A Woman in Law School

Well, I received my final grade on my first memo. I should be very happy with myself however the grade is just confusing. Let's say I got a K+ on the first draft and the same for the final. While I should be happy I feel like I didn't improve because I have the same grade.

In other realms of my legal life, I had a breakdown with my legal writing professor today. Our final memo is due next week and it seems like everyone around me has their drafts nearly done. I am far, far from that reality. In fact, I have a skeleton memo and I can't even make a Halloween reference.

The pressure is really starting to hit me. I don't think I've ever had to juggle so many things at once. And they ain't easy tasks! Yesterday I went to bed a 9pm because I was just done. Kaput! Finito! And I felt guilty that I couldn't even review my measly little outlines.

I'm also trying to reconcile a "friendship" here in law school land. And I think this is a big reason why I've felt so drained. I'll save that one for another time... maybe I'll IRAC it for ya!

Have I mentioned to you that I have a closed memo from hell? Have I mentioned that even though it is closed my classmates spend a lot of time discussing it with each other? I don't know how I feel about this. On one hand I want to discuss it with people. On the other hand, knowing the memo is curved, I don't want people discussing it as I think it may give them an unfair advantage. I also see the point in learning how to do this by yourself. I really wish our professor would elaborate on how closed this memo really is.

When your professor practically spoon feeds you your first memo and cuts the umbilical cord for the second, you quickly learn you're like a deer in headlights.

I also hate that I only have two weeks for this memo. HA! Two weeks! I'm just waiting to have my ass served to me when I learn in the real world two weeks is too long.

Let's just hope that my deer in headlights moment doesn't flatten me into roadkill.

Then again, I'm starting to feel like roadkill with all this on my plate.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm wrongly going about this whole law school thing. I am beginning to lose my focus in the reading. I am beginning to not review concepts after class. I often feel like my classmates have a better handle on the subject matter than I do. I no longer type out my briefs but instead do some very thorough book briefing. I try to read supplements for each of my classes, but I can't help but think I'm not doing enough. And I don't even have the time to add anything in because it has been taking me longer to get through the reading when I have such crappy focus skills.

I want to escape. I want a huge pile of leaves to jump into. I want an armchair, a pot of tea, a good book and a scenic view to look up at in between well-written sentences. I want a break.

But I cannot have one. I have a full plate and then some.

Did I mention that another memo in the making only makes things worse? Did I mention I have company coming this weekend? Did I mention that I didn't invite them? Did I mention I have a networking event with the judicial community that I also have to put my game face on for and go to?

Buckling down is not fun. Tell me it gets better...

Anyone remember my Ode to Garner? Here is an update:

Yesterday I was working through Legal Writing in Plain English exercises* and explaining to my boss what I was doing. I work at a Montessori school with 4-6th graders and we routinely work with grammar and proper language usuage. So I was showing her how similar the work is and she suggested I read Strunk and White's Elements of Style. Well, I thought it sounded familiar and this morning I realized that Garner wrote a similiar book titled: The Elements of Legal Style. So imagine my surprise this morning when I finally opened the book and realized it was autographed! I've been laughing with myself because I don't know if the nerd in me should be excited, or just humored. I suppose I could tell myself that it's not authentic but overall it was a surprise.


*Three of us are working through the exercises online if anyone is interested!

Last weekend I finally posted my LSAT prep books on Amazon. It took 24 hours to sell three books. CHA-CHING! Well, not exactly since I used the funds to purchase another type of law school prep books, namely those on legal research and writing. I'll admit it, I am terrified of writing. So I've made it one of my many goals for the summer to explore legal writing and hopefully become more comfortable with the idea of it. I purchased the following writing aides:

• The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style
• The Elements of Legal Style
• A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage

All of which are authored by Bryan Garner. I don't know who this man is but I'm thinking his name is worshiped somewhere in the legal writing world, and likely has a fan club. I also realized that he is involved in Black's Law Dictionary (which I bought used now versus waiting later and paying a higher price). Mr. Garner also wrote my new favorite workbook: Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text with Exercises. He recommends doing the exercises with a group but all I have is The Janitor who has agreed to work through them with me. If anyone else out there wants to work through this book with us HOLLA BACK! I really like the format of this book and so far the exercises are good, however The Janitor has had to explain certain terms and I have had to use Black's already.

It may seem to some of you that I am over-prepping myself for the fall. (Or it may not and I am just blabbing to blawg.) I've been out of school for awhile and so I'm trying to retrain my brain for the classroom and homework experience. I'll also admit that I am intimidated by the rumor of how competitive law school is. I guess I just want to make sure I have no summer regrets come fall. Stay tuned for book reviews and a compiled summer reading list!