January 15, 2009
It is day two of the second semester of 2L and it’s been about 10 months since my last post. This should give you some indication of how busy a law student can be (or it might just say something about my laziness). In any event, my life as a law student has drastically changed with the transition from 1L to 2L. And I must say that I appreciate the change.
After summering with a law firm in Los Angeles – parlaying that experience into a tour of Southeast Asia (I recommend taking advantage of free time/vacation to travel and let loose) – I returned to school, only to be bombarded by OCI and the onslaught of interviews. Perhaps this is why I never blogged last semester, as OCI takes time, ultimately causes you to get behind on work, and then before you know it, finals hit. I do not have much to say about OCI and the interview process other then the fact that you will do just fine. I will say, too, that OCI does function as a bonding experience for your classmates, which is a nice way to start the semester (especially in light of the fact that you do not necessarily have class with your old sectionmates). [Note: this obviously suggests that I looked forward to seeing many of my classmates after a summer apart.]
Simply put, being a 2L affords much freedom by way of course selection and Michigan has every class imaginable. And it gives you much freedom in terms of academic pressure. This, at least, was what I found to be the best part of the year (thus far). Everyone is a bit looser, we know the drill, and people branch out much more, both socially and academically. I, for one, discovered that Toronto is just a short ride away, Detroit and Royal Oak have some fun places to visit, and the western parts of Michigan are hot spots around Labor Day. And even though it is -4 degrees out today, I can honestly say that I am having a good time, and getting my exercise in via WiiFit.
As mentioned, the semester is brand new and that means there is a lot to look forward to. At the top of the list is the Innocence Clinic. This is my first clinic experience and I am ecstatic to get my hands dirty in some real legal work. One of the beauties of going to Michigan (among many) is that law students – after completing one year of law school – can appear in court on behalf of others. So, I expect to have some good stories in the near future. I am also in the process of planning study abroad/externship work for next semester. More to come on that…
March 12, 2008
Today, I realized − mind you, this realization has occurred countless times − that I probably should not have duped Zearfoss by remememberizing the LSAT. Currently, that ruse is responsible for getting my behind rocked by my Trademark professor, a class in which, as a lowly 1L, I am already the black sheep.
That being said, I have great things to say about this school. In fact, when people ask me about law school at Michigan, which will happen, oh, about 8,765,469 times, my answer is always the same: it is the best decision that I have ever made.
To introduce myself, my name is Judd and I hail from a much warmer place – Los Angeles. I went to UC Berkeley, where I majored in something called ‘Mass Communications,’ and, immediately after graduation, wound up here,. While I am a youngin’ on campus, I hold my own by dressing impeccably, running through the quad clad only in my boxers during the first major snowfall (just to prove that I could handle the snow), and generally spicing up the Midwest.
I came to law school pretty fearless (and really tan), but highly skeptical. I expected to not really care for the people (that was flat out idiotic), to work like a dog (only true during obvious times), to be übercompetitive and retaliate if anyone even attempted to steal my belongings (once again, flat out idiotic), and to feel compelled to revert back to my cushier, less-stressed life (only true during obvious times). Do note that such sentiments had nothing to do with the impression that I got from the school. Conversely, what propelled me to ultimately attend was my visit to the school, which I strongly urge anyone and everyone to do. I also had to make a tough choice in coming here – opting for snow over sun (I am kicking myself for that right now as it is Spring and there is still snow on the ground), small town over huge city, and full price over in-state tuition + scholarship money. Based upon such choices, one could easily call me a fool, but I would fight tooth and nail to prove otherwise. However, I probably would not have to put up much of a fight, because the place truly speaks for itself.
Michigan Law is wonderful. It is fun, challenging, stimulating, exciting and, most importantly, it emits a great sense of pride, belonging, and character. Once you are here, you want to be nowhere but here.
Now back to ‘character.’ And the following is just a taste of what I adore and appreciate:
Dean Zearfoss: I will bet anyone tons of money that he/she will not meet anyone as cool as Z (other than me). As a result, if Z is wowed by someone, I am confident that that person is someone I would like to be friends with (well, most of the time). In other words, Michigan employs a pretty great filtering system, led by a pretty great person.
Going to school with the King Of The Blogisphere (KOTB): a la the point above, Michigan harbors great and interesting minds, who do things that one would never expect such people to do, like being a published author at the ripe age of 25.
Paths in the Quad: They are catwalks; work them.
Long Underwear: Not only do they help you stay warm, they are mighty cozy.
The TwoWeekPlan: This is just another way of saying that one can and will make a mark here and have absolutely A-1 friends.
Dinner At the Dining Hall: If only I could share the stories…but, do know that the rhetoric is always nimble and that the law of relativity makes me vomit.
The Frazzles: Good luck outdoing the Ann Arbor squirrels.
Until I post again, feel free to e-mail me and so forth.
Best success,
Judd