A pro-bono opportunity

So let me tell you about my close encounter with the thug kind...



I was busy discussing school related stuff with a couple of fellow class mates after class last week. The law school was totally empty. As I was leaving out the front door of the law school, I headed for the steps. As I got to the bottom of the steps, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a thuggish looking punk within a few feet from me. Something in my mind said "Whoa?! This dude doesn't go to school here. I better wait a few minutes before walking to the truck." After noticing that I was the only student within sight, I headed back up the steps back towards the door. Then, Fubu-boy, decked out in his bling-bling with gold teeth, mumbled something under his breath as he brushed by.

He said, "Yo, I know you's folks got some records up there in the library."
I said, "Huh?"
He said, "Man I just got outta jail and I'm looking for my Mom's. I bet you can tell me where she lives."
I said, "Ummm. Nah dude, don't know what you're talking about."
He said, "Man, you ain't gotta be scared that I'm gonna rob you just cause I'm black. I wasn't in jail for nothing important. I just used to sell drugs. You know...stupid things like that. I ain't stupid. I know you got security out here looking out. I ain't packing no heat. I just want some help."
I said, "Well, I can't help ya."
He said, "Come here man. I just need some change. I don't have nothing after getting out of jail."

So I turned around and just walked inside. He mumbled a few other things after repeated failed attempts of conning me out of some change. I found a ride to my truck just in case he was hiding somewhere in the bushes waiting for me to walk by. So here is my analysis. Someone that tells you right up front that they need help because they just got out of jail is probably up to no good. Especially in a city where muggings occur on an hourly basis. And then to go on to say that you aren't packing heat? They didn't grant me admission to law school for being a retard. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the hell that guy was about to do. Luckily his balls didn't hang low enough for him to be willing to follow me into the school.

Got any change?

Alright, so I'm in the process of developing my oral argument before reciting it endlessly in hope of not crashing and burning like a complete idiot. The argument is Saturday morning. After that, Moot Court is a thing of the past. Following a long afternoon at the bar in celebration of having no more Moot Court crap, it'll be time to polish up my outlines in preparation for final exams. It feels like it was just a few weeks ago when I started this whole law school adventure. Now the first year is less than a month away from completion. Oh yeah, I almost got robbed (or at least I have pretty good reason to think that was the case) coming out of class a couple of nights ago. I'll fill you in when I have more time.

May it please the court...

Since turning in the brief last week, it's been sort of lazy-go. I'm out of energy and I don't feel like doing crap. My drive for this semester has been expended. Hopefully I'll find a way to tap into the reserve to push through for one more month. My final oral argument is Saturday morning. Yeah, I know...Saturday. Sucks, eh? I could protest the scheduling of the argument, but it's probably not the brightest idea being that they're the ones providing the final grade. Luckily, all of the content for the oral argument is fresh on my mind from writing the brief. However, they found a way to toss up a curve ball. For the brief, I was assigned to argue on behalf of the appellant. Now, with a week to spare I'm forced to turn it around and argue for the appellee. There goes an entire semester's worth of research for my client. There's not enough time to research additional cases in support of my new stance on the issue. Instead I must rely on my ability to exploit my weaknesses from my original argument. Sometimes law school is exciting. Sometimes it just sucks. Right now...it just sucks. Come Saturday around noon...I get to enjoy life for the weekend before buckling down in preparation for finals.

Done

The brief is finally complete and turned in. Now, as I've mentioned before, this is law school. Objective #2 = Learn to drink like an attorney. Let me paint the picture for you...

Tuesday evening.
We had to professionally bind two copies of the brief and turn it in between 5:30 and 6:30. This was the only hour the "Clerk's Office" would be open. No early submissions, no late submissions. All 300 1L's lined up outside the room where the brief was to be filed. And of course, most people had been to the bar prior to standing in line. Once we walked into the room, the brief was stamped with the filing date/time. Then we proceeded through the door on the opposite side of the room where the Moot Court professors greeted us with law school beer huggies. I thought to myself, "Wait. Where's the beer?" After being congratulated on finishing the brief, several ice chests full of beer were waiting. Ah, perfect. Once the beer supply went dry, we gathered at a local pub that was reserved for our "Brief Relief" private party. More free beer...and food. Ah, perfect. I'm starting to see where my $30,000/year tuition is being spent. At least some of it's going to a good cause.

Green beer not for me

Now that most of the St. Patty's day parades are over in the city, I can experience a sigh of relief. It's sickening to sit at a desk all weekend and watch people toting coolers of beer outside of my window. I'd like to partake in a few Irish specials, but unfortunately this damn brief that I'm working on is preventing me from doing so. This city is a non-stop party. That's the only problem with going to law school in this crazy city...well that and the daily muggings and shootings. I live in a prime spot for all of the entertainment that takes place here year round. Law school has become a burden. I should be living it up. Hell, I'm almost 30. Yet I chose to continue further in school. This is my 9th year in college. You can call me a professional student, but at least I already have 3 degrees under my belt and a job to go along with it. This better pay off in the long run, because it's irritating at the moment. Enough of my whining...back to writing that lame brief.

Brief work

I'm currently busting my tail finishing this 50-page brief. I only have three days remaining until judgment day. I took it easy last night to relieve some of the stress before having to burrow in a hole to type up my brief. Last night I went to the bar with some non-law school friends to kick back and relax before stressing out over this brief. I limited myself to a few grade-A bottles of brain power brewski. I woke up this morning ready to kick it into high gear. 8 hours later and I've only pumped out ~5 pages today. What a lack of productiveness, eh? I still have about 15-20 pages to go, so let's hope my page rate increases a bit. Gotta keep this post short and get back to the brief. Will freedom be in my near future?

Approaching the deadline

Moot Court is over except for the final brief and oral argument. I'll be busting my chops trying to pump out this brief over the weekend and then I'll be busy practicing the final argument for a week after submitting the brief. I'm glad it's almost over. I never thought I'd be so close to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. In true law school fashion, there is a party hosted by the law school following the submission of the brief. Free beer, food, and beer. It all goes back to that training like an attorney thing. If you're going to be lawyer, then you must be able to handle the pain and suffering of tipping back a few beers after a long day of work. See...the law profession has it's ups and downs.

Long time, no speak

Remember how I mentioned that people in law school love to talk just to talk. Well, a few of us that sit near each other in class have started engaging in a few friendly wagers. One chick in class likes to talk a little too much. So we've implemented a little game. The person who can guess the time closest to the first time she opens her mouth in class wins. The prize only consists of pride at the moment, but there may be a few nickels and dimes tossed into the pot after a few dry runs. Another game in the works is Bingo. Each contestant chooses a select number of people that they believe will speak up in class. If all of your selections speak, you win the law school Bingo. I want to see if anyone has the balls to holler "Bingo" if they win. It's just a little something to pass the time. Our games may sound somewhat gay, but if you had to suffer through law school you'd find something to ease the tension too.