Two weeks ago I started law school by participating in orientation week. I started to write a blog about it and then got caught up in the crazy busy schedule of law school! To sum up orientation week: The week was a barrage of information about the school, classes, opportunities and basics of how to start learning how to read, write, think and act like a lawyer. I met so many interesting classmates who come from diverse backgrounds; some right out of undergrad, some married, some with kids, people who worked in public health and news broadcasting and even on Alaskan fisheries. We are young and old, experienced and not. But none of us know anything about how to be law students. Yet.
During the week, I was feeling very confident in my decision to choose the school I chose. I love the beautiful campus with the large, shady quad. The student center serves surprisingly outstanding fresh, local food. The library has a variety of nooks and crannies to study in with groups or alone. And the administration and faculty are so welcoming, personable and supportive. I think that I will truly have the opportunity to thrive here.
I spent the first weekend before school “officially” started prepping for my first week of classes. It was then that I realized that the last weekend that I had truly to myself to relax, enjoy and fill with nonsense and frippery was the previous weekend. I spent the entire weekend (minus a quick trip to the farmer’s market) doing exactly what I will be doing every weekend for the next three years: overwhelmed with case briefs galore, contracts, civil procedure and torts (sadly not the yummy ones). Overwhelmed.
After attending my classes last week, I realized that I prepped just enough. I got the gist of what my professors needed me to get and felt generally prepared for the intimidating process of the Socratic method. My first week of actual classes felt like a whole month. I have so much information crammed into my brain. SO many laws about property rights, right to privacy, rules of negligence, establishing personal and in-rem jurisdiction, how an offer is defined and forms a contract….yipes.
Despite being demanding and overwhelming at times, I find the subject matter fascinating and relevant. We read an analyzed the McDonald’s Hot Coffee case. Anyone remember when Mickey D’s had to pay out for serving an old lady coffee so hot that she suffered 3rd degree burns when it spilled on her? I am learning how our legal system really does try to dole out justice and establish fairness in our society. I am constantly reminded how good we have it here in the U.S., despite the fact that we don’t necessarily have it right always. For the most part, when people suffer a wrong they can rely on the justice system, for the most part, to make it right. In other part of the world, I know in Guyana, if you experienced harm (say you fell off a speed boat on your way to Shell Beach and drowned), well, too bad for you, there is no way for you or your family to recover damages. Here in the U.S. you can (or at least you can try to show that the evidence proves that you are entitled to recovering something).
I feel bad for Tim because he has had to listen to me summarize all the cases I have been reading while I process them and use him as a soundboard. I really need to get some colleagues organized into a study group so I can bounce thoughts off other people who signed up for this, not just my poor husband.
Tim has his own plate full with his work. Since he noticed that I would be at school until at least 6pm everyday studying, he decided to pick up some extra work (and extra money!) working at the Enrichment program at his school. In addition to teaching his 3 periods of 10th grade English, 1 period of 12 grade college advisory and one period of English language development he has now picked up shifts after school teaching drama twice a week, fencing three days a week and additional English language development classes four times a week! The man is as busy as I am!
I guess it is a good thing that we are both so busy so that we can study/work together on the weekends and go through this very intense, focused phase in our life together. Today we did chores around the house and went grocery shopping before settling down for hours of study, briefing, grading and lesson planning. It is a stark contrast to lounging in our hammock reading for pleasure, as we did on the weekends in Guyana. But we are happy in our hard work and on the upside we don’t have to scrub our laundry by hand!
