Another quiz

YOU ARE RULE 15!

You're a very helpful rule! You allow the attorney
to amend their complaint once as a matter of
course at any time before the answer is filed,
and also allow amendments in other cases. If a
claim relates back to the original transaction
or occurrence outlined in the complaint, you
can amend the complaint, even though the
statute of limitations has run. Like a good
friend, you're always there to help out in a
bind.


Which Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Are You?
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Bad daughter

My mom's office is having a retirement party for her today. She lives in another city, but it is within driving distance. I did not go, because I didn't want to miss class. So am I a bad daughter, or a diligent student? I really hate to miss class, and I would have had to miss three classes, two of which only meet twice a week. My mom said she was okay with me not going but I can't help feeling a little guilty.

And on the scale of being a bad child, how does that compare with (nearly) forgetting my dad's birthday last semester because I was so focused on schoolwork? Keep in mind it was October, and that's the traditional 1L freak-out time.

Don't get the impression I only do school work - I'm actually more likely to slack off and watch TV during the week. Like "The Apprentice" tonight, for example. I have my priorities.

No, that's not what that look meant

One of my professors thought I was looking "skeptical" at his explanations in class today. That's not what that look meant. I was actually just trying to look awake and thinking "can we move on, please?" So the lesson once again is - don't make eye contact with your professor. Or is it that people aren't any good at interpreting facial expressions?

Tortfeasor!

mewing.net: "



take the WHAT INTENTIONAL TORT ARE YOU test.


and go to mewing.net. because law school made laura do this.
"

Transitions

We had the "research" portion of our legal writing class today, which consists of 12 of us sitting in the computer lab, following along with PowerPoint slides as a librarian tells us how to find case law (for example). The problem with this is that they are still trying to convince us that print resources - actual physical books - will actually be used by any of us in this era of Westlaw and LexisNexis. Realistically, we are going to do all of our work online. And I think they realize this on some level, but they still have to tell us with a straight face that we'll need to be able to find the West Reporters (motto: "if it's not nailed down, we'll publish it") rather than just typing search words into Westlaw.com.

What's sad about this is I am very attached to physical books - I would much rather hold a book in my hands to read it than read the same book online. The texture, the typeface, even the smell of the book are part of the experience for me. But when I'm doing research, you'd better believe that I'd rather type some search words in and find the relevant results than search in vain through dusty books.

Fear is the enemy

Advice to manage exam fears - courtesy of Buffalo Wings & Vodka

Wings and Vodka's advice to pick one class to not freak out about (and use the time to do something non-law-school related) worked for me. Whether that was reading a novel or playing solitaire or playing Sims 2 - that's for me to know.

The main message is: manage the fear. Only you will know what works for you in that regard, but find out before finals start! And those techniques will also work while you're waiting for grades.

The obligatory online quiz

Random Observations

Since this blog is mentioned in the "Weekly Law School roundup" at

Notes from the (Legal) Underground

I thought a new post was in order. (He has an interesting "podcast" this week.)

First, to follow up on the all-day workshop - It wasn't as bad as I expected. One interesting observation: during Orientation in the fall, we were all good little students: promptly in our seats before each session was scheduled to begin. This time: not so much. We were too busy visiting with each other in the courtyard, comparing what we did over break, etc., so we were all about five minutes late to each session. Still, I like our writing professor, so I think it will end up being a very good class.

All but one of our other classes have met, and they all promise to be interesting in their own ways. More on them later.

Finally, grades are out. The funniest part is people trying to talk about grades without directly talking about them. It's a funny etiquette. Mostly people just say "I met my goals." or "I'm just happy I passed." Nice and vague.

We start the fun of OCI this week, with resume drops for a few firms. It promises to be an interesting experience - mostly watching all of us Type-A types stress about font and paper type.

Really, a whole day?

Classes start tomorrow with a full day "writing seminar" to start us off in our Legal Writing class. We got the schedule today, and it threatens - er - promises lots of fun. On the good side, we get free breakfast (courtesy of Westlaw) and free lunch (courtesy of Lexis). The downside? The agenda promises a "writing skills aptitude test." Yeah, that sounds like fun. And we get an hour of "introduction" to our "Interactive Citation Workbook." Which isn't interactive at all, by the way. It just sits there - doesn't sing, doesn't dance, doesn't even surf the web. Can you tell I'm looking forward to the class? In all seriousness, I'm all for improving our collective writing skills, but really, a whole day?

Homework again already?

So all of our professors emailed our assignments the other day - can it really be time to start doing homework already? The break has gone by so fast. Still, it's nice to start fresh - new folders, new legal pads, new pens, new highlighters. I just love buying school supplies. Brightly colored binder clips, folders, labels, etc. just brighten up the place so much. Of course, half of the stuff I never use, but it is still fun. And of course, buying the new textbooks! I know that I'll be sick to death of them by the middle of the semester, but there's so much potential when they are new and untouched...

Too Tight Shoes

So over the break I've been working at my old job a few hours a day. The person who replaced me quit at the beginning of December. Actually, she was the second replacement - the first one quit in October. (I left in August, so you get the picture.) It has been kind of nice to go back, mostly because everyone is very appreciative, and the extra money doesn't hurt. Plus they let me set my own hours.

But it's good in another way, too. I'm now really sure that law school was the right move. I loved my job - I did it for six years - but it was time to move on. And going back now is a little like putting on an old pair of shoes - a pair you loved, and wore every day, but now feels tight, constricting. So I hope they find a real replacement for me soon - one that will last more than six weeks. Someone who will find the shoes a great fit, and stay for a while.

Happy New Year

Heidi over at Letters of Marque thinks this was an attempt to "trap" her into revealing her IP address by linking to her site. I wish I had thought of that... actually, I was sure she was in New Zealand, which someone had already guessed by the time I saw the contest.

Without revealing too much of my identity, because I do hope to remain anonymous for awhile at least, I'll tell you all a little about myself. I am a first year law student looking forward to a new semester. We still have another week before classes start here, though.

I did take a longish break between undergrad and law school - and spent it working in the "business world" in various companies, before I finally decided I really did want to go to law school. I plan to share some of my experiences, in the hope of helping other future law students, because blogs like Heidi's helped me in planning my career change. They also continue to provide inspiration. Watch for the blogroll to expand soon to reflect my other inspiration.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by - leave a comment if you're so inclined.