how to behave in a courtroom and what not to do.

I have seen attorneys not show up, sign in and leave, not perform discovery, and only meet their clients when it the court date arrives. But I have also seen lawyers with a good command of the statutes, knowledge of the law, raising good objections, and defending their clients without wearing the clothes of the client. "The clothes of the client" is a phrase I learned during my internship. It is something a lawyer should never do. One time, an attorney became angry during a court proceeding and the judge admonished him to never wear the clothes of the client, that is, let your client be angry, you just have to use the law to rectify the situation because you do not have a personal stake in this.

Also, since I am working in law related stuff, this means that I'm still in law school i.e. I passed my first year! If you are entering or are in your first year of law school and need some sort of advice, you can ask me and I will help to 40% of my abilities. After all, I'm still in school so I have to reserve some of my abilities for myself.

Hope

Let me tell you something. When you are in law school, when everything seems dim no matter how hard you have tried, there is one thing that you have left to do. That one thing is to visit your professors. Go to them and talk with them. Not talk to them, not talk at them. Talk WITH them. They are not so intimidating in person, although they still have an aura of respect about them. Tell them what you have done to improve yourself and what is not working. They will encourage you in such simple ways but those ways will have the most amazing impact. I did poorly in one of my finals. I felt utter defeat. When talking with my professor, he said, amongst other positive encouragements, "You are an intelligent student." That sent me flying in my head. Soaring. I felt like I could do so much better because I CAN do so much better. And you can too.

While in law school, there is a 90% chance you are not doing anything else. So make sure that you understand and realize that. Take into account each minute of each day and spend it fruitfully. If you are not sleeping or eating, go study. If you are not sleeping or studying, go eat or refresh your mind. If you are not studying or eating, go to sleep. Many times, I would find myself trying to keep myself awake in the late hours by playing online games. That helped NOTHING and I have learned to just use that time to sleep instead.

Once you have realized the value of time, then everything will fall into its place. But you have to work towards it. And if that is not helping, then be sure to meet with your professors and academic support. You are not dumb for going to academic support. That is the smart thing to do. Focus what you are weak in and attack it.

Jobbing the Hunt

I do not know what other schools do to their first year students, and so I will tell you, oh dear reader, what my school does to first years. I do not use the word or any derivation of the word 'do' to imply something negative, rather I push your mind to infer that one does what the school tells them to do. The standard thus being set, I shall progress in a forward manner.

A regular semester includes a workload of 5 courses. Some people like to iterate these courses in terms of credits, however I do not look at the credit hours because trying to figure that out is like trying to put a diaper on a baby for the first, second, and third time. After the third time, proceed with duct tape and cotton balls. I digress. These five courses consist of torts, contracts, legal process, civil procedure, and criminal law/property I (criminal law in the fall, property I in the spring). Come the spring time, although we have the same number of courses, we are given an extra hour of class. This extra hour is an extra hour of possible Socratic Plato'ing.

Socrates: And so I divulge the pinnacle of political systems, that being...anybody...anybody? Ok, Plato, what be the pinnacle of political systems?

Plato: *CURSES POSEIDON* "Why doth thou always call on mine soul?"

Socrates: You're my only student at the moment, granite-face.

With that extra hour of class, there is an additional item that maximizes the agenda. This additional item is known as the job search. Tons of applications, cover letters, resumes, and memos to send out. And that occurs after one has found the places to which they would like to apply. The job search is very much a sixth course. If one does not finish this course as quickly as possible, the credit hours pile on as the semester goes by.

I should go prepare for my sixth course.

Contracting my Brain

Today, I read a case that was about ten pages. I read it in a half hour. I was pleased with myself. Then I realized that I had just read ten pages of a judge defining "flood". That was it. "Hi, I am the judge, let me take you through the process of how to look up the word 'flood' in dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other sources. But hey, you don't have to take my word for it."

And then three kids by the name of Columbia, Webster, and Louis shared their own definitions of flood.

(sing to Reading Rainbow theme)
Water on the ground, look its flooding now
Take a swim, on a whim - Flooding Orleans

I can row anywhere!
Houses go as rivers flow - Flooding Orleans

I can get no coverage!
Take a swim, on a whim - Flooding Orleans

Flooding Orleans, Flooding Orleans, Flooding Orleans, Flooding Orleans

I am a terrible person.