Orientation, day 3. Or: Welcome to law school!

[Please see my original post here.]

The final day of orientation was...

Oh my god; I'm a 1L!

...the most interesting of all three days. The first panel included the dean of students, Laura Ferrari; Art Klossner, director of health services; and Wilma J. Busse, psychologist from the school's counseling center. From the presentation I learned that 40% of lawyers have some form of OCD. I learned that substance abuse is rampant among lawyers and law students. And Dean Ferrari assured us that our professional life starts NOW. Message: don't embarrass yourself. Don't alienate faculty or other students. Be aware that lawyers and judges walk through the law building all the time and understand that your networking opportunities began on Tuesday.

Holy cow...I'm supposed to be a lawyer...

Then some upperclassmen gave us a building tour and we broke off into small groups to talk about what law school's really like with a 2L. The meat and bones session included mostly information I'd read in law school prep books. BUT my group went through a round of introductions and it became clear that in law school I am nearly completely surrounded by history and political science majors. Did I mention that I studied art as an undergraduate? I haven't even read the U.S. Constitution.

Holy crap. I'm not ready for this.

Anyway, my professors have posted assignments for the first classes and I have lots of reading and briefing to do. The reading, the briefing, the class prep; those parts are all very exciting. I'm officially a 1L. I've entered a brave new world, and, for now, I think I like it.

(How long do you think it'll be before I want to eat those words?)

Orientation: day 2

The second day of orientation was less exciting than the first. The highlight was a mock class taught by a professor in the Academic Support Program. I asked a few questions in a class of around 80 students. It's not a parallel comparison between this class and, say, Civil Procedure, but I'm pleased to know that speaking up in a large lecture hall isn't all that scary.

The orientation sessions have no dress code (except for the business attire requirement for student directory photos that I mentioned previously) and so it was interesting to check out what other wunnelles were wearing.

I wore a skirt with a blouse and a nice sweater. Other students wore clothes that ranged from denim shorts and t-shirts to pencil skirts and heels. Conforming to a bothersome trend, the law building was teeming with flip-flops. I'm of a different generation than most of my fellow students, but even the flops with sequins on the straps or flowers on the thongs just don't seem like appropriate footwear for a professional school. The men had a better handle on this; those dressed in the business casual vein almost to a man wore appropriate (closed-toed) shoes. Women, though, wore dresses with matching flip-flops or skirts with matching flip-flops or slacks or blouses or sweaters with flip-flops. I'm far from a fashionista, but I think I know professional clothes when I see them. Aren't flip-flops beach wear? Aren't they a little chichi? Or am I just old?

Please see my original post here.
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Orientation--day 1

Day one of law school orientation is done. My business attire (yes, I wore a business suit) was appropriate and almost made me feel like a real law student. I wore striped rainbow socks under my loafers--the shoes were actually pretty comfortable--and the socks were a hit with other 1Ls. Also, every time I crossed my legs I caught a glimpse of them and felt a tiny twinge of happy. They worked out nicely, the socks did.

Now you're asking, "so what was the first day like?" (Come on; I KNOW you're wondering.)

The day started with a scholarship recipient luncheon. While waiting for the luncheon to start I met three really interesting first-years, with whom I spent most of the day. (Thanks, Andrew, A.J., and Leon, for helping me feel at ease on a crazy day.)

The luncheon was fine; it was mostly arranged as an opportunity to meet other wunnelles. And it happened with free food AND a party favor. I treasure the free jump drive most of all the free items I received throughout the day. The highlighters, pens, and candy that came later just didn't compare, though the candy was a tiny rainbow among the black and white of business-attired-law-students.

Then our group--Andrew, A.J., Leon, and I--waited for six o'clock to roll around. Note: people-watching at a law school is a incredibly pleasant. Contrary to what I've heard, law students have FUN. There was laughing and joking and chatting about summers. There was also a great deal of bustling and seriousness, business attire and business casual attire, and, incongruously, lots of flip-flops.

The school hosted a reception for all the first-years at which the interim dean gave an inspiring speech and Thomas Beauvais, the Student Bar Association's president, gave an encouraging speech. Beauvais reassured us that we were capable of studying law and it would be worth it in the end.

Phew.

Next was a meet-and-greet with the other students in our sections. Lots of free wine led a few students to drink too much, but mostly we just mingled. Again, I met some really great people who came from all across the country and Canada.

Then we explored the administrative offices and walked among tables populated by all of the law school student groups. I signed up for a number of email lists and became really excited about the opportunities offered to Suffolk's students.

It was a good day, and one that wasn't worth all the stress and anxiety I'd been suffering through for the past two weeks. It was easy and fun and exciting.

I'm totally starting law school, and that ROCKS.

Please see my original post here.
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Did I do that right? Is this what panic looks like? Why can't I keep a single line of thought?

Dear Incoming Law Student:
Brief this case.

Ok; so the letter I got from Suffolk Law was softer and more expository. It was, in fact, notably prosaic in tone and form. It was almost, in fact, kind.

The good news is that I've been invited to a four-day-long new student orientation session.

Orientation includes a two-hour First-Law-School-Class. Included in the orientation information was a packet of three cases. The first, Commonwealth v. Delgado, 367 Mass. 432 (1975), concerns armed robbery. The second, Commonwealth v. Howard, 386 Mass. 601 (1982), concerns armed robbery. The third, Commonwealth v. Powell, 433 Mass. 399 (2001), concerns armed robbery. As far as I can tell, the cases are nearly identical but the Supreme Judicial Court made three different rulings.

At any rate, the instructions said to read all three cases and the sample case brief for Delgado; to brief Howard but not Powell; and then...wait...what was the first one? I don't even think I cited the cases correctly.

I briefed Delgado before reading the sample case brief. The bad news is that I did it all wrong. I used bullet points where I should have used full sentences. I put some of the FACTS under the PROCEDURAL HISTORY heading. I stated the ISSUE incorrectly and the HOLDING was too long.

Now, I get that if I knew how to brief a case I wouldn't be a 1L. And I get that a sizeable part of the first year is taken up with learning how to brief cases. I'll learn it fast; of course I will. (I hope I will. What if I don't??) It's just that...well...I sort of wanted to be a prodigy.

Cue peals of evil laughter. The one-page letter may as well have been reduced to that one line: brief this case. Perhaps followed by ...and then you will die. muahaha. The anxiety is rising faster and faster.

If I can make it through the first class, then law school will be a breeze.
Just kidding.