Dressing up as an iconic character from a coveted television show, film, or book is a cherished tradition of the internationally celebrated holiday, Halloween. This day brings excitement and joy to not just children, but to grown up law students as well. Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced “SAH-win”), a pagan religious celebration to welcome the harvest at the end of summer, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. The pagan holiday gained its notoriety in the Catholic religious tradition when, in the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor saints. Over time, All Saints Day came to incorporate some of the traditions of Samhain. From this, the evening before All Saints Day became known as All Hallows Eve, and later, Halloween.
Continue readingMonth: October 2025
Why Fall As A 1L Doesn’t Have To Be So Scary
It’s easy to focus on the chaos of 1L fall; there’s so much to learn and seemingly not enough time. But somewhere between the stress and the multiple Lexis tabs open on my computer, there’s a lot to love about being a law student this time of year.
Continue readingA Haunting on the Docket: When Appellants Met Apparitions
In the early 1960s, the children of Nyack, New York spoke of the “haunted” house on the hill. The old Victorian’s newest tenants, The Ackleys, would soon learn first-hand. Phantom footsteps and slamming doors set the supernatural stage. Most mornings, ghosts roused the Ackley children by violently shaking their beds. After reaching into their pockets, they might have found baby rings left by unseen hands. Like many of these “gifts,” they came as quickly as they went: little trinkets, coins, and even silver sugar tongs appearing and vanishing out of thin air.
Continue readingIs Life Forcing a Change of Plans? Don’t Panic
Nothing anyone says can really prepare you for the purgatory that is your first year out of college. To borrow a phrase from one of my close friends, there were days during my post-graduation period where looking for positives felt like “fishing for king salmon in a street puddle.” I had moved back to my hometown in Oregon, something I had vowed I would never do. All I’d ever wanted was to leave, and there I was, right back where I had started.
Continue readingThe Wonders of Code Classes: A 2L’s Perspective
We are deep in the thicket of fall semester, and the changing leaves and cooler temperatures have made me reflect on my 1L fall experience a year ago. I enjoyed my classes. I found some cases and subjects more engaging than others, but when it came to distilling the rules and concepts, there was little excitement.
Continue readingSome 2L Advice: Do Things for the Love of the Game
As a 2L, I often find myself in a position to give (sometimes unsolicited) advice. Faced with questions like what elective should I take, when should I apply to jobs, where should I apply, when should I outline, and how do I outline, I often give the standard answer: it depends.
Continue readingCarr Reins in FCC Overreach on School Wi-Fi
This guest post by BC Law Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Daniel Lyons first appeared in the AEIdeas Blog.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr has been in the news a lot lately. Under his energetic leadership, the agency has pursued an ambitious agenda at a breakneck pace. And while he has taken flak (including from me) for some of his high-profile controversies—perhaps most notably threatening Jimmy Kimmel like a second-rate Jersey mob boss—he deserves significant credit for the less flashy efforts his team is taking behind the scenes to restore the agency’s proper role and rein in the prior administration’s excesses. One such effort was last month’s decision to terminate E-Rate funding for Wi-Fi hotspot lending and school bus Wi-Fi access. While the merits of those programs can be debated, they clearly exceeded the statute’s bounds, and the FCC was right to rein them in.
Continue readingLessons from a Jesuit Education: Growth, Purpose, and the Practice of Law
Because, I, too, once didn’t know what a Jesuit education entailed. Now, I can’t imagine who I’d be without it.
By way of background, I’ve been a Catholic school kid pretty much my whole life—since second grade, technically—and I actually liked it. When my parents offered to switch me to the local public school after we moved when I was nine, I chose to stay where I was. I wanted to keep wearing my jumper and tie (yes, girls could wear ties too) and keep going to religion class.
Continue readingWho You Gonna Sue (Ghostbusters)?
Happy Spooky Season! To those of you who celebrate, like me, Halloween is around the corner. And more importantly, the annual BC Law Halloween party falls on October 31st this year, boding a particularly festive celebration.
To get us all in the Halloween spirit, I’d like to pose some witching hour-themed questions you can ponder between class reading assignments.
Continue readingAn Immersive Experience: Meet LLM Alum Tobias Wilcken Jørgensen ’25
There are numerous roads to law school, and no one-size fits all path to a successful legal career. Follow along with our series highlighting BC Law students and how they got here!
Previous entries: Sara Womble (Winston Salem, NC); Elias Massion (Nashville, TN); Samina Gagné (London); Alvin Synarong (Murfreesboro, Tennessee); Ruchita Jain (Edina, Minnesota); Nicole Bauer (Michigan); Carlos Robles-Cruz (Puerto Rico); Taha Din (Naperville, IL); Timothy St. Pierre (Brunswick, ME).
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