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A Day in the Life of a 1L
After reading Emily’s post on what it’s like to be a 2L evening student, I thought it might be interesting for readers to see what the life of a 1L day student is like. I was exhausted reading about Emily’s day—congrats to her for living it!—I promise mine is not nearly as packed (or exciting).
I’m blogging about my Tuesday, which tends to be my busy day. Like Emily, I’ve also noted times where students might do things differently.
***
7:00AM—Alarm goes off and it’s still dark outside. Lovely. I’m getting ready for school, fixing my lunch, and making sure everything is in order for the day. I like to take my time and watch a little TV too, so I usually have Saved by the Bell on in the mornings (nothing like remembering how easy high school was!)
9:00AM—Off to school. Class doesn’t start until 10:00, but I like to be early.
9:10AM—At school and sitting in the Legal Research Center. I usually catch up with friends and other pod mates for a bit and check my email. Other people grab coffee and a baked good, catch up on reading, or play ping pong
10:00AM—Class! Civil Procedure, can be a toughie, but we usually get a ten-minute break. We’re lurking in Erie territory, and today, I’m called on to brief a case; happily, it goes off without a hitch.
12:00PM—Class is over and we’re out for lunch. I have 2 hours until my next class. I’m off to the LRC to eat, but one great perk about Lewis & Clark is there’s always a free lunch to be had somewhere. There are so many lunch time events going on around campus—from Career Services first years’ panel or informational meetings on judicial clerkships; meetings for NEDC, IPSO, International Law Society and the Women’s Law Caucus; to skills workshops or other panels—lots of the programs entice students with free pizza, sandwiches, drinks, cookies, etc. Not only is it a great way to get some food, but it’s also a wonderful way to stay involved and learn about what’s happening on campus. While I’ll spend my break in the LRC, other students will head to the library or Wood Hall to catch up on reading or to get ahead.
2:00PM—Back to class, this time for Contracts. We’re covering consideration and promissory estoppel, which is heavy stuff so we’re taking our time through this section.
3:20PM—Class is over and I’m done for the day! I spend a few minutes chatting with friends and then we all depart, some head to the library/Wood Hall to read, others hop on their bikes and head home. I trek over to the parking lot and run a few quick errands.
4:30PM—Finally home. I went to the grocery store (I usually try to do this on the weekends, so I can keep my time focused on studying, but I didn’t make it this weekend) and to the post office. I’m going to spend some time putting away groceries, make a light snack and pick up around the house. And then I’ll start studying.
5:15PM—…Maybe I’ll take a quick nap first.
6:00PM—Ok, really should open the books now. The good news is I’ve already read Thursday’s Contracts assignment and I’ve done half of Thursday’s Civ Pro reading (I like to try to keep at least a day ahead on my readings). Our Wednesday Torts class is rescheduled for next week, so I don’t have to work on that at the moment, either. Part of the reason why I like to keep ahead on my readings (being able to keep your head above water is reason enough though!) is that I also have an internship. My internship offers me great flexibility, so I can work from home if I can’t make it to the office that week. Once I finish up my schoolwork, I’m going to spend a couple of hours on this week’s assignment for my internship. I’m usually drafting memos or writing case briefs, so most of tonight’s work will be research based.
9:00PM—Whoops, time to eat dinner!
9:20PM—And back to work…
Midnight—Time to go to bed. My cut off point is usually midnight, unless I absolutely have to get something done. I’m a bit of a night owl, so I get the most work and my best work done in the evenings, hence my schedule is heavy toward the night hours. Some students are like I am, but not everyone is this way. My friends who study at the library after class will usually be there from the end of class (3ish) until 8pm. If they study straight on through and they’re done at 8, it’s doing the same amount of work I do, though I start later and end later.
Choice
So…this is my first blog post on my first ever blog. It’s hard to know what to write about. I could tell you how awesome school is, or even, the reverse. And, in certain ways, both will be true. The school is fantastic. The teachers are always willing to help, students are friendly, the organizations are active, etc… All in all, I really do get the feeling that pretty much everyone here cares about the school. This is the same feeling that occurred when I visited this place some months ago, and, importantly, it isn’t a feeling I received from other schools. But, this isn’t to say everything is rosy. Law school can be tough, physically and emotionally. There is always work to be done, and a lot of the time, it is really, really boring. What’s worse, you’ll likely forget it by the time you need it, or, maybe, (this is the fun part) it won’t be the law anymore. All this makes school demanding, in every sense. Add to that the fact that this is, by far, the furthest I have ever moved from “home” and it just makes things that much more trying. (Indeed, it is just about the furthest I could have moved from home and still been in the States.) It is not so much that I have felt homesick or anything, quite the opposite really; Portland feels more like home than many places in Virginia did. Which, I think, really says something about Portland, i.e. it is pretty rad, to use the local slang. Let me qualify this a little, if you love any of the following things, you’ll probably love Portland:
- Bicycles
- Music
- Co-ops
- Markets
- Beer
- Liberal/Radical Politics (I’ll just lump these in.)
- Mountains (Volcanoes!)
- Food
- Street Food
- Vegetarianism/Veganism
- General Friendliness
The list can go on, but this just about sums up my experiences so far. All these things, I think, are pretty great. But there is always something that evens it out, right? Nowhere is always wonderful. The infamous rain has yet to really start, and I imagine it will put a damper on some of my Portland enthusiasm. But what’s worse, and ultimately more important: unemployment. According to the Dept. of Labor the rate here in Oregon is at 11.5%, while the national rate is 9.8%. A bit worse, but it seems few places are faring well. It’s hard for me to know how this could affect summer jobs, or how the economy will be doing in a couple years, but it is a worry in the air here.
So, now, you may be wondering what the point to all of this is…me too. I think it’s to be found in these really simple, seemingly obvious, statements. A lot goes into making a choice. A lot of those things we consider we are going to get wrong. And, a lot of factors we will just never be able to consider. But somehow, things can still work out.
A Typical Day in the Life of a Full-time Working, Evening Student
The other day, while deciding what to write my most recent blog post about, I realized that while I’ve posted a lot about events that have occurred on campus and in the Portland area, I haven’t really provided a “snapshot” of my daily life. To some being an evening student may be a bit daunting but it is entirely doable and still provides an opportunity to have life outside law school and work. Below is what my day was like yesterday (with some notations about how things may differ at other times.* 5:30 a.m. - Alarm goes off. It’s early and dark - instead of jumping out of bed I’m going to hit the snooze for a bit.* 6:00 a.m. - Finally drag myself out of bed and begin the process of getting ready.*6:30 a.m. - I grab a coat and my rain boots, put my dog on a leash and head outside to briefly walk the dog. (Note: Having a dog during law school is the best - they provide you unconditional love!).*6:40 a.m. - Back inside from the walk. I make some peanut butter toast and grab a cup of coffee and head out the door.*6:50 a.m. - I’m walking to work and it’s DARK outside. I can’t wait until “fall back” this weekend so it will lighten up a little.*7:00 a.m. - I arrive at work and boot up my computer. While my computer is booting I have a brief chat with a coworker about the lack of physical activity and movement in our modern lives. I’m trying to figure out how to fit in a workout regularly so I don’t feel like such a slug.*7:15 a.m. - My boss (an attorney) has reviewed and approved two letters that I drafted yesterday so I convert them to pdf and electronically fax them.*7:45 a.m. - I receive an e-mail from my boss concerning the potential settlement of a client’s case. I had previously conducted a review of the claim and drafted the settlement demand and she needs some additional information in order to make a proper response to the defense counsel’s counter-offer.*8:30 a.m. - I complete my evaluation of the points my boss wanted me to address and e-mail her re: same.*8:45 a.m. - Time for a cup of tea - Yerba Maté (it’s my new saviour because it has natural caffeine!).*8:50 a.m. - It’s time for me to begin working on a settlement proposal in another case. Typically drafting a settlement offer involves combing through a voluminous claim file and writing a persuasive letter as to why we think we will prevail in court if we don’t settle. I’ve been working on this case since Monday. It’s amazing how little interruptions like phone calls from clients, etc. prevent you from completing big projects as quickly as you would like.*9:30 a.m. - I have a question concerning an idea for one of my arguments in the settlement letter so I head into one of the attorney’s offices in order to run my argument by her. I want to make certain my idea has merit before incorporating it into the letter.*9:45 a.m. - I return to drafting the settlement proposal.*11:30 a.m. - Hunger has struck - I grab my tupperware and head to the kitchen to warm up my food. Then I return to my desk and continue working while eating. (Note: not talking a lunch break is my choice because I have a good writing flow going).*1:00 p.m. - A client unexpectedly drops by to see me and drop off paperwork. I briefly meet with him and appraise him of the status of his case.*1:25 p.m. - Time for some more tea!*1:30 p.m. - And I’m back to working on the settlement demand.*2:45 p.m. - I’m called into an attorney’s office to discuss our strategy on another case that is pending in litigation. We have briefs due in early November and I will be assisting with the legal research and part of the brief writing.3:00 p.m. - Time to head home for a brief break before school.*3:15 p.m. - I’ve arrived at home. I put on my tennis shoes and head out the door with my dog. Luckily it’s not raining (although the sky is still gray) so I’m heading on a long walk with my dog around the waterfront.*4:30 p.m. - I’m back at home. Time to pack up my books and laptop for school. After packing up I give my Mom a call to catch up.*5:15 p.m. - Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to school I go. I’m in the car and headed on the 10 minute (if there is minimal traffic) to school.*5:30 p.m. - I walk into the Legal Research Center at Lewis and Clark. Since I have 30 minutes before class starts I’m going to get ahead on a little of my reading.*5:55 p.m. - Head to class.*6:00 p.m. - Commence Conflicts of Law (which state or country’s law applies in a multi-state dispute) class. Today we are discussing how a U.S. Court obtains personal jurisdiction over foreign plaintiffs.*7:20 p.m. - Conflicts is over. I have a 40 minute break before my next class so I head to the next classroom in order to do a little more reading ahead (and also a little checking of Facebook and e-mail).*7:45 p.m. - A few of my friends and I created a “dinner club” this year. There are 4 of us involved and every Monday and Wednesday one of us brings dinner for all of us. This means that we all are well fed and on Monday’s and Wednesdays and only have to cook a meal once every other week. Today is Meg’s day to bring dinner and she’s made delicious homemade chicken noodle soup and toasted some sourdough bread.*8:00 p.m. - Alternative Dispute Resolutions begins. Today we have mock mediations in groups of three. I’m an attorney for an injured teenager and we are suing the school board for negligence related to a slip and fall accident. We proceed with mediation and miraculously reach a settlement in our allotted time (only 3 groups in our class reached an agreement, the other 16 were at an impasse). We head back to class for a debriefing session with the professor.*9:20 p.m. - Class is over.*9:40 p.m. - I meet a few friends for a margarita in SE Portland.*10:30 p.m. - I head with one of my friends to her house to pick up a part of my Halloween costume that I’m borrowing from her.*11:00 p.m. - Back at home. Time to take the dog out quickly and then head to sleep. Good night world! Tomorrow begins a similar schedule.
Hotch Potch…
The phrase describes this past month, and I just learned last week that it has legal significance. Then of course, everything has legal significance when you are in law school. Some highlights from the month include, I became court certified which means I can appear in court. I did not expect to get giddy over this happening, however, when the letter came, I felt warm fuzzies inside.
My sister got married! She met a great guy at the dog park and we ALL fell in love with him.
Because I am an “older” student and well established in this community, I did not come to law school looking for friendship. But, I have met some of the most kind, thoughtful and interesting people at Lewis and Clark. This is one of them—my friend Julien. There is a Mexican restaurant called Los Costita near campus, and we finally made the time to meet for some mid day nibbles and prattle.
Even though I can hardly justify light reading and messing around in the kitchen, I still do it…
It doesn’t always rain in Portland. This Saturday was perfectly beautiful, so we took the kids to the pumpkin patch to fulfill our seasonal duties and enjoy some outdoor fun. The farm we visited had cider pressing, rope making, corn grinding, pumpkin launching, hay climbing, corn mazing, tractor riding, pumpkin picking fun. Even my teenagers had a good time.
Hotch-pot, or hotch-potch, in English law, is the name given to a rule of equity whereby a person, interested along with others in a common fund, and having already received something in the same interest, is required to surrender what has been so acquired into the common fund, on pain of being excluded from the distribution.
Explore Portland!
I think of this week as the Week of No Return. Extra time has become increasingly short as the assignments and readings have become longer and more complex. We just reached the semester’s mid-point and everyone, including myself, is beginning to get into a flurry, raiding the supplies for extra notebooks, pens, highlighters, sticky notes, and power cords and buckling down to begin outlining for final exams. Outside of school, I also do pro bono work with a community organization and have an internship with a non-profit group, so time is always at a premium for me. Regardless of how busy school is getting it, I’ve found my work outside of school to be not only personally fulfilling, but also a great way to practice and apply the skills I am learning in class.
In an effort to escape the boiling pot that law school can sometimes be, my friends and I have adopted the weekly tradition of “Explore Portland.” Explore Portland is our Thursday night ritual (though we should probably change the name from “Explore Portland” to “Eat Portland”). We’ve ticked a number of Portland hot spots off our list, including: Last Thursday on NE Alberta, Podnah’s BBQ, the Laurelhurst Theater, King’s Burritos, Pok Pok, and next week we’re adopting a Halloween theme and visiting Portland’s Haunted Houses. This week we dined at Delta Café and Bar for a taste of the good ol’ South. There were hush puppies in a pond, chicken fried steak, biscuits and collared greens, and plenty of sweet tea to go around. (photo courtesy of Lindsay Ray).
Law school is intense, wonderful, crazy, enriching, and frustrating; it’s an emotional experience. I’ve learned in my short time here (nine weeks in!) that it’s important to take a step back every once in awhile, and for me, that’s Explore Portland. It’s a designated evening each week, where I take time leave the law school bubble (admittedly, many lame jokes about negligence and duties owed abound at Explore Portland dinners), to take time for myself, and to enjoy being in Portland. Stepping back from my studies for one night a week, isn’t going to set me back; to the contrary, I see it as a chance to recharge my batteries and reflect and embrace the law school experience.
