Sowande, 2L

So here you are. You've taken a crucial step in your search for educational fulfillment and you probably want to know what to do, who to talk to, where to live, what you'll eat, why Northeastern, why Boston... why law school...

I've got to say, "congratulations to you," because seeking out what it is students have to say about where they are going to law school, and why, is an essential resource. These blogs give you a rare opportunity to read about what those of us going through the process are thinking--okay, maybe some of us wonder what we were thinking once in a while so there's definitely quite a bit to say. So folks, with that in mind, I'm really going to encourage you to read everyone's blog.

"Just who is this Sowande guy?"

I grew up in Santa Barbara, California, spent a [very] long time figuring out where I was headed in my undergraduate studies, and took my time exploring many different areas of study before graduating with my B.S. in Justice Studies from San Jose State University. I moved to Kingman, Arizona, a few days after graduating in December 2006, where I was a courtroom clerk up until coming to Boston to embark upon my law school journey.

Since this is my first blog entry, I'll just Keep It Simple and Sweet because, you see, I have no doubts that I will return to stories about my zany misadventures between way back when and now because believe it or not, they are of much value.

Law school at Northeastern, in my opinion, has not been a simple process where you are fed information, you memorize it, you write the occasional paper, professors ask you puzzling questions, and you eat, read, sleep, read, etc. Law School at Northeastern has so far been the beginning of an epic tale, and very few interesting epic tales go on and on without providing any context. At Northeastern, my fellow law school students provide the context. I provide the context. What happens to me on the T (public transport) provides context. Everything I see between home (J.P., you'll hear more about that later) adds to the context. Even the food I eat gives my experience context.

I plan to share with you how that context has shaped my getting here to Northeastern University School of Law. I also plan to share with you how context adds to my 1L experience, and perhaps beyond.

Please do comment and ask questions because yes, I will be answering them as best I can, and yes, your experiences and thoughts as future 1Ls will add important guidance as to how this blog can help you in shaping your epic tale as you navigate your path to becoming a 1L (at Northeastern University School of Law, of course).

Law school is work like nothing else. It feels like from wake to sleep, and even sometimes in dreams, my mind has been working nonstop.

Even though each class is academically demanding beyond almost anything I've ever experienced, there are student organizations and events that one really should consider joining and attending because one never knows who will be there, who one may find interesting, and what early-90's jams one might be reunited with.

The importance of the connections made with members of student organizations and classmates, outside of the classroom, is magnified in law school many times over because there is a "through the fire" bond that takes hold. "We're in this together" comes to mind.

Being a member of NUSL's very active Black Law Student's Association has connected me with other students who understand the nuances of life that I am used to, and how those nuances fit into law school. Being a member of Queer Caucus has set me up with a network of students with whom I can talk about anything, and who understand contemporary marginalization and how that applies to the law school experience.

About 4 weeks ago, I attended the Northeast Black Law Student's Association welcome event, hosted by Suffolk University--greens, mac n cheese, biscuits, YES! Around the same time, I found myself in a fantastic downtown law firm along with fellow NUSL and other local law school students being welcomed [back] to law school by the Massachusetts Lesbian Gay Bar Association. Just this last week, many of the multi-cultural student organizations have had potlucks with ample amounts of amazing food.

Please take a look at the variety of student organizations at NUSL. Even take a moment to make contact if you wish because these are the outlets that will let you cut loose, get your hands dirty in learning the law, cut a rug to some Michell'e, and get you fed.

This last week was wild for us all. Practice examination results, students were participating in last-minute fair election efforts, and memos and nonplussed assigned readings burgeoned forth like no other. I did, however, find the time to be interviewed briefly for a CBS news story.

As for the election, what can I say? One professor said, in class, that this election was most important to him because for the first time in a long while, a law professor was elected president!!! I'm just floored that a Black law professor was elected, well, the first Black law professor... well the first Black man was elected president.

Ladies and gentlemen, for me it doesn't get much more validating than that. All one need do is look for the statistics. How far fewer Black men are in law school... let alone graduate high school as compared to how many Black men are under the thumb of the criminal justice system? Shocking.

My mom, the woman who adopted me as a single mother, and who has been number one all of my life and was in the front row to hear Dr. Martin Luther King speak during our March on Washington, sent me the following email:

hey honey... "amped up" that's how We were all feeling when he took the stage for his acceptance speech...awesome....Ey...next step...after Law School, maybe the White...uhhh "Black" House in some capacity...I just know that the Pres. Elect will be looking for bright, aspiring, minds to help in some capacity!

Ohhhhh the future...wish that grandma was here to witness it...i just know all OUR folks are a-stirrin and spinnin, where ever their souls are...

I am just tooooo happy...You should have heard me scream...me scream and auntie bawling her eyes out...just too beautiful...so much emotion...still am reeling from the enormity of it all...

so glad I got to see you and hear your voice. nice...
mom

I'm taking a break from non-stop studying for Friday's Property exam (and preparing for others next week) to drop a quick note while it's on my mind.

I, along with a small set of fellow mentees, met with my faculty mentor of color today, Professor Susan Maze-Rothstein, to talk about pre-exam jitters, study strategies, and other things that were weighing heavily on our minds. We spent a significant amount of time going over everything from how we've attacked the really complex issues we will be tested on, to the social dynamics of exam preparations. It was time apart, needed by all of us, to really connect with a faculty member and one another in the midst of what is a very time-intensive and tiring process.

Faculty mentors are available to all students. We were told this on the very first day, and were encouraged to seek one (or more) out; e.g., one for career path, one for networking, or just someone to share general interests with. They are important connections to make and if you get the right one, they can be a powerful ally with whom you can discuss everything you want to share. Academics, future path, to what to do if you suddenly have to move into a new place...

Speaking of new places, we had our first snow yesterday and I took a few pictures from my office window (I don't know if that's a chicken coop, a vineyard or a torture device down there, sorry), and our balcony, yes, balcony. On another note, today, it was in the teens and didn't get over 20 degrees. Ever so cold... but the cold is manageable. After 15 or so minutes in it, you stop feeling things... And it's supposed to get quite a bit colder 'round here.

I got on a plane last night at 11:01 p.m. in Las Vegas, Nevada, arrived at Boston Logan Airport at 6:37 a.m., and went pretty much straight to classes this morning at 8:30. Talk about a rush.

Second semester is no joke. Our entire 1L class was advised of deadline upon deadline for our LSSC courses, both the Social Justice component as well as the Research and Writing component, and after the morning course overview, we immediately broke out into our law offices (Law Office 12 y'all, keep us on your radar) and got down to the nitty gritty of ferreting out our final project.

Tensions at school were higher than a well-crafted souffle, and today I was reminded that while Northeastern definitely is one of the more collaborative campuses, there are still many "A-type" personalities because, folks, this is still law school and the people who come here to study have high demands and come from varied backgrounds.

Some are better at handling stress than others, but what it boils down to for me is an exercise in being able to work with and around people whose perspectives and experiences are different from my own, while absorbing the wealth of knowledge and accepting the privilege that law school has to offer.

On another note, hopefully by now everyone's submitted applications. Bravo! Now is the time to really start researching the cost of housing, Boston's interesting weather, what your finances look like, scholarships that are available, and what alums from Northeastern have accomplished. For me, the better my grip was on what I was getting into, the better able to handle law school's gnarly curve-balls.

As my folks back in Arizona love to say, "GIT R DONE!"

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I attended a music and arts conservatory back in junior high and high school in Santa Barbara, my father is a musician (mom--not so much), and I even have the same name as one of the most prominent Nigerian composers to date. I was a radio DJ for a top-rated, large market, "top 40 urban/crossover" station (the vernacular is embedded) back in California, interned at the Grammy's for a while during my undergrad, and then at Universal Records under their Interscope/Geffen/A&M labels.

I bring this up because I was at a 1L welcome reception at a local law firm last week, and I had a very interesting conversation with an associate. The firm mainly handles commercial real estate issues, specifically corporate real estate finance and transfers. I asked her how she ended up in such a practice area, naively assuming she was an Econ or Business Administration undergraduate. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she was a Music major at a prominent local conservatory.

After some reminiscent, ice-breaking chatter about embouchure, she mentioned that the skills she honed as a musician; e.g., ability to pick up and repeat complex time and key signatures, to think quickly and with dexterity, and how to handle nerves, all contributed to her success in law school. Music also, as she mentioned, remains a wonderful outlet for her to escape to when the demands of work seem overwhelming.

I, myself, have been escaping to the new-ish Animal Collective album, which is a welcome "desert island" since I can't seem to be able to find any of my Philip Glass albums... Spring break project...

Wow, I haven't updated for a while! Deadlines, deadlines.

4/1/2009 -- LSSC Presentation

We presented our Massachusetts Diversionary Restorative Justice Youth Tribunal to an audience of more than sixty (60) people! What a relief! We presented to representatives from community organizations currently involved in juvenile justice (e.g., Massachusetts Department of Youth Services), students, family members and friends. It was a great conversation, and a lot of fun to kind of "show off" what we learned over the last eight months.

4/3/2009 -- NUSL Admitted Student Diversity Reception

Oh the shenanigans! Where there is food, there will be law school students. I had a great time meeting some of the admitted students, and catching up with other current students who have been hibernating because of academic commitments. After the event, we took some of the new admits with us to partake in sustenance at a local eatery, and to watch the Celtics game (I know, I know, but a classmate was at the game with good seats so we were trying to catch her on tv). It was really refreshing to hang out with some bright eyed and bushy tailed admits! They were VERY cool people, and really asked some interesting questions.

At this point in time, everyone is gearing up for final exams. It's going to be quite the next two weeks, but the most exciting aspect of preparation this time is that I feel like I have more of a grip on what to expect, and how to write better exams. I would have liked to have had more time with the material, personally, but I feel like I'm at a different level of understanding now. New concepts we are still learning are challenging to grasp at times, but I feel like I have more of a foundation from which to base the questions I ask, to get the answers that will help me try to figure things out.

Now, please enjoy some photos from the admitted student event!

We've had some interesting weather--pants and jacket one day, rain the next, then blazing heat. My wardrobe has had quite the workout.

We are in "reading week", and everyone is preparing for exams. Review sessions galore, outlines galore, and practice exams galore. I'm trying a different approach this time, and already feel quite differently about how I'll do on my exams.

Last Sunday, the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) had its 3L event, and also had a proper send-off for Professor Hall. It was very interesting to hear the words and thoughts of graduating BLSA students. I think that seeing the end-goal put a bit of a spin on how I view the next two years...

[And yes, the food was amazing. I couldn't leave for a while and then come back without anything to say about food, now could I?]

We received our financial aid awards today. Hasn't quite sunken in yet because of exam prep, but I'm sure it will before too long.

The more I think about it, the more amazed I am at how much I accomplished during my first year of law school.

Even before the school year started, I was running an uphill battle. I had to figure out how was I going to deal with being so far from everything I knew and loved about my life, friends, partner, and dogs in Arizona, and my closest friends and family in California. I had to arrange my finances in preparation of qualifying for the appropriate financial aid--and then I still had to secure the means to attend law school in a matter of months. I had to gather all of the belongings I thought I would need, and then figure out how to move them across the country. Luckily I had an excellent support system, and a network of friends and family, all of whom were in my corner. They offered everything from words of advice to a nice floor to crash on while I sought the appropriate living arrangements.

I relied heavily on Northeastern University staff, and not just the people in the law school, even before I got into Boston. In retrospect, open communication was really what set the school apart. I'm not here to diss other schools or sell anyone on Northeastern, but I will admit that I kinda based my choice to come to Northeastern on what the voice at the other end of the line sounded like, or how open they were with information. That's MASSIVELY important to someone like me, who was a tiny bit familiar with the rigor of law school, and who moved across the country to jump on in. I'm big on the "moved across the country" thing--maybe I'll make a t-shirt or something.

I'm a second-year law student now. Things feel immensely, immensely--I cannot stress this enough but I will try--immensely different. My classes are smaller, I can actually read cases, the subject matter seems increasingly relevant... what else... I don't know, I mean this is incredible. And who knew I'd love Bankruptcy Law so much?

Last Thursday, I went to the American Civil Liberties Union's First Amendment Dinner. A table was donated to Northeastern University School of Law, and about ten of us attended... let me see, I took some notes here...

The night was in honor of a former Army Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, James J. Yee, who was arrested and placed in a naval brig for 76 days. He put it down, and gave an awe-inspiring speech about being held for such a period of time without knowing what was going to happen to him at almost every turn. I couldn't imagine...

Oh, and we also heard from Katrina vanden Heuvel, an editor for The Nation, who said something I absolutely loved: "There's never a time to compromise America's highest ideals." Quotable quotable if I do say so myself.

So, a few of us from my old "law office" (see LSSC Thoughts) are going to go to Martha's Vineyard for the weekend. Yesssss, I'll be bringing my books... I've never been, and though I had the opportunity to go a couple weeks ago (SO glad I've been forgiven on that one...) I am pretty dang excited. I can't help but worry about getting sand in my phone, or bitten by ticks and getting lyme disease... whoa, speaking things into existence is where I wrap it up with a lovely picture of me, reading for Contracts toward the end of last semester. //end stream of consciousness

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]

As of the date of exams, the Fall/Spring 2Ls will have been in school for a full calendar year. I just bought my plane ticket for Las Vegas this morning, and I couldn't be happier.

We are getting busier here at the law school, now that the attention has shifted from securing Co-ops for fall to preparation for exams. Summer in Boston is still relaxing, but I will say that there are a LOT of people in the city right now. I don't seem to remember it being so busy last year, but I didn't arrive until August 1, 2008.

* * *

Alright, I was leaning toward not including thoughts on this topic when I thinking about what to write about for this week, but the Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. media blitz has been weighing very, very heavily on my mind this week. I am not going to say anything about it, other than to offer a fantastic link I received from a fabulous classmate. I really like it because it presents varied perspectives, and thoughtful insights.

Read here...

Oh, and CNN aired the second segment of "Black In America" last night, and though I only got to watch about 30 minutes of the presentation, it was FASCINATING! We may have a Black Law Student Association viewing.

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 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*