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.

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...

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.

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.

Tonight the Office of Career Services is hosting a networking event that brings NUSL students and alumni together over drinks, snacks and a shelter from the delightfully rough weather we're experiencing. Looking at the list of alumni (organized by their practice area), it looks like they've assembled approximately 100 alums. Yours truly will be in attendance.

I can't honestly tell you how such events go because, frankly, I've never been to one. Yet, I think my relative inexperience at such a venue matches well with my overall networking experience in my past professional (and personal) life, to give some advice to those soon to be attending law school.

Whether you're now deciding between schools, eagerly awaiting responses, studying for the LSAT, or just thinking about it...realize that to a great degree it is massively important who you know. To some this maxim may seem trivial, but I think it's hugely important to state and read it with clarity. So, go ahead--read the previous sentence again.

I use to fiercely resist the notion that I needed to put any weight on who I know or how they can help me in the future. That, after all, seemed to me the essence of networking. Why should I hobnob? Couldn't I get by on what I know, how well I know it and have proven this?

I don't normally dig dealing in extremes, so it suffices to say that getting by on what you know alone is unlikely. And highly improbable. If who you know (and, honestly, what they know about you) didn't matter, why would employers ask for references or written recommendations? Moreover, how many times have you asked a friend about the details of someone they know better than you?

It may be sad to some, but it's true. I don't look at it as hobnobbing, and I recommend that you don't either. For, in the end, it's not really about getting ahead or schmoozing. Networking is about making connections and getting to know.

That being said, realize now who you know and who you want to get to know. Even if you don't realize yet what field of law piques your interest. Getting to know the Town Attorney or In-House Counsel of your parent's employer or your professor will help shape that interest. Getting to know anyone, really. Everyone you meet could be a part of that network. This may seem (and may really be) overly simplistic, but it bears witness.

Before I start into the thick of this blog, I want to let all those know that the undergraduate program of Northeastern University is having a panel for all pre-law students, students that may be interested in law school, long-time graduates thinking about going to law school, etc. The focus of the panel will be on taking the LSAT, applying to law schools, personal essays, etc. It is open to anyone interested, not just NU students, and is Monday, February 25th at 5.30pm in 105 Shillman Hall. If you're not from NU and want directions, please feel free to comment on this blog and leave your email address.

The Connections networking event on Wednesday went well. The Offices of Career Services and Alumni Relations provided a list of alumni attending prior to the event, so I did my research and talked to the few people practicing in the areas that specifically interest me and those working in areas that may interest me in the future (e.g., labor and employment law).

I spent great chunks of my time at the "Government" table and at the "Criminal Defense" table. At the former, I spoke with a couple attorneys working in the Mass. Attorney General's office about what they do as Asst. Attorney Generals, how the different divisions of the AG's office work together, whether they ever bring cases into federal court, etc. I also spoke with a Naval JAG attorney who described the benefits and detriments he saw in being a military lawyer.

An anecdotal tangent: as I finished talking with the JAG attorney, a classmate of his from 2004 came up to say hello. The classmate worked at a large Boston firm. He mentioned all the rain and snow we've been having to the JAG attorney, then said, "Yeah, it's my week to shovel the patio." Both the JAG attorney and I thought his tone was joking and he was being sarcastic, but--as his behavior seemed more serious and straight about the matter--we inquired further. The classmate mentioned something about the "partners not having shovels" then changed the subject.

If he was serious (and, frankly, I still don't know), that scenario is frightening. I'm all for helping out whenever and wherever possible, and fully support the co-operative lifestyle, but I doubt that all the attorneys rotated "facilities services duties" every week. I'd be hugely unhappy if I had to take time out of researching and investigating whatever case I'd been assigned to shovel the firm's patio. Maybe the fellow was joking, or maybe they had a big group meeting and took volunteers because paying another company to do it was just getting too expensive. Maybe not. Maybe those are the things you sign yourself up for with some firms.

Anyway, the chat with the criminal defense lawyers at the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) (essentially, they're the public defenders) went well. As I worked for a public defender's office in NC, they recommended I not apply until the end of my second year--if I was interested--as certain offices give certified 3Ls cases to actually represent in court. As I expected, interning with them before I was certified would give me little more experience than I have already with a Public Defender's Office.

This weekend is a long one with President's Day on Monday, but I'll be spending most of it studying and working on the LSSC project. Given the pleasantly warm weather we have outside today, though, I think my dog and I are going to go for a run.

Honestly, law school is terrible on keeping a regular exercise regimen.

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.

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.

...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.

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--

Happy Belated Independence Day to everyone. I spent my long weekend in DC, and had a great time. I saw fireworks at the Capitol, visited the relocated and newly redesigned Newseum (which has an impressive exhibit on the First Amendment), had some delicious Ethiopian food, and more.

Now back in Phoenix, it's back to business as usual. I have thirty days left in Arizona and plan on making the best of it. In a couple weeks I head to Las Vegas for a friend's wedding, and will attempt to lose very, very little money at the casino. I'm not much of a gambler, but I do dig Kenny Rogers and friendly-poker games with friends. I also have some family staying in Vegas, so I am quite lucky to get the chance to see them.

Work progresses. I just finished writing a memo on a first-degree murder appeal, where the defendant is asking the court for a new trial, and am diving headlong into the school voucher case on which I am working with another intern. The school voucher case raises several constitutional issues, both for the U.S. Constitution and the Arizona Constitution. It's a very interesting case, with both parties unhappy about the Court of Appeals opinion on the matter.

Thinking about my internship ending inevitably hones my focus on classes resuming in late August. We start registering for classes next Monday, and the final information we students need to properly register was just posted this afternoon. Above all, I would really like to take Evidence, First Amendment Law, and the Seminar on Balancing Liberty and Security in the Post-9/11 America. The many other classes available that I need to take to stay within the number of credit hours necessary to graduate are up for grabs. I'll let you know how it comes out.

Otherwise, I am spending my days catching up on my reading and exercise and conditioning. I usually make some regular time to scan The New York Times and Washington Post, occasionally flit through the Arizona Republic and BBC.co.uk. Regularly, though, I'm reading Gideon's Trumpet by Anthony Lewis, The Chomsky-Foucault Debate, and trying to catch up on my Leaves of Grass.

Oh! And I was recently quite lucky and honored to be chosen as a Student Editor for the upcoming school year for the Quarterly, the International Law Students Association periodical. Currently, I'm researching and writing the increased role victims of mass atrocities and war crimes have under the international criminal justice system--specifically in proceedings at the International Criminal Court. It may sound a little esoteric, but it's interesting stuff.

More to come...

It's back to classes here at NUSL. Even the new 1Ls had their first classes today. So far, I've had Balancing Liberty and Security in post 9/11 America, Criminal Trial Practice, and First Amendment Law. Later, I have Evidence and Appellate Advocacy. It's great to be back at school and starting classes, if even I wasn't completely ready to give up my summer.

All of my classes are in a newly renovated building, Dockser, directly behind the law school proper. Though, like many of the buildings at Northeastern, the two are all connected on the ground floor. You could, if one was so inclined, spend all day inside the law school complex without ever going outside. As it was much more likely for that to happen during first year, I'm going to make a point of my second year to see the sun and feel the wind.

New extracurricular things are starting up, too, but slowly. We had the Student Activities Fair last night, where student organizations recruited first years (mostly) to be a part of their groups. As half of the upper-level students are always gone, first years at Northeastern are really the life blood of student organizations. For the moment, I'm heading up two student groups, the International Law Society and recently created Criminal Law Society, but am excited for 1Ls to come in and take leadership positions. It will free up my schedule and, I hope, take both groups in great directions as we explore those areas of the law and student interests.

For now, I'm going to return to filling out my security clearance forms for the Dep't of Justice co-op I've taken for the Winter. As extensive and intrusive as the questions are, it is somewhat fun to try to recall exactly where I've lived and what I've done for the past decade.

Classes are going well and extracurricular student activities are increasingly becoming more...well, active. As I go about my days at the law school, to and from class, to and from meetings, to and from the gym, I am starting to get back in the swing of being in law school.

Now, I realize that I am now entering my third week of resuming classes, but it is all still a twilight zone feeling like I don't belong. Or maybe I'm going to wake up one morning and it will all have been some anxious dream and I will still be on co-op. None of this is to say that I don't want to be in class or would rather be on co-op. Far from it. I enjoy classes and being uber-busy with student activities, interviewing for summer-time employment that could lead to post-grad jobs. As a classmate and dear friend said, I'm "just sick in the head that way."

Simply, I think I am adjusting to what upper level NUSL students (perhaps all law students everywhere) experience: a sort of Resumption Vertigo. We bounce around for three years between full-time classes and full-time work, with a week or two of vacation in between if we're lucky. So, when we're on co-op we're getting over the exhaustion and marathon that was exams. When we're back in classes we're getting over the feeling of being out of (and done with) school. It's all a little surreal.

I wonder if it gets easier, if you get used to the bounding back and forth, later. Do my 3L friends suffer the pain of Resumption Vertigo less? For that matter, this condition--if real--is multiplied for people at Northeastern. Unlike most law schools we don't just get the opportunity to work during two summers. No, we shift back and forth twice more. And, like many of my friends NOW on co-op, they stayed in class after Spring exams--going to school for almost twelve months straight before leaving to work. I can only imagine the disbelief they're feeling, now that exams are over and they were finally let loose.

Perhaps it's all part of the regimen in the end. Perhaps NUSL has patterned it this way so we're always kept on our toes, always thinking on our feet, as a lawyer standing in court and immediately handed a file on a client about which she knows nothing about. Or a junior associate at a firm handed a case and told to churn out a memo by the end of the day. Or, ultimately, just a better worker and a better person in a world where so much is unpredictable and shifting.

Or maybe I'm just sick in the head.

More to come...

Sometimes, it's doing a lot of work that is only tangentially related to your studies. And the fun you're trying to have in the meantime.

For much of last week, and nearly all of the weekend, I worked on two projects. First, I was editing and writing a proposal for funding and support to produce a documentary and create a web-based center. A research assistant for Professor Deborah Ramirez, I am leading up a small team of students who are compiling and collaborating research done in the U.S. and U.K. The project focuses on building partnerships between law enforcement agencies and Muslim, Arab, Sikh, and South Asian communities to combat terrorism, extremism, and hate crimes. Great project, great work.

And, a main goal of getting the proposal done and beautiful was because of a meeting this week during where we intended (and did) present it. A French Investigative Judge, Philippe Coirre, was attending meetings and doing research in the Boston area, and he asked to meet specifically with Professor Ramirez about this research we have been working on.

The meeting went rather well, I thought. Judge Coirre seemed very receptive to Professor Ramirez's thoughts and vision, and the purpose behind building these law enforcement-community bridges. He asked me to email him an electronic version of the proposal so he could discuss it with the French Minister of Justice. He likes the partnership ideas and thinks it is something the French government should look into implementing.

I'm sorry? Let me, make sure I've got this right. You want to give this specific proposal, which, while a fantastic achievement of collaboration and brought together from many, many people's thoughts and hard work, I spearheaded, to what is arguably the equivalent to our Attorney General?

Incredible. I had only one response: Definitely.

Sometimes, I really love law school.

Oh, and the second thing that occupied much of my time: Revamping an article I wrote for the ILSA Quarterly--an independent international law periodical. My article on victim participation in trials at the International Criminal Court should be published a little later this fall.

Happy New Year to several of you! Happy long weekend to the rest.

First year seems like a lightyear away, sometimes. Last year, during Thanksgiving break, I was studying for my upcoming exams and attempting to slave over my outlines.

So much has happened since then.

Now, having just finished exams, I am attempting to enjoy my Thanksgiving break before I start my co-op at the Justice Department. I left Boston on Monday night, drove 12 hours down the East Coast to North Carolina, picked up my little sister from college, and then another 3 hours to my parents' places. I love driving, but, after doing that trip and being awake for 37 hours, I am happy to not be driving anymore.

The quick approaching start to my second co-op is exciting, and I look forward to it. I hope to do some great work and learn a good deal. Plus, I'll be in DC (which is a great city), and I'll be there during the inauguration and the transition. However, while many ring the bells of joy at being out of Boston for the winter, I'm going to miss it. A lot. For a lot of reasons.

One in particular.

Yet, I'll also miss Boston for a lot of the reasons that people are glad to leave. I like snow. I like winter weather. On the one hand, it's a fantastic reminder of why summer is so great. On the other, what greater impetus does one need to wrap up before a fireplace or in the warmth of your apartment with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

In other news, since I will now be on co-op and won't be reading for classes all the time, I brought a suitcase full of books. A reading list to catch up on. "Look Homeward Angel," "The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and the "Chomsky-Foucault Debate" start off the adventure.

However, I will still be doing law school stuff. I am participating in moot court with a 3L, and we have to write our appellate brief by January 16th. This year, the American Constitution Society's moot court questions revolve around the First Amendment AND issues of national security law. Both are classes I just finished taking, and two subjects near and dear to my heart.

Otherwise, I'll make sure to keep you filled in on the goings on at the DOJ and in living and playing in DC. I'm not sure how much playing I'll be doing, but adventures and side-quests always seem to make themselves known at the most opportune times.