Britt, 2L

The funny thing about summer classes is that it’s now August 18th and I am waiting for my summer to finally begin on Friday. As the back to school commercials play, instead of getting excited as I usually do during this time of year, I scoff at them and couldn’t be more glad that these 12 straight months of school are finally over. I’ll have two weeks off between this quarter and starting my coop on September 7th. I plan to spend them frolicking in my garden and hopefully catching another beach day or two.

For now, I’m approaching the tail end of finals week and what a fast week it has been. My last two classes were on Friday and I spent the few days before working on my tax outline so I could revise it during our in class review. Then I spent Saturday and Sunday writing take home exams; both 20 pages, both way more painful than any in class exam I’ve ever had. Monday I reviewed for my tax final, spruced up my outline and did some more work on the two take homes. Tuesday I had my tax exam at 1. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been but with only two hours and 14 questions, it certainly went by quickly. Tax class reminded me a lot of math courses I have taken in the past. They are both complicated, full of formulas and technical languages. Unlike other areas of law which require flexibility, answers in tax are either right or wrong and never in between. So we’ll see how that goes. As for my take homes, I feel really confident about my employment law one and pretty solid about my family law one as well. After my IP studying today and my exam tomorrow, I plan to revise the take homes most of Thursday afternoon and then wake up on Friday to turn them in. Do you hear that people? Noon on Friday, I am done!

One of the really interesting things that came out of this quarter is that I think I’ve discovered an area of law that is not only really interesting to me but something I can actually see myself practicing and that’s employment law. It’s pretty far away from health law and family law (my initial interests when I came to school) but I really like the dynamic nature of the arguments and how winning a case seems to be entirely about what elements are focused upon and how they are argued. It’s a strategic area of law and the background to it (race, sex, religion, disability etc. discrimination) is something I feel my undergraduate studies really provided me a strong foundation in. I’m looking forward to exploring this area of law more and hoping to do a coop in employment law/discrimination at some point in the future. My professor for this course was also incredible and I think his take on life and his style of teaching showed me how rewarding practicing law can be. Unlike a lot of people I’ve met who litigate for big firms, he seemed to really draw his energy from his work and I liked that.

Ok, back to work for me. I have a lot of IP concepts to memorize by 9AM tomorrow.

Sometimes I think the best preparation for finals is to get away from school and relax. Of course, I have tons to do and not enough time to do it, but the truth is, if I'm not mentally ready for the challenge ahead, no amount of studying could adequately prepare me. So, with just two weeks until finals (and no reading week in sight this year), I headed off with my partner to Maine where I camped for the first time. It was a great weekend, I loved the cool weather and spending time with her family. I also got to eat plenty of crab which was probably my favorite part since it's a rare find in Boston.

It was a very fast trip. We drove the six hours up and got there around 4:30 since we had to drop off our dog and stop a few times for snacks and lunch. That night we had a great dinner, set up our camp and relaxed by the fire before heading to bed pretty early. The next day we woke up around 6 to the sound of crazy birds, went out to an early breakfast and celebrated lobster fest, after visiting Thunder Hole, a great spot along the coast. The final day there we hiked around Jordan Pond and had lunch at the delicious Pond House before making the long drive home. Getting into Boston at 11 was a little bit rough since I had class the next morning, but over all, the trip was really worth it and I'm glad we both made time in our busy schedules to get away. Despite my hesitation about camping, I enjoyed being in the woods, away from the stress of life. No TV, no cell service, no internet access = no worries about anything back at home.

For now, it's time to hit the books. I have a two take home finals and two in class finals to study for, one of which is closed book. I also have to finish up with the work for my research assistant position and get some more resumes packets out into the world.

About a month ago, the Fall co-op process began. I assembled many packets and crossed my fingers. On the very first day of interview postings, I received one and they continued to roll in after that. By the end of the week, I had six interviews scheduled. Luckily, my first choice posted an interview quickly. I booked them first and was offered a position in less than 24 hours. I, of course, accepted their offer right away and canceled my other interviews. My other choices were great opportunities, but this one was just too good to pass up.

This Fall, I’ll be working at Boston Medical Center’s Medical-Legal Partnership. The offices are housed at Boston University’s Medical School and everyone I met there was really nice, very engaged in their work and the office seemed to have a fast paced yet low key atmosphere. I really like that much of my work will be independent, requiring that I manage my own time and seek help when I need it. I’ll be working with clients and managing my own case load, so I am super excited to get started with them and begin to acquire some hands on experience after what will be 12 months straight of school.

Second semester 1L grades were also released early last week. I was nervous to read them, unsure of how I had done, even though I studied harder and really focused on utilizing strategies I learned during my first round of exams. To my surprise, my grades were even better this semester than last. My strongest grade was also in Constitutional Law which was outright shocking! ConLaw was a very fast moving class with difficult concepts and so much case law that I often felt off balance and as if I was lagging behind. It was also my first ever closed book final. Somehow though, I managed to pull through and my grades from this semester make me feel even more confident about finding my next co-op. Unlike last time, many of the evaluations this round spoke to actual skills, rather than just abstract class related things.

My first round of 2L classes are also going swimmingly. I’m really enjoying studying areas of law that I am specifically interested in. I can’t believe how close the end of the semester is already (I think we’re about half way through!), and since there won’t be a reading week, I need to get on top of outlining and reviewing very soon.

My research assistant job is also great. I am enjoying the work and finding the perfect source is almost as good as finding the golden egg during an Easter egg hunt as a kid. The work is methodical and sometimes tedious, but overall, I like it and since the topic is interesting and I like the faculty member I’m working with a lot, things couldn’t have worked out much better.

After a great week, filled with awesome grades, lots of interviews, and an offer for a Fall co-op, my partner and I celebrated with a delicious dinner at Atlantic Fish in Back Bay. We stuffed ourselves with an assortment of crab dishes - crab bisque, crab and artichoke dip, crab cakes and crab crusted Haddock. It was a so tasty, not to mention their delicious cocktails!

Finally, we enjoyed a day at the beach on Saturday. I’ve never really been to a New England beach before, except for once at the Cape and it was rocky and a bit cold when I visited. But this beach was fantastic! A short drive from the city and it seemed as if I had been cast away to a lush tropical paradise. In fact, it was so good, we’re going back tomorrow (on the commuter rail) and this time we’ll pay the $12.50 for season passes. I see a lot of sun and surf in our future!

One of the most important things to me during my first year of law school was having a comfortable place to come home to. I prefer to work in office space at my house rather than in the commons or library at school, so finding the right place was important to me.

When I moved to Boston in 2005, I lived in college dorms, and while the experience fit at the time, I wouldn't recommend that environment while in law school.

I moved to Jamaica Plain during my senior year of college which is a great artsy, progressive, unique area just outside of the city. It's on the 39 bus line and also on the orange line so it's a super easy commute to campus. Since I moved here, I've lived in three different apartments. One just off Centre St and smack in the middle of JP center where all the restaurants, shops and happenings are, while the second was at the end of South St, just outside of Forest Hills Station. Both were great, safe, and had easy commutes. The average rent for two bedrooms seems to be around $1500, though there are some for less and some newly renovated places for considerably more. This may seem like a lot depending on where you are coming from, but the dorms will cost you just as much.

If you want to live in JP, I recommend making a trip into the city in August to talk to a rental agency and be persistent about calling them. They are super busy and the area is desirable so come September, tons of people are trying to move in. My current apartment was a lucky coincidence and is basically new, has just the right amount of space, and a huge backyard which is great for gardening and spending the summer in. But that's just the thing with JP... really looking around will enable you to find that perfect place, and even if your first place isn't just right, your second or third will be.

Some of my favorite things about JP: There is a beautiful pond to walk around in the summer and even fish in if you're into that, almost everything you need can be conveniently walked to (groceries, CVS, the post office, banks) within 15 minutes, there is great access to the rest of the city using the 39 bus or orange line, tons of great take out places (pizza, Indian, Thai, sushi). Some of the hidden jewels that I love and seem to be under appreciated are Bella Luna's amazing menu and delicious cocktails and JP Seafood Cafe's superb brunch. Everyone always lines up for Sorella's and Centre St Cafe but seriously, this local sushi place has it going on. Delicious omelets, bento boxes... yum! James's Gate is also a great bar that has amazing chips and curry sauce (I like mine with Whiskey), and City Feed has tons of delicious drinks, and tasty sandwiches to take the pond.

So my recommendation is to take the leap. Skip the dorms and move into Jamaica Plain. If you need help finding a place, I recommend using Jamaica Plain Associates. I've used them before and they seem to have a place that fits just about everyone, long standing relationships with many of the landlords, and usually only list things that are very fairly priced.

Any other questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments!

So I didn't get picked for jury duty when I went a few weeks ago, so there aren't many details to share. I was brought up to the court room while a jury was being empaneled, and could have served, but they finally swore in the jury at person 114 and I was 115, so I missed out by just a hair. I really wanted to be seated just to see if they would use one of their X's on me! Guess I'll just have to wonder...

I survived my first week of 2L classes!! For the most part, there weren't any surprises or bumps in the road and I am back in a very familiar routine. My classes this semester are Family Law, Basic Income Tax, Intellectual Property and Employment Discrimination. The biggest change from 1L so far has been the size of classes. I went from lecture halls filled with 80 students to a class in which there are only 9 of us. Each of my classes are also really different in the professor's style of teaching and unlike 1L where most professors cold call on students, only one of my professors this quarter does. My feelings about cold calling are so mixed; it keeps me on my toes, reading extra closely and paying attention, the adrenaline is a nice jolt awake which is much needed at 8:40 in the morning. However, it also makes my heart beat entirely too fast for a sustained period of time and I imagine the health affects of tachycardia can't be any good.

The other big change I am experiencing is a lightened work load and more free time. I only have one class Monday, Wednesday and Friday and all of them are early in the morning so I'm home by 11, leaving the rest of my day free. Of course, I have to read for my Tuesday/Thursday classes but there is something really nice about not being at school every day from 10:30 until 3:30. Now, I can eat lunch at home most days, actually get to see my wife since she works many weekends, and read in my back yard while my dog sunbathes. Tuesday and Thursday my schedule is more demanding since I have three classes each day, and am on campus from from 8:40 until 5:10, but even that feels leisurely. I hit the library during my long break, get my next day's reading done, or brush up on the reading for Tax. Everything feels much slower paced this year. I'm really enjoying it. I still am in school for nine class periods, just like 1L, so I'm not sure the work load is actually any different, but the scheduling makes a huge difference in how much time it feels like I've gained.

My free time may diminish a bit as this week I'm starting my summer work study job as a research assistant. The subject area is one I'm really interested in though, health law and policy, so that should keep things from getting mundane. I also met with the professor who I'll be working with last week, who I haven't had a class with yet, and she seems really nice and I'm excited to start working together.

A final note, my brother in law just sat for his LSAT test yesterday (crossing my fingers so hard for him ever since!) and it got me thinking about how another group of perspective law students is ALREADY beginning the process for the class of 2014. I can't believe it! If any of you are already reading, please say hello, and congrats to you on your super early start. Way to be ahead of the game! That kind of forethought will really pay off once you've started classes!

Classes ended in April and after two weeks of studying and finals, I became a 2L!

As for the close of this semester, I felt much more confident about finals than I did 1st semester. I knew what the tests would look like, how to better prepare for them, what studying methods worked and what didn’t. When I got to them, I felt as if the material on them was what I would have predicted it to be. Slow and steady was my motto for this semester and I think it will pay off.

In terms of the close of 1L year, there’s not a whole lot to say. It was exhausting and probably the most challenging thing I’ve ever done academically and maybe even emotionally, but it was also highly rewarding. I met a lot of great people and learned more than I ever could have imagined and tackled assignments that I thought sounded impossible when law school began. I can’t say I’m sad to see it go though. I’ve heard that the next two years will be much easier, much more fun and will fly by even faster. I’m excited to start studying areas of the law that I am interested in and will be super excited to start interviewing for and eventually accept by first co-op. After all of those long hours with my head stuck in text books, I’ll be appreciative of some hands on, seeing how the real world works, type of experiences. For now, I’ll be in summer classes starting in June. I’m taking Family Law, Intellectual Property, Basic Tax and either Evidence or Employment Discrimination. Should be a fun summer!

So far my break has been just as I’d want it to be. Overall, it has been boring and consisted mostly of worrying about what TV shows to catch up on and what snack to munch on next. I guess that’s not entirely true. The day after finals ended, I moved to a great apartment with a huge backyard and gardens. I’ve already spent some time getting my hands dirty and lounging in the sun with my dog, which let me just say, he was really meant for the suburban life. This apartment is also in Jamaica Plain, about a block from the Pond. It’s great to be able to walk there during the day and stroll around or read a book. My wife and I (oh yeah, we did that too last semester, got married!) have been slowly unpacking but are mostly settled in now. There’s still a few odds and ends to throw into place but somehow it is those little things that take forever.

Tomorrow I’m headed off bright and early to jury duty. I guess the legal world just can’t get enough of me. Even during my vacation from law school, they are summoning me into the court house. I hope it isn’t as intimidating as when I had to go there in April to do end of the semester oral arguments for Legal Research & Writing. Most of the advice I’ve gotten has been the same, “bring a book”. Apparently the day will be long and boring, but I’m still looking forward to it. Maybe I’ll get to be on an awesome trial, or even better, be the foreperson!

I’ll be back to write about the experience, I’m sure!

After many months of hard work, tons of research, lots of writing and endless hours of editing and last minute rehearsals, Law Office 9 has completed their LSSC social justice project. The culmination of our hard work was really nice to see and I couldn't have been more impressed by my fellow law office members. Both our client and faculty supervisors were really satisfied with our final product and presentation and as I breathed a sigh of relief that our hard work had finally come to an end, it was nice to reflect back on how far we had come. From our first meeting as a group together on our very first day of law school, until now, a month or so before the close our first year, we really did accomplish a lot. I can't believe how many real world skills I've learned just by working on this project. I'd also like to thank so many of our classmates for coming out to see our project. It was great to have so much support and enthusiasm to get us through that final stretch!

Here's a picture from the question and answer session after our panel discussion. My good friend Aaron is in the middle answering a question from an audience member and I'm happy to report that our friendship has survived the ups and downs of this project.

On my favorite things to do when I need a break from a hectic week is to head off to a favorite restaurant. This week was perfect timing for such a craving to hit because it's restaurant week in Boston. This means that many of the restaurants fit for foodies bring their menus down to student prices. I think that $33 dollars for a three course dinner is a great steal and able to be worked into my carefully planned and penny pinching budget. My girlfriend and I changed into our best business casual and headed out for our 5:30 reservations.

Something I really like about the restaurant is its atmosphere. The dining room is styled after a 1930’s luxury ocean liner. Most of the tables are big eight person circular flat tops, a scattering of smaller four person circle tables and a few luxurious booths here and there. The lighting is perfect, each bulb tilted with precision from the ceiling above to cast a warm glow upon the tables. The room is filled with lush floral arrangements, rich mahogany woods, wine glasses and white china, meticulously arranged silverware, not a thing is out of place. The formality of this place does not disappoint, though the space is formal, the service is friendly and relaxed.

Dinner service begins with freshly baked, still warm inside, sour dough bread, the most incredible butter I have ever had (I think it was fresh churned on the spot) and a plate of fresh veggies and pickled herring served on ice.

Onto the pre-fixe menus! Just after we ordered, the waiter brought us both the chef’s amuse bouche, salmon mousse over a cucumber "chip". It was smokey and creamy, with a great freshness from the cucumber.

Next, we had our appetizers. I ordered fried calamari with cherry pepper aioli and Meg chose the salad with goat cheese, dried cherries and toasted almonds. The calamari was sweet and tender and mixed with battered onions and peppers, all of which were drizzled in a delicious roasted pepper cream sauce. Ahhh, words cannot do it justice. Needless to say, I was already becoming stuffed. The portion sizes were certainly not reduced from their regular menu and a single appetizer was definitely enough to be shared with a date. Meg's salad was delicious as well and quite a sizable portion.

For our main courses, we both ordered flounder stuffed with baby bay shrimp, crab meat, and melty brie cheese. It was perfectly cooked, with a butter sauce that left both of us wanting to lick the plate clean. The crab meat and rock shrimp inside was also generously portioned. As an added bonus the waiter brought us a side of mashed potatoes on the house, not sure why, but well enjoyed. They were delicious! Last time I was at Oceanaire, I had their crab cakes which are absolutely incomparable to any I've ever had before or since. They are 99% crab meat with not a bread crumb to be found, just barely held together with a light coating of creamy mustard mayonnaise, spices and herbs.

Feeling quite full at this point, we got our forks ready and forged ahead. I had lemon and raspberry sorbet and Meg had cookies and milk. The sorbet was delicious, packed with flavor and bit of fresh fruit. The milk and cookies were good as well, literally a shot class sized cup of milk and two still warm and gooey oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Beyond the food, their cocktails are also incredible and at between 7-10 dollars they are well priced for how strong and delicious they are.

It was a perfect date!

So if you're in Boston and looking to celebrate, Oceanaire is an easy choice. They have some items on their menu which are more modestly priced, but if you're really looking for something super special to splurge on, I think king crab legs straight off of The Deadliest Catch ships is well worth parting with your hard earned cash. My budget hasn't allowed for that opportunity yet, but as a huge fan of both crab legs and Oceanaire, I can only dream about dining on some flown in daily from the Bering Sea.

To take a break from the city and enjoy the warm weather for an afternoon, my girlfriend and I took a trip out to Salem. Salem is about an hour outside of Jamaica Plain using public transportation and was worth the ride. While there, we also wanted to get a feel for what the town was like since we were thinking it might be worthwhile to move there and save on rent. But it seems that things are a bit far from the commuter rail and the rent savings wouldn't be worth the commuter rail costs. Still, it was a great afternoon spent wandering around the town and it was nice to be somewhere different enjoying a bit of sunshine after a long cold week.

Argh, matey! Stopping for a picture in front of a huge pirate ship.

Lunch was especially tasty at Capt's, which looked out onto the harbor. I had a crab melt sandwich and lobster bisque. Perfection!

My girlfriend, Meg, getting into the tourist spirit!

Checking out graves from the 1600s beneath a twisted tree.

And last but not least of course, the Salem Witch Museum.

A weekend day well spent!

One of the things I have come to appreciate most about Northeastern since I've been here is their application process. I know this might seem like a silly thing to think about once I've already acquired a coveted seat in the 1L class, but it's only now that I really have a sense of how profoundly important choosing a future class is.

When I was applying to law school, I remember thinking that Northeastern's application really gave me the most space to shine. They allowed addendums to be attached, diversity statements to be written, and a variety of optional essays. As an applicant, I found these aspects to be crucial because they allowed me to demonstrate who I really was as a person. It gave me a chance to have my application stand out against the hundreds of other people with the same LSAT and GPA. It gave me a chance to advocate for myself and prove I was worth taking a chance on.

Yet it wasn't until after I was already accepted that I really learned about Northeastern's admissions committee process. Each application is read by a staff member, the admissions office, and a student. Sitting in that classroom during a prospective student week panel presentation, I was not convinced that the student really had much of a say. I thought it was probably done to look good, but the decision that student made really wouldn't matter much in the end.

How very wrong I was. I am now one of the students who has been selected to be a part of that admissions committee and I can honestly say I do feel like the decision I make matters. More importantly, I think the student perspective on applications is a good one to have because Northeastern is trying to build a community that can collaborate, work towards goals together, and learn from one another. I think as a student, I really have the best sense of who might fit in and better our community. And for the most part, I think my class does really work well together, I think we do enjoy learning with one another, and being together. I don't think that could have happened as well as it seems like it has without some profound thought about the people who would ultimately comprise the class.

I can also honestly say something else about Northeastern that has long bothered me about higher education in general. Northeastern doesn't pick students out on numbers alone and this means a greater variety of people have access to a law school education. I've read about how minority students, whether of color, poor or even gay, are less likely to get into higher education because they don't have access to the same resources as their wealthier and more privileged peers. I know when I was applying, I had a great pre-law adviser, but if not for her, I would have been completely lost. Neither of my parents went to college, I wasn't able to afford an expensive prep class, and I certainly didn't feel like law school was accessible to me. When applying, I remember thinking about how there was so much more to my story than my LSAT score, and being devastated to read how schools used indexes and didn't even read the applications of people who feel too far below an average. Now I think, maybe it is those schools that are losing out on some really great students, rather than the students who are losing out.

As a student approaching my 2L year a lot faster than I ever thought I would, I'm proud to say that Northeastern really does practice what it preaches. It is dedicated to creating a community that's reflective of society with students from all backgrounds, social classes, gay, straight, poor and rich, I do think everyone gets a solid shot at being a part of our law school. And it may be completely lame to admit, but I'm really proud of that.