One Final Tango
My dearest readers,
Today I have come to a decision that, in the grand scheme of things, will probably make no difference to anyone. Still, it was a decision I've been thinking about and flip-flopping over for some time...several months now, in fact. But finally, after much consideration, I have come to a decision:
I'm retiring from blogging the world of UT Law.
I started my blog, as my description says, as a way to document the trials and tribulations of my 1L year. And I feel as though I managed to do that while having a lot of fun. I met new friends and fellow bloggers, learned far more than just the law, suffered through hangovers and finals with equal valor, enjoyed a gossipy scandal or two, and drank far more than anyone probably should--and I documented it all. And now, as a 2L, I plan to keep doing all of those things, although perhaps a little more anonymously. ;-)
To all my commenters, thank you. Even to the bitchy ones. To all my friends who, whether they realized it or not, often gave me the fodder for this blog, thank you. To the wonderful professors and the terrible professors, thank you all. I never thought I would reach the level of blogger "success" that I did--the several hundred hits a day, being featured on the Austinist blog, and regularly being linked in the Weekly Law School Blogger Roundup--it was all extremely flattering. I've had a great time.
So there ya go, I'm handing over the reins. I challenge the class of 2010 to get some juicy blogs going, we all need a good distraction now and then during lecture.
Lots of love,
The Lioness
Labels: blog
Law school Reloaded: The eve of 2L
Alas, that time has finally come. After a summer of working, drinking, and dreaming of the day where I get to do much more of the latter than the former, our hiatus from academia must come to an end.
I really did put it off as long as I could, including waiting to purchase my books until today. That was what we call a "stupid decision". I forgot that the reason I generally shoot to the bookstore the first day booklists are posted is not because of my excitement for school--it's my excitement for getting a clean used copy instead of paying full price on new books. And since all the used books were gone, my credit card got hit with the stomach-curdling $700+ charge for my books this semester. Ouch.
I also waited to the last minute to turn in my scholarship thank you letter, to the point that I ended up e-mailing it in. I learned I could e-mail it in after a lovely conversation with the never-dull Linda Alba, director of financial aid, who at one point in our conversation informed me that either "her computer was doing something weird or she was having a 70's drug flashback." I really do love that woman.
And my last bit of procrastination is me still putting off my first day assignments. The idea of diving into the fascinating world of Federal Income Tax just doesn't appeal to me yet today. Maybe after a beer.
Anyhoo, welcome back everybody. (And welcome in general to the 1Ls. Don't freak out too much now. Remember: if you really fuck up, you can always fling yourself off the top of the parking garage! No, I'm just kidding. Well, kinda.) Let's have a great year.
Labels: 2L, books
Summer Update #3
In one more week I'll be done with my second clerkship, and I must say I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT. Clerkship #2 was much more practical and interactive than Clerkship #1, but in the end, still just your run of the mill clerkship with lunches out, alcohol fueled happy hours and social events, and a general glossing over of the insane number of billable hours you'd be expected to work annually as an associate. Both clerkships left with an overwhelming sense that big firm life isn't all it's cracked up to be, even with the recent upping of starting salaries to $160,000. What that will mean for me in the long run is still yet to be determined. Wouldn't it be great if there was a firm paying the outrageous salaries for only working 1600 or so billables a year? Alas, a girl can dream.
In other news, OCI bidding is in full swing for 2Ls and that means people have officially ended their "who got the better summer clerkships" competition and replaced it with the "who applied to more OCI interviwers" competition. The highest number I've heard so far is 46, but I'm sure sooner or later I'll hear of someone that applied to the max of 60.
I've also had the recent experience of meeting a handful of the incoming 1Ls at different functions, and they seem fine, though perhaps slightly less social than the party animals in the class of 2009. By this point last year, we were averaging about 40 people per weekly happy hour, which we were planning, hosting, and drinking at by ourselves. This year's class seems to rely on the 2Ls to plan things for them, or so the events listed on their myspace group would indicate. Worse yet, only about a handful of them actually seem to go to the ones we do plan. I initially took this lack of partying spirit as a bad omen, but then I realized that the fewer partiers in that crowd, the more booze left on the tab at bar review for me.
And with that, I conclude what is probably going to be the last summer update before classes start back up. I've got a few vacations and other events planned that will hopefully keep me 1) drunk, 2) entertained, and 3) away from my computer over the next few weeks, so until then, take care or yourselves, and each other.
Labels: summer
Summer Update #2
So, I've now finished with my first half clerkship, and I can't really complain. I'm still not exactly sure if firm life is for me, but the pay and the perks are sure nothing to complain about.
To date: 56 free drinks, 39 free meals, a free vacation, a few free ball games in the firm box suite, and a lovely free Westlaw leather portfolio.
Clerkship #2 started today, and the different vibe is palpable. Whereas firm #1 had us writing, writing, writing all the time, firm #2 seems to be more about practical experience. I'm assisting at a deposition later this week, at trial in a few weeks, and they have no issue with assigning me the task of writing the pleadings and motions and briefs that go to court.
What has suprised me most is the noticeable difference between law students from different schools. Fellow clerks from Texas are chill. They get their work done, go to all the social events, and search for a firm that offers a good work-life balance. Clerks from Georgetown, Yale, or NYU? They freak out about EVERYTHING. "Is my memo too short? What if I didn't find a critical case? What the hell is up with the greenbook?" Clerks from Baylor and SMU have a bit of an inferiority complex. Needless to say, I'm very happy to be a Texas clerk, clerking in Texas.
Summer has also brought the wave of the new 1L class, who have been gracious enough to join us 2Ls at some recent happy hours. A tidbit I overheard at this week's happy hour:
"So, do you have any advice?"
"Yeah. Go to class. Don't freak out too much. And whatever you do, absolutely DO NOT throw theme parties."
Welcome aboard new 1Ls. If any of you are blogging, drop me a link, I'm gonna update my blawgroll soon.
Labels: summer
Gee, that was helpful and informative!
Law school e-mail I got today:
"No events or announcements have been posted for this week."
.
..
...
Just a thought, but maybe did anyone just consider NOT sending out the e-mail if there were no events or announcements?
Labels: Law School
Summer Update #1
Well, it's been a little over a month now since I walked out of the hollowed halls of law school to begin my summer. In that time I've managed to take a vacation, skip the write-on packet, do three weeks as a pampered summer clerk at a BigLaw firm, and re-acquaint myself with all of my favorite bars in Austin. Here are some observations:
1. We always say that law school is just like high school. But apparently the gossip factor stays with us even in our summer firms. Get a few (free) drinks in any of the attorneys at a firm event and you'll soon find out who slept with who in the legal world, which judges and politicians are on the take, and just about anything else you never wanted to know about the people holding JDs in the city you're clerking in.
2. One day recently I went to the restroom at my firm. There, in one of the stalls, I found a pen and a legal pad. This was a little disconcerting. While men may be notorious for taking some reading material with them to the restroom, it's not all that common of a phenomenon among women. To me, this indicated that whoever left the items needed to continue billing in so dire a way that they couldn't even take out a few minutes of peace to "do their business".
3. Current running total of drinks on the firm's dime since work started: 37, with two more drinking events anticipated in the upcoming week. Current running total of meals on the firm's dime since work started: 21, with six more anticipated in the upcoming week. My "significant other" has also enjoyed raking in the freebies, and I believe his total is an impressive 13 drinks and 4 meals without ever having to do a lick of work.
4. One thing I wish I would have paid more attention to in law school: how to look things up in the books as opposed to on Westlaw.
5. Things I enjoy most about working as opposed to law school so far: 1) the paycheck, 2) that when you leave the office, you're done for the day 3)different projects every few days.
So how are everyone else's summers going? Lemme hear your stories in the comments.
A thorny problem
I'm completely enamored with the fact that the last source included in the Law Review write-on packet is Poison's "Every Rose has its Thorn." I wonder if the hair band ever imagined they would be nestled in among Locke and Machiavelli or some of the most famous Supreme Court opinions ever written. Somehow I doubt it.
Still, I'm tempted to see the inclusion as both a challenge and a warning. If I was Editor in Chief, those 10 write-on-only spots would go exclusively to people who had managed to include the power ballad in their commentary on the constitutionality of torture or warrantless searches. I mean, hell, that's showing both some balls and some creativity.
On the other hand, I also like to see the song as an analogy to law review membership in general. Sure, that line on your resume would be mighty nice, but do you really want to write the tedious essay? Work the long hours? Cite check till your eyes bleed?
Sing it to me, Bret Michaels, sing it to me.
Labels: journals, summer
Professor Glannon, I am your father...
IM conversation from earlier today
Friend of Lioness (12:25:23 PM): Can I bring Glannon to the Civ Pro final?
Lioness (12:25:41 PM): i don't think so
Lioness (12:25:54 PM): she said something about only works of your personal creation
Friend of Lioness (12:26:05 PM): no, I meant can I bring Professor Glannon?
Lioness (12:26:18 PM): haha
Lioness (12:26:20 PM): yeah, that should be fine.
Friend of Lioness (12:26:17 PM): ok, good.
Labels: finals
They're everywhere!
A friend of mine who occasionally reads this blog has recently started culinary school. Recently, after hearing me explain the concept of a law school gunner, he became enthralled with the crossover potential of the gunner concept.
So apparently he told his culinary school friends. They loved it. But they also took it a few giant steps further:
Now, when their gunner speaks in class, a large crowd will shout "Bang!" at the end of his question/assinine comment. On particularly gunnerish days, they will mime finger pistols at him every time they see him in the halls. When the gunner argues with other students in class, the other student will fake a painful death and ask the gunner why he shot them.
The moral of this story is two part: a) gunners, beware...the people preparing your food at prestigious restaurants hate your kind too and b) isn't it just like law students to come up with the good ideas, only to fall short on total execution. Had we been doing any of these things in class to our gunners...well....I at least probably would have gone to Crim more often!
Labels: gunners
The Effects of Finals
I don't really have the time/energy/desire to write out a whole interesting post, but I did want to relay a few of the things that I've found humorous so far during finals:
1. While in general, I would say that the female law students at UT are a fashionable, well-groomed bunch of ladies, that certainly goes right out the window during finals. Looking around my Contracts exam, not a single girl was wearing her hair down, and I didn't spy any makeup going on either. Of course, this isn't really to say that the guys are any better. Debauchery has the commentary on the
unfortunate sweat pants trend.
2. I kid you not when I say that people had sports-taped their fingers prior to my most recent exam (which included 1.5 hours writing/prep time before we could use our computers) in order to avoid blisters. That's...um...intense.
3. I was going to make a joke about how socially-conscious it is for UT to employ the mentally disabled as proctors, but then I realized it would really be an insult to the mentally disabled to associate them with this special brand of idiots. Hey students services, here's an idea...why don't you have the proctors open Extegrity once on a computer before having them read off instructions they don't understand to others?
4. You know you are a law student dork when: you go to see Hot Fuzz with some friends, including one other law student. When at one point, the cop charges someone with "conspiracy" both you and your classmate, shove their fists in the air and shout "yesss!" because you both know that that was EXACTLY the right thing to charge.
5. There really is a darth of good post-finals drinking spots within walking distance. I mean, Crown & Anchor is great, but beer alone just isn't going to do it for me right after a final. Trudy's is more than happy to take care of the liquor (Mmm, Mexican Martinis..), but the presence of the suit-laden business lunch crowd really kills some of the fun. Cain and Abel's would be a good choice, excepts it's usually filled with undergrad frat boys. I'm thinking perhaps I'll just pack a flask for my last final....
....oh my, it really almost is my last final of my 1L year. Wow.
Labels: finals
