1L continued, Part III: Law School Love Notes

Do love letters have a place in law school?

Sometimes I used to think of getting together with Little (gorgeous) Darcy "Hookhands" as she is known here.  I wrote about her before on my blog.  Anyway, I never was good at approaching women and many Torts classes were spent with me looking over at her.  When she would raise her cute little hook into the air, I would always stare at her.  Sometimes she would catch me and I would blush.  But I don't know if she thought I found her attractive or if I was just gawking at her custom made high grade stainless steel hooks. 

I still remember where her locker was.  While mine was on the first floor of the school, hers was on the second floor.  Locker 212, close to the end (for easy access).  Why do I remember her locker number?  Well, you see, I was going to write her a love note and slip it in.  I wanted her to "be my woman."

Anyway, I remember I was briefing the case Hook v. Hook and I just could not keep my mind off her.  I ripped a sheet of paper out of my notebook and began to write her a letter.  I remember trying my hardest to make sure my handwriting looked good.  Further, I didn't know if I should put my name on it or 'secret admirer' as sometimes things get around law school fast.  Well, I figured I'd decide later, and I began to write...

"Dear Darcy,

I just want you to know I am always impressed by your intelligence in each of our classes.  You have a unique gift and I know you are going to have amazing grades/class rank at the end of the year [it was hard for me to not say something about her looks here].  I also want you to know that I would welcome the prospect of going steady with you.  I have always, ever since I first saw you at the orientation picnic, thought you were something of an amazing girl [I highlighted amazing with my purple marker].  I have never written a note like this to anyone, and I was wondering if you could make sure that if you don't want to be with me, by chance, that you do not let anyone else know about this note.  If you are interested in being with me, please initial below and slip this note back into my locker, 125, and I will take that as valuable consideration to date you. 

Sincerely,

Your secret admirer"

I remember chuckling to myself, thinking that if Darcy slipped the note in my locker, but later played coy or backed out, that maybe I could get specific enforcement of our little "contract" to date.

I guess I could have got a card saying "I'm hooked to you" instead.

Sadly, I never sent the note on to Darcy.  I was always too shy that someone would find out and the whole school would think I was a creeper or something.  Plus, I am sure that Darcy had a lot of people tease her throughout the years about those hooks.  I wish I would have took the time to just talk to her and maybe go about being with her the regular way.  But I am not that kind of guy, I guess.  I guess that the truth is it's hard to be confident when you are dealing with a beautiful woman who has hooks for hands.  Either way, I have tried to look her up and sometimes I think of e-mailing her and asking about her life (she dropped out after 1L).  Then again, maybe she wants to put law school and everything and everyone it entailed behind her.

You shoulda been a.... Teacher!

When people think about what they want to do after college, two things often come to mind.  The first is get married, the second is have kids.  Well, as a lawyer the idea of kids may mean baby goats if you head out to Nebraska to represent farmers in cow tippin' court.

Another way in which you could have got some time with children is by being a teacher.  Not only that, but you would even have time (and money) to make some of your own.  The truth is, many lawyers eventually become teachers, but with enough debt carried over to create a tumor.  Why not just consider teaching from the get go and save yourself the hassle (and debt)?

Not everything is wonderful about being a teacher.  For example, not everyone likes kids, and high school students can be rough.  There are people in this world who can not fathom having to hear about Justin Beiber and Twilight all day long, but for $45-50,000 starting salary in some cities, it's not bad.  It sure beats having a law firm partner breathing down your neck.

Then there is that whole summer vacation thing.  Imagine, having some time off every year to spend in whatever location you so desire.  I didn't do too well in my tax class, but there might be a way to write off the vacation if you went to gather information for the classroom (I'm probably wrong). 

The cost of being a teacher is a lot lower than going to law school.  There is a teach grant which gives an undergraduate and graduate student a decent chunk of change to teach in a high need area for a few years.  Further, you can start teaching right out of undergrad in some states.  That means while you are graduate school you can work full time AND go to college.  Imagine pulling in a full time income, going to class part time AND getting a grant on top of it.  Doesn't seem too bad. 

Teacher: What a great summer, I just got back from paradise and I am ready to start work again.
Lawyer: Paradise? Summer?  I forgot what those words mean.
Teacher: You mean you did not get a vacation?  I got at least two months off!
Lawyer:  I got to drive to Jersey to pick up a client.  Does that count?

You may be thinking that being a teacher sounds dumb.  It's no where as prestigious as BigLaw.  Well, I have news for you, prestige is overrated.  So what, you'll miss out on getting your shoes shined every day.  Teachers generally enjoy a high position in their communities.  If you want to live in a small town, you can really make a name for yourself as a teacher.  Teachers are almost like demigods in small towns.  Especially the ones that coach on the side.  Of course, some teachers struggle.  There is no profession that is free of people who don't do well, but every school needs teachers.  Face it, people are having kids and someone has to teach them.  And there is no sign of high school and elementary teaching being outsourced any time soon. 

But I hate kids

You hate kids huh?  Well, you might realize that some of your clients may act like children or worse.  Are you prepared to get a phone call at 3:00AM from an angry spouse telling you all about what his husband/her wife did?  Some people hate kids, others hate to work, but you are going to have to do the latter in order to make money unless you are connected or have the winning lottery ticket in your back pocket. 

My friend was a teacher and she hated it. 

My friend hates Brussels Sprouts, does that mean I should have never tried them?  I'm glad I did try them, because I actually really like them.  My cats hate getting a bath, but I enjoy it.  Just because someone hates something, does that mean you will?  Do you like the idea of $150,000 debt?  How about a job where you can sit back and read Charolette's Web to a bunch of sleepy 1st graders?  If you go into BigLaw you won't have any time to read anything so "voluminous" on the side.   You'll be lucky if you even get to use the bathroom.



I want to help other people though.  I just gotta be a lawyer!

Yeah, because law is the only profession in which a person can help another.  I forgot, teachers don't do anything of value for society.  They just teach children how to read and write.  Wrong!  A teacher can make a huge difference in many people's lives.  Good teachers are remembered by their students forever.  I have a friend who is 31 who STILL talks about his elementary school teachers on a regular basis.  How many people fondly speak of their lawyer 25 years after having seen them last? 

Truckin' my way through law school.

To learn some CB lingo, head on over to: http://www.thetruckersreport.com/trucker-slang-and-cb-radio-lingo/

Breaker Breaker, this is Law Rig, anyone else out there?
10-4 Law Rig, this is Mack Daddy.  What's your 20?
Just finishing up this law school run.

Many people wonder why I am still in law school, given that I don't know that I want to practice law.  It is a question I am asked regularly enough that I thought I would let the world know exactly why I am still truckin' my way through law school.

First, I would like to say that when I entered my first year of law school I was a starry eyed 1L who thought law school was the most amazing thing in the world.  I honestly loved briefing cases, learning the 'black letter law' as they called it, and immersing myself in my studies.  I did very well in my first year of law school, as a result.  However, I did not make law review, which was one thing that upset me, and it was part of the reason I grew somewhat complacent during my first semester of being a 2L.  However, even at that time I had no aspirations of quitting law school.  And I knew I was in deep.



I continued to trudge my way through law school, and in the middle of that same semester, I started making this blog.  At first I thought it would be a fun way in which to express my distaste for certain parts of law school.  Some things had begun to annoy me greatly (as is the case with many things in life).  Further, I started to notice other similar blogs about law school.  Some were from kids with rosy glasses and others were from people like Nando, who I stumbled upon.  I read most of his blog entries about different law schools and began thinking about law school a bit differently.  Further, I noticed that my law grades had plummeted.  I began to ask myself some hard questions such as "do I want to do this?"  Further, I did not find my legal internships as enjoyable as I once imagined.  They were nothing like what I saw in the show "Perry Mason" (although I knew they would be different).  I was merely a slave boy working for free.  It was all rather depressing.  However, I figured I would continue through my second year, as I had a lease on an apartment and to quit law school would mean I would be evicted, and that I would not only have dropped out of school, but have an eviction on my record. 


In my second semester of the 2L year I did much better than I did in the first semester.  My grades were somewhat respectable.  That made me feel better, even if it was somewhat meaningless.  It at least showed me that it wasn't me as a person who was a dolt.  And although my grades will not land me a job, I realize that they can at least help my self-esteem, which is worth perhaps more than money.

Now I am about to enter my third year.  A "rising 3L".  I could quit now.  However, I would have to find a job immediately, as I am still paying a small fortune for rent here in New York.  Either that or I can finish the game.  One more year.  I will have the JD, the option to take the bar, the option to do something as far as legal work.  Further, my debt right now is very large.  One more year isn't going to be much of a change as far as it being 'manageable'.  As it stands now, I will have to do IBR (Income Based Repayment) whether or not it's $150k or $200k.  On top of that, I don't mind leaving the US after law school.  I have spent some time in Asia and Europe, as well as Central America, and I know that I could be happy in any of those places.  I have planned on retiring outside of the US for a very long time now.  If I had to leave sooner, I would not bemoan the fact.  Further, I have considered leaving to teach English outside of the US after law school.  Although it's not a glamorous job, it's something I would not mind doing.   In fact, the prospect excites me.

Having weighed all the options for myself, I think the best course of action is to finish.  If I was a 1L still I would have probably dropped out and at least did something else.  However, I am too far in for that now.  So, I shall finish the game, down the boss, and maybe get a little bit of loot, even if it's merely a piece of paper.

Spring 2012 Grades

Well, I got my grades back, and I must say I have shown an improvement.  Perhaps there is hope for me yet.

I want to take the time to share my grades with my readers, in case they are curious.

Corporate Finance: C+
Law and Economics: A+
Copyright Law: A
EU Law: B+

Other than the Corporate Finance, the grades are not too bad.  In fact, I think that gives me around a 3.4 GPA.  The average at my institution is a B+, so the C+ was quite rotten, but after last semester, I don't feel too bad.  I didn't really try this semester, and it shows that I may still have a chance at getting some good grades.  However, that being said, I still feel law school grades are somewhat arbitrary and have done tests in the past in which I felt like I did amazing on, only to find out that I did quite bad.

Last semester my GPA was around a 2.6, and right now I believe I have a 2.9.  I hope to graduate with a 3.2, but I know that is going to be tough.  I have 2 more semesters, and to graduate with such a GPA will mean I will have to work hard.  Further, I still plan on leaving the US to teach English after law school, so I wonder what the point of this all is.

Some may call me crazy for giving up law before even trying.  Truth is, I think of it as crazy sometimes.  However, I feel that I am not cut out for the profession, nor do I want to sell my soul.  Yes, I should have researched this in advance more, and the scam bloggers who say that the current students deserve some of the blame are in many ways right.  As law students, we should research, and we must be held somewhat accountable.  Not accountable for deceptive business practices and the state of the law school educational machine, but for not being savvy enough to realize how messed up it is.

There are many blogs on here that do a great job of exposing that system, and I can't devote the kind of time or energy in uncovering the system as they do, so I will not try.  Instead, I am here to show the kind of fear that is pretty commonplace today.  Even though the kiddies on Top-Law-Schools act smug, the truth is, they are scared to death and, in reality, look quite pathetic.  

We are being made to be the bottom feeders in society and paying dearly for the privilege.  We should sometimes feel pathetic.  Especially those who have over 1000 posts on TLS.  

Visiting Family for the First Time Since Starting Law School...

I am now in my second year of law school and this summer I will be going to visit my family.  The last time I visited them was before I left for law school.  It has been almost a year and a half, and while I have not had to constantly hear questions about being a future lawyer, I have been asked for some legal advice on occasion as well as heard the comments regarding how I am going to be the first in the family to be a lawyer and what not.

I am sure most of you hear something like:  "it will be good to have an attorney in the family!"  That is, unless there is already one in the family.  There is not one in my family.  I will be the first.  It is truly a thrilling time for the family.  A real treat for us all.

Back when I started this blog, I wrote a post called Don't Drop Out! in which I said that I mentioned to my family that I was considering quitting law school.  After a while of not commenting on this topic, it sort of died off.  I have not heard as much about law school since then, however, I am kind of dreading going back to where I grew up and being bombarded with questions about the law and my future legal career.  I have in the past been asked countless times by people what my concentration is going to be.

What kind of lawyer are you going to be?
Me:  My goal is to be the employed kind. 

What kind though?  Don't you get a choice, like ambulance chaser or litigator?
Me:  I... Maybe that one.

Seriously, though.  I am dreading the trip back.  What ever happened to the golden days of college where one went back home during a break in their studies and felt good about what they were doing.  You know, the first in the family, telling everyone about the joys of college.  About how we were learning so much.  About how we were excited to start work.  All I can think about is how scary it is going to be in a year and a half.  About how everyone expects me to find a good job, and how I don't even know if I will be able to find one at all.

Perhaps those 'golden days of college' are a myth.  Or maybe it's reserved for those Harvard and Stanford types.  Not us second, third and fourth tier law students.  But most parents don't know the difference.  I tried to explain it once to someone, but they just shrugged and pretty much said 'a law degree is a law degree'.  I remember at the orientation how someone who was talking about the joys of law school said:

"Don't worry too much about your class rank.  Even if you are dead last you'll still be called Esquire."

While that is true, is the title worth the money spent?  It's more of an honorary title if anything.  And, you still have to pass the bar in order to get it.  If you are dead last that might be a problem.  Of course the law schools don't tell you that. 

I have a feeling that the remark above encompass much of what my family thinks of law school.  It doesn't matter how well you do as long as you graduate, and if you do, you're set for life.  No matter what many of us tell our families, it is not believed.  And when we can't find jobs, and we try to say, "I told you so," they see us as the failure.  Or maybe they see it as bad luck.  After all, those lawyers on TV have jobs, and there are law offices everywhere!  How can there not be enough jobs?! 

I can't help but wonder how many other people have gone through or are going through a similar situation.  I am sure I am not in the minority.