Brownies

Moot Court is only getting worse. Every written and oral exercise builds on the previous one. As soon as each assignment gets turned in, we're already behind in finishing the next assignment. It's leaving no time for the other courses and it's really starting to piss me off. It's beneficial. In just one month, I can see a world of difference in my ability to discuss the law orally. However, it sucks. It's just as bad as everyone says; maybe worse. We're provided with no direction and everyone is confused. The biggest problem that I have with the course is the manner in which the professors give tips to those that go visit every day during office hours. The group of us that have jobs don't have this luxury. It's really a huge disadvantage and in my mind quite unfair. I've always had a grudge against brown nosers. It is my belief that these idiots won't be able to hack it when they get out into the real world. There comes a point when you just need to figure out crap yourself. If you can't finish the assignments on your own now, how in the heck are you going to perform well in actual practice? I could keep going on and on but it really does no good. So I'll just shut up and get back to my studies.

Tis the season...

I survived another lecture somehow managing to avoid humiliation in class. Tomorrow I have a 3-5 page paper due in Moot Court involving vicarious liability. In addition to the paper, I have a graded oral presentation regarding the contents of the paper. This is the first oral assignment in which we'll be interrupted during our presentation to further discuss the issues at hand. I've had to wear a suit more times this semester than in my entire life prior to law school. My weight has dropped quite a bit...probably due to the stress of law school. I'll have to take my suits in to be tailored soon. They're starting to get a little too loose. Not only is Moot Court a pain in the neck; I have to deal with Mardi Gras. I sit in my "office" researching, writing, etc. and look out of the window to see folks toting coolers (on wheels of course) to the parades. Man, I'm jealous. I wish I could participate in the festivities. I keep telling myself, "One day I may be able to enjoy myself." Until then, I guess it's back to Moot Court.

Learning to comprehend

Now that you've watched the Paper Chase as demanded, I shall share with you tidbits about this new professor I have. Everyone that enters law school hears some sort of horror story about the mystery of the beast. Well, this may be the semester that I actually experience some of these frightful moments. She's just like the Contracts professor in the Paper Chase. When this woman enters the room, the crowd goes silent...and it has nothing to do with good looks. She starts with a lecture covering the areas of law that we will be discussing. Then she continues with, "Please open your case books to da, da, da, da."

Note: Names are obviously changed for confidentiality reasons. The dialog is not exact, but somewhat on par.

"You! In the green shirt, what's your name?"
The startled student says, "John."
She replies with, "I don't care about your first name. I want to know your last name."
"Ummm, then it would be Doe."
"Well, okay Mr. Doe. What is the rule applied in this case?"
As he thumbs through his notes, he fails to come up with the correct answer. She says, "It looks like Mr. Doe is unprepared. Shall we move onto someone else." She then roamed around the room and called on someone else that successfully answered her question. Once that question was answered, she fired right back at Mr. Doe. Unable to answer the next question, she states, "You expect to be a lawyer, eh? You must understand the law and be able to comprehend these things."

After chastising one student, she moves on to another. When she discovers a weak link, she does everything she can to break it. Once she makes someone feel like an idiot, she scavenges the room in the hunt for another. The whole time in class, everyone just wants to get the hell out of there in fear that they might be next. This is an everyday thing. She does this in every class. I'm sure my turn is coming soon.

Wine and laughter

Moot Court is a pain in the ass just like everyone said it would be. In addition to the nervousness that everyone experiences, the course requires boat loads of work which sort of take away from my free time as well as time that could be spent reading for other classes. I have a 5 page document due next week along with another oral exercise in class tomorrow. Tomorrow's oral assignment is only 60 seconds, but it gets us in the habit of addressing the court using a brief introduction explaining who I am and why I'm standing in front of the honorable judges looking like an idiot with nothing useful to say. I think this class exists for the mere humor professors' endure by witnessing a bunch of 1L tools. It's the perfect opportunity to bash us. That's all it is.

On another note...I have a new professor this semester for Contracts II. Everyone should go watch the movie "Paper Chase" and then come back to read my next post. She's a freaking doozy! She belittles us for not possessing the same level of knowledge as her. It's actually quite entertaining and somewhat exciting...except for when my turn comes around. Thankfully it hasn't happened yet. She's a good professor, but she's a pain.

Participation

I have a funny story about class tonight, but first I must discuss my level of anxiety I've accumulated in preparation for this 90 second personal introduction. I keep rehearsing my 90 second bio over and over on the couch and in front of the mirror. I still can't seem to get over this nervousness. If I could express my cynicism (if that's a word) towards general life issues, I probably wouldn't be quite as nervous. Unfortunately, I must keep it clean and refrain from offending others. That'll be a difficult task. This Moot Court thing has me on edge.

On to the class incident. Two people in class that love to talk a lot and express their opinions during class discussion went at it today. One dude is rather...well he's a bit odd. Last semester he threatened to sue a fellow student for brushing up against him on accident; and yes, he was serious. He also vocally expressed his discontent with a student over using profanity outside of the classroom. Today, he was at it again. The professor was leading an interactive discussion and students were blurting out comments about a particular case. Then, that guy spoke up. At the same time, another student vocally expressed his thoughts. That guy went nuts and started throwing a temper tantrum about how it pisses him off when other people speak when he's talking. The two exchanged some verbal comments back and forth, but that guy wouldn't shut up. The professor kept saying, "Come on now guys. Calm down. Let's move on." Of course, every one in class found the situation amusing which irritated that guy even more. The situation was diffused leaving no injuries. People have questioned that guy's character. I'm sure that sealed the deal. One would think a law student would be more self-disciplined, but the world is full of surprises.

Your Honor

My biggest fear is here (Wow! I rhyme. I put Poe to shame.). Moot Court has arrived. I've been informed that Moot Court isn't a required course at most schools, but of course I found a way to screw myself and land at a school that requires it. I'm not the greatest public speaker, especially having to get up in front of people that love to hear themselves talk...other future attorneys. I guess I'll manage. Our first assignment is in two days. It's only a 90 second personal introduction, but knowing that 40% of my grade depends on my ability to argue for 10 minutes in front of the entire class (and a panel of 6 judges) at the end of the semester makes me shake. The biggest kicker is that we can't really memorize a speech. We're supposed to be on our toes and direct the oral arguments on the fly as needed. This is going to be a disaster.

The School Bus Has Arrived

Well, I'm back in school. I didn't realize just how much I missed it until I approached the main entrance of the law school and noticed a sign saying: "First Bar Review of Spring 2008...Details: Free Beer, Drinks, and Food." After making it through the first semester, I've finally realized why the SBA has these Bar Review events. It's not to mix and mingle with your peers. It's not to train you to drink like an attorney. It's their way of making sure they rank higher than you by getting you smashed before the semester kicks in high gear. Think about it...The SBA members are politicians-in-training. They're supposed to be crooked. It's a clever approach, but I've figured these folks out. However, that doesn't mean I'll be skipping a free beer session. Count me in. I'm battle tested and ready to go.

I guess now would be a good time to discuss my performance during the first semester. I was content with my grades, but not exactly ecstatic. I was hoping for a few A's. That didn't happen, but it's safe to say I'm currently positioned in the upper echelon. To make law review, you need to be in the top 10%. Our actual rankings don't come out until after the Spring semester comes to a close. Based on the rankings from last year, my Fall GPA gets me in. Now I must secure my position with another strong semester. Cheers! Here's to another 3 months of Hell.

A fresh start...well not really

The next semester starts tomorrow. I guess that would actually be today since it's after midnight. This is law school. We have homework before classes even start. After all, what use would class serve if the professor had nothing to heckle us about? After looking at the assignments posted for the first week of classes, I told myself, "Oh great, normal life gets put back on hold." I was sort of enjoying the time off. Now it's over and back to reality it is. I started on the first assignments today shortly after noon. Boy did I forget how much effort this crap demands. 12 hours later and I'm still working on getting prepared for the first week of torture. I had the NFL playoffs on the tv in the background, but I shortly realized that there can be no playoffs this year. I'll just have to wait until May to find out the outcome. Well, I think I'm done for the evening. By the way, I still have my notes and quotes to share.