Laurinda, 3L

As previous readers know, last spring I went on a tour of the yet to be complete Dockser. It was completed in August and ready for business. The building is certainly lovelier with ceilings and walls and Brady Bunch decor.

The new building is completely outfitted with a snazzy moot courtroom, flat screen TVs that actually display TV shows rather than WeBoard announcement, a kitchenette (no stove) and lounges everywhere. Still there is a lack of outlets. Honestly! If you are designing a building for law students, it's a smart idea to put outlets in every possible available space. Especially, since by the third year it appears that my lap top is preparing to die on me.

Otherwise, I think it's interesting to note that with the new building, none of the lower levels (and a good chunk of the ULs) study in the Cargill (read old) Commons. This is a migration best seen during lunch time. In the past, the old Commons would be practically raucous with everyone eating there. But now everyone has relocated to the new commons.

I'm still a hold out though. I prefer the library and the study rooms in the old building even though they smell a bit moldy. The library just needs to let go of its silly no eating policy.

Posted by Laurinda at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So I passed my MPRE! The MPRE is one of those required exams that a student must take before he or she can become a lawyer. It is a professional ethics exam consisting of 60 questions and 10 of them are experimental.

In Massachusetts, a student must pass the MPRE before taking the bar exam. After taking the exam, like most curious law students, they asked me how it was. Unlike certain commentators on Above the Law, I didn't think the exam was a complete cakewalk as suggested. People fail all the time.

The exam is both easy and hard. It isn't like the LSATs or the bar exam where you spend months in advance preparing. I took a week and read the study guide BarBri gives you, took a few practice exams, and went to the 4 hour Sunday lecture. The subject matter itself isn't difficult.

Basically, ethics may be summed up from lessons learned in kindergarten: Don't Lie, Don't Steal, and Don't Cheat. Still like any good law exam, there are twists and turns and 2 multiple choice answers that seem to be right. For those reading who are getting ready for law school, you don't have to worry about the exam right now. It's just good to know that there is an exam called the MPRE and some states require you to have a passing score before taking the bar exam. Which means you have 3 years to worry about it and there are more immediate things to worry about.

Posted by Laurinda at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This has been a very indecisive quarter for me, at least in terms of selecting a class schedule. A lot of that had to do with the uncertainty of my placement in limited enrollment class, but no more! I have a final schedule now.

I did make it to the very top of the waitlist for Advanced Legal Writing, but I ultimately decided that I would take Intellectual Property. I decided to take IP because it's a very interesting subject and I had Professor Dyal-Chand for Property as a 1L. Still, with such a short quarter it is easy to fall behind as I have already done since I only decided to take IP right before the class.

Still since it is so early in the quarter, it will also be very easy to catch up because I just need to devote a day and read what I missed and look over someone's notes for the classes I missed. That is one of the advantages of Northeastern. While law students are notoriously ultra-competitive, Northeastern students very willingly share notes and study aids.

Now that I know what my schedule will look like (Bankruptcy, Tax, IP, and Animal Law), I can start going to the gym. Another great thing about Northeastern is the gym. The Marino Center is gorgeous and free for student use. No need to get a gym membership!

Since that is where I am off to now, have a great weekend!

Posted by Laurinda at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For me, restaurant week is my favorite time of year. It ranks high up there with Christmas and birthdays. Much like Christmas and birthdays, I get to dress up, be with friends and family for a prolonged meal, and lots of money gets spent.

This summer restaurant week I made a futile attempt to get reservations at L'Espalier. They were apparently booked the first day that the dates of restaurant week were announced. I have learned my lesson and that is what I also will do the next time. Otherwise, my summer was not deprived of restauranty goodness.

I went to Ruth Chris again. The menu never changes, but it's so good that it makes sense not to disturb a good thing. I also went to Aquitaine and Haru. The menus weren't bad. In both cases, I had the chilean sea bass. While Aquitaine and Haru were okay, I wouldn't really consider them good choices for Restaurant Week since the quality wasn't amazing and the menu itself wasn't inspiring or overly expensive.

Otherwise, Haru has Haru Hour where certain sushi rolls are cheaper than regular. It may become my new Shino's since Shino has increased their prices.

In more restaurant news, I also went to Masa in the South End for their Tapas. During Masa happy hour, you can order the combo platter of ten tapas for $5! This is an amazing steal! In addition, the day that my friends and I went to Masa, Chronicle was filming and filmed us!

Posted by Laurinda at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)