Outside of my coop, I have been quite busy with a number of outside commitments that pull me in different directions. This week, though, preparing for the National Trial Competition has dominated my schedule. Last night, I did a run-through at the Superior Court in downtown Boston. It was great to do the trial in front of an actual judge and hear her feedback. It certainly felt different than giving the opening statement in my empty living room, which I have done the past few evenings before going to bed. With one week to go before the competition, this should feel like crunch time, but I am remarkably relaxed about the whole thing. I think it's going to be fun!

Posted by Martin at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This spring will mark my last academic quarter of law school. I've been thinking about what courses to take, and have concluded that I will try to *enjoy* my final time in a NUSL classroom. For the past three semesters, I have “maxed out� on credit hours and have almost exclusively taken courses with in-class finals. This last semester, I am going to take fewer credit hours and select courses that involve writing papers. It will be a change from my usual routine of maxing out on credits and spending my nights cramming for several timed exams. I figure that I will have plenty of opportunity to focus on intense, timed exams soon in enough: in six short months, I'll be taking the New York and Connecticut bar exams.

Posted by Martin at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I thought I would spend this week's blog piece writing about adjuncts. Adjuncts are law school instructors who are not members of the faculty. Some of my best courses have been with adjuncts. During my time at NUSL, I've had four adjuncts: a judge on the Massachusetts Appeals Court, who taught me appellate advocacy; a veteran estate planning and settlement lawyer, who taught me trusts & estates; a former head of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, who taught me professional responsibility; and, most recently, a federal bankruptcy judge taught me bankruptcy. The highlight of each of these courses has been exploring an area of the law under the guidance of a high-level practitioner with tons of real-world experience. After these courses, I often find myself much more interested in news related to that legal area. For instance, after taking bankruptcy, I have been quite interested in the bankruptcy of Alpha Omega.

For those of you not in the greater Boston area, Alpha Omega is a jewelry store that specializes in high-end timepieces. Quite apart from the legal issues playing themselves out in court, the story of its collapse is an inherently riveting human drama. First, the store mysteriously shut down and its owners could not be located. Then, six million dollars worth of inventory went missing. The biggest plot twist for me, though, has been learning who the presiding judge is: the adjunct who recently taught me bankruptcy!

Posted by Martin at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the great things about studying law at NUSL is the extent of extracurricular activities that are available. During my three years here, I have yet to find myself with idle time on my hands. There is always action going on somewhere. This past week, my time was just jammed!

The week's highlights included campaigning for a presidential candidate in New Hampshire, providing legal help and advocacy to a young woman in the emergency room of Boston Medical Center (in my role as a team leader at the NUSL Domestic Violence Institute), meeting with my mock trial teammate to review our opening and witness examinations, actually running through these examinations with a group of NUSL students serving as witnesses, watching the New Hampshire debates with a law school buddy, and having Chinese food with two law school friends while discussing where each of us will be in eight months. Of course, I have also been spending my 9-5 time at coop, which is already in its seventh week. Before I know it, I'll be back in a classroom.

I have also been busy with activities entirely unrelated to law. The biggest one has been playing the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute used for breathing meditation. I am having a lot of fun exploring this instrument, despite the fact that it is HARD to play. You can hear a sample of the shakuhachi here. Other than that, I have been going through my reading list and spending time with friends and family (especially my brother, who visited from Sweden).

The highlight of the week, though, was a moment that was NOT action-filled. It was quite still. It came in the form of an email from a friend. She forwarded me an apartment listing for the town in which I will be practicing law in nine months. At that point, I realized how close to complete the “law school� chapter of my life is. I felt at once excited for the future and nostalgic for the past.

Posted by Martin at 12:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Over the holiday break, I finished watching Ken Burns' The War. For those of you who have not seen The War, I highly recommend renting it. The chronicles that it is comprised of are absolutely amazing. One of the elements that most struck me was the story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The 442nd was a race-segregated WWII unit comprised mostly of Japanese Americans.

The raw injustice attitude of asking young Japanese American men to serve (and die) in our armed forces while their family members were held in internment camps really moved me. The distinction with which these young men served is remarkable; the 442nd is the most decorated military unit in the history of the United States.

As I watched The War, the story of Daniel Inouye, a soldier in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team who was awarded the Medal of Honor, particularly impressed me. When he returned to the United States, Mr. Inouye went to law school and has served in the United States Congress for almost fifty years. The story of Mr. Inouye moved me so much that I sat down and wrote him a quick letter. In my letter, I told Mr. Inouye how proud I am to be entering a profession that includes such a tremendous person.

Throughout American history, some of the greatest champions of justice have been lawyers. I am very much looking forward to graduating in this newly-minted year and becoming a lawyer. That's my thought for the New Year.

Posted by Martin at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)