New Semester... New Woes

So the new semester is in full force.  I feel like a dog in the humane society waiting to be put to sleep.  I keep telling myself: "soon I will be a rich lawyer like the person sitting next to me."  Then I start to laugh and the professor asks me what I am laughing about, and then I mumble something to myself. 

Seriously though, this semester is a lot like the last one.  Two weeks in and I know who the gunners are and am already annoyed by their antics.  Raising their hands to every question.  I guess I should probably like them, they do take the heat off me.  I have yet to be called on, which is great.  Also, these classes are pretty relaxed.  We are told in one class one class in advance if we will be called on or not.  I have one class left this week and know I won't be called on.  That's soothing at least. 

Then there is the summer internship hunt.  I am told that if we find something, we can maybe qualify for a stipend.  That would be great huh?  Just hoping it's not like the last one.  I want to actually do some law related work.  It's why I'm going in the first place, isn't it?

I was talking to someone the other day about school in general.  She was telling me that she believes that college one day was more challenging.  She could not say for sure, but based on what she has read, there was once a time where one spent great deals of time researching.  She says she feels like college is dumbed down.  I have to say I agree.  I see the stuff undergraduate students are doing now and I shake my head.  How did I not get straight A's on this stuff?  Stuff like a 2 page report on a movie, or memorizing a few terms for a big exam.  It only makes law school seem more brutal, but I think that's just the curve.  It's not that law school is that hard, it's more of a psychological endurance than anything.  Having to read 100 pages by itself is not challenging, but having to read it wondering if you will ever get a job in it or if you are wasting your time by reading it makes it seem a bit more of a chore.  Add that to the sounds of women moaning in the library and it starts to get weird.

The Most Elitist Place on the Internet: Top-Law-Schools.com

When I was a tad bit younger, buckling up and getting ready to go to law school, I, like many 0L's happened upon top-law-schools.com.  For the few not in the know, it is a forum for people to talk about everything that pertains to the wonderful and amazing world of law school.  Here kids discuss and rank their schools, talk about their hopes and fears, and discuss job hunting strategies.

However, something more sinister is taking place.  These kids are starting to believe that they are better than others.  They are seeing that their school is ranked a bit higher, that their grades and rank are better, and that they have better job prospects.  Some of these people are going to schools like Harvard and Columbia Law School.  Others are "blessed" with schools such as Golden Gate University School of Law and Cooley.  They start to size each other up, and as they do so, they become more and more elitist.

Now, I honestly believe that many who are thinking of going into law are elitist to an extent.  The profession is a breeding ground for elitism.  In law school each student is ranked according to how 'intelligent' they are, i.e. their grades.  However, even though it could easily be argued that law school grades are arbitrary and even sometimes random with a lot of human error able to be present, law school students who are in the top 30% of their class feel smug.  If you are in the top 10% with a summer internship lined up, you are the big cheese.  And if you are that person but going to a top 14 school, you are THE CHEEZE. Three reasons that TLS sticks out to me:


1.  Many TLS forumers are actually very sheltered kids who have little clue about reality.

One thing that strikes me about TLS as I will call it, is that if you post something on that site that does not jive with the cushy life experiences of the 'lawyer's son/daughter' they will cry 'flame'.  I have seen this multiple times on the site, where someone asks advice about transferring to a lower ranked school for family reasons, or that they were in the top 20% but were having trouble finding legal employment.  Some mention having life hardships that made it so that they could not find a job and are considering dropping out even though they have a high GPA.  It is hard to realize that there are certain life experiences that interfere with school if you have never left your parents grasp.

2.  TLS forumers think that they need a new Macbook every year for surfing the internet in class.

I made the mistake last semester of sitting in the back row.  I thought law school was about studying, however I was made aware that it is really about google chat and facebook during class.  It was so cute seeing all the students with their little MacBook Airs and iPads, surfing the internet, buying curtains and clothing, playing car racing games, and selling tickets.  And then, when I went to TLS, I was made aware that every year one should purchase a new computer, because a three year old system is not good enough to take a law school exam on with exam4 or write a law school paper with.

3.  TLS forumers think that everyone else is not going to get a job, but they will do something different and BAM!  $160k/yearola.

I hate to burst their bubble, but even if they get a job that is good enough for them to sell the rest of their life into bondage for, they are not going to be happy.  Someone else (their boss) will act just as elitist towards them as they act towards others.

In the end, I find TLS to be the most elitist place on the internet that I have come across.   If you are serious about law school, you may want to check out this place.  You should know who some of your classmates will be and who you will be working with and for if you are lucky enough. 

Wikitravel boasts Puerto Rico has 3 ABA law schools!

While looking at Wikitravel.org, a travel based site, I found myself intrigued when I read the following:

"Most universities in Puerto Rico are accredited by US authorities and they offer quality educational programs. Its very easy to find Spanish courses as well as learn to dance salsa. Puerto Rico has 3 ABA-accredited law schools which are very competitive. The University of Puerto Rico Law School is very friendly towards international students and is a great option for foreigners looking for a quality, cheap education (subsidized by the government) that is less than 10 minutes from a beach!"

(http://wikitravel.org/en/Puerto_Rico)

This was/is under the "Learn" section. I find it interesting that even on a travel page law school is mentioned.  This is perhaps because of the popularity of law school in today's world.  Are there other "World Traveling Law Students" out there?

I can't even begin to imagine going to law school in Puerto Rico.  Sitting on the beach between classes, studying for the bar on Vieques or Culebra?  Yes, I have been to Puerto Rico, and I must say it's a great place.  I can just imagine driving along the Atlantic ocean during spring break with my law books in the back seat as I made my way to Sun Bay to camp and study.  What a life, huh?

I can't help but wonder how the legal economy in Puerto Rico is like.  It must be pretty decent for the island to have three law schools. 

I am not aware that other US territories, such as Guam/Micronesia, have a law school.  Maybe some of the students here make it over there.  Those are two places that could perhaps use an ABA law school.  Perhaps in the future I will make a post about places that should have another law school, or even a law school.  For example, the massive state of Montana only has one law school, and it's in the western side of the state.  That means if you live in Billings, the largest city in Montana, you have to move hundreds of miles away to go to law school. 

With that being said though, Puerto Rico would have been a great place to go to law school.  If only I knew Spanish...

My Internship From Hell!

I have recently read an interesting article on one of the blogs that I follow (see link: http://scholasticsnakeoil.blogspot.com/2012/01/indentured-internships.html ).  On this blog, the author, who herself has been involved in the educational arena for quite some time, talks about internships:

"Too often, the work they did in those internships bore little or no relationship to any work they would actually do in the careers or occupations for which they were preparing themselves--let alone to the theory they were learning in their classrooms."

Now, this got me thinking about my last internship here at law school.  It was for a solo practitioner with a firm dealing mostly with torts and landlord-tenant issues.  He had me come to his firm, interviewed me, and out of many applicants, I am told, I was chosen to be his worker, I mean, slave.  Now, I am used to working hard, as I have had my share of manual labor type jobs in the past.  However, what I expected to get out of the internship, and what I got, well, those are two different things.


I was told by my law school career counselor to pursue an internship EVERY semester.  I thought this would sound advice.  The more experience one has, the more likely you are to be hired.  So, I immediately applied for everything but this guy, this fiend, he was the one to call me in first.  He did not give me the address to the firm he worked at, so I googled him and found two addresses, both of which were near each other.  So, I donned my suit and headed to meet him after class.  Finally, I reached the office he worked in.  A big-ass skyscraper building reaching towards the heavens.  It looked legit.  I walked in, where a big burly man grinned ear to tooth to me and had me sign in.  No problem.  I continued onward, marching towards the elevators where my interview would take place.  


"I will not get the position.  I will not get the position," I told myself, over and over.  "I am wasting my time."  A more attractive young man sat next to me, all dressed up in a suit that was nicer than mine.  He would be interviewed after me.  I knew he would get the job.  He was prettier.  Well, I must have been better 'slave material' because I was the one who was hired.


So, three days later, when I got the e-mail that I was chosen I was ecstatic.  I went to my first day and was told that I had a number of tasks.  NONE OF THESE TASKS WERE RELATED TO LAW.

"And, if the student isn't getting practical experience from the internship, what is the employer gaining?  Free labor, of course."

These tasks were:

1.  "Water the plant once a week.  Choose the day, but make sure that plant does not die.  I will not water it, so it's up to you."
2.  "Create a filing system and rearrange my files.  There are some outside, as well."
3.  "Take this trash (old computer and printer) down to the trash room and/or find out how to dispose of it."
4.  "Make sure these walls are wiped down.  You see these coffee stains?  I want them gone."
5.  Rearrange the last intern's office area to suit your needs.  There is an ancient laptop there with Windows 2000 on it.  That will be your workstation."
6.  Go fax this form, make some copies.
7.  Run to the post office, and send these letters!
8.  Go to the UPS store.  Now boy, run! 


Basically this is the list I got.  This was my first week.  Later on I was told to brief a case of his and to call a client to make sure they were going to come in.  Oh, and I interacted with a client by taking her $20 to her car due to some overpayment.  That was interesting.  As far as practical experience, I got none.


As far as theory was concerned, I can honestly say I was getting NEGATIVE theory.  I was expected to skip class when he needed me.  Even though I gave him my schedule, he had the gull to keep me from my class!  I sent him an e-mail the next day, telling him I was done.  He was flabbergasted, he could not figure out why I would leave such a great opportunity behind.  I was really nice about it, saying "thank you" and "I value all the experience I got."  However, the truth was, I got basically nil.  When I was hired he told me how awful his last intern was and that he expected more of me.  When his P-touch was out of ribbon he actually whined about it.  He whined!  I could not believe it, a grown man actually whining!!!!! 

So that was my last internship.  I am a bit scared to get another one, out of fear it ends up the same way.  But, I realize I must if I am to succeed in this profession. 

Law School Starts Up Again Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is my first day of law school for 2012!  I know it's hard to read sarcasm on the internet, but the truth is, I am not really excited.  Actually, I am kind of nervous.  Another semester of hoping I am not called on and wondering "will I find a job?" 

I was out and about today and I thought to myself, back to last semester, at many in my class who thought they were pretty dang intelligent.  Some would talk to the professor and say "the average person may not understand it, but we're law students, so we understand the real world better."  I wanted to laugh, but instead I was watching the clock thinking, "let me the hell out of here." 

You know, people in law school really think they are smart.  Smarter than most.  But I have to say, you are not that smart if you chose to go to law school.  Every day I am reminded of this and think to myself, "what the hell am I doing?"  I have some non-law related plans for after I graduate, just in case (as expected) I do not find a job in law.  And even if I do find a law-related job, who says I will be able to stand it?  Why did I not realize this sooner?

I also have not checked my grades from last semester.  Well, I did a few days ago and they were up, so I told myself I will not check them until I graduate.  I don't know why a law professor needs until after classes start to post grades.  Classes start tomorrow (the 9th) and professors have until the 13th to get grades in.  That is insane.  This was not an issue in undergrad, nor I imagine it is an issue in many other graduate school courses.  Law professors have it so easy compared to the pay they make, one would think they could turn in grades sooner.  So my way of dealing with it is to not play their stupid little game.  I will not check my grades until I graduate.  Of course, I wonder if I even passed all my classes.  My finals were a disaster.  But who cares, right? 

That's my rant.  Again, tomorrow I start school, and I am going to enjoy every second of freedom I have left.