Blind Prophecy

One of the things that was stressed repeatedly to us in this first week of law school prep is making time to feel like a human being rather than a law processing machine. I suspect that one of those things I will be making time for is Glee. Blogging will probably be part of that equation, too, unless I decide my “feel like a human” hobby needs to involve less brainpower.

How many times have I watched this clip? Too many.

One of the things I find amusing is the number of flawed analogies the professors are using to describe the first year of law school: it’s like learning a new language, it’s like being thrown into the deep end, it’s like putting together a puzzle without a picture of the finished product, it’s like a marathon, it’s like a job, etc. Those are just the phrases I’ve heard more than once. Then there are analogies about specific aspects of law school: case briefing, outlining, legal synthesis, legal writing, competition, etc. I suspect that defining the first year of law school is like defining “what is the law” – there are no definitions that account for every nuance and fewer that can gain universal agreement.

For our quick intro to Tort law next week, we’ve been assigned a pair of cases having to do with Catholic priest sexual abuse scandals. I know I’m supposed to be focused on the legal principle at play in these specific cases, but what really appalls me after a first read-through is the amount of deliberate cover-up done by the Catholics that is a matter of public record and settled legal fact. I know this story has seen its peak and decline as a matter of public outcry, but my stomach literally turns at the extreme behavior of the church documented in this case from Tennessee.

Anyway, I got my section assignment and class schedule today. My first semester includes Property, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Process, and Legal Writing/Research. That leaves Torts, Civil Procedures, and Constitutional Law for the spring. Overall, my schedule is heaviest on Tuesdays and Wednesday. Mondays are (so far) fairly light – my only class being a 3:30-5pm Contracts seminar. I’m excited about the professor I got for Property – he’s the same professor who came into our prep course and did the introduction to Property law. He’s a very dynamic presenter and had us laughing several times.

So the classes are over until Monday. All I’ve got to do now is brief 6 cases ranging from 2 to 16 pages each, begin brainstorming for my first short memo, read another chapter in our course textbook, and review my notes for the week. Not due by Monday, but also on the schedule: print out and start looking over the materials for the official orientation week, finish reading a book assigned for orientation week, and (as soon as they release my loan money) buying textbooks and supplies. I promise not to bore you with the details of my homework load every week (and I’m sure some of you former 1Ls are rolling your eyes that I think that sounds like a lot), but for all this homework, I haven’t officially matriculated yet.

Filed under: law school by Jere Keys