A judicial law clerk assists a judge in their most important duties: preparing to supervise an oral argument, drafting opinions, and preparing jury instructions. With direct contact from the arbiters of the law, the value of a judicial clerkship cannot be matched. Not only will a judicial clerk’s writing, reading, and analytical skills vastly improve, their network among members of the Bar, other clerks, and judges will also expand.
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Legal Podcast Review: ‘Rebuttal’ Pod
If you’ve ever seen Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – or are chronically online (like me) — you’re familiar with the image of Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo Dicaprio in a violently yellow t-shirt, pointing furiously at an (off-camera) television screen. The image was reenacted by me recently, as I poured over my criminal law reading this week.
The reason I was furiously pointing at a case from the 1800s? Well, I recognized it. Not from a previous class, but from a podcast I had listened to on my commute to work this summer – ‘Rebuttal,’
Continue readingReading List for Rising Lawyers
The number one question I get from incoming 1Ls is: how do I prepare for law school?
The short answer is: you shouldn’t prepare. Whether you’ve worked a long career or you’re fresh out of college like I was, use your time before law school to decompress and reset. I promise you won’t fall behind. The briefing, the outlining, the cold call, it’ll all come together eventually.
But if you’re looking for something to do or want to get the gears turning ahead of time, here’s a list of my favorite legal reads:
Continue readingDone is Good: Six Practical Tips for 1L Finals Season
We are almost at the end of classes! I hope everyone has some sort of plan for the holiday to take time off before we get back to campus for our reading period. Personally I have been fantasizing about my mom’s butternut squash soup along with nine straight hours of Thanksgiving football. However, I know that will be a fleeting moment before I roll over and get back to my outlines.
As we gear up for the last push, I am going to take a crack at some tips that have kept me sane and some advice from 2Ls and 3Ls.
Tip #1: Plan ahead.
Continue readingChasing Perfection: A Rating of On-Campus Finals Study Spots
This is part two of a study spot series. Catch part one on off-campus options here.
It’s that time of the semester — the realization that oh, we’re actually going to be tested on this, has set in and the feeling that there are simply not enough hours of the day to get everything done is well-worn and familiar. To alleviate my own stress, through a thorough research and judging process (read as: my own vibe checks), I have rated possible on-campus study spots for when the finals-week anxiety really hits.
Continue readingThinking About Transferring? Look at BC.
I like to think of myself as one of the most non-traditional students at BC Law. I have a three-year-old daughter named Rose, who I am simply obsessed with. I am in my 30’s, a fact which seems to shock my classmates. I am an Active Duty Military member of the U.S. Coast Guard, having served eight years of service already, and I will (hopefully) get to serve at least twelve more. My little brother is also a 1L, grinding through his first year at BC Law and thriving.
Lastly, I am a transfer student.
Continue readingMy Answer to ‘Why Did You Go to Law School’
When I walked into my last Critical Perspectives class of the semester this past Monday, written on the board was the question: ‘Why did you go to law school?’ This question was nothing new – law students get asked by family, friends, and most law school applications ask why you want to go to law school – but in class that day, it felt like a very personal one.
Sunday night I was working on my cover letter, as one does on their Sunday evening. As I was writing, I was thinking about all of the experiences and skills I had that might separate me from the hundreds of cover letters that 1Ls across the country will be sending to summer employers. My entire professional life flashed before my eyes: school nights picking up trash after college basketball games, a few summers lifeguarding and babysitting, and that one cashier job at Home Depot. But I landed on my experience last year working for a mass tort litigation firm, where I was a paralegal on the Boy Scouts of America sexual abuse class action case. That role absolutely changed my life in more than a professional sense, and gave me my answer to the question on the board that morning in Critical Perspectives.
Continue readingHow Do You Find Your Peace? Running Away from The Fishbowl
I’m the kind of person who likes to be by himself. To put a finer point on it, I’m the type of person who doesn’t find it painful to be alone.
– Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About when I Talk About Running
Most days, especially as fall rolls into winter, I get up before the sun. In the pre-dawn hours, I fumble around in the darkness of my quiet, slumbering apartment, attempting to make coffee and not wake up my partner. As this process gets underway, my dog follows me around dutifully, eyes shining like copper pennies, ears at full mast, ready to head out for another morning jaunt. His herding eye remains trained on its quarry as I put on my running shoes, and he readies himself for our adventure, stretching and strutting around on my creaky wood floors.
Continue readingThe Study Spot Guide (NOT the BC Law Library)
This is part one of a two part study spot series. Catch part two covering on-campus options on 11/20.
Happy finals season! We are in the homestretch of the fall semester, which means BC Law students find themselves with their heads in their books and spending far more time inside. As we are all preparing for finals, I would like to offer some alternative study spots in the Newton-Boston area that are NOT the BC Law Library we are all very (too) familiar with. Happy studying, you’re almost there!
Continue readingThe Art of Letting Go: From Division 1 Gymnastics to LP Memos
As a former collegiate gymnast, I am no stranger to the discipline and intensity of mastering a technical craft. Excellent performance in the sport requires grueling hours dedicated to conditioning your mind and body for precise alignment. For example, when flying over the high bar, stretching your arms just a bit more after you let go of the bar could be the difference between catching it and falling flat on your face.
Even at its most foundational level, like holding a handstand, gymnastics requires an extremely detail-oriented and analytical approach. When I decided to become a lawyer, I knew that years of painstakingly paying attention to detail in gymnastics would come in handy for the high standards of diligence in the legal profession. However, I did not expect the personal insights I gained from years of striving towards perfection in the sport to apply in my 1L law practice course.
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