Sowande, 2L

You deserve it so here goes...

I had to take a break from another project with a tight deadline, so I walked downtown. I figured I'd take side streets, go to Barnes & Noble and browse the economics section for anything that could give me some water-cooler talk topics outside of our normal workload. Along the way I ran into a really old friend of mine, who happened to be on his way to the "bunny festival". Seriously. Santa Barbara's got an annual bunny festival that's held in the sunken gardens behind the Superior Court. I don't know much about rabbits, but I've always thought they just smelled disagreeable, among having other odd natural qualities.

Posted by Sowande at 3:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gotta love Cali Spanglish... It's good to be back...

Last Friday, I went down to Los Angeles for the Extern/Law Clerk training at the US Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, Los Angeles Division. Geez, that's wordy. A classmate of mine was there too, and I have to say we were definitely up on our game. NUSL and you know this!! We both took Bankruptcy last quarter, and now we're both externing for bankruptcy judges in the Central District (I'm in the Northern Division, she's in the Los Angeles Division). The training was interesting, albeit thorough, and it was really great to hang out with a classmate outside of Boston.

We met students from other schools, and one in particular referred to Northeastern as, "ohhh THAAAT Northeastern!" I've noticed that a lot of people, attorneys, law students et cetera, don't know about our Cooperative Legal Education Program, but when they find out what it is and how much work we do, they are amazed. That's without even getting the chance to tell them about LSSC.

I didn't realize how distinct NUSL's program is prior to getting out on Co-op. We get to do what other law school students do during the summer, but we do it four times over... And, for people on my rotation, we're already ahead of the game because we've had a year and a quarter of school.

Having taken Evidence, Intellectual Property, Bankruptcy (of course), and even Communication Law has had a powerful impact on my first Co-op. Bankruptcy involves every area of law imaginable. I've already worked on cases involving FCC licensing, fraud, endangered species, intellectual property, and I'm only in my fourth week. It's pretty powerful stuff, but it's a lot of hard work--I mean a lot. On the other hand, being graced by the presence of the occasional celebrity doesn't hurt either.

I will say that nothing, NOTHING will ever compare to LSSC in terms of work load--which is nothing but a plus. Full-blown summary judgment memo in four days--sure why not. Let's just say I feel prepared and THAT'S what really matters.

Looking 12 years old...

Posted by Sowande at 1:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Co-op is fantastic but I can't believe I'm already at week THREE. I am being kept very busy and I definitely chose the right place to work. I enjoy one on one time, a good amount of pressure, and complicated projects. And I can't tell you how exciting the cases are... I mean I really can't because I promised I wouldn't discuss. Bankruptcy is all over the place in terms of the topics involved, so for someone like me it's a great fit. Seriously, intellectual property, real property, taxes, corporations, FCC licensing (no really)--it's a mixed bag.

The automatic stay has got SWAGGERRRRR!

Friday I'll be heading back to LA (and back to San Diego--oh yeah, again, see infra) for an Extern/Law Clerk training that the Central District is putting on... with free lunch. And, AND I get to see a fellow Bankruptcy classmate who is working in the same district, but in a different division. It will be quite nice to compare notes.

Mmmm, I don't think I was supposed to go all the way down to San Diego this last weekend but I did. I went from having no plans after getting out of work (or off of Co-op), to waking up on Saturday morning with my mom in my FACE talking about, let's go to LA... then wandering off into the sprawling metropolis called So-Cal, and ending up in San Diego. It was really wonderful seeing friends I haven't seen in years--and since they're broke too, we were all on the same level in terms of recession chic.

Wearing out my signature look... [Santa Barbara Superior Courthouse--it's not where I'm working, but it's down the street]

Posted by Sowande at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, it is, there's no better way to say it.

Santa Barbara: I may have grown up here, but it's a very different place twelve years later. The Greek/Italian Deli that used to be at State and Ortega--gone. That place was an institution. The pastrami was boomin. So many of the stores on State Street have changed, but at least Metro Comics is still around.

Since I've been working, I haven't had too much time to get out and really see the city, but I will in good time. Three-day weekends, like the one coming up, are good for that.

Classes vs. Co-op: Let's talk about hands-on work. There is no better way I've come across, to understand in-class concepts than to apply doctrine on Co-op. When I was working, before starting law school, I could only draft so much of a pleading, or explain potential client inquiries to a limited extent, or tell a judge what I thought in very limited terms when asked what I thought about how a trial went. The discussions are much different now, and I feel as though my contributions are more insightful and substantive.

On the real though, I can't wait to get to the beach. It's been about 80 degrees and sunny for the last, I don't know how many days. I'm just going to have to bring my trunks to work and hit the beach right after. It's been done.

Posted by Sowande at 12:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)