Happy Halloween!

 Did you know that the ashes of Louis D. Brandeis (and his wife) are buried underneath the law school portico at The Louis D. Brandeis School of Law? It's true!

PERSPECTIVE

Family Scholar House

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the Family Scholar House Annual Luncheon where Lucille O'Neal, Shaq O'Neal's mother, spoke about her story  of triumph over the challenges of life as a single-mother through faith, hard work, perseverance and humor. I could relate to everything she said and was very inspired!


I wish I would have known of Family Scholar House when I was a teenage mother! 


Family Scholar House is a fantastic organization that is dedicated to helping people who are honestly willing to work hard to change their lives. I appreciate this. 


For any students looking for a place to do their public service, check out this organization! 

Law School Rocks! I Just Won an Ipod!

This came in my Law School Email today! Can someone say AWESOME!! Yay for me! 

Congratulations to Morgan Hancock and Tommy Clines!  They were entered into a raffle for buying their Decedents' Ball tickets last week and their names were drawn.  Each of them will receive an iPod curtesy of Barbri. 

 

I CAN DO THIS!!!

No More Procrastinating!

Believe it or not, for this brief moment in time, I actually feel on top of things. Amazing what happens when you stop procrastinating. I'm going to cherish this rare feeling. :-)

30 Days Left

30 days left until finals! If you are looking for me, I will have my nose in a book! Don't expect much blogging from me for the next 4 weeks! Wish me luck. See you on the other side. :-)

Owsley Brown

The Louis D. Brandeis School of Law community like so many others, expresses our gratitude for Owsley Brown’s interest in Justice Brandeis, and we share our sadness that Owsley Brown is no longer with us.

Recovering College Republican

“Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day,” “Affirmative Action Bake Sale,” “Fun-with-Guns Day.” These are only three examples of the many controversial events I hosted during my years as a College Republican. At the time, I was proud of these events. Looking back, however, I realize they were merely embarrassments, inching me closer to rock bottom and my current journey as a Recovering College Republican. ♥ ♥ ♥ Please click the link below to read the rest of the story. This was a hard piece to write but I believe it offers a good lesson for all of us, whatever our political beliefs. ♥ ♥ ♥ Leave comments! :-) Thank you!
FOR FULL STORY HERE, CLICK HERE!

Congressman John Yarmuth Visits

Congressman John Yarmuth came to campus this evening and talked to a small group of law students about everything from health care to the postal service.  (Thanks to American Constitutional Society for hosting this event!)

One of the most interesting things he discussed was the problem with media today. He said that when he was young, the average time for a sound-bite was roughly 46 seconds, today it is only 9 seconds.

What can really be expressed in 9 seconds?! How can someone explain a solution to something as complex as health care, the economy, or the war in Afganistan in only 9 seconds?! I don't know the answer, and neither did he, but there must be one. 

Let's put our heads together. Any suggestions? 

All-Nighters

Today has been the longest day ever, and it isn't over -- far from it. As I type this post I am ingesting my second energy shot of the day and gearing up for a dreaded all-nighter.

Not to whine, or brag, or whatever you want to call it, but I started off this morning with THREE parent teacher conferences, followed by property, followed by contracts, followed by a Q&A with Congressman John Yarmuth, followed the whole "tell-me-about-your-day" thing with the kiddos -- which all brings me to now....time to work on a Memo.

As I was driving home I was trying to think of ways I could sleep and push some work off until tomorrow, but then I stopped myself. I remembered that the kind of life/career I desire is going to require little sleep and I might as well get used to it now. So, I watched this inspirational video and threw back a 5-hour-energy.

Either I'll end up finding myself in an asylum someday, or finding fame and fortune. I am not sure which, I just know it wont be anywhere in the middle! :-)

Thanks to Cassie Restrepo for this awesome video!!

Appearance Matters

This morning, I was at the Starbucks at on 3rd street doing some work on my lap top when I needed to go the bathroom. I really didn’t want to leave my laptop out in the open, but I really didn’t want to take it into the bathroom with me either. So, I stood up, looked around the room, trying to determine who looked the most trustworthy. There were three other people in the room: 1.) A young guy, roughly 25, with a flat hat, baggy pants, and some Air Jordans. 2.) An older, probably 50ish, man who looked like he hadn’t showered in a month and his hair was starting to form dreads. 3.) A middle aged man in a suit and Blackberry in hand. I thought, "Bingo! #3 is my guy!" Problem is, the man in the suit is sitting awkwardly far away from me. When I walked over to his table and asked him to watch my laptop, it was pretty obvious to the others that I purposely didn’t ask them. They looked a little offended. I just smiled at them. Sorry fellas, but if you dress like a thug or a bum, I will treat you like a thug or a bum. Moral of the Story: Appearance Matters!

Brilliant Guide to Campaign Donations

After the emergence of Super PACs that followed recent court cases, political donors are nearly free to give as they choose, with their decisions guided mainly by how they want to direct their money. 


CLICK HERE for a sample of donation goals and the options for achieving them.

A "C" Never Looked So Good

We were given back our first graded assignment this morning. It was a Memorandum about Workers' Compensation.

Before handing them back to us, the professor went on and on about everything wrong with them. Even informing some of us that we need to go back to the undergraduate writing center and get some help! She then informed us that there were only a few A's and even they weren't that great. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but she had most of us gearing up for a big fat "F."

So, when the moment finally came, and I flipped to the last page of my Memo to find a big fat "C" instead, it was a relief.

All in all, I'm happy with this "C," but determined to do better next Memo!

Lesson Learned

Some advice: If you have a Law School Blog, it is NOT a good idea to call out your professor by name, and encourage him to "Bring it" next class, because he will take you up on it, and you will look like a total idiot, for the second time...

(Seriously?! What was I thinking with this one? Click here) 

Sorry, But You Wouldn't Understand.

It's that time of year when the family starts calling and arranging holiday schedules. Coordinating a holiday schedule is hard enough on a traditional family, but throw a handful of divorces in there and you will start to consider hiring an Events Coordinator. :-)

This year, Thanksgiving falls only days before our 1st final exam!! I've already placed my family on alert that I can not host Thanksgiving at my home this year. As much as I would love to, I'll have far too much studying to do.

As the semester progresses, our work load is increasing, and my unanswered text messages and emails are building up. I want to say sorry to my friends and family who may feel like I am ignoring them, I'm not doing it becuase I don't care.

For those who have never been to Law School, you can't understand. You may have been able to study for an exam in a week or two when you went to college, but Law School exams don't work that way. We spend the entire semester preparing for ONE exam.

So, once again, sorry to all my Friends and Family who may feel neglected by me right now. Thanksgiving may not be great, but I promise you'll have my undivided attention come Christmas!!!

GRRRR!!!!

Last Friday I spent 3 hours working on an assignment that ended up miraculously disappearing from my PC. I bitterly re-did the assignment yesterday. I just showed up at school 10 minutes ago, went to pull out my lap-top in order to print off the assignment that is due in 90 minutes and...no lap top. I left it at home. Grrr! So, yup, I am doing this assignment for the 3rd time. I guess the good news is I will be very, very familiar with the material. (Ok, that doesn't help, but I'm just trying to see the silver lining.) 

Beware the Acorns

Warning: These acorns falling outside the law school are dangerous. One literally just tried to take my life! :-)

Law Students Occupying Wall Street

It’s a joke for  law students to be a part of these protests, because if Goldman Sachs brought them on as an in-house counsel, they’d take the job today. You show me a 99 Percenter, and I’ll show you a kid who would do public relations for  Halliburton faster than you can say “the  name is KBR.” 

Thanks, Elie Mystal

I Miss my Pre-Law School Life

What an amazing, long weekend! I took the entire weekend off from studying. (Well, except for that final exam on Saturday, of course.)

This was the best weekend I’ve had in 9 weeks and I’m very sad that it’s over.  Really sad, actually. A lot more sad than I expected to be.

I’ve been living such a rat race ever since law school started that I hadn’t even noticed how many things I miss from my pre-law school life.

I miss cooking. I miss trying new recipes, the house always smelling so cozy, and watching my family enjoy whatever new thing I just made.

I miss decorating. I don’t have a single fall-themed decoration in the house. This time last year the house would have been decked out in pumpkins and scarecrows and hay bales and always smelling like some type of spice!

I miss working out. Pre-law school I worked out every day. How many times have I worked out since school started? Zero.

I miss my family. Yeah.... I really, really, really miss my family. Oh, and by the way, my oldest kids won their football championship this Saturday and my youngest finally started saying “Mommy” the right way!

I’ll be fine by Tuesday. I’ll be back in the rat-race with no time for these thoughts, but today it is Monday, and I’m sad. 

Legal Research Final

This exam was harder than I expected, but I think I did OK and I'm happy it is over! I know, not like me to write so little, but I'm exhausted! 

Congrats to all my classmates! We made it through the first exam! Have a relaxing and celebratory weekend!

Morning of 1st Final!

‎6:00AM, the morning of my 1st final! Feeling totally prepared! Travis' card didn't hurt things either! :-)

Playin' Hookie in Order to Study....??!

I'm not really sure if I should say this on my Law School Blog but, I'm playing hookie right now! 


I had a tough decision to make.


A.) Skip class and spend the day home alone and kid-free until 5:00PM cramming for my Legal Research Final Exam which is tomorrow morning. 
B.) Go to school and then study tonight, with 4 little munchkins running around. 


I chose "A."


After all, part of the purpose of law school is to teach us how to prioritize our time. Once we are lawyers, the demand for our time will always be higher than the supply. We will always have to analyze and decide what is most important and what goes higher on the priority list. 


Out of my juggling act of class, kids, and study-time, I had to prioritize. And today, study-time won!

Over here, guys! I think I see one!

Alright.


I'm about to get real nerdy on y'all. Legal Research, to me, is like a big, fun, complicated Easter egg hunt! 


Woo hoo! Fun times on a Thursday afternoon~!

Cordas v Peerless Transportation Co.

If I ever write an opinion, I hope it has this much flair. There for a second I forgot I was reading a casebook! 


Here is an excerpt from Justice Carlin's opinion in Cordas v. Peerless Trans. Co.

Returning to our chauffeur. If the philosophic Horatio and the martial companions of his watch were ‘distilled almost to jelly with the act of fear’ when they beheld ‘in the dead vast and middle of the night’ the disembodied spirit of Hamlet’s father stalk majestically by ‘with a countenance more in sorrow than in anger’ was not the chauffeur, though unacquainted with the example of these eminent men-at-arms, more amply justified in his fearsome reactions when he was more palpably confronted by a thing of flesh and blood bearing in its hand an engine of destruction which depended for its lethal purpose upon the quiver of a hair?

In other words, if those guys were scared of a ghost, how much more scared would you be of a guy holding you at gun point!? 

Goodbye, Steve Jobs

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.” - Steve Jobs

I Know The Feeling

Attn: October 2011 LSAT Takers

Over the weekend, thousands of law school hopefuls took the LSAT. I remember this time last year, showing up at the testing center with my plastic baggy full of "authorized items" and a stomach full of butterflies. 


As stressful as I thought that Saturday morning to be, it was cupcakes and unicorns compared to the war-zone I'm in now. 


I'm not saying this to scare you October LSAT takers, I'm telling you as a segue into this piece of advice: enjoy the remaining ten months of your life. 


Cherish them. Savor them. Seize them. Because this time next year, you will be yearning for thier return. 


That being said, congrats to everyone who took the exam and feels good about it. Everyone else, there’s always December!


PS: If you're looking for a good school. I know of one! Hint Hint. (Click here) 

Short-Term Marriage Contracts

I can't believe I'm saying this, but, I honestly think this is a great idea.

Legally speaking, I have no qualms with these "Short-Term Marriage Contracts." They're smart, efficient, and commonsensical. 

Your thoughts?

Click here for more info.

'Bout Time Someone Said It!

“Attacking me is not going to convince me that I should take a bigger hit because I happen to be wealthy. … I’ve tried poor and I’ve tried rich and I like rich better, doesn’t mean I’m a bad guy. … I didn’t go into business to create a public policy success for either party, Republican or Democrat. I went into business to create jobs, to create opportunity, to create value for myself and my investors.” -BET Founder, Robert Johnson

Andy Rooney

As aspiring lawyers, we all appreciate attention to detail. But what I appreciate most about this video (click here) is not Andy's attention to the fine print, but rather the fact that all Andy had to do was pick up a newspaper to come up with a pretty good essay. 


I envy writers like Andy: concise, clever, commonsensical. 


Last night, as Andy closed out his final appearance on 60 minutes, he said this about the end: "Writers don't retire, and I'll always be a writer."  Amen to that. :-)

First Memorandum is FINISHED!

Just turned in my first assignment that is for an actual grade! (Dun, Dun, Dun, Duhhhhhhh!)

It was scary, it was daunting, but it's over -- and 1,000 bricks just fell off my shoulders.

Brief victory dance will now ensue: YAY!!! PARTY!! WHOOO HOOO! DANCE!! YEE HAW!!

Ok. That's enough. Legal Research Final Exam is this Saturday.

Crap, the bricks just came back...

It's a Game

I genuinely enjoy law school. It's fun. I spend my days laughing, smiling, and joking.

Yet, I've noticed that not all of classmates share this same enthusiasm, buoyancy, or amusement concerning their legal education. And, admittedly, their seriousness has sometimes caused me to ask myself, "Am I not taking this whole law school thing serious enough?" 

The answer is, "No." 

It's not that I don't take law school seriously, but rather it's that I recognize legal education for what it is: a game. 

Law school is a game. Lawyering is a game. And if you have the right skills and know the rules, games are fun! 

So, relax, get the skills, learn the rules, and just play the dog-gone game! :-)