Sprint to the Finish

As you have all recently noticed, I haven't been posting. It is finals time again. Diana worked this weekend, but when she got home on Sunday evening, I basically told her good bye for two and a half weeks. We are basically in dead week with barely any classes and then a week and a half of finals. Starting this Monday we will be on a M, W, F schedule of finals until May 6. I can whole heatedly say I have put in a stronger effort thus far in preparation for finals this semester than last. However, the anxiety is higher and the goals of placement in class rank are lower. Last semester we all just wanted to be at least in the top 50% of our class and did some minor joking of failing out of law school. This semester it is more serious and our ultimate goal is to not have to repeat a 1L class. We are all reading online the requirements grade wise to avoid that situation and avoid having to meet with the dreaded associate dean. I will try and post periodically, but if you don't hear from me for a bit, you will know why. Thanks for reading the blog and it will continue on as the next couple of years progress!

Long Time No Post

It was Diana who called me out on not making a post in a long time on here. Between finishing up the biggest assignments of the semester and spring break, I guess it has just slipped my mind. To do a quick catch up, before spring break we finished up our memo, brief and ended with a bang on oral arguments. Oral arguments aren't that bad because you have been working intimately with the issue for a few months, so being able to answer questions to a panel of pretend judges isn't that bad. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of nerves involved with the process, but when all is said and done, we all admit there was more anticipation to the build up than was actually needed. The introduction was the hardest part for me because it is a very rehearsed statement of, "May it please the court, my name is Walter Porizkova and I represent the Appellant or Appellee (insert clients name here), and I will be discussing (state your issues here)". Then you go into your presentation of the law and the facts and applicability of the law. However, you never get through your presentation because the panel of judges will always have questions to ask to throw you off your game. The reason I struggled so much with the introduction is because I have gien many talks in my church, but I can always start with a joke or an ice breaker to ease the tension. You can't do that infront of an appellate court. And to be completely up front on my opinion, I don't see any real world purpose to having oral arguments. I think it is so deeply rooted in legal tradition that it will never be changed, but I see no reason not to. Based on my limited knowledge, the judges of the court do their own research anyway and rarely change their decisions based on how well an attorney does in front of the court. Seems like a "going through the motions" type of procedure.

Anyway, now that the pressure of Legal Research and Writing is off and we have had spring break, we are now gearing up for finals. In my undergrad, I never studied for finals until the day or two before the exam. We are a month away and we all feel like we are behind on our studying for the exams. There is a general atmosphere of anxiety again at the school and I am no exception. I am breaking down my studies into one class a day. This is just to get me going. Once it is closer to finals I will be getting more intense. I am easing off my sleep a little at a time until I am going to have to really be deprived closer to time. Most people are planning a celebration after finishing their 1L finals and officially being done with the Hell Year of law school, but I will be having surgery the very next day. So limited celebration for me. We are in the home stretch and will be celebrating soon enough though (TIME IS FLYING BY!)

I promise to post more soon now that I have been chastized by my wife. Thank you all for reading the blog.

Law School Facebook Status'

If something funny, stressful, or otherwise eventful happens at the law school, the Facebook status' change throughout the day. Here are a few funny ones that might catch your attention (I hope this doesn't violate any ethical or legal boundaries):

has lost 5% muscle mass and gained 10% body fat ... I love law school
hates law school and life in general. This brief just won't go away.
should have just spent the night at the library.
is really sick of Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558, 123 S. Ct. 2472 (2003)
is handling the brief! And can't wait for the arguments, the Appellee has no chance at all!
is going to look for science projects in the Law School fridge!
thin green shirt + Professor's nipps = game over.
evidently, wall push-ups help you prepare for oral arguments.
thought he was going to get run over by Red this morning for a few points, and I wasn't even pushing a wheelchair!
is over law school...
thinks there are cheaper ways to make yourself completely miserable.

The Decision of Two

I have been offered two unpaid internships. One is in a rural county just south of me with a County Prosecutors office. The other is with a County Prosecutors office which covers a large city about 3 hours from my home here. When talking with professors, etc, the biggest weight in the decision as far as experience goes is Big City v. Rural Community. I can make a positive argument about the experience I could get at both offices. The truth is, they would provide different types of experiences which bring their own pro's and con's. The biggest factor in the entire scenario and decision making is that Diana won't be able to go with me the Big City experience. She works a job to help support our family right now which she can't just give up and expect to have back again when we return after the summer. The Rural County I could do by commuting 2 hours a day, but I would be able to spend time with my wife who has shown me unconditional support through this entire experience. Diana is being a good sport through this decision making process because she understands there is an importance with the summer internships/clerkships that will help further my career long term. It is another stress on my plate right now, but I have been given until April 1, 2009 to make a final decision.

Law School Is About Increases

I have learned that everything increases at law school. I have selected some of the more entertaining and informative ones in my opinion.

1) At law school, your WEIGHT increases
2)At law school, your STRESS increases
3)At law school, your SEX DRIVE increases
4)At law school, your DESIRE TO FOCUS ON YOUR HOBBIES increases
5)At law school, your ABILITY TO OVER COME CHALLENGES increases
6)At law school, your TOLERANCE increases

If I think of more that I can add here, I will. Hope all is well with everyone out there in non-law school land. And appreciate where you are.

It Has Been A While

I know, it has been a long time since I have made a post. Second semester started, and has not let up at all. To my close friends who have already heard all this, thanks for listening, but to those who haven't, sorry to vent again on the blog. Our latest memo has turned into the stress of writing an appellate brief. It is what it is, but there is an end in sight for our Legal Research and Writing class. As soon as we do our oral arguments, we are home free and get to celebrate with Spring Break. As a member of an organization, I have been asked to contact some students who have been accepted to the school for next year and who potentially fall into the organization which I belong. There are a few of us who talk about how, in retrospect, we wouldn't go through this experience again. I am sure once we are out of the emotion of the moment, we will all know it was worth the ride, but right now it is hard to see. So, when being asked to contact these potential students, I joke about how I would try to deter them from coming to law school and save their souls from this life sucking environment.

We will have forged our careers through some of the worst educational experiences academia can offer. I cannot compare law school to medical school and other such professions, but I sometimes wonder if tradition has made the study of law harder than it needs to be. I promise to bring some funny stories back to this blog once I get past this brief. Less than 72 hours to go. Wish me luck, because the memo was a "kick me while I'm down" experience.

Highlighters

I always bought highlighters in my undergraduate degree, but I don't think I ever used one completely. All my friends here claim the same thing. I have been in school for 3 full weeks now for the second semester. Who would have thought I would go through one highlighter in 3 weeks? That's right folks. My highlighter is drying up after 3 weeks. I went through 3 full highlighters last semester, but I don't think they died as quickly as this one. I would like to dedicate this post to all those who work in the factories making highlighters and their diligence in keeping law students rolling. I would also like to thank my 3 week highlighter for its diligent service while working through a memo and regular school work. Your services will not soon be forgotten.