Law School

The past week was fine--it is always hard to get back into the groove, especially by taking two short courses, but it was fine, and I survived. It is nice to be able to take these courses--I went to class all day for 4 days, but it frees up a ton of time during my semester. In fact, this semester, I only have one class on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday--that is it. I think it is time to start planning mini vacas!!!!! Or...more appropriately, look for a job in that time off.

And now, the last semester of my law school career begins. It is exciting, of course, but my oh my, is it ever frightening. The worst part right now is the lack of employment opportunities. To be fair, I really haven't started a hardcore job search. I spent the first month of school applying for judicial clerkships, but other than that, I haven't done much. It is time to get on the ball! Here is my deal: our Career and Professional Development advisors always tell us to use our connections and ask the people we know in the legal community to lead us in the right direction when it comes to finding a job. I am not very good at that--in fact, I am downright petrified to do that. I have always been a help yourself, don't ask for anyone else's help type of person. Needless to say, I need to get over it because that is EXACTLY how most people find employment--by using their connections. Okay, enough about that because just typing about it triggers the formation of a knot in my stomach.

One last thing: Welcome back Party is going to be at the Holy Grail in Clifton. Should be a great time!!!

Next week: advice on extracurriculars in law school.

Here is the deal: time flies when you are a law student. I mean, it seriously boards a jet fighter plane and breaks the sound barrier. Thus, yet again, I apologize for my severe lack of entries during the past two months.

As I am sure you would rather not hear about my finals experience (I had 4, so not toooo bad), this entry is devoted to the FUTURE--as in, the upcoming semester. Three topics: short courses, SBA events, and the Human Rights Quarterly.

I got back from a little vaca in Florida on Thursday, just in time to celebrate New Years at Cincinnati's AWESOME Contemporary Arts Center. I have spent the weekend getting my butt in gear for the upcoming semester, though. Most law students start back on the 11th, but I have signed up for two short courses for this upcoming week--New Attorney's Guide to Local Practice and Energy Policy and Climate Change. These courses give me the chance to complete three credit hours before the semester even begins, which, in turn, means that during my last semester of law school, I will be taking 2 classes. (I am thanking myself right now for building up the credit hours in previous semesters.)

I have also been doing some major SBA event planning today. Events for this semester: welcome back party, night at the symphony (Cincinnati has an awesome symphony), Barrister's Ball, wine tasting event with BLSA, golf outing, etc! And, per usual, a whole slew of meetings. I have had such a great time being the SBA President, and I have learned a ton about myself and my leadership skills, but I will be ready to pass the torch come mid March when the new President is elected.

Same with HRQ. For those of you who want to improve your own writing, I have one piece of advice for you: try your hardest to become an editor of a journal while in law school. Tomorrow, we are finishing up the February 2010 issue of the Human Rights Quarterly. My good friend Laura (who is the Managing Editor) and I (who is the Assistant Managing Editor) will be editing our last issue at the beginning of this semester. I have learned more about my own writing and how to improve it from working as an Editor on the HRQ than in any writing class I have ever had (and I have had some kick butt writing teachers.) Again, the experience has been invaluable, but I will be ready to pass the torch come March.

What will I do with my free time, you ask? Look for a job! YIKES!!!

Next Entry: Friday after my week of short courses--I'll let you know how they went and update you on my plans for the welcome back party!!!!

Okay, so you can see how excited I was to get a break?! Now that it is over, I am no longer so excited, but Fall Break this year came at an absolutely PERFECT time--the first weekend I spent hanging out in South Charleston, OH; Columbus, OH; Yellow Springs, OH; and Dayton, OH. These were definitely not random picks--my boyfriend and I spent our first weekend of break visiting and catching up with long-lost friends and family members--I gained about 4 pounds over the 3 days. What is it with mothers who want to STUFF your face when you come home?! Not that I am complaining...

The rest of the break was unfortunately focused on catching up and getting ahead in school work. I was supposed to look for a job, but double unfortunately, that didn't quite happen. If you happen to be reading this blog and have a job opening, let me know!

I have to cut this short because I have to run to my intramural football game, but I will catch up later!

If you have ever taken Constitutional Law, you probably know the name Chemerinsky--I am putting off my blog entry about the job hunt in honor of Professor Erwin Chemerinky's visit to the UC College of Law today. This man got me through both semesters of Con Law--in fact, I owe both of my passing grades in Con Law to him. We have a lot of cool people come to give lectures here, but he is something special.

Prior to his speech, a couple of students and I, along with Dean Billionis, were able to sit and eat lunch with him. Topics covered: his new law school in Riverside, CA, the new make-up of the US Supreme Court, his predictions on this year's Supreme Court rulings, law school rankings and grades, and what his new law school is going to do differently for its students than a traditional law school experience would. He is one of those people who speaks, and you just can't help but be mesmerized by his understanding of the law and his ability to articulate that understanding in a manner in which everyone (well, almost everyone) can understand. And that old saying about "those who can't do, teach" definitely doesn't apply to this man--in fact, I hate that saying. But he is a direct contradiction to this saying--he is not only an incredible teacher, but has also argued in front of our nation's highest court (among his other many accomplishments).

His new law school is putting much more of an emphasis on practical experiences, including a mandatory clinical experience as well as each student having a lawyer-mentor who she must shadow for at least 25 hours total. In addition, his students will be graded, but not ranked, taking the hierarchical nature of law school out of his law school's culture--how awesome!!!!

Anyway, it was a great day, and I am so so so pumped that I got to meet such a wonderful man and scholar.

When I came to law school, the 2Ls and 3Ls kept repeating this saying: with respect to your three years of law school, they scare you to death, they work you to death, and they bore you to death.

Well, let me just put on the record that I am NOT bored. EVER. Student Bar association stuff just keeps coming and coming. SInce my last entry, we had a sand volleyball event at the Sandbar, our Annual Taft Birthday Lawn Party and after party at Woody's, a football game/event this past weekend, and we have Keeneland and a Reds game both coming up for which we have been selling tickets. Phew! So much fun, but so much work. I am also the Business Manager of Law Review, so I have been trying to stay on top of checks and invoices for that (so we don't go under). I would feel really bad if the demise of UC's Law Review was caused by my lack of Business Manager skills. On top of all of this, I am also the Associate Managing Editor for the Human Rights Quarterly--which is an awesome gig, by the way (I love editing AND human rights!), but I feel a little bit behind on the school work--which is why I am here, right?

A lot of times, I have to remind myself to prioritize. I am worried sometimes that my school work suffers because of all of my extra extracurriculars. It is nice to find a balance between school work and extracurriculars--it is the only way I stay sane--but sometimes I tend to topple the scales on the extracurricular end.

Next topic: the job hunt.

Okay, so I have really sucked at blogging, and you deserve about 1,000 updates.

Here is the thing about my 3L year--I am way too busy for my own good. And here is the thing about me--I wouldn't want it any other way. BUT, here is the thing about blogging--I forget to do it because of my insane schedule.

My solution: As Student Bar Association President, I get a pretty sweet office located in the newly renovated! student lounge. In this office, I have a HUGE, empty dry erase board. No longer is it empty! Now, written in blue it says: BLOG! and has the dates I am going to blog. So no more broken promises! I am an expert blogger from now on (well, at least until the next time I forget).

Updates: Sean (the boyfriend who would probably have a fit if he knew I was mentioning him on this blog) and I drove up to Canada 2 weeks before school started. I had just taken the MPRE (the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam which is a two hour exam all law students take at some point in their third year) and I needed a vacation! We both did. We drove up through Toronto and hit Montreal for 2 days and Quebec City for 2 days. Seriously, if you ever get a chance to visit Quebec, GO!!!!!! Montreal is so cool--a total fusion of a cool US city and a cool Euro city. We ate incredible food and walked until our feet hurt and spent the evenings sitting at outside porches at bars or cafes having a drink and taking in the view. And Quebec City may just be the most beautiful North American city there is--cobblestone streets and cafes and castles and parks and boardwalks and pure loveliness!!!!

Once we got home, it was back to reality for sure. I spent the next week working my butt off to get the student lounge, my office, and my life together for school. The Friday before school started, I had the opportunity to give a speech to the incoming 1L class at their orientation luncheon--boy, was I nervous, but boy, was it fun! And the featured speaker at the luncheon was the judge for whom I externed last semester. Of course, he decided to embarrass me a little, but he is allowed--he is a federal judge. =)

K, so this entry is getting a little long--I'll update you on 3L year in my next entry which (I promise!) will be in a few days.

Love, erin

Yes, I must be a total wuss, and I will tell you why.

So, I am the President of the Student Bar Association, and one of our projects this summer is renovating the student lounge (it used to be a smelly, cluttered room that no one took care of). And after this weekend, it is BEAUTIFUL. It boasts a new fridge, new furniture, a new microwave, an IPOD dock and so much more! ALSO, we did some work on the ping pong room. If you visit UC College of Law, you will notice a faint, ongoing sound of a ping pong match as you walk around the first floor. Last year, we turned a storage room into a ping pong room, and boy, has it been the popular destination. So--the new and improved ping pong room boasts a NEW $400 ping pong table and some old, but REALLY scrubbed down furniture. The ping pongers better be happy!

Anyway, after 3 hours of moving couches and chairs and tables and other crap, I have a broken back. Well, not really broken, just a totally out of shape body screaming at me because I actually used my muscles.

Law school is sad in that way--my former in-shape bod has turned into a soft thing that I drag to the gym 3 times a week (if I am lucky). I definitely could and should go more, but who wants to be on a treadmill or in a spinning class when you can be watching season 4 of the West Wing!! I mean, it is inauguration time for President Bartlett! I love working in the summer--no reading at night, no homework on the weekends.

Next Subject--my love for Cincinnati food (related to the demise of my bod.) So, I have eaten at Ruthai's in Mt. Lookout like 4 times in the past 2 weeks--it is definitely my favorite Thai restaurant in Cincinnati and most probably my favorite restaurant in Cincinnati in general. If you like Thai food or sushi at all, check it out if or when you make it down to Cincinnati--it is BYOB so first check out Kroger or Bigg's wine selection. Also, check out Graeter's Blueberry Pie ice cream. oh my god, is it awesome. I don't really know if i am supposed to be talking about food on a law student blog, but it is VERY relevant to my life, so I suppose it should be relevant to my law school blog.

The end for now--I addressed many subjects in a confusing manner today. Hope you could follow along alright.

I have been a bad blogger again, and I apologize. To improve my lack of blogging skills, I have written down in my handy dandy planner "Blog" on every Sunday from now until the end of the summer. A few things that have happened since I last gave you an update on my law school student life:

1) I signed up for the MPRE--for those of you who don't know, the MPRE is a required exam on professional ethics that every law student must take if she wants to practice law. Most people learn about it and sign up to take it in November (so if they don't pass, they can take it again before they graduate), but having to study for and taking a professional ethics exam right before finals doesn't sound like the best thing I could do for myself. So I have decided to take it on August 7. I have a book and practice problems, and I am ready to be professionally ethical! (Also, if I don't pass, I have 2 other shots to be successful.)

2) I have planned a road trip to Canada after the MPRE. The boyfriend and I are taking off to Montreal and Quebec City on August 8 to "celebrate" the end of summer and get charged up for the new school year. Important Advice: Get away during law school. Get away, have fun, see new things, meet new and different people, and take in the world around you. It has helped me to remember why I went to law school in the first place.

3) Four weeks left at my job at Legal Aid--seems almost unbelievable that the summer has gone by so quickly. I have worked on more immigration issues, written a couple of memos on attorney fees and rescission of oral settlement agreements, sat in on more hearings and pre-trial conferences, and just really have had the practical experience for which I was hoping. In fact, that takes me to number 4.

4) I am debating: I can't decide whether to take wills or apply for an externship with the Ohio Justice and Policy Center. Learn about some wills vs. have another incredible, practical experience. hmmmmmmmmmmm. But then again, I do need to pass the bar. My color-coded Microsoft Excel schedule for Fall '10 just keeps changing. The only certainty is Law and Popular Culture. =)

That is all for now--on Wednesday, members of the Student Bar Association are coming to school to help me renovate the student lounge. I will update you on that after Wednesday--it is going to be aawwweeesssooommmee.

Love, Erin

I am talking about the weather! It is all dark and rainy here today, but I LOVE the rain, so it is just fine with me! In this blog entry, I have decided to focus on Cincinnati as a city and what it offers.
As an update to my last entry, the Reds did not win last Friday. But, the weather was perfect, I was with 11 other law school friends, and the fireworks after the game were INCREDIBLE. I swear, it was the Fourth of July. And what is cool about The Great American Ballpark is that it looks over the Ohio River--so the view of the fireworks with the river in the background was awesome.
On Saturday, my boyfriend, his brother, and I went to the Findlay Market in Over the Rhine, and I pretty much spent all of the money I had in my bank account (which is not very hard to do these days!). We bought a leopard orchid, a few bottles of wine after doing a tasting, mucho fruits and vegetables from the farmers market, local honey, waffles (which I happened to read about on the flight back from Cabo in one of those crazy SKY magazines), cheese, bread, thai peanut sauce, seaweed sauerkraut, and a Christian Moerlein beer while we watched a German band (it was also German Heritage Weekend). It just all looked so good!
Sunday, we went to Ault Park to read and throw a baseball. Ault Park is a gorgeous park in the Hyde Park area of Cincinnati with trails, flowers, and great views.
You know, I never really thought I would like Cincinnati this much, to be honest with you. This city, though, is full of character and potential. The buildings are old and beautiful (no two are the same), the river provides downtown with an awesome view, there are two professional sports teams, it is easy to find a beautiful park in any part of town, and the nightlife is nice, but not overwhelming. I always thought I belonged in New York City, but Cincinnati is turning into my home.
Small update on work, given that I think I am supposed to blog about law things?: I am in the middle of my third week of work at Legal Aid in downtown Cinci. I have had opportunities to work on numerous projects so far. Today, I have been working on updating on Immigration Remedies Worksheet. Also, every Wednesday during lunch the law clerks meet with the head of a department at Legal Aid, and today was the Rental Housing department. I am very proud of myself: to me, landlord-tenant law isn't exactly the most interesting area of law, but I stayed focused 90% of the time (the other 10% may have been thinking about Trivia Night at Woody's Bar tonight or planning my weekend).

That is it for now.

First and foremost, my apologies for being a dreadful blogger for the last month. Second and secondmost, it is time for an update on my law-filled life. 1) Finals: I only had two finals this semester, International Criminal Law and Agency and Partnership. One went well, one may have been close to a trainwreck. I love studying international law and international human rights. My other passion is criminal law. I'll let you guess which final went well. I got my papers turned in, and I was free for the summer! ...almost. 2) Human Rights Quarterly: final drafts were due into the publisher 2 weeks after my last final. In those two weeks, I took a trip to Cabo San Lucas (I did not succomb to the swine flu.) Needless to say, I edited like crazy before and after my trip (a little during) to get the articles in tip top form (I hope). 3) Legal Aid: I am working with legal aid this summer. I wasn't sure I wanted to stay in Cincinnati for the summer, but the more I stay here, the more I love the city. Also, I interviewed with Legal Aid back in March and loved it. I wanted a great, practical experience this summer, and I think that that is just what I am going to get. Already, I have worked on interesting immigration and family law issues. Not only is it interesting, it is an avenue to really help people who absolutely need the help. I have also applied for my legal intern license (you can after your second year) which allows me to really practice law, with supervision of course, so hopefully that comes in soon and I can take advantage of it. Anyway, that is an update on my life. I promise I will be a better blogger from now on. Heading to the Reds game tomorrow, so I will let you know who wins on my next blog. Peace!