Oral Arguments [John]

Our Lawyer Skills class is not going client interviews this year. I dont know why, but we were given a packet instead describing the procedure etc. However, today I had my oral argument for the motion to disqualify memorandum I had to write. It went pretty well. We argued in front of the judge (aka professor) and she shot questions at us. It was pretty intense...A lot more intense than the moot court I was back at the beginning of my first semester. She drilled us on the case law and wanted us to provide the authority for everything we said.

It was great practice for our appellate argument in front of a panel which will occur later in April. Since the argument is over, I have a little bit of down time before the next memo. Hopefully this will give me more time to catch up on outlining for my other classes.

It is a great day! [John]

Our New RNC Chairman!!!!

It is a great day for the GOP and its an even better day for America. Chairman Michael Steele is exactly what our party needs. He is an amazing communicator that can get out there an carry the message of the Republican movement.

It is also a great day since my memorandum was turned in. The next step is to argue my position (opposition to the motion to disqualify) in front of a judge (my teacher). I am given 5 minutes to argue my case and then my opponent gets 5 minutes. Even though it isnt really graded, it will be great practice for the appellate arguments in front of real judges we have in April.

And the papers never end... [John]

So for the last two weeks, I have been working on this memorandum in opposition to a motion to disqualify counsel. It is due Friday, but I am at the point where I just want to pull all my hair out.

Anyway, today I had my first meeting in regards to Law Review. At CUA Law, we have four journals: Law Review, CommLaw Conspectus, Journal of Contemporary Health, and Journal of Law, Philosophy and Culture. To get on one of these journals, we have to enter a writing competition that occurs over Spring Break. Though I'm not too excited that I will be in the library for the whole break, I am looking forwards to this opportunity to write for one of the journals. It's a closed packet competition, which means all the material we need for the paper is in the packet (so no outside research!)

'Jump Start' Day at NYLS [Eugene]

I attended an event called 'Jump Start' at NYLS today. I had an opportunity to take an early library tour, buy books, and take a picture for my student ID card. I also received my fall semester schedule. My courses will include Torts (4 credits), Contracts (4 credits), Civ Pro (4 credits) and Legal Research and Writing (3 credits).  It was a nice opportunity to get a head start on some administrative stuff so I won't have to be bogged down with it next week at orientation. Just two observations: 

1. On the library tour we got our introduction to Westlaw, which is pretty much the official legal research database for the world. All law students have unlimited access to it throughout the duration of their time in school. One person described Westlaw to me as being like an intravenous drug. In law school they give you unlimited access to it and make you completely dependent on it for the rest of your career. When you leave school and begin to practice, however, the Westlaw service is anything but free and unlimited. I heard a horror story today about a 2L who obtained a summer associate position at a prestigious law firm. One afternoon during the summer the 2L was asked to do some simple research for an associate. The 2L's afternoon of research on Westlaw cost the firm $20,000. We were told today that on average it costs law firms $10 per minute to use Westlaw. So I am beginning to see why all 1L's must take some sort of legal research course.  It appears that one of the most important skills a lawyer can possess is the ability to efficiently and effectively conduct legal research. 
   
   
2. One main theme jumps out at me as I begin to examine my course schedule. The amount of time spent in class is simply not that rigorous. I will be in a classroom with an instructor for an average of about 3 hours a day, for 5 days a week. 15 hours a week is no more than the average undergraduate spends in the classroom. This is great, right? However, something tells me that all the law schools in the country didn't get together and say, "Gee, all the poor law students need plenty of rest and downtime, so lets not over-burden them with too much class time." You do not learn the law in the classroom. You learn the law in the depths of the library, when its just you and your case book, reading and briefing cases for infinite amounts of hours. In class, professors guide your reading and give you the questions you need to be asking yourself when you are reading the cases. The real work, however, does not begin until you leave the classroom.   
   

IRAC... or DRAC [Eugene]

I am very glad John brought up IRAC. Although, I have not started school yet, it is something that I am already very familiar with. The good people over at Law Preview warned my class two weeks ago that all of our law schools would try to indoctrinate us into the legal analysis method  that is IRAC. It seems like Catholic has already begun, and its only the third day.

To be completely honest, the Law Preview instructors did not have much nice to say about IRAC. In fact, they flat out thumbed their noses at it. To quote the Law Preview text book: 

Praised for its simplicity, IRAC has helped hundreds of thousands of students survive their law school exams. But if you are interested in doing more than just surviving your exams - if you want to conquer them - then you will see how using this methodology is far too limiting for students who want to earn a top spot in their class

Ouch! Law Preview instead recommends their own equally cheesy acronym for law students wishing to do legal analysis: DRAC. This supposedly superior approach lists the 4 steps of analysis as 1.)Dispute, 2.) Rule 3.) Arguments, 4.) Conclusion. The key difference here is in step 3. In IRAC, so they say, simply applying the legal issue to the case you are discussing unnecessarily limits the scope of your analysis, whereas laying out all the potential arguments that each party could possibly make in a dispute (the DRAC way) will broaden your analysis to include not only factual issues, but also legal and public policy issues as well, and therefore give you a more complete and more correct answer. 

Yeah, whatever all that means! However, DRAC is essentially the big scoop that Law Preview offers its students. So for anyone out there who is planning on attending law school in '09 or later and was thinking of taking Law Preview, I just saved you $1,200. 

 

The Journey Begins: Orientation Day 1

So today I have officially began my first day at Catholic Law. It was a day of administrative work beginning with filling in a bunch of forms and ending with me receiving my class schedule. I am Section D and taking Lawyering Skills, Civil Procedure, Contracts and Torts.

Unfortunately, none of my friends nor anyone I met today was in section D. However, our first class (Lawyering Skills) starts tomorrow; so in less than 24 hours I will meet the 35+ classmates that will be in every class I take for the next year.

The rest of the week is filled with different orientation events/classes including a class on Professionalism and a President and Dean reception at the end of the week.

As for now, I am going to make some dinner and begin my first reading assignment: "The Foundations of Legal Analysis."

22 years later...

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mba/lowres/mban1500l.jpg

Ok, fine...it wasnt exactly 22 years ago that I decided that I wanted to go to law school; though my parents say I was born with the fight of a lawyer. However, for as long as I could remember, the urge to practice the law has influenced my path through life.

After graduating from American University in May 2008, I had many opportunities present themselves to me. The problem was I had my heart set on going to law school and there were no if, ands, or buts about it.

On August 11th, I begin orientation at Columbus School of Law at Catholic University. I enter my 1L year interested in intellectual property with the hope to work for the government protecting U.S. Intellectual Property Rights abroad. Hopefully, Catholic University Law's excellent location (in the heart of our Nation's Capital) will help me achieve my dream.

Many readers have asked when will I begin blogging. Well since school hasnt started, I havent had much to blog on. As of August 11th, I will begin blogging daily, so please check back then.