Welcome to the Northeastern University School of Law Blogs! As one of two 1Ls blogging this year, I want start off by giving you a sense of where I am now (busy, busy, busy) to where I was last year (busy, busy, busy). A year ago, I was working a full-time job, volunteering, and applying to law schools. I applied early admission, early decision, and just plain early to the schools on my list. Feel free to follow my example. Or not. Fast-forward to the present: I'm finishing my second full month at Northeastern, and, as you read above, I find the pace maintaining at a full-tilt. Or faster. Of course, I don't imagine anyone seriously considering committing their lives to three years of law school--as I imagine many of you are now so considering--would have any fantasies about it not being a heavy and deadline-ridden workload.

You may ask, then, how am I--as a 1L--finding time to write this blog? Honestly, I just sleep a little less. There is no rest for the weary, after all.

You may also ask, what is the first year like in law school--you know, besides all the "busy" and the "go, go, go?" What is the meat of it? What should I expect?

First, expect a lot of reading. That is a standard law student answer, but that's because reading is a staple and the answer holds true. Secondly, know that the professors and the administrators and your fellow students will expect a lot of initiative out of you. Your success, at the end of the day, is up to you. Even in the many group projects, your success is reliant upon how much you put into it. Everyone is here to help and, as far as I've witnessed at Northeastern thus far, is totally approachable when your have questions or problems. Yet, they are training future lawyers and thusly expect a higher level of responsibility and effort.

As a 1L you take a standard first-year curriculum. At Northeastern, you take a standard first-year curriculum and then some. This semester we all take Civil Procedure, Tort Law, and Property Law, and a course titled Legal Skills in Social Context (LSSC). I'll talk a bit more about LSSC in the next blog, but know for now that it is an intensive course--emphasis on INTENSIVELY time-consuming--that teaches in-depth legal research and writing while examining the social aspects and application of the law. Unlike research and writing courses at other law schools, LSSC is unique in that it stems straight out of Northeastern's commitment to public interest law and public service. Again, more on this later.

Monday, at or around the mid-point in our semester, all 1Ls took a Torts practice exam. Many considered it a mid-term and prepared for it accordingly. Many are now drained from having studied Torts exclusively this past weekend and neglected other pressing assignments. "Many" could be a code-name for "Ira." Honestly, I actually fall somewhere in between being totally drained and very glad it is over. A benefit to the practice exam was recapping everything we've studied in American tort law to date. It's amazing how many cases one can read in two months.

To wrap up, a word or two on living in Boston in the eyes of an out-of-towner. I moved from North Carolina where I lived the majority of my life, did my undergraduate studies, and worked. It's too easy to turn a cliche and say that the Northeast is totally different from the Southeast. I mean, it's true and it isn't. Some things are the same, some are not: people still drive like maniacs; the seasons still go Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall. Yet, people do indeed talk faster and behave with more of a hurry up North. It's not unfortunate, just noticeable. Also, quite inconveniently, you can't buy beer in grocery stores. I haven't discovered yet if this is a singular Boston or State of Massachusetts practice. Stay tuned. Either way, it made two stops out of one. More stops when you're in the city--on foot or in car--is not always a cool situation.

Lastly, just imagine living in Boston when the Red Sox win baseball championships. For those of you not familiar with what Franklin Street in Chapel Hill looks like after Carolina wins big at basketball--picture pandemonium.

Personally, I'm an Atlanta Braves fan. Always have been. Despite my fervent disapproval of the designated hitter rule, Atlanta is in the National League and I'm not barred from from liking Boston. It helps that I don't like George Steinbrenner, the Steinbrenner family, and by extension the Yankees. Other than those exceptions, I just dig baseball in general.

But I'm SO glad it's over. And I know many other 1Ls who agree. Now we can get some work done without either 1.) pretending to do it while watching the games, or 2.) actually doing the work and wishing we were watching the games. Interestingly, this all around the time that the upper-level students tell us is the threshold of the first-year--that week or couple of weeks when nearly every 1L feels like their reaching their capacity for assignments, projects, lack of sleep, stress, coffee ingestion. A couple blokes in Civil Procedure with me see no end in sight, because now football season starts in full swing. Luckily for me I don't dig football.

Don't get the impression, though, that the first year of law school is only about work, increasing your coffee intake by 300%, and making hard choices about the trade-offs outside of studies. It's not. At Northeastern, speficically, 1Ls really are the force behind the show. With half of the upper-level students gone on co-ops every three months, it's really difficult for there to be any continuity of effort in student activities. So, a lot of onus is put on the 1Ls to keep things going. This creates an interesting working dynamic.

Yesterday I was at a meeting for Dean Spieler's Ad Hoc International Programming Committee. I'm not on the Committee officially, but, hey, it's Ad Hoc and the Chair--Professor Hope Lewis--invited me. I'm the 1L Co-Chair of the International Law Society (ILS). The purpose of the Committee, mandated by the Dean, is to examine the possibility of increasing international opportunities into the curriculum, co-operative education, and the academic setting at Northeastern. "International opportunities" is very vague, but just know the Committee is basically drafting a memorandum--to be distributed to the law school's administration and faculty at large--to propose increasing the number of international classes offered and establishing study abroad programs and partnerships with foreign institutions and universities.

Awesome. The Committee is working on it. They've got it under control. Why am I at the meeting? Shouldn't I be in the library somewhere reading Supreme Court Cases on the claim preclusion (or res judicata depending on your vintage)?

Yes, yes I should. But there is much more to do at Northeastern--especially as 1Ls--that doesn't compete with your scholastic duties as much as you would think. My major platform in ILS consists of exactly the same issues with which the Committee is involved. Northeastern has some great core international law classes, but they need to be offered every quarter for upper-level students and most of them are not. Taking a class on, say, European Union Laws could be quite central in getting a co-op internship or securing post-graduation employment. More so than not totally conflicting with the 1L lifestyle, this dynamic that co-op creates forces first-year students to be active.

No. It forces us to be proactive. We know that upper-levels and the faculty are there for guidance and support, but these opportunities to shape our education and take part in more than just our studies are out there waiting for us.

Yesterday my LSSC law office met with our client representative to discuss our project due next April.

Wait, let me back up and give some introduction and history:

As I mentioned in my first blog, LSSC stands for Legal Skills in Social Context. Clicking on that link will certainly give you a description of the program, but I think, like most descriptions, it's abstract and slightly inadequate until you've experienced whatever is being described on the ground. Know that LSSC used to be two separate courses under the 1L curriculum. Students took a class on "legal research and writing" and then took another class that developed useful lawyering skills and analyzed the law and its role in society. The research and writing course was taught by 2Ls and 3Ls. Two years ago it changed. LSSC was created, the two courses were brought under its title, and the coursework was overhauled. Now, adjuncts--i.e., practicing lawyers--are assigned to teach individual research and writing courses. Thirteen to fourteen students are put into "law offices" that study these lawyering skills and the societal role of the law and lawyers.

After a rather intensive first semester of studying the methods of legal research and writing and lawyering skills, each law office is assigned a project on which to apply all this learning. The project is not invented by the law school, but submitted by an outside agency. Apparently, in the past two years the program has gotten a great numbr of submissions from organizations. I've heard that the application process is quite competitive.

Whew. Okay, we're done with the intro. I feel it is important, because a lot of 1Ls--including me--were confused about the whole set up of LSSC. It is, after all, something completely unique to Northeastern and not traditionally done at other law schools. I mean, how many curricular programs are out there giving 1Ls the opportunity to work on budding legal issues for a real client?

So, we met our client organization yesterday, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP). I hear that other law offices are working for agencies like a Public Defender's Office, the Vera Institute, and so on.

NLCHP has asked us to research the criminalization of homelessness in America (i.e., states or municipalities making it illegal to be homeless by making illegal some activity done by the homeless--such as sleeping or eating--or done by the public--giving food to the homeless). After that, we are to research programs in other countries that combat the causes of homelessness as alternatives to this criminalization, and analyze whether it would even be legally feasible (i.e., constitutional and workable) to institute such programs in America.

We don't start research until January and we're scheduled to orally present our project to NLCHP in April. I'll let you know how things progress.

In other news, the weather has gotten colder here in Boston and it gets dark around 4:30 p.m. I'm told it's going to snow soon. That's fine with me--it all just signals that we're almost done with our first semester of law school. The fabled first semester.

A short post today:

It's tough to be a 1L and keep apprised of the goings-on in the world. Even if your homepage is set to The New York Times or BBC.com. Some news, though, makes it through the sand-bag walls created by the readings for Property, Torts, Civil Procedure and LSSC. The devolving and frightening situation in Pakistan, for example.

A few weeks ago I heard that the lawyers of Pakistan were protesting in the streets again--uspet that President Gen. Musharraf dismissed the country's Chief Judge. Again. The protests were getting violent. Clashes with the police ensued. This all seemed a repeat of earlier this year--lawyer protests at the tail-end of winter. Click here to see pictures from that conflict.

Looking at those pictures, it all seems like a farce: lawyers in suits and ties in the streets, hurling stones and being beaten by baton-wielding police. A true clash of law and order. It's like something out of a Monty Python bit.

That got me thinking about two interrelated things: 1.) the way lawyers are perceived generally. I mean, if asked to describe lawyerly characteristics--"physically threatening" certainly wouldn't top the list. And, 2.) how indicative these actions are of the Pakistani lawyers' dedication to the role of the judicial system and the rule of law.

More to come...

Why do you want to go to law school?

No, scratch that. Why do YOU want to become a lawyer?

I mean--that is what the first question comes down to, right? Isn't that the meat of it? Isn't that what all the admissions offices--the law schools--are really asking you on your application? Why do YOU want to become a lawyer?

Now, to be fair, not everyone who goes and finishes law school becomes a lawyer. Some go into the private business sector without taking the bar--e.g., working as consultants--or take equally lucrative positions elsewhere. I've heard that there are even certain people who are solely interested in legal scholarship and academia. I'm not totally clear on whether you need to be a licensed attorney or have practiced to teach, but that's a little immaterial to the scope of this blog. The bulk of law students do take the bar and practice law in at least one of the fifty-one jurisdictions in the United States. But, why?

Why does anyone want to be a lawyer? Isn't there, like, an uncountable number of lawyers already? Does the world need more? I was certainly asked these questions by friends and family when I applied to law schools. The reasons I continue to give and the reasons I've heard from fellow students are varied: money, a particularly appealing area of the law, perceived job security, the "professional" status of the profession, family pressure (e.g., your dad or mom is a lawyer and wants you to follow in their steps). Interestingly, some students simply provide that "they thought it was a good idea." (Note that this list is in no way comprehensive and does not reflect my actual reasons. It is meant, only, to be a rainbow).

Some, of course, always bring up the money aspect. Lawyers make a lot of money, right? Yes and no. I'm sure most of you already know that. I worked for a Public Defender's office for two and a half years before coming to law school and I can say with complete certitude that those attorneys did not make anywhere near what they could have if they worked for a large firm. Or, heck, even if they opened up a small practice focusing solely on traffic and DWI/DUI cases. Yet, despite the fact that they were making a small percentage of what they could earn in a corporate gig--they still made more money than me. In that way, I think, the income is all about your own perception.

But, it doesn't end there. Everyone wants to make money, after all. If I, for example, was only concerned with making money I would have never finished undergrad. at Carolina and just kept working construction and home installation. There's a lot of money to be made in construction.

Yet, no one wants to be doing something they don't enjoy. Or, at least, not for very long. Money is money. It's definitely important to pay the bills (and the enormous law school debt), but life is far too short for unhappiness.

I want to be a lawyer because lawyers have unfounded potential to be instruments of social change. The law is, after all, around and within everything we do. You can't even build a porch on your own house on your own land without making sure you're following proper zoning laws and municipal ordinances (which, by the way, we just learned in Property are generally favored as prime methods to govern land-use). If the law--in any culture--permeates society in this way, think about the cutting edge work those practicing law get to do! Intellectual Property Law, for example, is becoming more and more important as our culture shifts so much of its resources and knowledge to the internet.

Again, why do YOU want to be a lawyer?

In other news, it snowed for the first time in Boston yesterday. Snow in the South is incidental (unless you live in the mountains)--especially when you grew up near the coast like I did. Now, I live in Mission Hill and got to enjoy my mile walk to school as the snowflakes fell down around me. It didn't stick to the ground and stopped by noon, but was great. I keep waiting for the deluge, though...some blizzard to roll in and give me the New England winter so many friends told me I could expect. Then, when it is negative 15 degrees (or colder) and I have to walk on the street because the plows pushed the snow up on the sidewalk, I'll let you know how my walks to school are going. I bet I'll still think they're great.

Two more things:

1.) Have a Happy Thanksgiving. If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, please enjoy whatever break your employer or school has given you.

If you aren't employed and don't go to school...well...just try to enjoy yourself. :)

2.) Following Leon's example: please note that there is a link in the bottom right, under the blog, to leave comments. Leave a comment, post questions, ask me to transfer large sums of your money from a Nigerian bank--whatever is your fancy. If you leave a comment, I will most definitely respond.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I did--definitely--but, like most 1Ls, I spent a lot of time studying and outlining for finals.

Also like most 1Ls, most of that outlining was focused on Civil Procedure. I've heard from many that Civ Pro is considered, by far, the hardest class during the first semester--maybe even the first year--of law school. I haven't taken my second semester classes yet (I'm calling it the "Spring of the Three C's"--Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Contracts), so I'll have to get back to you on a comparison. But Civ Pro is a lot of information. A LOT. All in all, though, it's really about how the judicial branch of our government (really, the Supreme Court) has decided to run and organize the federal court system so as to keep it "efficient" and "fair."

As this blog is titled, though, the most exciting goings on for 1Ls deal with internships. For those who are going on internship (note--we call it "co-op") next Summer, we're already receiving interviews and offers from the places where we applied. Several classmates and friends had their first interviews today. I and two other students got an offer straight-out from the Arizona Supreme Court.

I am excited about getting an offer so soon and from such a prestigious place. Also, I thought it would be a great example to blog about how choosing an internship at Northeastern works.

So, I applied--as I wrote in an earlier blog--to eleven "co-op employers." Several of them are with judges or judges' offices. In the way the internship system is constructed at Northeastern, if you get an offer from a judge for an internship for which you applied--and you have yet to accept another offer--you HAVE to take it. Even if you receive an offer at some place you really, really want to work for three months.

Knowing this at the get-go, and knowing that I really want to do my FIRST internship with a judge (such co-ops supposedly provide great legal research and writing experience, among other things), I did not apply anywhere I would be unhappy turning down.

So, on Monday I received acceptance of two interviews and an offer from three different co-op employers. Since the offer was from the Arizona Supreme Court (obviously a judge's office), I had to turn down the interviews with the other agencies. Yet, I don't have to immediately accept the offer in Arizona.

How can that be, right? Didn't I just write above that I HAVE to accept it? No matter what?

Well, as in the law and in life, few things are "no matter what." Since I applied early, I have ten days to respond to the offer. Since it's a judge's office that issued the offer, I can only turn it down if I get another offer from a judge's office within those ten days.

I would really, really like to go to Arizona for the summer and work with the top court in that state. It helps that I have family that live in Phoenix, so I'd have a free place to stay.

But, I want to keep my options open. I applied to other judges with whom I also really, really want to work, and I have ten days. Well, as of today, I have eight.

Wish me luck.

P.S. We 1Ls have a week and half of classes left; then a reading week to study, stress-out, crack, recover, and study more; then exams. I'll keep blogging if you keep reading.

Firstly,

It was really great to meet several of you at the Fall Open House this week. As I mentioned then, in person, please feel free to comment on any of my blogs (or those of my fellow-bloggers) if you have any more questions about Northeastern, law school life, or even the Admissions process. Note that I personally have no role in how your application is received and reviewed, but I'd be glad to answer questions as someone who was a prospective student last year.

For those of you who couldn't make it to the Fall Open House, don't sweat it. It was a nice time, there was free food, you had a short chance to meet many of the professors, Admissions' staff, Dean, and several students, but 1.) it's not necessary to attend Open House to be accepted, and 2.) there will be more.

Personally, I moved from North Carolina (interesting digressing factoid: although I now live in Massachusetts, NC is traditionally called "The Old North State." You can infer how us North Carolinians view ourselves) and in no way could afford the time off from work or the airfare to come to all the events the Office of Admissions sets up for prospective students. I made a point to come to the one AFTER I was accepted, though.

And there was still free food, plenty of professors, the Dean, and Admissions' staff to meet.

Secondly, after today we 1Ls have one full week of class left. That's it. These are "The End Times"--not to be confused with the time of the same name mentioned by Nostradamus or the Aztecs. 1Ls are catching up on whatever reading they may have skipped, missed, or simply need to read again to understand, outlining, and beginning to take practice exams. There are definitely a few I need to read again, but I'm sure I'll cover them in the finishing of my outlines.

In several of our classes this semester we've studied the impact of economic theory on the law, and I can't help but have similar thoughts on the inverse amount of sleep and work that seems to test law students on what is really the most efficient use of their time.

More to come...

It's the last week of classes! I'm sure I've mentioned that in a blog or two previously.

Yesterday we had our last Research and Writing class of LSSC for the first semester. We each turned in a final draft of a legal memo and a draft of a client letter. With all that we have to read in our case books for our other classes, it seems that our research and writing assignments often get re-prioritized or weighted down under scornful words for taking time away from Civil Procedure, Torts and Property. I admit I've cursed Research and Writing a time or two. Or more. And several fellow students have told me they've done the same.

But, at the end of the proverbial day, I can't deny that what we're learning is anything less than integral. According to co-op employers and post-graduation employers, one of the most important things they look for in an applicant is the ability to write well. Again, the new Research and Writing program is taught by adjunct faculty and, overall, is still in its infancy. But, for all the cussing I've done at two o'clock in the morning with back-logged cases to read for Property (or the Social Justice class of LSSC)--I'm glad I have it. Also, whatever written product comes out of it at the end of next semester, there's a great possibility I can expand on it to fulfill Northeastern's writing requirement.

A word (or more) on exams: it is an interesting comparison to undergrad. to think about law school exams. In law school, as most know, you get one test at the end of the semester. That's it--one cumulative test. That doesn't happen to too many people in undergrad. Now, given, Northeastern doesn't provide traditional grades--but an exam is still an exam. For example, each of our exams are four hours long and they are all essay question. In fact, they are essentially one large essay question with two or more sub-parts. Four hours long. Heck, that's a marathon. And I'm fairly certain the clock doesn't stop for bathroom breaks.

Okay then, back to studying.

Currently bogged down with studying for finals (Civil Procedure on Friday, Property on Monday and Torts next Wednesday), there are not a lot of activities going on around the school--or in 1L life--to report. There are still plenty of events happening at the school (with 2Ls and 3Ls still in classes), but I'm sure they are devoid of first-years. Going to club meetings, presentations by prospective faculty, or lectures by practicing attorneys in certain fields (this week they had Military Law) all sound great. I enjoy going to those things. Overall, though, it's less and less feasible when you're trying to squeeze every spare minute out of a day.

Nonetheless, like Leon noted in his blog, we're all looking forward to the end of exams. I'm awaiting Thursday, December 20. Then, maybe, I can do some holiday shopping before I leave for North Carolina to visit my family and friends back home. I seriously considered ordering them all "Northeastern Law" T-shirts and sweaters, but I don't imagine that will go over too well with, say, my four-year old little brother.

I'm also really looking forward to next semester's classes, while remaining a fount of optimism about my law office's LSSC project. We'll see.

I'll report back after my Civil Procedure exam on Friday, as it gets out early afternoon. To all of you out there reading who are currently studying for your own finals, or meeting deadlines at work--or, I suppose, just being bogged down in your own special way--my best to you.

"One down, two to go." That's what my girlfriend told me when I called her after finishing my Civ Pro exam. I think she'll be happier than I am once exams are over. Pretty positive.

So, I'm done with my first ever law school exam. It was four hours long, the proctor seemed like somewhat of a tool, and I did...well, on second thought, I'm not going to describe my performance on the exam. Two reasons: One, they ask us to not discuss the subject matter of the exam with anyone else for some time after exams end (in case anyone has to take a make-up due to unforeseen circumstances--like, say, being stuck in a plow-created snowdrift on the other side of Boston); and, two, the exams are quasi-anonymously completed and anonymously graded. I'd like it to stay that way. We're each assigned a five-digit number (which doesn't make it totally anonymous) and the professors don't know who completed the exam until after they've finished grading.

This system of anonymity is linked to a relatively new way of taking exams at NUSL. At least, I hope it's new, because a lot of kinks are still being worked out. These "kinks," I think, are creating a lot of the stress that goes into exams. The safest way to know that none of the technology supplied or provided will fail us while taking the tests is to write in a bluebook by hand.

Like many, I decided to take the exam on my laptop. Some do choose to write it out, and many choose to take them on the school's computers.

But me--my own laptop. And a Mac, at that. What a rebel, huh? Don't get any ideas, though, the exam software disables any other programs from operating or even being accessed while the exam is in progress.

Anyway, Macs have slightly different instructions and they interface with the exam software in slightly different ways. This causes some frustrations because a lot of people couldn't get the software to download properly (some PCs too) and had to start the exam late. I do say this, though, the computer services folks at the law school were on hand and doing their best to solve all problems. I can only imagine it's tough to deal with strung-out 1Ls who have had little sleep in days while they've studied for exams, and who don't want any more anxiety than studying for Civ Pro often causes.

Luckily, I had no problems with the software. The exam, though, well I'll tell you about that next semester when I get the evaluations back.

I think the title of this blog says it all. So much has happened in the past two to three weeks, and yet at the same time it feels like so very little. I mean, I did almost nothing else (and I mean nothing) than study for fifteen hours a day or more and take three four-hour long exams. And yet it feels like such a long journey.

As counterintuitive as that whole scenario seems, it expresses the truly exhausted and confused feelings with which I was left after finishing exams. Yesterday, at 1:00 p.m. I was done with my last exam--Torts--and yet had this feeling like I was everywhere and nowhere at the same time; mentally full of everything and nothing at all. In a word--drained. At the post exam celebrations naturally full of warming and flowing libations, nearly all the 1Ls with whom I spoke expressed the same.

And yet, above it all, just oh-so-glad to be done.

We get about two weeks off and have to be back at school January 2nd prepared for a rigorous week of LSSC--starting working on the project I described in earlier blog.

For now, I'm happy to be on a plateau of relative calm and restfulness before starting my second semester. Naturally, we are already getting assignments for the first day. No complaints on my end, really, about all of that. It's far better to have the required readings and assignments sooner than a day or two before. Or not told or provided the opportunity to discover the information at all and still expected to have magically known about it and read the material. Yeah, that happens.

So, I plan to read a book or two, do very little, spend time with my girlfriend, visit family in North Carolina, do very little, do all the reading for the start of next semester, and...just for kicks...do very little.

Happy Holidays everyone!

About a year or so before I even filled out a law school application I read Scott Turow's "1L" at the recommendation of a colleague. For those of you who don't know the book (or can't surmise it's subject matter from the title), Turow describes his first semester as a 1L at Harvard Law School. Of the many memorable points in the novel, he closes by briefly describing the start of his spring semester.

Turow rehashes in quick fashion everything he felt he'd learned during "the" first semester, and then discusses how the second would be different: he'd make time to read the paper at least once a week; read a book for pleasure; spend more time with his wife; and, in general, take things easier. He mentions knowing he would have time for these because his grades didn't qualify him to be on the Law Review, but forcefully notes that irregardless of the circumstances he would make time. That his life would not be all about law school.

I thought of this on my walk to school today and realized a great difference between our situations: Scott Turow didn't have a huge LSSC project in the offing.

My analysis ended there because I don't like to analogize when too many factors come into play. E.g., Turow reluctantly went to Harvard (he disliked stodginess and the 'good ol' boy system' if I recall) in the 1970s, and I'm proudly at Northeastern (bastion of Experiential Learning and Public Interest) in 2008.

So all that remains of that thought, then, is the LSSC project. Today 1Ls began school three days before classes resume, entering into an "intensive first week" of our project. We essentially have a steep learning curve to overcome and little time in which to do it. All deadlines and program expectations were laid out, on top of our client agency's expectations and project interests. To me it all seemed like some great desert sea, an ocean of sand dune-deadlines. Whenever we reach the summit of one dune, we have but uncovered and put in sight the next one to be scaled--dead ahead.

It sounds gloomy, like some Sisyphean objective merely created to work and exhaust us. Yet, I know it's not. And, like all great treks where the journey is many-obstacled and seems endless, I know that the end is more than the destination. We will all come away, I think, greater somehow and more knowledgeable than we can now fathom.

Mapped against this, pragmatically, we will also have done what lawyers do: represented our client to the best of our ability and delivered the information and the advocacy asked of us.

As my group's project is for the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, I'm off to research info. on the state and federal governmental responses to homelessness...with my eyes on the dune ahead.

More to come...

Normally I post two blogs a week (because I know the demand is so high), but you'll notice I deviated from this last week. That's what law school is all about, I'm afraid--deviation from best laid plans due to reprioritization. Despite the hundreds of angry and discontented emails I received eagerly asking why I had not posted and what was going on in 1L life, I chose to apply my efforts to finishing my law office's LSSC research plan.

In four groups we all did research on different facets of the state of homelessness in the US (including the role of the judicial system in the lives of homeless persons) and pulled together an updated summary of our research and what we think our next steps should be. Remember that our project goal is to research how homelessness is addressed (or not) in foreign countries.

Besides being part of one of the four teams (we researched the weighty subject of the governmental response to homelessness), I helped edit the document for clarity, punctuation, etc.

In approx. three days our law office pulled together thirty-one pages of research on homelessness in America. And that is only really a brief introduction.

On Monday 1Ls also started our traditional "law" classes and the Research and Writing component of LSSC. So far, in a simplistic nutshell, I've learned that Contract Law is about promises made and how they can be enforced, Constitutional Law is about the powers of the government (specifically the Supreme Court of the US) and the actual Constitution to tell states where legal (and maybe political and social) boundaries are, and Criminal Law is about punishment. All about punishment for violating the generally decided "social norm."

The busy, busy, busy begins again.

I'm going to review this past week in reverse. No real reason--just enjoy the ride.

We had Monday off due to a somewhat expected Snow Day. Sadly, like many 1Ls, I spent most of it working on my group's LSSC project. Truly sad, because I was hoping to go sledding down some of the larger hills near where I live. This could have posed a problem because 1) I don't own a sled, and 2) I planned to go sledding with my dog (a 140lb. Great Dane). Irregardless, that didn't happen.

As I mentioned in my last blog, the previous subcommittee in which I formed a part researched the governmental response across the United States to homelessness. Since Friday, we split up into different research subcommittees based on foreign countries to be analyzed. I am now one of three researching the state of homelessness in South Africa. We're working vigorously, planning our week out down to the hour. We must compile our information with the other four subcommittees' information on their own individual countries and have it prepared for review by next Thursday.

Note that this is only a preliminary step and an introductory look at the countries we chose to research. We have much more work to do before our presentation to our client-organization at the end of March-early April.

Last Wednesday the International Law Society (ILS) hosted an Immigration Law Conference with five panelists. The event was planned by ILS and co-sponsored by the Queer Caucus (QC), the Business Law Interest Group (BIG), the Asian and Pacific Islanders Law Students Association (APALSA), the Latin-American Law Students Association (LALSA), and the NUSL Co-Op Office. It seems to have been a big hit and had a fairly good showing. Our panelists came and spoke on the status of immigration laws and policies in America and the paths to reform. We had three lawyers, a social worker, and a policy analyst all working in different areas of immigration law.

Later this week (seriously, I intend to write a second blog this week), I want to discuss some of the more enlightening cases we're studying in our classes.

In Criminal Law we've just finished discussing the need for prohibited or unlawful conduct (basically, a "crime") to be specifically written down and accessible in a statute in some form or another. The basic (read--very basic) premise is that one needs the opportunity to know ahead of time that a certain type of act should not be done. Why? Because the will of people--that is, the legislature--decided that it should not be done.

We read a California case from 1970, Keeler v. Keeler(go ahead, click on it), where a husband brutally beat his (soon to be ex) wife for cheating on him. Due to the beating and its severity the baby, with which she was eight months pregnant from the other man, died. Note that the wife lived. The prosecutor brought a murder charge for the killing of the baby and he was convicted. Ultimately, however, the Supreme Court of California overturned the conviction because there was a question whether or not an unborn fetus counted as a human being. Basically, under the homicide law passed by the legislature of California in 1850, the unborn fetus was not considered to count as a human being. So, can the husband be convicted of taking the life of someone or something that never lived?

The court decided that it was the role of the legislature (as the democratically elected majority) to define an unborn fetus as living or not living and not the role of unelected judges.

Now, I in no way intend to start a debate on whether or not the Court's legal opinion in this case is correct OR when life truly begins. I described this jarring case because--for me personally--it has been very relevant. My hometown, Jacksonville, North Carolina, has been a hot-spot of media attention for the past week and a half after a pregnant female marine went missing and they later found what they believe to be the remains of her and her fetus buried in the alleged murderer's back yard. Sparing you any more details (for you can always read the news article at the link if you don't already know), the burial site is but a mile from my mother's house. If that wasn't relevant enough, there is a lot of talk around town (and I imagine in the District Attorney's Office) of whether they will ultimately indict for the murder of the unborn baby. I don't recall from my two years working in a Public Defender's office in North Carolina whether there is a law in the state making the murder of a pregnant woman (and her fetus) a double homicide.

There are a lot of presuppositions in that last paragraph (e.g., that we or the authorities know who the murderer is; that it actually was a murder; that they'll ever catch their suspect), but such is the nature of the criminal justice system, the nature of our media, and the nature of our humanity.

In lighter and more refreshing news, I'm going skiing tomorrow. This is somewhat of a delight for an out of towner who generally grew up near the coast--to be able to drive an hour and go skiing. Well, skiing that doesn't involve water. It's great, especially with all the fresh snow.

I hope everyone has a pleasant holiday weekend!

After coming back from a fantastic trip skiing this past weekend and a federal holiday with which to read for the coming week, I slogged into the LSSC work for my group's Thursday deadline. Besides completing my portion of the research on South Africa, I volunteered to help the team charged with checking and editing citations.

This may seem rather esoteric and eye-gougingly banal, but the devil is in the details and legal research and writing is all about the details. Citations and their proper usage are a big deal in legal writing, as they inform future readers of your work on what research you're basing your information. So, we spent hours and hours of pain apiece correcting mistakes in citation. Some persons seem to have made the mistakes carelessly, without really using the source for appropriate citation usage (The Bluebook), others succumbed to a common problem with my group's research--we're dealing with foreign material from the UK, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Australia, France, and South Africa. Seriously foreign material, not just foreign to us as 1Ls.

In our Research and Writing section of LSSC we're currently drafting a Motion to Dismiss a case and a memo in support of that motion. Know that these documents are directed at a fake judge presiding over a fake case involving our fake client--but it seems like great experience researching areas of law with which we're overwhelmingly unfamiliar (e.g., workplace discrimination in violation of the ADA), and great experience persuasively writing motions and memos.

A concern with these LSSC assignments, in conjunction with our continued reading for Criminal Law, Contracts and Constitutional Law, is that as we do more and more research the work and pressure will continue to ramp up. Unlike the fear I've heard from other law offices over fiery in-group squabbling as people get stressed out about this increased and demanding amount of work, my concern is focused on the sheer logistics of these group projects. Is it really a good idea to ask thirteen people to compile a project and give them all an opportunity to participate in writing and researching and editing, and overwhelmingly ask them to have it ready in such a short amount of time?

I'd like to believe it truly is, but I don't know. I'll keep you informed as we near mid-March. Projects are presented to the client and law-school community starting the week of March 24.

So, if you don't already know, let me give a nota bene: do not, I repeat, do not stare upward at the sky during snowfall. Staring into the heavens while snow is falling is a one-way ticket to being hypnotized, entranced or otherwise rendered useless. This is particularly troublesome while driving on a long, dimly lit road.

This is a bit how law school feels right now. There is so much to do, assignments constantly being added, bits of information to remember, on a level hard to sufficiently explain as really, truly extraordinary. So, regardless to your work or prior school experience, just trust my subjective picture here. It's a lot and we 1Ls get so wrapped up in the consistency of it all we get hypnotized, and it's hard even to care if there's an end in sight.

In other news, evaluations came out (for most of us) this past Friday. Northeastern uses evaluations, not traditional grades. Don't sweat it, though, because the grading system is somewhat analogous. Somewhat. Instead of letter grades we get "Outstanding," "Excellent," "Very Good," "Good," "Marginal Pass," or "Fail." The professor makes the decision on how they feel we did on their particular final exam and grades accordingly, then gives a brief (and generally, it's very brief) explanation of that evaluative grade and maybe our performance in the class.

I did decently. I'm happy and I knew the material. That, I feel, is supremely important.

I enjoyed meeting several of you at the Winter Open House last Wednesday. In response to several questions which repeated throughout the night, I thought I'd address them here.

How long is the typical day as a 1L? That is, how long should one expect to be working everyday?

To a great degree the core of this question seems to reflect fears about balancing Law School and personal life. As a short answer, expect to be working all the time. Every day. Expect your personal life to get pushed aside and shunted for much of your first year of law school.

This isn't always the way things play out, but if you expect to block out near all of your time, you'll be on the safe side. Several first-year students that I know actually go to class and read and do their work during the day, and are home by six or seven p.m. They refuse to take their books home and they commit to doing it all during daylight.

Other students spread their work throughout the day, getting it done in pockets. Some work until 2 a.m.

These variances point to one definite thing: you need to figure out what works for you. If you're the type of person who works well at 11.30 at night as opposed to 2.00 in the afternoon, then arrange your schedule accordingly. The focus should not solely be how many hours you spend, but should overwhelmingly be whether or not you get your work done and you understand the material. Regardless of the reasons you came (or are coming to law school), you got to do whatever it takes. I mean, after all, you gotta do what you gotta do.

What classes do you get to pick your first year?

Umm...none. In your first year you get told where to be, what classes you'll be taking when you're there, and who will be teaching the material. I'm pretty certain this is consistent across law schools in America. Think of it as law school boot-camp.

How hard is it to find a co-op?

On the front end it's actually pretty easy to secure an internship. The Co-Op Office is extremely helpful and will work with you every step along the way. Every step. But you still have to prepare the application packets, get an interview, wow the interviewers and be offered a position. A lot of work goes into the whole process, but it's a lot easier than getting into law school. In fact, it's a lot easier than studying for exams. Trust me. In the end, everyone gets an internship somewhere.

Do you recommend taking time off between undergrad and law school?

This is a tough one. I recommend you do what feels right, make a decision and then take the plunge either way. I took time off, but not with the intention of eventually going to law school. I graduated in 2003, then worked and eventually found my calling. However, all that time off and those experiences have given me great perspective. You know, the "real world." But several of my friends and fellow 1Ls came straight from undergrad programs and they're surviving and also carry great experiences and insightful perspectives.

Essentially, in the end it's up to you.

The work here at law school continues. Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Contracts, Researching South Africa's post-Apartheid guarantee of housing to all its citizens, etc, etc. Next week is "Spring Break," but don't let that fool you. Most of us 1Ls already plan to jump face-to-the-fire into our LSSC projects, reading for our core classes, and our research and writing assignments in the offing. There's also been some talk of starting outlines.

So, wanting a softer subject, I thought some would enjoy a list of famous lawyers not primarily known for being lawyers:

Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
Mohandas Gandhi
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Franz Kafka
Nelson Mandela
Rev. Al Sharpton
Ben Stein (yes, that Ben Stein)

Enjoy.

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.

...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.

Apologies for the lack of blog last week; it was the run-up to our LSSC presentation and preparation consumed nearly every waking moment. I think, at times, I forgot to eat.

The presentation and debrief with our client and professors went really well. It is still a little surreal that we're done with the project, and...honestly...have a huge chunk of free time to...well, read and study for our other classes and work on our oral arguments for our Research and Writing course. I may even have time to call friends and family to let them know that I am indeed still alive.

At the risk of sounding like I was somehow encouraged or paid to write the following: Despite my supreme exhaustion and frustration with LSSC and (gleeful) happiness now that it is over, I cannot underline enough the valuable skills I now have because of the program. If nothing else, I certainly learned how to avoid a nervous breakdown for me and others. I also now have a great deal of skill in researching foreign law and international treaties that will definitely make its way onto my resume.

In other news, as soon as I finished the presentation and Con Law on Friday I left town and headed south. I was very recently invited to the Barrister's Ball (aka Law School Prom) at Georgetown Law, and took the opportunity to stay in DC and environs to see family and friends. And meet new friends. It was incredibly relaxing, rejuvenating, and...to milk a more utilitarian adjective...fantastic. I write it again: it was fantastic.

More than one Georgetown student I met told me that they wish they went to Northeastern instead. Hearing this had an interesting and momentarily paralyzing effect on me: it made me think about the nicely polished rejection letter I received from Georgetown over a year and half ago (I'm willing to admit here that Georgetown was my first choice); about how, regardless, I was glad before their comments that I came to Northeastern with its unique program; and how certain I am that those people will likely be fantastic attorneys no matter where they went to school. Each law school is different, and there is some truth to their reputations and, yes, even the rankings--BUT each law school still prepares you to become a lawyer. It is up to you to find out what kind of lawyer (or, more broadly, what to do with your law degree) and pursue that path.

As always, things are in flux here at Northeastern. Wait, I'm not even sure I know what "flux" really means. Is that even the right word here? Flux capacitor?

Okay, I looked it up: "continuous change." It was the right word choice, after all. Interesting archaic definition, though. As in, "Joey came down a bad case of the flux. He was out all afternoon."

Anyway, despite being done with my huge LSSC project I still feel like I'm trying to keep my head above water. Not a good feeling as one is heading towards exams (three weeks left). Luckily, I bit the bullet and stayed up all of last night to do some catch up and finish this other LSSC project we have due. That's right, other LSSC project. It's a research and writing assignment--a legal brief for or against a motion in a fake employment discrimination case. The motion was due today, noon, and will be followed up by oral arguments this coming Monday.

I must admit that I'm excited about the oral arguments, as it will put me back (in some ways) where I love to be...in the courtroom. I worked as child advocate and, quite separately, with a public defender's office for three years before law school and spent a good deal of time in court. Of course, on Monday it will be a fake courtroom with a fake judge...but it will all be real enough to be a welcome change from the routine of law school.

Overall, the general theme (as I'm sure it generally has been) is business. Read that as "busy-ness." With a double meaning of "business." But it's not all work and no play. Besides the catharsis that the oral argument is likely to be, there are also some really great legal events going on around Boston this month. For example, next week I'll be attending an event at New England School of Law on careers and projects in International Pro Bono Law.

And the weather is getting warmer by and by. I imagine I'll enjoy a nice week, maybe two of spring-like weather before BAM--summer. Or, alternatively, BAM--my move to Phoenix.

One last disparate note: For those of you who have commented in the past week, my apologies for not replying as of yet. An email is in the offing.

The title to this blog frames what has been an instructional week for me.

On Monday, my law office finished (perhaps for real, this time) LSSC with our oral arguments. As I may have described in an earlier entry, we were split individually into attorneys for the plaintiff and defendant for an employment discrimination case. Our oral arguments were the culmination of two months of research and legal writing, preceded slightly by motions and memoranda we had to file with the judge. I had the honor of giving my oral argument twice, as there were more attorneys for the defendant.

To note, the oral arguments were restricted to ten minutes (which is a short, short time to explain anything with the words "legal," "standard," and "discrimination" in your thesis) and, as we were addressing a "judge," we had to be prepared to be repeatedly interrupted with questions.

Both experiences for me were very instructional, as the two classmates against whom I argued took very different takes on the legal issues in question. So, I had to draft two slightly different arguments in opposition. Moreover, I learned a great deal more about speaking in front of a judge. For example, when the judge gets you slightly off your intended track and asks you a question for which you have no immediate answer...don't fumble through your words and end by saying -- "I have no clue, Your Honor."

Ultimately, I answered the question through talking it out. But, I should have said "Your Honor, I need a moment to think on that question" or some derivative thereof.

All in all, the oral arguments came out well and I enjoyed doing them.

That same afternoon I went to a panel downtown at the Boston Bar Association on International Pro Bono opportunities. It was very informative. There were several people, including the the current Chief Judge of the Massachusetts Court of Appeals, who have served on different International Criminal Tribunals (East Timor, Yugoslavia, Cambodia), election observation programs, large American firms that do pro bono work abroad, and more.

There wasn't much of an opportunity for a meet and greet, and, being a 1-L, I had to bolt to get some work done, but I got great notes on resources and places to look for internships and jobs post graduation.

Quite separately, the weather is beautiful here in Boston right now. The winter feels like its finally trailing off. Just in time for what could be an amazing weekend.

This will likely be my last blog to you amidst the classes of my first-year of law school.

Although some of you readers out there may have not read that sentence with the gravity it actually carries, I'm going to give a few moments of literary silence to let that sentence sink in...in the honor of my fellow 1Ls and all those 1Ls who have come and gone.

...end of first-year of law school....

Granted, the end of classes is merely the beginning of exams. But, law school exams are a whole different beast that must be overcome quite separately from the bridge we students had to cross to get here. The important point, I think, is that once we're preparing for and taking exams...we are in fact on the other side of the bridge. Whether or not they let us through the gate, well...that's the beast of it.

Several fellow classmates have mentioned the sheer difficulty in studying in the weather with which Boston has been blessed in the past week. Who wants to be inside and studious when Sunshine beckons us towards adventures and livelihoods that have little to do with the Uniform Commercial Code or issues of federalism and state sovereignty? Studying for exams was certainly much easier during the winter when the weather outside was much less inviting.

Well, notwithstanding Boston's current sunshine (and the Sunshine come and gone), I'm glad I didn't go to law school closer to the Equator. And, considering the lovely weather without these walls, I imagine this is why the powers that be construct law school buildings without big, expansive windows.

Contrary to those feeling torn between the weather and their studies, though, I actually find the majesty of Spring invigorating and helpful towards studying. Perhaps it's the general nature of the season to re-energize and I'm just finding it easier to channel it towards studying. Perhaps it's because baseball season is the best season (and Smoltz is now a member of the 3,000 club).

Anyway, exams will soon be over and I'll be headed to Phoenix to work for the Supreme Court there. I look forward to the chance to do appellate work and to hike some of the beautiful canyons in Arizona.

Tonight, I'm attending a meeting on "Justice for Northeastern University Janitors." (Note: if you go to that link, I wouldn't sign the petition UNLESS you're a member of the NU community AND have already not signed it.) I've been trying to go to these weekly meetings since about February, and now have finally made the time. No excuses, I just didn't have going to the meeting high on my list amidst all other law school goings-on. That doesn't mean I don't support the cause. In fact, I hope to attend the rally and march on the university president's house this Saturday.

More to come. Until next week...

I'll spare everyone the always exciting minutiae of the mental marathon that is studying for law school exams and get on to with what I have been distracting myself. Considering that very realistic picture, though, this blog will be short.

First, the end of classes was great. My last class, Constitutional Law, was wrapped up awesomely. I left it honestly feeling whole and complete. To paraphrase one of the last things Professor Adler said to us: The law tries to boil life down, make it abstract, and pretend that it--the law--operates in a perfect world. One of your best tools as a lawyer is fearlessness in the face of such abstraction. Keep an eye on the real world...a world that is not abstract or perfect.

Secondly, my first Seder dinner at the law school was great. See Wen's (second) blog--"Passover Seder" on the whole experience. I think she does a great job of describing it from the point of view of someone not Jewish at their first Seder. Also, I similarly learned that I don't dig gefilte fish.

Lastly, I spent part of this weekend at a rally in front of the $7.5 million dollar home of the President of Northeastern University. The Justice for Janitor's Coalition rallied with students, student groups, janitors, faculty, local members of state congress, the media, and the public to protest the wages and lack of healthcare under which many of the employees of our facility services must work. The rally went strong all weekend, through rain and sunshine, and collected nearly 900 letters of support from the community for the cause. And the fight continues. Go here to see a Northeastern University TV (NUTV) two-part documentary about it: Part One, and Part Two.

If you click on any of the other links provided in that paragraph you should see some great press coverage of this weekend's rally.

Best of luck to my fellow law students--at Northeastern and other law schools--

One down and two to go. It will all be over Friday at 1.30pm, after a four-and-a-half hour Contracts exam.

I'd ask for a collective expression of dissatisfaction, but in the many moments between studying where I am so susceptible to distraction I can appreciate how lucky I am to have only law school exams to be plaguing my life right now.

I mean, don't get me wrong, they are a plague. A necessary blight inflicted either as a reminder of how far we've come, a sadistic method of testing our capacity for knowledge in a short period of time, preparation for our true "final" law school exam (i.e., the bar exam), or as a right of passage towards our degree. Probably all of the above.

What's next? A short and blissful vacation with those dearest in my life, and then to my internship in Phoenix with the Arizona Supreme Court. I start right after Memorial Day, where the temperature is expected to hover around 95º for a couple weeks before it reaches above 100º for the remainder of the season.

Fear not loyal readers, I will be blogging through the Summer about all the goings on in Phoenix and beyond (and, hopefully, about something much more interesting than exams).

The title to this blog really paints the portrait, but the picture is admittedly incomplete for you non-law school readers who haven't been on this two week journey. So, let me take you there.

Last I wrote, I had two exams left: Criminal Law and Contracts. They both went, and I hope they went well. Crim was a bit of a frustration, because the professor determined that we did not need the full four hours typically allotted for law school exams at NUSL. Instead, s/he made the decision that we would do fine with two-and-a-half. There are pros and cons to this, of course. Presumably, if the time is cut almost in half the tested subject matter would also be cut in half. Presumably. The morning of the exam, moments before starting, we were informed that the Professor made a last minute decision (i.e., right before we arrived) that we may in fact need a full three hours for the exams.

After completing the exam, rich in byzantine hypotheticals where the characters arguably commit over ten crimes on one another and we're asked to explain how they should be charged, I am unsure if anything about the exam was truly changed to reflect the shor