Outlining In My Office

I am finally getting used to having multiple deadlines every week. As a 1L I had to get used to going an entire semester without having many deadlines. Sure I had a mind numbingly dull Legal Research assignment that was due on weekly basis and several Memos/Briefs due each semester in Reasoning, Writing and Advocacy (RWA), but for the most part any other deadlines I had were self imposed. But as I mentioned in my previous post, I now have multiple assignments due each week. This week my primary projects are a 5+ page outline of my Law Review note and the beginning of graded oral arguments in Moot Court. Thankfully, I don’t have any extra due in Lawyering Skills this week.

I typically spend my time working on these assignments in the  Bowen Law Library. This semester I have my own private study carrel in the library, which I typically refer to as my office. I tend to do the majority of my studying in here but I also use it as a locker for the majority of my books and school supplies. I even have some snacks stored up for a rainy day. Does anyone like Sundried Tomato & Basil Wheat Thins?  (I don’t store my laptop in here though, so don’t get any bright ideas!) Check out another Bowen Blogger’s post on his study carrel to see a picture of an office similar to mine.

In any event, I probably should get back to work on this outline.

Caught Up?

This is the first weekend in a while where I wasn’t rushing to complete an assignment of some sort. Between Law Review, Moot Court & Lawyering Skills I, it seems that I have something due every Sunday or Monday.

It’s a refreshing change to be setting my own study/assignment schedule this weekend, as opposed to having it set for me. I’m not quite sure exactly how it happened, but somewhere along the way the work began piling up. It was all I could do to just complete things in time. (I even had to request a 24-hour extension on a law review assignment that was due this past Monday, and a 48-hour extension on a Lawyering skills assignment that was due last Sunday.)

Although I successfully did absolutely nothing school-related yesterday (Saturday), I have decided to come to the law library today (Sunday) to actually try to get ahead for this weeks classes. I have been neglecting my substantive classes this semester due to all of the time I’ve had to spend on assignments for my writing classes. So my goal for today is to do all of  this weeks reading in Constitutional Law & Evidence. And if for some reason I have time, I’ll try to do the same for Disability Law. I also need to take a look at the Spring 2011 Externship Placements to see which, if any, I would like to apply for.

So until next time… you should rewatch the Public Defender & Murder Trial Documentary I posted about earlier.

Public Defender & Murder Trial Documentary

I stumbled on a very interesting documentary (Murder on a Sunday Morning) on YouTube a few weeks back and wanted to share it with all of you. The film revolves around the investigation and trial of a teenager accused of murder. It does a great job of showing things from the public defender’s perspective. If I had one complaint, it was that it didn’t focus much on the prosecutions arguments… but the ending made up for that.
I hope  you enjoy!

Part 1/12

Part 2/12

Part 3/12

Part 4/12

Part 5/12

Part 6/12

Part 7/12

Part 8/12

Part 9/12

Part 10/12

Part 11/12

Part 12/12

A New 2L Flavor

Life at Bowen has a different flavor as a 2L. I intend for this post to be a rambling of some of the musings that have been rolling around in my head lately.

While 1L felt more structured, 2L feels much more scattered. Perhaps this is because while as a 1L my classes were more-or-less with the same people, my classmates in my 2L classes widely vary depending on the class. I now share classes with former and current part-time students, with 3Ls, and with students who have transferred into the school. Where I used to be able to approach nearly any full-time 1L with questions about any of our classes, I now have to remember which of my buddies I have in the particular class I am in. While most of my 1L classes were in the same classroom where I always sat in the  same half of the same row, I now have classes in more classrooms and don’t sit in the same row for any two classes. I also don’t sit next to (or even near) the same people in more than one class.

The word “scattered” probably carries with it a more negative connotation than I really intend. Although there is undoubtedly more comfort in repetition and consistency, it is quite nice to broaden the group of students I regularly talk to. The 1L cliques are a little more broken up this time around and I think this is a good thing.

Another huge difference between my first year in law school and the start of my second year is the overall focus. As a 1L all of the focus was on learning the law and, of course, learning how to write memos and briefs. But the focus has shifted a bit as a 2L. The 2010 Fall Semester has only been in session for a couple of months and On Campus Interviews are already nearing an end. I’d have to say that there were at least two times (possibly even three times) as many firms holding interviews for 2Ls than there were last Spring for 1Ls. Depending on the day there are any number of students dressed in suits who are on their way to or from clerkships, externships, interviews and/or other non-legal jobs.

Academically speaking, my focus has also shifted a bit. I’m spending most of my “study time” working on my Law Review Note, my Moot Court brief and my weekly lawyering skills assignments (which include writing things such complaints, answers, counter-complaints, litigation plans, etc.). It seems that the substantive classes take the back seat to these writings.

All-in-all being a 2L has a much different feel than being a 1L. If I was forced to decide whether or not this is a good thing or a bad thing, I would probably say both. But I would tell you one thing for sure… I’m glad I’m a 2L and can’t wait until I’m a 3L.

Ideas anyone?

If anyone can figure out a way to squeeze a few extra hours into a day, then please let me know. That is all. Have a nice day.