Law School

Spring Semester has started. Classes have been great so far. Three of my five classes have less than 12 people enrolled. This is nice because it allows for good class discussions and personal interaction with professors. I have also been busy researching a new topic for my law review article this semester. With so many interesting topics, its hard to pick just one.

Lots of exciting events are happening at the law school this semester. I recently purchased my ticket for the Barrister's Charity Ball, popularly known as "law prom." Proceeds from this event benefit the Spina Bifida Association of Cincinnati, so its nice to know that you are helping someone by participating in this event.

I have also been hard at work organizing the upcoming Hoxworth Blood Drive sponsored by the Black Law Student Association. It will be Monday, February 1st beginning at 9:30 AM.
All students and faculty are invited to take part. If you are interested in participating please schedule an appointment at the following web address: http://www.hoxworth.org/uc/collegeoflaw.html.

Winter Break is finally coming to a close. I enjoyed celebrating Christmas and New Year's with my family and it was nice to have a few weeks to relax and re-boot after exams. I am a movie buff, so I was happy for the opportunity to catch up on the latest blockbusters. I also took time out to read for pleasure, weight train, complete the daily cryptoquip, and watch plenty of football with my grandpa, dad, brothers and nephews !!! In the midst of spending time with my male-dominated family, I was able to carve out some time with my mom, favorite cousin, and friends to shop and catch up on girl talk.

Classes start Monday. This semester I am taking Legal Ethics, Criminal Procedure, Corporations II, International Trade, and Copyright Law. I usually try to pick a mix of bar classes and classes in subject areas I am in interested in. The first year of law school your schedule is made for you, so it is quite a change to be given the freedom to pick your own classes the second year. You need to be conscientious when choosing courses. If you are having trouble making decisions about what classes to take, I would recommend including some bar classes (for example, Evidence, Corporations, Wills & Trusts, etc.) in your schedule. These courses provide you with a framework for bar exam study and insight into various areas of the law. In addition, many bar classes are prerequisites to upper level courses in various subject areas and need to be taken early in one's law school career to make sure you can fit in all the classes necessary to concentrate in an area of law. During the mandatory 1L meeting regarding scheduling for the second year, which will be coming up during the end of spring semester, students are provided with information on the various areas of concentration law students can choose (i.e. corporate, criminal, estate planning, intellectual property, etc.) DON'T PANIC ! There is always someone available to help - professors, mentors, fellow students, etc.

I am looking forward to a busy spring semester. In addition to new classes, I will also be working on another law review article. I am currently looking for a new topic and I hope that I find one that I like as much as last semester's topic. I will keep you updated on my search !

Happy New Year !!!!!

Only one more week of classes remain, and exams are around the corner. I have been enjoying my classes and my experiences as second year law student. Here is an update on some of the highlights of the past few weeks.

Law Review: I recently completed the third draft of my law review comment. Currently, I am focusing on cite checking a lead article submitted to the University of Cincinnati Law Review for publication. It is one of the responsibilities of associate members to make sure that all of the citations are accurate and are in proper Bluebook format. For prospective students, the Bluebook is a guide to legal citation that you will be introduced to in your first year lawyering class. The Bluebook contains all the rules for citing cases, articles, books, etc. in legal documents (memorandums, briefs) and academic writing (law review articles, notes, and comments).

BLSA: The Black Law Student Association (BLSA) recently completed its Annual Red Bag Thanksgiving Food Drive. Every year the UC Law Students and Faculty collect red bags full of enough items to make a full meal for an entire family. Often Professors will hold competitions against each other and provide a prize to the section or class who can bring in the most items.

BLSA also had its annual Thanksgiving Dinner last Sunday. It is a chance for members and their families to come together, relax, and enjoy a potluck style Thanksgiving dinner.

Last week (October 26-31, 2009), I participated in the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) Community Service Week. The week consisted of a Clothing Drive for St. Vincent De Paul, Bingo Night at the Oak Pavilion Nursing Home, Making Sandwiches for Our Daily Bread, and Participating as a Cleaning Crew for Over-the-Rhine Community Housing. I had the opportunity to participate in the Sandwich Artistry for Our Daily Bread in Over-the-Rhine (http://www.ourdailybread.us/). On Wednesday night, a group of BLSA members met in the law school cafeteria to make 200 sandwiches.

The next day, a group of students delivered the sandwiches. I was touched by my experience delivering sandwiches at Our Daily Bread. We received a tour of the facility and I was impressed by the amount of corporate donations made to keep the kitchen running. Local businesses truly do a good job of giving back to the community. Over 500 people are fed there daily and many people walk for over two miles just to receive a meal. I truly realized how fortunate I am and how much I take for granted. It was rewarding being able to make a difference and the women of BLSA are planning to make deserts for Our Daily Bread as a community service project very soon.

I was also able to the attend the Law School's Halloween Party on Friday, October 30th. There was great music, food and drinks, and the opportunity to have fun with classmates !

After completing eight weeks as a summer associate at a law firm and enjoying a few weeks off, I began my 2L year one week early. I signed up for an upper-level short course called Intensive Practical Lawyering Skills, which allowed me to earn two credit hours in one week and fulfill my client counseling requirement. Taking this course was a great decision and I would recommend it to anyone looking to gain more practical experience in legal writing. During the week I had the opportunity to draft a legal memorandum, demand letter, mediation summary and discovery requests. In addition to writing assignments, in class we had the chance to participate in mock client counseling sessions, depositions, and a settlement conference. The course was taught by an adjunct professor with lots of practical experience and real world advice.

After this week was complete, I began my regular schedule for the semester – Wills & Trusts, Corporations, Evidence and Introduction to Intellectual Property. In addition, to my course work, I have been hard at work researching and writing my Law Review article. I love my topic! I am writing about the treatment of the right of publicity (the inherent right of an individual to the commercial value of their identity) under the Communications Decency Act. I have a strong interest in intellectual property law and its fun having the opportunity to do research in that area. I am also involved with the Black Law Student Association this year as the Regional Conference Planning Committee Chair, which basically entails making sure the mock trial and negotiations teams are organized and registered for the Regional Conference in February 2010.

I am really enjoying my 2L year so far. In addition to my course work and extracurricular activities, I still find time to work out, read for pleasure, and spend time with friends and family. I have made a lot of great friends at the law school, with whom I attend plays and other activities. I have also been able to maintain my friendships from undergrad and even participated as a bridesmaid in one of my best friend’s wedding this semester. Therefore, it is possible to balance law school with your personal life.