Topic: 1L

1 Done

Such a cliche I know, but this year has passed by so fast it’s a little stunning. I think the amount of head-down, driven and focussed, working through the hard times effort that being a 1L requires made time speed up and act like it’s on fast-forward. The thousands of pages read, the countless hours in the library, the looming deadlines and exams all merge afterward into a single, satisfying, and incredibly dense chunk of time.

It feels great to be on the other side of it. It’s a little like paddling into a big wave, one you’re not sure you’ll be able to make the drop on, undergoing a few harrowing, off-balance seconds when you just might be cast off to be tossed and churned, and making it through the bottom turn and starting to relax and enjoy yourself. We’re all still on the wave, and the possibility of wiping out is still very present, but we’ve basically got it under control.

This Summer, I’ll be doing research for a professor, and hopefully working on some civil rights litigation here in Portland. I’ll make regular posts over the Summer and into the next year of school at least. To all who made it through, congratulations. To those coming in this Fall, well, good luck, just keep at it and you’ll do fine.

I certainly feel different from when I entered school. Gone is the big hair and beard, 35 pounds have been lost to the daily bike ride, I fell in with love a new city and had my heart broken, all while learning more than I ever though possible in the span of a single school year.

15 May 2009

Hard to believe the year is almost over

So I’ve been a bit delinquent in my blog postings. Of course my delinquency is for good reason: life has been busy, so busy in fact that I don’t know quite where to begin. In the past month + all of us first years handed in our legal analysis and writing appellate brief project and then headed downtown to the Multnomah County Court house in order to present oral arguments. The oral arguments were judged by our legal writing professors, tas, and some area attorneys. It was helpful to receive some feedback - both things that were good and things I need to improve upon. One of my biggest weaknesses was starting to answer a Judge’s question before they had finished asking it - a bad habit that I picked up from my years of debate where you didn’t want the opponent to finish their question. This experience made me realize that I would enjoy participating in moot court and that is something that I will hopefully be exploring in the next couple years.

There have also been quite a networking events in the past month. Career services hosted an end-of-the-year social for the mentoring program. My attorney mentor and I met up and enjoyed some appetizers  and wine while chatting and meeting other attorneys and judges. One of the judges invited me to visit her court room and I’m hoping to take advantage of that once finals are over.

I also attended “Drinks with Drummie” - an event hosted by my Torts Professor Henry Drummonds. Every year Prof. Drummonds offers 20 people the chance to have drinks with and food with him in order to raise money for PILP (Public Interest Law Project). A few of my evening podmates as well as some other 2ls and 3ls bid on the spots and then went to the Lucky Lab where we were able to get to know Prof. Drummonds outside of the classroom environment. It was great to hear his “war stories” and meet some other LC students.

Now, it’s time to start studying for finals. This week is the last week of lectures and then finals start next Friday. Most of my free time will be spent pouring over my textbooks and outlines. I do planning on taking a break for two Women’s Law Caucus events - the semester happy hour and a brunch at Dean Martha Spence’s house.

I’m signing off for now but will be updating the blog to report on the happenings of the summer. Until then…

23 April 2009