Category: Law

We made it!

A midnight editing session

Today is finally the last day of fall semester, and we made it. I say “we” because I would probably be lying in the corner of the law library, crumpled with defeat, if it weren’t for Nick. Last night, he was with me to the end, helping me edit my paper on issue-framing at midnight. Midnight! (He even tried to make me feel good, by claiming it was the funnest work he’s had all year.)

I am so lucky to have such a supportive and generous man for a partner. 

The truth about law school exams

One more video for you on the law exam experience. This one is a lot funnier than the clip from The Paper Chase, and sadly so, so on point. 

Studying for law school finals

While The Paper Chase is usually viewed as a caricature of law school in the 70s, a lot of it still holds true today - even if you aren’t a student at Harvard Law. For those of you wondering what the energy is like on campus right now, this clip from the movie just about sums it up. Most of the craziness is generated by starry-eyed 1Ls and some eager 2Ls, hoping to increase their class rank. My class of 3Ls is mostly wandering the halls wondering if we can get a B- without having read a single case this semester.

PC Police’s Email is Misguided

It’s law school exam time - the time where students’ creativity finds an outlet in colorful phrases about the difficulty of particular tests. When I say colorful, I mean sexually charged and often vulgar.

One university, Northwestern University of Law, is asking students to watch their language this year. The SBA sent out this warning to students (emphasis added):

In recognition of that diversity and collegiality, our Dean’s Statement on Community makes it clear that we, as the standard bearers of the legal profession, are to be mindful and respectful of each other’s varied experiences, and, at a minimum, refrain from the “unthinking use of stereotypes and engaging in humor at the expense of community members”, irrespective of the context in which the words are uttered (whether it be in an intellectual debate or in casual discourse). Therefore, to be clear, saying things like “that’s so gay”, “that exam raped me”, or any racial or sexual epithet, are inappropriate and unacceptable. Accordingly, we ask that every student be cognizant of the critical role you play in maintaining NUSL’s vibrant diverse, collegial and supportive student culture and refrain from using such language.

Let me say very clearly: phrases like “that’s so gay” are offensive and shouldn’t be used. The SBA took their message a little too far, though, in its attempt to prevent (or reprimand?) people for saying “that exam raped me” to protect rape victims. Everybody’s got their own personal list of things they would prefer not to hear. It seems a fair bit of overreaching from a bunch of busy-body PCers to try to impose that list on others.

What I really wanted to say (and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to my point) is that the SBA missed an opportunity to impart a more important message - that you are students in a professional program, building your reputation as lawyers. This type of language is inappropriate because it is crass and careless. If you don’t want to be perceived as a crass and careless lawyer when you graduate, then knock it off. If you don’t care what people think of you in this shrinking job market, then by all means be as vulgar and profane as you like.

Five reasons you shouldn’t go to law school

At a reception last night to honor Jenny Durkan, the new US Attorney for the Western District of Washington, I overheard a judge talking about his daughter who just took the LSAT. People listening let out audible groans - mostly because they know too well the three years of hell law school that await her, which may or may not lead to a career that sets her hair on fire.

With only a semester (and a couple weeks) to go before graduating, I can only offer my thoughts on the decision to pursue a J.D. Here are my top five reasons why you shouldn’t go to law school:

1. Don’t go to law school because you’re lured by the prospect of making money. As many high-profile managing partners have mentioned recently, the job-market for lawyers is pitiful. Most law grads will not get the six-figure salaries so often touted by the LSAT prep courses and the university career departments. Go because you’re excited about the prospect of gaining skills that will allow you to truly help people and make the world a little better.

2. Don’t go because you’re trying to please someone else who thinks law school is the right path for you. Law school is simply too hard, too time consuming, too emotionally draining, and too physically challenging an undertaking to do it for anybody else but yourself.

3. Don’t go to law school because you have nothing else to do. Remember those egg ads from the 80s - “this is your brain; this is your brain on drugs.” They forgot to mention, that if you leave that frying egg in the pan until it is black and crispy, that is your brain on law school. You need a reason for attending law school that will sustain you in the darkest hours (that would be around 2 a.m. when you have a half-completed appellate brief due the next day and 120 pages of reading to do for class at 8:30 in the morning). You’ve got to want it so badly, that your soul aches. Only then will it be worth the effort.

4. Don’t go because you think law school will serve as a “default” option - a doorway to just about anything. Did I mention that the workload is grueling? More importantly, tuition costs are astronomical and going up. When you’re considering whether to take on $150,000 of debt (plus lost income for three years), it is so important that you are enrolled because the law degree makes sense as a lucrative option for your future. How else are you going to pay down those debts?! (Refer to reason #1.)

5. Finally, don’t go to law school if you don’t have the requisite emotional fortitude. I met a solo practitioner at Seattle Rep last night who characterized being a lawyer as the only profession where people tell you you’re wrong all day long. Consider what that might mean to you before dedicating three years and a lot of money to get there.

I really don’t mean to suggest people shouldn’t attend law school. If the most difficult things are the most rewarding things, law school has been one of the richest experiences of my life - right up there with living abroad for a year. Even after two and a half years, I still feel blessed by the opportunity to spend my days with incredibly smart people, grappling with intellectually stimulating problems. Please just consider your reasons for going to law school and make sure they are ones that will get you through.