Confessions of a 3L, Installment Three: What do Brussel Sprouts and Moot Court Have in Common?

They both build character.

Now, can I think of other ways I would like to spend my Sunday than having three consecutive hour-long practices of my moot court argument?  Yes.  Yes, I can.

Can I think of anything that has been more valuable to my legal education besides moot court?  Barring internships and jobs where I have actually been working in the field (see Installment Two), no.  No, I can’t.

Last semester, I had the pleasure and privilege of serving as the ASP leader for the Appellate Writing and Advocacy classes, which serve as the prerequisite for Marquette’s growing Moot Court program.  As an icebreaker the first time I met the classes, I made reference to a presentation I am writing for 1L students who are interested in getting involved in Moot Court.  It was entitled “WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD I WRITE A BRIEF IN MY SECOND YEAR OF LAW SCHOOL IF I DON’T HAVE TO?”  The hilarity I anticipated did not ensue.  I could see tiny thought bubbles popping up above the students’ heads.  They read: “Ah, yeah.  Wait.  Why am I doing this?” 

Continue ReadingConfessions of a 3L, Installment Three: What do Brussel Sprouts and Moot Court Have in Common?

Dollars and Sense

I was scanning the Legal Writing Prof Blog this afternoon, and I noticed a post stating that, in an effort to save money, one large law firm is now requiring its attorneys to use Loislaw, rather than Lexis or Westlaw, for some of their research.  Evidently, the firm has imposed a three-part policy:

  • All non-billable legal research involving case law, statutes, or regulations at both the state and federal level should first be performed using Loislaw.
  • Loislaw should also be used for billable research where appropriate, resulting in a much lower cost to the client.
  • If additional research is required on Lexis or Westlaw, that research must be billed to a client/matter.

This post raised two issues for me.  First, it made me think about what sources I should be including in my first-year courses.

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Reflections of a 3L, Installment Two: Fieldwork and Clinics are Indisputably Indispensable

Casebook reading got you down?  Tired of briefing pretend issues for pretend clients?  Wish you’d never heard of Socrates or his dubious method?

Have I got news for you!  Now for the low, low (HA!) price of your already-paid tuition, you can learn about the law through real life experience.

I don’t mean to denigrate the value of our classroom legal education.  It is, of course, of vital importance to our growing legal knowledge and our ability to think about the law.  However, I am of the opinion that no legal education is complete without a foray into the wide world of the real-life practice of law.  For me, Marquette’s well-developed clinic and fieldwork selections were a large part of why I chose to come here.  I remember talking to Professor Hammer on the phone while making my where-to-go decision, just to check that all the clinic experiences listed on the website were real.  He assured me that, not only are they real, but that students who participate in them do real legal work for real clients.

In spite of my pre-law school enthusiasm about fieldwork, after my first two semesters, I became fearful if I left the confines of Sensenbrenner Hall, some sort of apocalypse would ensue.  At the end of my 1L year, I asked a 2L friend about the advisability of taking a clinic in my second year.  I was worried that taking on another responsibility would take away from my classroom performance and keep me from getting as much as I could from my classroom learning.  She told me that without her clinic experiences, her classroom experiences would have been less meaningful.  She couldn’t have been more right.

Continue ReadingReflections of a 3L, Installment Two: Fieldwork and Clinics are Indisputably Indispensable