That's who I'll be working for this fall. I got the call today, and I am excited. In particular, I will be working for the United States Attorney in Columbus, part time, in the Civil Division. This is a great opportunity to get some work experience during my third year, and possibly a chance to advance my career if I work hard and God wills it to happen.
My basic focus during law school has been fourfold: maintain good grades, excel at Law Journal and Moot Court, keep active with extracurricular activities/volunteer work, and get as much practical work experience as possible. I think that so far, I have kept up with each of these, and I will be a formidable candidate for a good job after graduation.
By the way....I apologize to anyone who checks my blog daily (if there are any of you left) for the dearth of posts lately. Moot Court, Law Journal, the Legislation Clinic, and my work-study job have been teaming up to give me a run for my money schedule-wise. I will try and post more regularly from now on.
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Friday, March 09, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Newark, New Jersey
I got some great news this past week-I finished fourth overall in the Herman selection argument, which means I made one of the traveling teams. Being on a traveling team is a great honor, especially for second-year students, so I am excited, and grateful for the opportunity.
The selection argument was pretty tough-we had to argue in front of two professors, one of whom I had this past semester for Appellate Advocacy. I was struck at how the selection argument resembled an actual Supreme Court oral argument-very little time to make your own points, because the judges (or justices, if you're up before SCOTUS) are constantly asking questions. I was very fortunate to have survived this session and advanced to the traveling team-at the beginning of the year, my goal was to compete in Herman, so the fact that I was able to surpass that says volumes about God's providence and love, since I will get to visit New Jersey and New York City for the first time (and that I am proud of my accomplishment).
I will be on the Criminal Procedure team, so that means I will be headed to the Seton Hall School of Law in Newark, New Jersey in March. It's right across the river from New York City, so I will definitely want to do a little sight-seeing if we have time. I'm still not sure how exactly the competition will work-I will have to wait to hear from the Moot Court Governing Board to find out more of the details. I will probably have more about this in a later post, when the competition dates get closer, compete with pictures.
This will be a great opportunity to get experience that will serve me well as a trial lawyer. I imagine that with Criminal Procedure, this will be a chance to get more acquainted with the rules of evidence, with the quickness of trial-making motions, objections, and the like-that will be so important later on, whether I go into litigation, criminal prosecution, or another field.
Praise God for this opportunity.
The selection argument was pretty tough-we had to argue in front of two professors, one of whom I had this past semester for Appellate Advocacy. I was struck at how the selection argument resembled an actual Supreme Court oral argument-very little time to make your own points, because the judges (or justices, if you're up before SCOTUS) are constantly asking questions. I was very fortunate to have survived this session and advanced to the traveling team-at the beginning of the year, my goal was to compete in Herman, so the fact that I was able to surpass that says volumes about God's providence and love, since I will get to visit New Jersey and New York City for the first time (and that I am proud of my accomplishment).
I will be on the Criminal Procedure team, so that means I will be headed to the Seton Hall School of Law in Newark, New Jersey in March. It's right across the river from New York City, so I will definitely want to do a little sight-seeing if we have time. I'm still not sure how exactly the competition will work-I will have to wait to hear from the Moot Court Governing Board to find out more of the details. I will probably have more about this in a later post, when the competition dates get closer, compete with pictures.
This will be a great opportunity to get experience that will serve me well as a trial lawyer. I imagine that with Criminal Procedure, this will be a chance to get more acquainted with the rules of evidence, with the quickness of trial-making motions, objections, and the like-that will be so important later on, whether I go into litigation, criminal prosecution, or another field.
Praise God for this opportunity.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Almost Christmas
This is a milestone-my first back to back posts in quite a while.
I heard today that Chicago has decided to allow advertisements for "The Nativity Story" today, nearly three weeks after its December 1 release date. Of course, now that the movie has been out a few weeks, the advertising can't have the same impact in getting people to go see the movie about the birth of Christ, but I guess that's what the people in charge wanted all along.
On a more positive note, a praise....I got word today that I have been selected to compete in my school's Herman moot court competition, where I will be preparing an appellate brief and delivering an oral argument to a panel of judges. I will also be competing for a spot on one of my school's traveling teams. If I get selected, I won't be doing Herman, but I will be traveling to some far-off corner of the country (perhaps New York City or New Orleans) for an interschool competition sometime this coming semester. So I'll have to keep my fingers crossed for one of these four slots, and if I don't get one, I still get to compete in Herman. I am excited about the opportunity-I enjoy doing appellate argument, and any chance I can get to hone my skills will serve me well as a litigator, regardless of the court or type of case I am arguing.
Exams are nearing completion as well-not much further to go. I get to go home tomorrow for Christmas, and I cannot wait. Nothing makes you appreciate your home, and your family, and your hometown, as much as being away at school. I am lucky that I get to go home every couple of weekends throughout the semester, because I am only 2 hours away from Akron when I am in Columbus, but sometimes it feels like 20. Besides getting to see my family, I am looking forward to attending my home church again on Christmas Eve, eating some good food, and not having to listen to High Street serenade me to sleep every night.
No rest for the weary though...after exams are over, it's time to dig into my note, begin preparing for my tryout for the travel team (luckily, we just do the same oral argument from Appellate Advocacy, so I don't need to prepare a new brief), and start getting ready for next semester. As a wise man once said, you can sleep when you're dead, and it looks like I'm taking that to heart.
I heard today that Chicago has decided to allow advertisements for "The Nativity Story" today, nearly three weeks after its December 1 release date. Of course, now that the movie has been out a few weeks, the advertising can't have the same impact in getting people to go see the movie about the birth of Christ, but I guess that's what the people in charge wanted all along.
On a more positive note, a praise....I got word today that I have been selected to compete in my school's Herman moot court competition, where I will be preparing an appellate brief and delivering an oral argument to a panel of judges. I will also be competing for a spot on one of my school's traveling teams. If I get selected, I won't be doing Herman, but I will be traveling to some far-off corner of the country (perhaps New York City or New Orleans) for an interschool competition sometime this coming semester. So I'll have to keep my fingers crossed for one of these four slots, and if I don't get one, I still get to compete in Herman. I am excited about the opportunity-I enjoy doing appellate argument, and any chance I can get to hone my skills will serve me well as a litigator, regardless of the court or type of case I am arguing.
Exams are nearing completion as well-not much further to go. I get to go home tomorrow for Christmas, and I cannot wait. Nothing makes you appreciate your home, and your family, and your hometown, as much as being away at school. I am lucky that I get to go home every couple of weekends throughout the semester, because I am only 2 hours away from Akron when I am in Columbus, but sometimes it feels like 20. Besides getting to see my family, I am looking forward to attending my home church again on Christmas Eve, eating some good food, and not having to listen to High Street serenade me to sleep every night.
No rest for the weary though...after exams are over, it's time to dig into my note, begin preparing for my tryout for the travel team (luckily, we just do the same oral argument from Appellate Advocacy, so I don't need to prepare a new brief), and start getting ready for next semester. As a wise man once said, you can sleep when you're dead, and it looks like I'm taking that to heart.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Breaking for Fall
So it is Fall Break now, and I am back at home in Akron. Some thoughts on the week:
- Despite my best efforts, I have actually managed to get some work done. I have outlined for my First Amendment class, completed part of my optional acc-check for the law journal (won't have to do one in the spring now), and will send out some more cover letters and resumes while I am in town this week. I have had a chance to do some relaxing this week, and catch up on sleep too-no noise from High Street to keep me awake here.
- It is now official: I have booked my flight for the CLS conference next month (Nov. 2-5). I will be flying roundtrip out of Port Columbus to San Antonio, with a layover in Memphis. I have a good flight schedule; I will actually be able to go to my first class, Evidence, on the morning of the 2nd before I have to go to the airport. And I will get into Columbus on Sunday night, in time to go to class the next day.
I will have more about it in a later post.
Friday, September 15, 2006
September Swing
In case you couldn't tell from the dearth of posts, things have been pretty crazy down here in Columbus the last couple of weeks. A lot of my promised posts have fallen by the wayside, including the story about Rev. Boyd up in Minnesota, an update of last week's events, and a bunch of other things. I will do my best to try and keep up.
Overall, it has been a very busy but very rewarding 2L year so far. I just finished writing a 16-page brief for my Appellate Advocacy course, and being a staff member on one of the school's law journals has kept me busy. We have found time for fun too-last night we started bowling, and we did really well. I bowled a 121 and 145 in our two games, which is excellent for me; I switched to a 12-pound ball instead of 13, and it has significantly raised my average.
That old saw about how in "the second year, they work you to death" has a ring of truth to it. Our workload is intense right now, with a combination of journal, App Ad, and a full course load, in addition to the little thing about finding a job for next summer. I am working to try and keep the faith right now, that everything will work out. The important thing is to keep my eyes on God above, and trust Him, and He will lead me where I need to go.
Overall, it has been a very busy but very rewarding 2L year so far. I just finished writing a 16-page brief for my Appellate Advocacy course, and being a staff member on one of the school's law journals has kept me busy. We have found time for fun too-last night we started bowling, and we did really well. I bowled a 121 and 145 in our two games, which is excellent for me; I switched to a 12-pound ball instead of 13, and it has significantly raised my average.
That old saw about how in "the second year, they work you to death" has a ring of truth to it. Our workload is intense right now, with a combination of journal, App Ad, and a full course load, in addition to the little thing about finding a job for next summer. I am working to try and keep the faith right now, that everything will work out. The important thing is to keep my eyes on God above, and trust Him, and He will lead me where I need to go.
Monday, September 04, 2006
A Running Post
So I finally got to the last of the dozen posts about my summer. I made a promise that had to be kept, no matter how long it took (even until Labor Day). The fact is, I am swamped right now: a full course load, Appellate Advocacy, Christian Legal Society, Student Bar Association, and a multitude of other things. But I am going to find the time to keep this blog going, to keep up with the news and maintain it as a resource for Christians who are either in law school or considering legal education. Plus, I enjoy it too much.
After being back in Columbus for a few weeks now, I have started to get things somewhat under control. Every day brings its own challenges. Starting this month, I plan to get settled in with a local church again, begin pursuing outside activities to boost my lawyering skills (such as volunteer work and being active in bar associations), and continue looking for a job for next summer.
Most of all, I want to keep my eye in God in the midst of the time storm I am facing right now. It is so easy to lose sight of Him when you have so much to accomplish in one day, so many fires to put out that demand your attention. But this is the time when I need to stay on track (or get on back when I have strayed) in order to keep a sense of perspective and diligence.
This weekend, I will have a post on Legal News. Not sure of the topic right now. This week, I will give a more detailed update on the first few weeks of school, including what I did this Labor Day weekend (I turned 23 yesterday), the upcoming Mentoring Program luncheon, and the Christian Legal Society Bible study.
Stay tuned for more posts.
After being back in Columbus for a few weeks now, I have started to get things somewhat under control. Every day brings its own challenges. Starting this month, I plan to get settled in with a local church again, begin pursuing outside activities to boost my lawyering skills (such as volunteer work and being active in bar associations), and continue looking for a job for next summer.
Most of all, I want to keep my eye in God in the midst of the time storm I am facing right now. It is so easy to lose sight of Him when you have so much to accomplish in one day, so many fires to put out that demand your attention. But this is the time when I need to stay on track (or get on back when I have strayed) in order to keep a sense of perspective and diligence.
This weekend, I will have a post on Legal News. Not sure of the topic right now. This week, I will give a more detailed update on the first few weeks of school, including what I did this Labor Day weekend (I turned 23 yesterday), the upcoming Mentoring Program luncheon, and the Christian Legal Society Bible study.
Stay tuned for more posts.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Summer of 2006, pt. 11
It has been a long week. I know it has been a long time between posts, but I have been swept up in getting back to Ohio, back in the swing of things, and involved with acc-checking for the law journal. So here are some updates on things from Columbus, and next week I should have things in order enough to start book reviews, legal news, etc. again.
- Most of my time this past week has been spent either on the "acc-check", or accuracy check, for the law journal I am on, or on interviewing with firms for early OCI, or on-campus interviewing. The interviews generally went pretty well. I interviewed with four great law firms, two in Cincinnati and two in Toledo, and hopefully I will hear from them again within a few weeks.
- My last interview was on Wednesday, so most of the week was spent in the law library, and various other places, performing an acc-check on a portion of an article I was assigned. For those of you reading this who are not yet in law school, or in your first year, try to get on a law journal or law review at your school (not that I will be the only one to give you that advice). It's one of the best resume-builders you can have, and it's a learning experience that will help make you a better lawyer after you graduate.
Case in point...the article I acc-checked dealt with a narrow issue in patent law, which is traditionally an area I don't know much about. But I was able to get at least a basic grounding in it just by proofreading an article written by a law professor who knows the subject well. Even if you're not planning to practice in that specialized an area of law, it's a good idea to know as much as you can about any subject, the more the better. To quote one of my first-year professors, "the law is a seamless web," and you would be surprised at how much interrelatedness there is between subjects that would seem to be far apart.
It's true, being on a journal or law review involves a lot of work. I put in a substantial amount of time on the assignment (about as much as a part-time work week). But it's like any other story or rumor you hear-a grain of truth wrapped in a big ball of exaggeration. The truth is, I enjoyed different aspects of the acc-check, such as proofreading the article and checking the accuracy of quotations, because I have always had a good eye for editing. In high school, I worked in my school's Writing Lab, proofreading papers for the freshman and sophomore English Composition students, and it was always fulfilling to me to help people improve their grades by helping them with grammar and style. I enjoyed the acc-check because it took me back to the good old days, if only temporarily. I can tell I am going to enjoy it, and the work is well worth the experience.
- I am going to have one last "summer of 2006" post sometime next week, probably Monday or Tuesday (but no guarantees because of how hectic things are right now), where I will discuss the Blackstone and the Phase III experiences in more detail.
- Other than the journal work and interviews, not much else of note to report this week. Things will start to get back on a normal pace next week, since classes start Tuesday, but at least I have this weekend, one more weekend of freedom before it's back to the classroom.
- Most of my time this past week has been spent either on the "acc-check", or accuracy check, for the law journal I am on, or on interviewing with firms for early OCI, or on-campus interviewing. The interviews generally went pretty well. I interviewed with four great law firms, two in Cincinnati and two in Toledo, and hopefully I will hear from them again within a few weeks.
- My last interview was on Wednesday, so most of the week was spent in the law library, and various other places, performing an acc-check on a portion of an article I was assigned. For those of you reading this who are not yet in law school, or in your first year, try to get on a law journal or law review at your school (not that I will be the only one to give you that advice). It's one of the best resume-builders you can have, and it's a learning experience that will help make you a better lawyer after you graduate.
Case in point...the article I acc-checked dealt with a narrow issue in patent law, which is traditionally an area I don't know much about. But I was able to get at least a basic grounding in it just by proofreading an article written by a law professor who knows the subject well. Even if you're not planning to practice in that specialized an area of law, it's a good idea to know as much as you can about any subject, the more the better. To quote one of my first-year professors, "the law is a seamless web," and you would be surprised at how much interrelatedness there is between subjects that would seem to be far apart.
It's true, being on a journal or law review involves a lot of work. I put in a substantial amount of time on the assignment (about as much as a part-time work week). But it's like any other story or rumor you hear-a grain of truth wrapped in a big ball of exaggeration. The truth is, I enjoyed different aspects of the acc-check, such as proofreading the article and checking the accuracy of quotations, because I have always had a good eye for editing. In high school, I worked in my school's Writing Lab, proofreading papers for the freshman and sophomore English Composition students, and it was always fulfilling to me to help people improve their grades by helping them with grammar and style. I enjoyed the acc-check because it took me back to the good old days, if only temporarily. I can tell I am going to enjoy it, and the work is well worth the experience.
- I am going to have one last "summer of 2006" post sometime next week, probably Monday or Tuesday (but no guarantees because of how hectic things are right now), where I will discuss the Blackstone and the Phase III experiences in more detail.
- Other than the journal work and interviews, not much else of note to report this week. Things will start to get back on a normal pace next week, since classes start Tuesday, but at least I have this weekend, one more weekend of freedom before it's back to the classroom.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
On the Dog Days of Summer
It may be hot outside right now (highs in the 90's again here today, and greenhouse-like humidity) but tonight it is warm in my soul.
The title of this post is actually misleading. There's nothing "doggish" about what is going on in my life right now. The truth is, I have enough to thank God for to last in prayer for a solid week. Just to sample things-I made it onto the Ohio State Law Journal for next year, I am working for two solid Christian attorneys here in Cincinnati, learning the ropes from the best, and I am going to have the energy to excel at the huge workload that faces me when I return to Columbus in about a month. And my mom and dad have quit smoking for two weeks now-I can't say enough how proud I am of them.
But this wasn't meant to just praise God and move on, although there is more than enough that is praiseworthy to go around. This is to share some anecdotal evidence about how much the Lord has changed me, just since June 11 when I first set foot in Arizona.
- Watching TV just doesn't have the appeal that it used to. I'm not sure when exactly this happened at some indeterminate point in the past, but a time came when the purpose of watching TV became less for entertainment and enrichment, and more for escapism. Now, I would rather read, unless the show is something educational like Jeopardy.
The less you watch TV, the more you realize the point of why you kept it on so much in the first place. For me, about 80 percent of the time it was background noise-enough to keep me from thinking too much, and falling on my knees in prayer.
If you are a believer, and reading this, you have probably thought the same thing at one time or another. What purpose does keeping your TV on all day really accomplish? Are we really that drawn to UFO shows on the History Channel and reruns of "Yes, Dear" on TBS? Or is there something within us that wants to cry out to Him, but instead we grab the remote control? I'm not writing this to pass judgment on anyone, or swear off TV completely. But I think God has shown me this summer that I was using it to run from the pursuit of some deeper spiritual connection.
- The same thing with video games. I never thought I would be saying this, but it looks as though I may be outgrowing this old hobby of mine, or at least putting it more into perspective.
A few months ago, I was driving down High Street one Saturday, coming from breakfast with an acquaintance from church, when I decided to stop in a video game store. Even then, I could tell that my level of enthusiasm was not as high as it used to be. Not so long ago, I could hardly enter an electronics store, or even a department store like Wal-Mart or Target that has an electronics department, without at least taking a look at games I wish I could own, or would buy if I had the money. This dates back to my childhood, when one of my favorite things to do on the weekend was go to the video store, rent a game for my old 8-bit Nintendo or Super NES, and play to my heart's content, or at least until I had to run it back by 6 PM Sunday.
Now...I'm finally starting to realize the level of distraction that was involved. And again, I'm not condemning video games, and I'm not saying I plan to stop playing completely. But one of the ways in which I think God is working on my heart this summer is to get me to see the importance of how I manage my time. I am starting to realize that decisions on how to balance work and play have important spiritual consequences, that may even spill over into other areas of my life. When I take too much time for myself, when I am selfish with the time God has given me and devote it to idleness, I am not heeding the call to be excellent and stand in the gap for Him. Now, this summer, I am going to repent of this sin and, in His strength, root out this stronghold in my life.
- Putting leisure activities such as TV and video games into perspective goes hand in hand with getting more sleep, another front in the spiritual war.
"But how does how much sleep you get matter?" you may ask.
The truth is, I was asking the same thing until very recently. But like so many things, this summer changed the equation. In Phoenix, our schedule was "early to bed, early to rise," meaning that I was in bed each night by 11 or so, and up every morning by 6:15. It really opened my eyes, both literally and figuratively, to see how much my mental and emotional state improved from getting only 1 or 2 extra hours of sleep a night. Being well-rested made learning, socializing, and even everyday activities like having a conversation much easier. I had almost forgotten what being rested felt like, after spending so many late nights studying and watching TV during the school year.
I read an article not too long ago on christianitytoday.com that talked about the spiritual issue of rest, and how it applies to getting enough sleep at night-for God. I see the point now to what they were saying-getting enough sleep is an act of spiritual discipline. In short, what I have taken away from my Blackstone experience is the importance of simply calling it a night.
The title of this post is actually misleading. There's nothing "doggish" about what is going on in my life right now. The truth is, I have enough to thank God for to last in prayer for a solid week. Just to sample things-I made it onto the Ohio State Law Journal for next year, I am working for two solid Christian attorneys here in Cincinnati, learning the ropes from the best, and I am going to have the energy to excel at the huge workload that faces me when I return to Columbus in about a month. And my mom and dad have quit smoking for two weeks now-I can't say enough how proud I am of them.
But this wasn't meant to just praise God and move on, although there is more than enough that is praiseworthy to go around. This is to share some anecdotal evidence about how much the Lord has changed me, just since June 11 when I first set foot in Arizona.
- Watching TV just doesn't have the appeal that it used to. I'm not sure when exactly this happened at some indeterminate point in the past, but a time came when the purpose of watching TV became less for entertainment and enrichment, and more for escapism. Now, I would rather read, unless the show is something educational like Jeopardy.
The less you watch TV, the more you realize the point of why you kept it on so much in the first place. For me, about 80 percent of the time it was background noise-enough to keep me from thinking too much, and falling on my knees in prayer.
If you are a believer, and reading this, you have probably thought the same thing at one time or another. What purpose does keeping your TV on all day really accomplish? Are we really that drawn to UFO shows on the History Channel and reruns of "Yes, Dear" on TBS? Or is there something within us that wants to cry out to Him, but instead we grab the remote control? I'm not writing this to pass judgment on anyone, or swear off TV completely. But I think God has shown me this summer that I was using it to run from the pursuit of some deeper spiritual connection.
- The same thing with video games. I never thought I would be saying this, but it looks as though I may be outgrowing this old hobby of mine, or at least putting it more into perspective.
A few months ago, I was driving down High Street one Saturday, coming from breakfast with an acquaintance from church, when I decided to stop in a video game store. Even then, I could tell that my level of enthusiasm was not as high as it used to be. Not so long ago, I could hardly enter an electronics store, or even a department store like Wal-Mart or Target that has an electronics department, without at least taking a look at games I wish I could own, or would buy if I had the money. This dates back to my childhood, when one of my favorite things to do on the weekend was go to the video store, rent a game for my old 8-bit Nintendo or Super NES, and play to my heart's content, or at least until I had to run it back by 6 PM Sunday.
Now...I'm finally starting to realize the level of distraction that was involved. And again, I'm not condemning video games, and I'm not saying I plan to stop playing completely. But one of the ways in which I think God is working on my heart this summer is to get me to see the importance of how I manage my time. I am starting to realize that decisions on how to balance work and play have important spiritual consequences, that may even spill over into other areas of my life. When I take too much time for myself, when I am selfish with the time God has given me and devote it to idleness, I am not heeding the call to be excellent and stand in the gap for Him. Now, this summer, I am going to repent of this sin and, in His strength, root out this stronghold in my life.
- Putting leisure activities such as TV and video games into perspective goes hand in hand with getting more sleep, another front in the spiritual war.
"But how does how much sleep you get matter?" you may ask.
The truth is, I was asking the same thing until very recently. But like so many things, this summer changed the equation. In Phoenix, our schedule was "early to bed, early to rise," meaning that I was in bed each night by 11 or so, and up every morning by 6:15. It really opened my eyes, both literally and figuratively, to see how much my mental and emotional state improved from getting only 1 or 2 extra hours of sleep a night. Being well-rested made learning, socializing, and even everyday activities like having a conversation much easier. I had almost forgotten what being rested felt like, after spending so many late nights studying and watching TV during the school year.
I read an article not too long ago on christianitytoday.com that talked about the spiritual issue of rest, and how it applies to getting enough sleep at night-for God. I see the point now to what they were saying-getting enough sleep is an act of spiritual discipline. In short, what I have taken away from my Blackstone experience is the importance of simply calling it a night.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Exams: In-Class or Take-Home?
Either way, not an easy time.
This past week, we had finals in two of our classes, Constitutional Law on Monday, and Legislation on Thursday. For both classes, we went to pick up the exam at 9:00-9:30 in the morning, and it was due about 24 hours later. This was my first time dealing with the take-home format in law school, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Before the first exam, I thought we would have time for a reasonable schedule-finish the exam by 11 P.M. or so, in time to get a decent night's sleep and proofread in the morning before turning in.
It did not work that way. The Con Law exam was more of a challenge than Legislation, but both were round-the-clock commitments. For a take-home, you have to spend more time making sure all sources were used, all arguments were made perfectly, and the answers were pared down to fit a specified word limit. Most of us in the class took a few breaks during the day, and I came to regret it. Even hour-long breaks for lunch and dinner led to a marathon session of typing and proofreading, interspersed with 5-10 minute spurts of hand-wringing over whether I was going to get the whole thing done on time.
Legislation was not quite 24 hours-I got a decent night's sleep before getting up an hour early to proofread before turning in. Contrary to what I expected, the Con Law exam actually took longer to write, even though the Legislation exam had longer essays and a higher word limit. I think ultimately, the time spent on a take-home depends on the number of parts, or questions (3 for Con Law, 2 for Legislation). This means less time spent issue-spotting and plotting out the answer, incidental to how much time is actually spent writing.
It was one of those sessions where you simultaneously wonder what in the world you're doing in law school, wish you could do more to show how much you know, and yet feel a real sense of pride in knowing you're one step closer to being a lawyer. As tough as pulling an all-nighter is, and as tired as I was the next day, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Easy is boring.
We have one exam left, Property on Tuesday morning. Back to the in-class format. I like the amount of time we could spend proofreading and sharpening our answers for the take-home exams, but it will be nice to finish in only two and a half hours.
Two frantic, "ohmygoshwhatistheanswerIneedtohurryandwrite" hours.
It wouldn't be law school without them.
This past week, we had finals in two of our classes, Constitutional Law on Monday, and Legislation on Thursday. For both classes, we went to pick up the exam at 9:00-9:30 in the morning, and it was due about 24 hours later. This was my first time dealing with the take-home format in law school, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Before the first exam, I thought we would have time for a reasonable schedule-finish the exam by 11 P.M. or so, in time to get a decent night's sleep and proofread in the morning before turning in.
It did not work that way. The Con Law exam was more of a challenge than Legislation, but both were round-the-clock commitments. For a take-home, you have to spend more time making sure all sources were used, all arguments were made perfectly, and the answers were pared down to fit a specified word limit. Most of us in the class took a few breaks during the day, and I came to regret it. Even hour-long breaks for lunch and dinner led to a marathon session of typing and proofreading, interspersed with 5-10 minute spurts of hand-wringing over whether I was going to get the whole thing done on time.
Legislation was not quite 24 hours-I got a decent night's sleep before getting up an hour early to proofread before turning in. Contrary to what I expected, the Con Law exam actually took longer to write, even though the Legislation exam had longer essays and a higher word limit. I think ultimately, the time spent on a take-home depends on the number of parts, or questions (3 for Con Law, 2 for Legislation). This means less time spent issue-spotting and plotting out the answer, incidental to how much time is actually spent writing.
It was one of those sessions where you simultaneously wonder what in the world you're doing in law school, wish you could do more to show how much you know, and yet feel a real sense of pride in knowing you're one step closer to being a lawyer. As tough as pulling an all-nighter is, and as tired as I was the next day, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Easy is boring.
We have one exam left, Property on Tuesday morning. Back to the in-class format. I like the amount of time we could spend proofreading and sharpening our answers for the take-home exams, but it will be nice to finish in only two and a half hours.
Two frantic, "ohmygoshwhatistheanswerIneedtohurryandwrite" hours.
It wouldn't be law school without them.
Friday, April 28, 2006
On Staying Cool
The title of this post refers to the advice we received in our Property class today to "stay cool" for the upcoming exam. Our professor told us to look at the example of Justice Alito during his confirmation hearings-his wife sobbed, but he didn't flinch. By referring to us, I'm not sure if he meant Alito or his wife, given the strain we are all under right now.
Today was our last day of class for the first year of law school. It is difficult to look at it with a sense of context right now, because I am right in the thick of studying for my final exams, which begin Monday. But whether or not we realize it, what we have done so far, just getting through the first year of law school, is a huge accomplishment. It has been a long 9 months since I have moved to Columbus, and it has not been an easy experience by any stretch. But I have made it and survived, and have proved to myself that I will not be retreating up I-71 anytime soon.
That being said, there are lessons I have learned from this past year. There are some things I have done right, but other areas where I could use some improvement. The rest of this week, in a three-part series of blog posts, I will talk about what I need to do to stick with my goals for 2006 in three key areas: spiritual, professional, and social. Tonight, I will discuss my professional goals and how I am working towards those goals for this year, and how I can improve.
My professional goals, generally speaking, for 2006 have been to do my best with respect to law school grades, line up strong plans for summer, become more active in politics and networking, use my time productively, and create and maintain a blog, as a resource for fellow Christian law students (and general interest for all readers).
Generally speaking, this is the most successful of the three areas in which I set goals for this year. I am proud to say that one of my goals for the year has already been accomplished-you are reading it right now. I will be participating in the Blackstone Legal Fellowship this summer, so I definitely accomplished what I wanted there. I have had some real and definite successes so far in 2006.
However, there are areas where I need to improve for the remaining 7 months of the year:
1) Grades: my law school grades have been solid so far, but to improve and do even better, in the fall I need to focus on spreading out my workload through the semester. The mistake I made during the first year was to concentrate most, or all, of my outlining during the last couple weeks of class. This has created a very stressful situation, as I am rushing to finish my course outlines before the exam in order to preserve a meaningful amount (2-3 days) of study time before each test. In the fall, I resolve to do a better job of having a quota of outlining to complete every 2-3 weeks. This will make the end of the semester (Appellate Advocacy included) much less stressful.
This, along with other changes I plan to make, will help make me a more effective law student, which ultimately has a spiritual component as well, insofar as what I do as a law student and lawyer reflects my love of the Lord and my willingness to serve Him through my labor.
2) Networking: in general, I plan to attend as many Mentoring Program and other networking and Republican Party events as my schedule will allow. Not much to say here.
3) Time management: probably the most critical skill I need to develop in my life, short of prayer and spiritual disciplines. When I get back from my internship this summer, I will need to take inventory of all my time commitments, and make a comprehensive schedule covering everything from exercising at RPAC to time to cook dinner to reading for Business Associations (one of our second-year courses). I will more fully develop this idea later. This topic is closely related to grades, since I need to do better at managing my workload throughout the semester.
Today was our last day of class for the first year of law school. It is difficult to look at it with a sense of context right now, because I am right in the thick of studying for my final exams, which begin Monday. But whether or not we realize it, what we have done so far, just getting through the first year of law school, is a huge accomplishment. It has been a long 9 months since I have moved to Columbus, and it has not been an easy experience by any stretch. But I have made it and survived, and have proved to myself that I will not be retreating up I-71 anytime soon.
That being said, there are lessons I have learned from this past year. There are some things I have done right, but other areas where I could use some improvement. The rest of this week, in a three-part series of blog posts, I will talk about what I need to do to stick with my goals for 2006 in three key areas: spiritual, professional, and social. Tonight, I will discuss my professional goals and how I am working towards those goals for this year, and how I can improve.
My professional goals, generally speaking, for 2006 have been to do my best with respect to law school grades, line up strong plans for summer, become more active in politics and networking, use my time productively, and create and maintain a blog, as a resource for fellow Christian law students (and general interest for all readers).
Generally speaking, this is the most successful of the three areas in which I set goals for this year. I am proud to say that one of my goals for the year has already been accomplished-you are reading it right now. I will be participating in the Blackstone Legal Fellowship this summer, so I definitely accomplished what I wanted there. I have had some real and definite successes so far in 2006.
However, there are areas where I need to improve for the remaining 7 months of the year:
1) Grades: my law school grades have been solid so far, but to improve and do even better, in the fall I need to focus on spreading out my workload through the semester. The mistake I made during the first year was to concentrate most, or all, of my outlining during the last couple weeks of class. This has created a very stressful situation, as I am rushing to finish my course outlines before the exam in order to preserve a meaningful amount (2-3 days) of study time before each test. In the fall, I resolve to do a better job of having a quota of outlining to complete every 2-3 weeks. This will make the end of the semester (Appellate Advocacy included) much less stressful.
This, along with other changes I plan to make, will help make me a more effective law student, which ultimately has a spiritual component as well, insofar as what I do as a law student and lawyer reflects my love of the Lord and my willingness to serve Him through my labor.
2) Networking: in general, I plan to attend as many Mentoring Program and other networking and Republican Party events as my schedule will allow. Not much to say here.
3) Time management: probably the most critical skill I need to develop in my life, short of prayer and spiritual disciplines. When I get back from my internship this summer, I will need to take inventory of all my time commitments, and make a comprehensive schedule covering everything from exercising at RPAC to time to cook dinner to reading for Business Associations (one of our second-year courses). I will more fully develop this idea later. This topic is closely related to grades, since I need to do better at managing my workload throughout the semester.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
On Rising Above
Tonight, it is time to reflect on the events of the past month, to look at where I have been, and where I am headed.
As I write this, I am in the last stage of the first year of law school. In two weeks, I will be taking my exams in Property, Constitutional Law, and Legislation, and I will be competing for a spot on one of the law journals for next year. After that, I will have a few weeks off before I head out to Arizona for the first stage of the Blackstone Fellowship, and then beyond that, a fall semester packed with everything except time to rest. The rest of 2006 is going to be extremely busy, and will probably go by fast.
On the surface, this should be one of the best times of my life-I am getting to live out the plans I had made for myself. But recently, especially in the last month or so, I have let myself become consumed with the stress I am under. This has been brought on by a combination of things: a lack of enough sleep, not making it to exercise on a regular basis, but most importantly, I have lacked a regular prayer and devotion time. My communication with Headquarters has, for the most part, been severed by the Enemy's distractions.
Ultimately there is only one way out-finding a way to rise above the situation by growing and meeting my spiritual and student-related challenges.
About a month ago, I wrote about how my problem is that I am focused too much on living to please other people, instead of pleasing God. But what I still need to figure out is what it means to live a life that is pleasing to God. Right now, I think the best way to do this is to rise above the situation by handling adversity. This doesn't mean not making mistakes. But it does mean not curling up in the fetal position and whimpering about how things used to be in high school, when life was simpler and the sun was shining. It means to get tough-to be a good man, not merely a nice guy.
Law school, for me, goes far beyond getting an education. It is a time when I am being put on trial, being tested by the Lord to see what kind of man I am to become. My job is to let it be a crucible, not an incinerator.
Last night, I watched "The Ten Commandments" (the original version, with Charlton Heston), and I am reminded of his journey through the desert. At this point, Moses could not be in a worse situation. He was the prince of Egypt, yet he had lost everything, been stripped of his title, given a day's worth of bread and water, and left to crawl through the desert. Yet as the narrator explains, this was his great time of trial, where he was formed and sharpened for God's great work that lay ahead. It made me think of where I am right now-not that my experience is as difficult as his, but the struggles I face are God's way of preparing me for His purpose in a grand design I cannot see, a part I will play beyond the horizon.
Here's what I am going to start doing to rise to the challenges I face:
1) Restore my communion with God. My goals for this year included praying twice a day, and having a devotion and Bible reading at least daily. There is still plenty of time to get back on track with this, and make it happen. My prayer times lately have been short and ineffective, a "help me in this interview, Lord" or "bless John/Mary, Lord". My time with God has to go beyond this to be effective.
2) Get more sleep. Since I have a huge workload in between now and finals, the temptation is to stay up late and work until I am just short of falling asleep at my desk. This does no good for me or for getting me to the prize.
3) Exercise. Not only to lose weight, but to concentrate better, study more effectively, sleep better, and in general have a better quality of life. When I am at my best, I am at my best for God.
4) Trust God more. My tendency is to wring my hands over every future, hypothetical situation that might pose a threat to the regime I have constructed around myself. Will I find a job after I graduate? Will I get married? Will I have enough money to pay my bills? This is a spiritual shortcoming on my part, that has to be confronted through prayer, faith, and facing the facts.
Finally, the most important thing to remember is that I will get through this. The flames of the fire I face burn hot, but when I emerge from the chaos in my schedule and the turmoil of spiritual and emotional growth, I will be a more effective Christian than in the past. Through the strength of the Holy Spirit, I will be a more powerful person than ever before.
I will be more confident. I will have a deeper and more abiding faith not only in my salvation, but my earthly deliverance from sin and fear. I will have not only the knowledge from being an attorney, but the armor of God equipped for the great adventure that is yet to come.
As I write this, I am in the last stage of the first year of law school. In two weeks, I will be taking my exams in Property, Constitutional Law, and Legislation, and I will be competing for a spot on one of the law journals for next year. After that, I will have a few weeks off before I head out to Arizona for the first stage of the Blackstone Fellowship, and then beyond that, a fall semester packed with everything except time to rest. The rest of 2006 is going to be extremely busy, and will probably go by fast.
On the surface, this should be one of the best times of my life-I am getting to live out the plans I had made for myself. But recently, especially in the last month or so, I have let myself become consumed with the stress I am under. This has been brought on by a combination of things: a lack of enough sleep, not making it to exercise on a regular basis, but most importantly, I have lacked a regular prayer and devotion time. My communication with Headquarters has, for the most part, been severed by the Enemy's distractions.
Ultimately there is only one way out-finding a way to rise above the situation by growing and meeting my spiritual and student-related challenges.
About a month ago, I wrote about how my problem is that I am focused too much on living to please other people, instead of pleasing God. But what I still need to figure out is what it means to live a life that is pleasing to God. Right now, I think the best way to do this is to rise above the situation by handling adversity. This doesn't mean not making mistakes. But it does mean not curling up in the fetal position and whimpering about how things used to be in high school, when life was simpler and the sun was shining. It means to get tough-to be a good man, not merely a nice guy.
Law school, for me, goes far beyond getting an education. It is a time when I am being put on trial, being tested by the Lord to see what kind of man I am to become. My job is to let it be a crucible, not an incinerator.
Last night, I watched "The Ten Commandments" (the original version, with Charlton Heston), and I am reminded of his journey through the desert. At this point, Moses could not be in a worse situation. He was the prince of Egypt, yet he had lost everything, been stripped of his title, given a day's worth of bread and water, and left to crawl through the desert. Yet as the narrator explains, this was his great time of trial, where he was formed and sharpened for God's great work that lay ahead. It made me think of where I am right now-not that my experience is as difficult as his, but the struggles I face are God's way of preparing me for His purpose in a grand design I cannot see, a part I will play beyond the horizon.
Here's what I am going to start doing to rise to the challenges I face:
1) Restore my communion with God. My goals for this year included praying twice a day, and having a devotion and Bible reading at least daily. There is still plenty of time to get back on track with this, and make it happen. My prayer times lately have been short and ineffective, a "help me in this interview, Lord" or "bless John/Mary, Lord". My time with God has to go beyond this to be effective.
2) Get more sleep. Since I have a huge workload in between now and finals, the temptation is to stay up late and work until I am just short of falling asleep at my desk. This does no good for me or for getting me to the prize.
3) Exercise. Not only to lose weight, but to concentrate better, study more effectively, sleep better, and in general have a better quality of life. When I am at my best, I am at my best for God.
4) Trust God more. My tendency is to wring my hands over every future, hypothetical situation that might pose a threat to the regime I have constructed around myself. Will I find a job after I graduate? Will I get married? Will I have enough money to pay my bills? This is a spiritual shortcoming on my part, that has to be confronted through prayer, faith, and facing the facts.
Finally, the most important thing to remember is that I will get through this. The flames of the fire I face burn hot, but when I emerge from the chaos in my schedule and the turmoil of spiritual and emotional growth, I will be a more effective Christian than in the past. Through the strength of the Holy Spirit, I will be a more powerful person than ever before.
I will be more confident. I will have a deeper and more abiding faith not only in my salvation, but my earthly deliverance from sin and fear. I will have not only the knowledge from being an attorney, but the armor of God equipped for the great adventure that is yet to come.
Scheduling, pt. 2
I managed to rework my schedule for next year. It wasn't because of the classes or professors, but because I needed to work out time conflicts with the Legislation Clinic. So as of Thursday night, here is my new schedule for 2006-2007.
Fall 2006
Appellate Advocacy (Beazley)
Evidence (Imwinkelreid)
The First Amendment (Goldberger)
Business Associations (Oesterle)
Federal Courts (Caust-Ellenbogen)
Winter 2007
Legislation Clinic (Huefner)
Sem: Evidence and Trial Practice (Sargus)
Civil Procedure II (Greenbaum)
Advanced Constitutional Law (Laughlin)
Fall 2006
Appellate Advocacy (Beazley)
Evidence (Imwinkelreid)
The First Amendment (Goldberger)
Business Associations (Oesterle)
Federal Courts (Caust-Ellenbogen)
Winter 2007
Legislation Clinic (Huefner)
Sem: Evidence and Trial Practice (Sargus)
Civil Procedure II (Greenbaum)
Advanced Constitutional Law (Laughlin)
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Scheduling
Yesterday, I got to schedule my classes for the first time as a law student. A few observations on the whole thing, now that it is behind us for the most part.
Here is my schedule for next year, subject to change:
Autumn 2006
Appellate Advocacy (Beazley)
First Amendment (Goldberger)
Business Associations (Oesterle)
The Federal Courts (Caust-Ellenbogen)
Administrative Law (Shane)
Winter 2007
Legislation Clinic (Huefner)
Evidence (Krivoshey)
Civil Procedure II (Greenbaum)
Advanced Constitutional Law (Laughlin)
Scheduling my classes in college was fun. I went to The University of Akron, and we had online registration there, just like we do at Ohio State. There were several things that made it different from the chaotic stress-fest it is in law school. First of all, there was no limit on the number of credits I could take. I would load up on as many as I could manage within the limits of my time and mental health.
Second, beyond the required classes for my major, and for the Honors Program, I could take what I found interesting. This meant a heavy dose of political science and history, including classes on the Civil War, linguistics, and philosophy. The requirements for my major weren't that bad, since I had tested out of some things in high school. So it was a fantastic opportunity for me to get the most out of college, and study the subjects I wanted.
Judging from yesterday's experience, law school is completely different.
There is very little, if any, time to take classes just because they sound interesting. Everyone who is in law school is preparing for a particular kind of law or job. So if you want to be a prosecutor or defense attorney, you need to get into the classes on criminal procedure, white collar crime, whatever is available. Personally, I am going to become a litigator and want to work in constitutional law, so I took as many procedural and constitutional law-related courses as I could.
Advice to future law students-plan out your schedule before registration. I can't say how it works at all law schools, but ours was like a cyber version of the Oklahoma Land Rush. I sat in the computer lab at 7:59, sweating because the computers and people make the room temperature about 100 degrees. There is no time to look up classes once the online registration window opens-just enter in the numbers as fast as you can.
I kept track of how fast the classes filled up. One that I tried to get was full in 7 minutes. Another was full at 8:05. Things have changed since undergrad. Now, instead of getting into and out of classes without a problem, the people who don't get in get stuck on a "wait list" and have to hope that people in the class drop or cancel. So it's a lot different than undergrad-much more competitive for a small number of classes, and ultimately no one gets everything that they want.
Also, there are some classes that are even more competitive than normal. These include the seminars, practica, and clinics. For these, everyone gets a "first choice request" to try and get the class they want. I used mine to get into the Legislation Clinic, because it only takes 12 people a semester, and is tough to get into.
Bottom line....another situation where stress boils over with a lot of people, but you just have to manage. Another situation where I have to rise above the anxiety and depression that are so easy to embrace right now.
Here is my schedule for next year, subject to change:
Autumn 2006
Appellate Advocacy (Beazley)
First Amendment (Goldberger)
Business Associations (Oesterle)
The Federal Courts (Caust-Ellenbogen)
Administrative Law (Shane)
Winter 2007
Legislation Clinic (Huefner)
Evidence (Krivoshey)
Civil Procedure II (Greenbaum)
Advanced Constitutional Law (Laughlin)
Scheduling my classes in college was fun. I went to The University of Akron, and we had online registration there, just like we do at Ohio State. There were several things that made it different from the chaotic stress-fest it is in law school. First of all, there was no limit on the number of credits I could take. I would load up on as many as I could manage within the limits of my time and mental health.
Second, beyond the required classes for my major, and for the Honors Program, I could take what I found interesting. This meant a heavy dose of political science and history, including classes on the Civil War, linguistics, and philosophy. The requirements for my major weren't that bad, since I had tested out of some things in high school. So it was a fantastic opportunity for me to get the most out of college, and study the subjects I wanted.
Judging from yesterday's experience, law school is completely different.
There is very little, if any, time to take classes just because they sound interesting. Everyone who is in law school is preparing for a particular kind of law or job. So if you want to be a prosecutor or defense attorney, you need to get into the classes on criminal procedure, white collar crime, whatever is available. Personally, I am going to become a litigator and want to work in constitutional law, so I took as many procedural and constitutional law-related courses as I could.
Advice to future law students-plan out your schedule before registration. I can't say how it works at all law schools, but ours was like a cyber version of the Oklahoma Land Rush. I sat in the computer lab at 7:59, sweating because the computers and people make the room temperature about 100 degrees. There is no time to look up classes once the online registration window opens-just enter in the numbers as fast as you can.
I kept track of how fast the classes filled up. One that I tried to get was full in 7 minutes. Another was full at 8:05. Things have changed since undergrad. Now, instead of getting into and out of classes without a problem, the people who don't get in get stuck on a "wait list" and have to hope that people in the class drop or cancel. So it's a lot different than undergrad-much more competitive for a small number of classes, and ultimately no one gets everything that they want.
Also, there are some classes that are even more competitive than normal. These include the seminars, practica, and clinics. For these, everyone gets a "first choice request" to try and get the class they want. I used mine to get into the Legislation Clinic, because it only takes 12 people a semester, and is tough to get into.
Bottom line....another situation where stress boils over with a lot of people, but you just have to manage. Another situation where I have to rise above the anxiety and depression that are so easy to embrace right now.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Motivation
It's February now, and I can't believe we're four weeks into this semester already. The way the schedule is set up at our school, we had exams in December, then we started class again the second week of January. I wasn't motivated then, and I don't feel motivated now.
I don't know what it is, but this semester has really felt like a drag. I know I said I was going to do things differently in 2006, but so far it feels a lot like 2005. The bottom line is, I just don't have a lot of motivation to do work. I got a lousy grade in one of my classes, and the exam is six weeks away, yet I only have 3 pages of the outline done (which will probably come to 30). I come back to my apartment from class at about 3:00, after our last class, and I sit on my rear end watching TV, playing video games, or doing anything but what I should be doing. It hurts to say this, but I have lost my mojo.
I don't know what I need to do, but I have to get a fire lit under me to work in law school. I do OK, but I need to be exceptional. What really hurts is that I know I am capable of great things if I can just overcome how overwhelmed I feel right now.
Today in class, one of our professors talked about a general principle of the legal profession (which probably applies to a lot of other professions too): the more time you put into being a law student, or being a lawyer, the more success you have. I understand that to be true, yet why do I handicap myself by not doing more? I should be 100% devoted to law school right now, yet I feel torn between spending time with family, recreation, time with God, and a host of other things. I know I am in law school for one reason, and one reason only, and that is to serve the Lord in some capacity. I just wish I knew how to light the fire, or to ask Him to help me get motivated, and I hope it will happen soon.
I don't know what it is, but this semester has really felt like a drag. I know I said I was going to do things differently in 2006, but so far it feels a lot like 2005. The bottom line is, I just don't have a lot of motivation to do work. I got a lousy grade in one of my classes, and the exam is six weeks away, yet I only have 3 pages of the outline done (which will probably come to 30). I come back to my apartment from class at about 3:00, after our last class, and I sit on my rear end watching TV, playing video games, or doing anything but what I should be doing. It hurts to say this, but I have lost my mojo.
I don't know what I need to do, but I have to get a fire lit under me to work in law school. I do OK, but I need to be exceptional. What really hurts is that I know I am capable of great things if I can just overcome how overwhelmed I feel right now.
Today in class, one of our professors talked about a general principle of the legal profession (which probably applies to a lot of other professions too): the more time you put into being a law student, or being a lawyer, the more success you have. I understand that to be true, yet why do I handicap myself by not doing more? I should be 100% devoted to law school right now, yet I feel torn between spending time with family, recreation, time with God, and a host of other things. I know I am in law school for one reason, and one reason only, and that is to serve the Lord in some capacity. I just wish I knew how to light the fire, or to ask Him to help me get motivated, and I hope it will happen soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)