Law School

Well, here I am over half way through and I must say, this has been quite a journey and it has only just begun. I apologize that it has been a while since my last post, but when I get a few minutes away from studying and writing case briefs, the last thing on my mind is more writing. Hopefully, this will give a small window into my life right now.

Let me start by trying to describe (as best I can) the environment and culture surrounding law school. Law School is essentially the same as any other school, with the same types of personalities and social interactions. As much as people try to remain professional and respectful and create an environment of friendship, the inherent nature of law school is competitiveness. It it so hard not to see your neighbor doing well, and wonder what their secret is. Or, what study aid do they have? Why do they get it and I don't? The response for this is one of two ways, either to befriend them and pick their brain, or to see them as competition and find ways to destroy them.The incoming class is divided into three sections (I am in Section A). From day one, the school tried to create a sense of cohesiveness in Section A and promote bonding within the section. This was all to easy when everyone was on the same playing ground and in the same situation - a state of confusion. Every one latched onto each other and was very supportive, encouraging and open to each other.

However, this mentality and environment has slowly deteriorated over the past few weeks and is only expanded by the impending stress that is growing daily with the upcoming final week. Slowly but surely, people are becoming much more self-engaged and self involved and a mentality of competition now fills the air. Last week we had a research project where research books strewn about the library were to be shared between 40 students. 1 day after the project began we all received warning e-mails about people hiding, and destroying the material that was to be shared equally amongst people (this mentality does not go away unfortunately when you become an attorney because attorneys who come into our library have to be removed by the police when the tear out papers from legal books and put them into their pockets because they don't want to shell out the 10 cents to make a copy).

However, I have been able to find and attach myself to a few people who are genuinely concerned with the need to effectively network, and like myself, see the potential and positives in sharing and helping grow others. We study in groups nearly two to three times a week and have now begun studying for a few hours after class at member's homes. This is working out so well because it allows constructive exchange of ideas and internal teaching.

The hours necessary to dedicate to full time studying is at times overwhelming. During orientation, the guideline that was relayed was 3-4 hours of studying for each hour in the class room. This equates to about 40 to 60 hours of school work per week. At the time, it was inconceivable to think that I would be spending more time studying than I had been working. What happened to all this free time I told myself I was going to get? Let me say, it is nothing like undergrad. Now I find myself struggling to keep my head above water at times even studying 60 hours per week and it is a constant struggle to not give up and not get behind by just avoiding studying one night. Getting behind even by one day is like getting a flat tire. If you stop to change it, it will take a while and you are behind in the race, but if you push forward, the race will certainly pass you by and you will surely lose. I just hope to avoid any more flat tires.

We recently went through mid terms which are not for grades, but just for the experience of taking law exams. Every exam is the same format, a given set of facts which we need to state the rules of law and apply the law to find a conclusion against the facts. Confused yet? Yeah me too! Just think IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion). This is how every exam should look, but knowing how and when to state a rule, and how much application is the difficult part. Each exam is only an hour long, but in reality would take about 2 hours to properly write. So, "welcome to law school" is what everyone keeps saying.

On top of the class work, the studying, the constant nightly reading, the preparation, the research and the writing, and the shoving in times to keep my sanity, on top of all of this, it is important to keep you eye, and your plan on the future. We have already began discussing summer internships, networking opportunities, resume writing, and legal emphasis. This must always be in the back of your mind in order to ensure that you are always on the direct path to do what it is you want to do and give you the tools to get there. Crazy to think that the things I do now will affect and direct what I am able to do and accomplish 3 years from now.

It may seem daunting (and it is), but it truly is where I want to be and I am doing what it is I enjoy. The intellectual stimulation is exciting and the discussions had inside and outside of the classroom are exhilarating. The people are interesting (both positively and negatively) and I wouldn't trade going to school for anything. Luckily I have the greatest wife in the world which decreases the burden of the stress of life management. Without her, I might be slowly going insane.

Well, hopefully this allows you a glimpse into a classroom and into the life of a law student. I am more than happy to share anything about this experience to anyone who will listen, but don't want to bore you with unnecessary details. Let me know if you want to know anything more.

With Love