Ira, 3L

...in a short period of time.

My law office finished the bulk of our project. We're putting the finishing touches on it now and preparing it for our presentation Friday, March 28th. After that we're done. Done, done, done. Well, mostly done. I'm sure the program and powers that be will find something for us to do as we run up to exams.

This past Saturday was Barrister's Ball, affectionately and detractingly referred to as "Law School Prom." It was a good time, and nice to relax, drink, and dance the frustrations of LSSC and studying away. It was also great because the Ball is for more than just 1Ls; we got to see the upper-level students who haunt the building and (I believe) hide in the shadows. Seriously, we rarely see them. I believe that they don't go to class.

I am moving into a new place--hence the blog last week about housing issues in Boston. I'll be moving soon, but at least I've finally found a place for me and my 140 lb. great dane. A word of advice on this to future incoming class: this period of time, February - May of your 1L year at Northeastern, is the worst, worst, worst, WORST time you could try to move while in law school. Did I mention it sucks? Trying to balance law school, life, housing, life, law school and law school are not an easy task. I'm not sure if it's wholly possible. So, if given the choice, avoid it.

In other news: it's still snowing in Boston. True, it's light snow and quickly turns to rain. But, for someone who lived most of their lives in the South, snow in late March is a bit much. Moreover, I can't even imagine what the rain will be like in April.

That's all I got for now. I'm sure there is more, but I'm a little exhausted. Perhaps I'll get out a supplemental blog tomorrow...or early next week.

Posted by Ira at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I thought I'd take a break from describing all the yadda yadda school work that not only plagues most of my waking life, but--through this blog--part of yours too, and talk about finding housing in Boston.

If you are from Boston, please feel free to read on and add comments to add to the general discourse. Or to disagree with anything I've written below.

If you're not from Boston and have finding housing in this city on your list of things to do, fear not. I too am not originally from Boston. Originally, I had to find housing from 800 miles away.

First, your best resource is craigslist.com. Whatever listing you find on craigslist, make sure to note whether the property will be rented with "fee", "half fee," or "no fee." Usually, the fee is one month's rent. So, if you find a nice one bedroom or studio for around $1050/month, you can expect to pay first, last, deposit, plus fee in the order of $4200 to move in. If you rent from a realtor, that is.

Usually, realtors charge fees of some sort. Massachusetts law prohibits owners from charging fees. For my first apartment, I was lucky enough to rent from a realtor who owned the particular building in which I was interested in living.

Next, really research the area around Boston and decide where you do and don't want to live. My classmates are spread out throughout Boston, and the farther out you live, the more in transportation costs you will have. The bus and train systems in Boston are pretty nice to have around, in my opinion, but there is nothing wrong with finding a place within walking distance either.

In that same vein, another option is to live in one of the dorms. They are very near the campus and I'm sure they're affordable. As I have a dog, that wasn't an option--but it's certainly out there.

A quick note on landlords: it's tough to know with what kind of landlord you're going to end up. Especially if you're moving in from out of town. If feasible, I would come to Boston and visit some places and find a decent or tolerable landlord. There are definitely some good and bad ones out there. I would never recommend renting an apartment sight-unseen or from a landlord unmet, but if you're moving from, say, Nebraska and you only have enough airfare to get here in August...you might want to contact one of the Student Ambassadors or current NUSL students and ask them about good properties that meet your needs. Not to endorse any one student ambassador, but Josh Dicksinson is a 3L and very knowledgeable. He is a good guy and knows a lot of about Boston.

Unless you know a NUSL 1L personally, though, I'd stick with contacting the upper levels. We're so sick with yadda yadda school work we're about to burst.

Posted by Ira at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week was "Spring Break" for the 1Ls, and also marked the end of exams for 2Ls and 3Ls who are now on their co-ops. Like many things surrounding the study of law, the words "Spring" + "Break" are artifices. The weather was cold, snowy and often blustery, and I took few breaks in my studies and many projects until this past weekend. Now, it is true that I just moved to Boston in August. Perhaps this time of year is about as "Spring" as it gets here. If so, I am saddened and hold out hopes for what of the Summer I will see before heading to Phoenix.

This past weekend, though, I took a break from reading for classes and working on my LSSC project to attend the Robert Cover Public Interest Law Retreat. This year it was in Petersborough, New Hampshire. If asked to describe it in just one word, I would choose "life-changing." Before you argue: it is one word. Trust me, there is a hyphen in there.

The retreat brought together about twenty practitioners and professors of public interest law and approximately sixty students. We attended issue-specific workshops, heard motivational addresses, and participated in a lot of informal talks. I had great discussions with a former public defender, a county attorney, a litigator who fought on the side of government and corporate whistleblowers, and an attorney who brought cases in Washington, D.C. on behalf of prisoners, and many others. Moreover, it was fantastic to get to know students from other law schools. I met some wonderful people, and, honestly, learned a good deal about myself.

As a bonus, the whole shebang was held at an outdoor education center (read: "camp"), which was veritably picturesque with the snow and the clear nighttime skies. In between all our scheduled activities, we even had an opportunity to go cross-country skiing or snow-shoeing on the frozen lake.

Now back from this retreat, I am head-first and neck deep in finishing the LSSC project. I am swimming through treatises on the socio-economic rights possessed by children in South Africa, specifically analyzing whether they have a right to housing over and above adults. Additionally, in Constitutional Law (which I recently learned many schools do not teach until the second year) we are studying the War Powers of Congress, the President, and the role the federal courts have in managing those powers enumerated under the Constitution. We've talked a great deal in the past week about the authorizations to go to war in Iraq, the blank-check for the use of force in Vietnam, etc. It is really amazing stuff. I'll tell you more later, but, for the moment, I head back into it.

Posted by Ira at 8:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)