Sowande, 2L

I got asked a question by a reader, and wanted to answer it briefly but then got caught up in a memo and decided, "why not make the answer to the question the entire blog for this week..."

Is that cheap? I don't think so. There are many more weeks ahead and I did say that I would shape the blog around what people ask:

So, reader asks why I chose Northeastern... hmmmm.

That's been an interesting question that I've gotten from a lot of people here in Boston when they find out that I came from the west coast.

That Northeastern is in Boston, or that it is so far from where I am from, had very little influence on my decision to attend. Northeastern seemed like the type of school where I would graduate with something unique under my belt other just than a school name.

The education is both traditional and non-traditional. We take the usual American Bar Association courses, but we are also taking a very intense social justice component throughout our first year.

In my first post, I mentioned my appreciation of context. My undergraduate studies allowed for quite a bit of contextual discussion, and I wanted to continue that in law school. The social justice component has us reading very dense, yet relevant cases and journal articles that allow us to relate a lot of the “dry� materials we learn in our traditional courses with contemporary social issues.

And I also have to mention Co-op. All of the local legal community is aware of Northeastern students and our co-ops; four 11-week internships to put it bluntly. I was at an event recently, and as soon as I mentioned that I was a 1L at Northeastern, the member of the legal community with whom I was speaking says, “Oh, you Northeastern grads come ‘practice-ready’.�

Now… all of this is said with one thing in mind—winter is not yet upon us. Be sure to check back to see what I think once it really starts to get cold.

Now that our "extended" spring break is over (Monday was actually a snow day), I have returned to the rigor.... The second and third-year students have also returned from their Winter co-ops, and the commons are quite full.

Over the break, I scheduled an appointment to begin discussing strategy for my first co-op applications this fall. Today, I met with Jeff Smith, Director of External Relations for the Co-op program. Our discussion was productive and I look forward to working with the co-op office on my next steps.

We had our weekly LSSC law office meeting, and really got into some very intense discussion among ourselves and with our Faculty Adviser, Professor Maze-Rothstein, regarding the direction of our project. Our second draft was evaluated by both her and our Advising Attorney, Professor David Hall, with great detail, and we were able to voice probably all of the core concerns that we had regarding the comments, and the project in general.

These projects are by no means simple. They require a great level of determination because they seem to be chosen in such a way that they will test our abilities to work with complex, even controversial issues, to create significant, well-supported final products. It was powerful to have been reminded that these projects are opportunities to speak directly to those who have the power to implement very dramatic changes--to shift paradigms, if you will.

I came away from the meeting really thinking about how many opportunities I will have to work with another Senator on really shifting paradigm. This is pretty powerful stuff.

Well, I think I actually am moving downstairs this time... Blargh, ever since we lost our original roommate, things just haven't been the same. Good roommates are very hard to find, so if you are incoming, I sure hope you've already started looking.

Summer continues... of course the weather doesn't seem to agree. It is rainy... more like a heavy mist actually, and it's cool outside. I've spent this weekend catching up with law office friends on the opposite rotation, and it's been a hoot (I was going to say "incredible" but somehow that word seems a little disingenuous). Hearing about what they are doing on Co-op has been incredible. One is writing memo after memo, and a few opinions (a lot of people only get to write one or two, so I've heard) for a Federal District Court judge in Springfield. I'm not surprised since she's a super genius. Another friend has been doing a lot of constitutional law and racial disparity work with a local organization. And yet another is in New York doing immigration law. Everyone seems to be learning a lot and putting our first-year work to very good use.

I'm not sure where I'll be working for the fall just yet, but we sent in our first round of applications last week. How it works is there are co-op employers, and non-co-op employers. Those who are co-op employers are applied to, by students, through the school. I've applied to the Federal Communications Commission in Washington D.C., the Human Rights Commission in San Francisco, a local media company, and a few others.

My goal this week is to apply for more co-ops on my own. We are allowed to work virtually anywhere as long as we will be supervised by a practicing attorney, we get a certain number of hours per week for a certain number of weeks, and as long as we will be evaluated at the end of the number of weeks we've worked. So that leaves it pretty much open to whatever you can latch onto, anywhere in the world.

I'm still holding out for Viz Media, LLC, a Japanese animation licensing company in San Francisco. Persistence, persistence, persistence.

Weekends after the first year are so different. I've enjoyed a few road trips, spending time with local friends who are on the opposite rotation, being at home, and getting to see Boston when people are a lot more relaxed and the population is down to a more realistic size.

I've been working on finding a co-op these last few weeks, and evaluations for the spring are due at any moment. What's really been interesting about the co-op process has been the research part of figuring out who I should apply to. A little bit of "google-ing" has turned up some very interesting judges who I believe could provide some great learning opportunities.

The co-op office procedure is very straight forward, and the past-student views on working for those employers are very helpful. When flipping through the files available in the co-op office, which contain the student reviews, my eye tends to gravitate toward whether the job is accessible by public transportation or not.

Although I was really hopeful and excited about working for a Japanese animation licensing firm in San Francisco ("persistence, persistence, persistence"), as my summer coursework has progressed I have found myself continuing to fall prey to the lure of Bankruptcy Law.

What mystery hast thee in store, oh ye treacherous sirens of debtor/creditor relations? Pray release me from thy treacherous cognitive grasp, that I may once again possess innocence, free to discuss the bounty of knowledge and life through ear and lip unknowing and fresh as the morning dew.

Actually, pray keep me intrigued about the practice area, but pray help me to stop bringing it up in every conversation with anyone who will listen.

I had two Co-op interviews last week. One was over the phone with a bankruptcy court in California and the other was in-person with a local bankruptcy attorney. The only difficult thing about in-person interviewing was having to pick up a suit. I am a pretty casual person, and so having to wear a suit was a bit of a stretch. Despite all of that, I got an excellent navy blue double breasted number. They didn't have any three-piece suits that I liked. One does what one can.

The bankruptcy court was an "apply on my own" meaning that it is not a Co-op employer that has an existing relationship with our Co-op office. I'd written to several bankruptcy judges and this particular court was interested in interviewing me. I think that getting back to California for a few months of Co-op would be nice, particularly because I will be able to visit the friends I grew up with--on the other hand, the local opportunity would be great because the attorney has quite an innovative practice and has some really interesting projects coming up. I am really excited about both.

Now that the first year is over, I have had a chance to meet and hang out with other law school students, beyond my law office. Who knew the "Harry Potter" movies could bring so much joy. A small group of us went to see the "tall ships" at Sail Boston '09. The people watching was... entertaining.

I've been lagging on the "bLAWg" so I'm entitled to a two-fer... at least that is what I'll tell anyone who asks.

Two things:

(1) just got an offer from the Co-op in Santa Barbara, so Bankruptcy Court, here I come;

(2) I don't know if you remember the Legal Skills in Social Context (LSSC) project my law office did [Restorative Justice Youth Court Diversionary Program for the Office of Mass. State Senator Karen Spilka see here], but it looks like it is being taken to the next level; that is to say, possible enactment.

I know, don't choke on your popcorn with excitement like I just did. [syke]. Really though, each law office put a lot of hard work into their projects, and I wouldn't be surprised if I hear about more of them being set into motion--either through legislation (like ours), or future case law, or...

Why am I eating popcorn at 12:30 a.m.? Slightly inappropriate budgeting--a $4.00 sausage (and $4.00 fried dough) at the tall ships thing, but what was I supposed to do? Pack a lunch? [Answer: yes]

Try saying THAT bad boy three times fast. Or coming across that phrase at the beginning of a case. Thank goodness for dictionaries. Thank goodness for the law library! Thank you Lexis!

Anyway, tomorrow I get fingerprinted for my Co-op. Thank goodness for the Campus Police Department! This will be, what... the third time I've been fingerprinted--all for jobs, all for jobs--not what you're thinking. The other two were for employment at the Superior Court.

There's something funny about someone else holding your finger and rolling it across the fingerprint cards. I mean, what do you say? "Oh yeah, had this finger for quite some time now... Works purdy guud."

Aside from a deluge of bankruptcy lawyering ethics and strategy in Bankruptcy today, we learned that the Central District of California (where I will be working) has a massive, massive, HUGE bankruptcy filing in comparison to Massachusetts. The Central District may have the most filings in the nation. My curiosity besting my apprehension, I took a look at the filing statistics for the last few years... I'm going to be very busy this fall, which is nothing BUT good.

I remember days when we had five hearings, and I ended up working in the Evidence Vault. "The State moves for admission of Exhibit P-1; IT IS ORDERED entering Exhibit P-1." Yeah, P-1 was alleged victim's skin!!!

[Okay, so I didn't actually "clerk" that trial back in Kingman, but I did have to handle some pretty dodgy stuff. Can't say what, but if you wanna know, come to law school and get a Co-op with a Superior Court judge. It's not two years of being a Courtroom Clerk, but if you are "lucky" you may come across some pretty gnarly junk.]

3:05 p.m.--substantive in-class portion of summer quarter, DONE! Next week, four exams and then home.

People on tours here at the school have asked me what sort of difficulties students, who are going on Co-op, may face with regard to moving back and forth. In my experience so far, it hasn't been too difficult--of course this is my first one. There are plenty of resources available, many of which I used, and the best may be 3Ls who have already been through the process, twice. A good landlord and plenty of planning has helped me, but plenty of planning is key. My planning began with a meeting in the Financial Aid office to sort out my budget.

Planning...

Getting to the airport Friday was like a Chevy Chase movie... any one, pick one. Exploding boxes of clothing, being dragged through security by the airport check-in staff so the plane could leave early (?), squeezing between people to get to my window seat, only to realize that in all of my frantic hurry, I'd forgotten to drop by the loo... so I had to get back up before taking off... it goes on but I won't drag it out because I'm home now.

Over the next two weeks, I plan to gain ten pounds. It began with ribs at a "welcome home" pool party, and then continued with a visit to see my good pals from the Superior Court. I left with half a pork loin. People throw food at me and I just can't say no.

My Co-op starts in two weeks. Twelve weeks of pure Santa Barbara fun... I haven't spent much time there, since I left a few years after high school. Actually, I think the last time I was there was at least... man it was years ago! Nutz. I'll have to stop by the old high school and see if I can find any old teachers. Sounds like a good blog topic.

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.

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]

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...

It's been raining off and on for almost 24 hours. I've been blamed by several people for bringing this weather from the east coast...

"Condemned to the use of words, we can never expect mathematical certainty from our language." - Justice Thurgood Marshall said it right. Grayned v. City of Rockford, 408 U.S. 104 (1972). I'd provide the page number but it's better if you find it yourself. That case is chock-full of literary confection.

This morning I got to work excited to sit in on a hearing for which I'd done a lot of significant writing, research and preparation. The work was intense, and dealt with a lot of issues with which I was very unfamiliar. Also, the emotional charge of bankruptcy is almost ever-present but what's particularly difficult and even ironic about the work is that the lure of adhering too closely to the black-letters is powerful. Translating the arguments of individual human beings, who fear losing their homes, cars, or whatever, into something that makes sense within the Federal Bankruptcy Code requires more than a dry sensibility because the average human being just doesn't speak the language of the Federal Bankruptcy Code.

Years ago, I dreamt that I would some day translate between Japanese-speaking and English-speaking record executives. Or between French and Japanese, I don't know, pie makers. But what I am doing now is beautiful because what I do all day is translate. Translate between a pro per party and the Court. Translate between state and federal law. Dive deeply into a phrase contained within environmental law, and translate that into bankruptcy law. Haha, I feel like a gameshow host, "all this and more..."

I definitely don't do it alone. I've had a lot of excellent conversations, help, comments, support and suggestions from the Judge to the US Marshalls. I've been experiencing a lot of deja vu, and from what I recall it means that I am on the right path--or it's too late and I need to "deja vu" my behind to bed.

On a heavier note, I saw the new Michael Moore movie this evening with my mom. It's an interesting perspective and an interesting start. I'll just say that it was a little peculiar to sit in a Santa Barbara boutique theater, watching a film about wealth and capitalism in the United States. *grin*

It's my favorite French word. Swah nyooz monh. It means "carefully." I like it for its pronunciation more than I do for its meaning.

Anyway... I have three weeks left here in Santa Barbara. I've really settled in at my co-op, and it feels like I've been there as an employee--not as a law student. I think part of that feeling is because of my past experience as a court employee. Having an understanding of how the different "branches" of a court operate--e.g., clerk's office, judge's chambers, security--has allowed me to focus on the work that I'm doing instead of daydreaming about how files are routed through the court. Hey, sometimes a distraction can morph out of control and before ya know it, ten minutes have passed and there's a line of letter 's' streaming across a memo that's to be turned in by the end of the day. My current situation is a little sad though because I'm used to being a deputy clerk, as opposed to being a judge's "employee." But working at a time when the court is really busy and when I'm the only extern is just tops! [I'm also not used to putting the period inside of the quotes under all circumstances, but American English and grammar it is...]

My schedule for the winter quarter has come together very well, but I don't know that everyone's been so lucky. The talk of the town lately is course selection, and it can be really challenging to fit everything in, get the professors you want, and get into the most popular classes. Personally, I'm going for cut and dry. I know that I need to focus on bar exam classes so my schedule is very, very traditional. Corporations, Business Bankruptcy, Secured Transactions, and Professional Responsibility. I'd love to take advantage of the specialized classes, like International Human Rights Legal Research and Entertainment Law, but in my case if I can argue my way out of a wet paper bag, but haven't provided myself with a solid foundation in traditional legal concepts, the bar exam is going to be that much more challenging.

I mean, I'll come right out with it and say that I didn't grow up in an environment where business transactions, home purchases or my parents' investments were discussed at the dinner table--haha, what investments? In fact, I never had those conversations at any point in my life so I feel like maximizing my exposure to what, for some, are simple aspects of American business/life (e.g., buying a home or managing investments) will be most beneficial to my future in the legal field.

Still in love with bankruptcy law.

*chuckle*

I've selected my courses for the winter quarter, and boy are they ever business-y... Secured Transactions, Corporations, Business Bankruptcy--where is all of this going? At least I'm taking Professional Responsibility, right? I figure the timing is appropriate. *wink, nod*

About a week ago at a lunch, a fellow Northeastern aficionado asked me what happened to my public-interest focus. It's still there, but has taken up the back seat for two reasons: (1) we receive public interest perspectives in each of our first-year classes, especially in LSSC; (2) as someone who wasn't predisposed to a lot of the innards of American economics, politics and concepts of legal ownership (home-ownership, investments, etc.), I feel as though I should direct my focus toward the type of classes that are going to best prepare me for the state bar exam. Those classes are mainly business-law related courses.

I think that Co-op, on the other hand, is more suitable for exploration of public interest causes. I just applied to the US House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary for my Spring 2010 Co-op (yes, thinking ahead so that I don't have to concentrate on it during the quarter). If selected, I may be able to work with one or all of the House sub-committee on issues like the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), net neutrality, and bankruptcy/finance industry reform. Let's see where this goes.