gray matters

Its kind of weird to force your mind to go from a school of thought where at the end of the road, there is a right and a wrong. Yet in law school, there are just stronger and weaker arguments. Interestingly enough, gray is how my mind usually operates, but not in a school setting. I’ll read my cases, and think, “The Supreme Court made sense with that.” However when I get to class, we challenge everything that’s written. I know that helps us learn and think independently as future lawyers, but its hard to get into the habit of not holding what’s written in the textbook as “right.”

Oh well. I’ll get used to this murky area.

Sidenote: Its ironic that my school makes such a big deal about honor code (in attempt to preserve the integrity of the profession) when lawyers  are viewed as the most unethical sleaziest creatures.

Guess they can’t help trying. :-/

 

Legally,

Kendall

First Impressions

The first day of school didn’t feel so bad. My 8o'clock happened to be with the professor from the program, so there was a level of familiarity there. Here’s what I thought about each class while trying to concentrate on the material and not my body temperature. (I was actually prepared for the extreme A/C, but my body adjusted to the layers by 9)

Contracts: I like my prof. The material seems like it will be intriguing. Because contracts is inherently apart of everyday life (even though we may not be aware of every single one), I’m…I guess open to exploring how it affects the way business is done, how people view promises/agreements, etc.

*Seeing as how the abbreviation for Contracts is “K”, there may be a perfect match there. #fingerscrossed

Civil Procedure: [sigh] This class is going to be boring. I can already tell. My professor had the most notorious reputation from 2L & 3L’s for being a stickler for punctuality & professionalism (if your cell phone rings, you’re thrown out of class…seems fair until I’m the one who forgets to silence my calendar reminder :-/). The prof is a smart lady – USC & Stanford-educated – but that doesn’t change the material. I can see that she’ll probably infuse a lot of hypos to keep our minds working. Since it’s a 2.5 hour class, minds tend to wander -- at least mine was today. She doesn’t scare me per se, but I can see why a lot of people would be intimidated. However, I was praying I didn’t get called on today. Now I know how to prepare for her class, and I would have been thoroughly embarrassed had I been called on. I feel for those that were on the hot seat today. Oh yea, this is FIVE-HOUR credit, the weightiest of my load. Splendid.

Criminal Law: [smile] This is the shortest class of my week, unfortunately. This prof had the best reputation for being an engaging, funny, nice guy. That he is. He’s an older guy, but still sharp. This class seems like it would be the most comfortable to speak in. He made the atmosphere a lot lighter than my previous class, and I desperately needed it.

Predictions: All of it gets my wheels turning, but I feel like I’ll find the most practicality with Contracts and thus have more an affinity to it. But Criminal Law, off top, could be a surprise hit. I’ll monitor that one…that would be interesting if I actually like the stuff. Civ Pro doesn’t stand a chance for being labeled anything positive, but keeping me on my toes, physically and mentally will serve to keep me motivated. And I can’t be mad at the lady for that.

Legally,

Kendall

Just call me Rockefeller…

The more I learn about how we are a civilization that sues anybody for anything, the more frustrated I get about my potential for a cushioned life. Yes, I said cushioned. I’ve only spent 1 week in a legal environment, reading cases about how a random person strategically found a large corporation liable for some minute repercussion by way of a murky cause-and-effect. But this one thing I do know – I was duped.

Let me explain.

My father, in his days of youth and poverty, washed windows downtown. Due to some mishap, he fell from the contraption and was injured (his limp is not a pimp walk). Now all I can think about in this product liability case is all the people my parents could’ve sued and how SET we would’ve been. !&#%@

Who were my parents talking to??? Where is the legal advice in my family? Its beyond me that no one advised them to seek legal counsel.

If there was faulty equipment, they could’ve sued the a) company he worked for for putting an employee in such a dangerous situation (if there was a known danger) b) the store the apparatus was bought from, c)manufacturer, distributor, or service station that handled the faulty apparatus. The list goes on!

Plus, my father is 54 and he still limps to this day. Has his quality of life been affected due to his limp? Yes. Could he have performed other duties if not for his injury? Maybe. Did his resulting need for a knee replacement have any connection to his early injury? Possibly.

Any affirmative answer or probably affirmative answer means damages = money.

I’m upset now -- not even at my parents, but for whoever didn’t tell them what semblance of a case they might have had.

smdh.

Legally,
Kendall

it’s like riding a bike, right?

My first night here and it rained like cats & dogs throughout the night. Great welcome.

I went on-campus to the library, which is really nice by the way—quite a few steps above Eva B.—and tried to act studious.

I’m currently sitting in Panera Bread (free wi-fi) writing an essay, which is something I haven’t done in over a year. [Money is motivating.] And boy do I feel rusty. I have written in the last year, just not the organized, brainstormed, cohesive kind of prose.

One of my mandatory classes as a 1L is legal writing, so hopefully I’ll get all the kinks out and be rather successful at the unique, outlined writing style. We’re expected to brief two cases prior to any formal legal knowledge. Keep your fingers crossed.

Anywhoo, I plan on being done with this essay by week’s end and read/brief these cases before the program starts Monday. Too bad law school is full of a bunch of competitive overachievers (so I’ve been told), so I better not get behind before the race even starts.

Wish me luck.

Legally,

Kendall

hellos & goodbyes

 

It seems like the most common phrases in my life are greetings and farewells. Not the ones that are casual and non-emotional, but those that tug at your heartstrings because they signify the beginning or ending of an era.

As my mother and siblings left me, with an empty apartment and an even emptier heart, I was forced once again to grow up just a little bit more. My first apartment in a truly random city is the newest chapter of my young life. I’m as equally excited as I am terrified for what awaits me in the near future. But, I’m not complaining. I’ve been given the priceless opportunity to pursue my dreams and I don’t mind if it takes a few tears, a few miles, or a new address to get there.

goodbye home.

hello future.

 

Legally,

Kendall