memo

The Art of Letting Go: From Division 1 Gymnastics to LP Memos

/ Malcolm Baytop / Leave a comment

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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The Most Important Thing I’ve Learned About Law School So Far: The “I Love Me More” Approach

/ Alexandra Staller / Leave a comment

Now more than halfway through my first law school semester, the initial warnings and disclaimers that I had been told before coming are starting to make sense. This line I am walking between letting law school take over my time and giving myself time to breathe is one I find becomes blurry depending on what my days or weeks look like. For example, last week my section had our first memo draft due on Friday. On top of all the other classwork I had, all I could think about was the memo. Wake up: memo. Drive to school: memo. Read my Contracts cases: memo. Fold my laundry: memo. Call Mom: memo.

One night as I was laying in bed, I felt an overwhelming wave of law school rise over me. My post-9pm thoughts were racing, and I wondered if this was the thing that was bound to happen that would stick with me until my graduation in May 2027: that all I am is law school. 

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From Prose to Precision: A New (Legal) Approach to Writing

/ Christopher Tan / 1 Comment

The end of fall in New England. The trees are bare. Leaves crunch underfoot. Mornings bring a frigid chill that whispers of the winter to come. During these reflective autumn days, amidst the trepidation of exams, I often ponder my journey so far through law school and particularly how it has reshaped my understanding and approach to writing. While in undergrad, writing was taught to evoke a more emotional response through vivid imagery and ideas, legal writing thrives on a different kind of grace — that of precision and clarity. 

Legal writing is a world away from the lyrical prose of Hemingway and Joyce. It is an economical discipline where every word carries weight, and the flourish of language gives way to the sharpness of mercilessly direct expression. In the world of statutes, case law, and legal reasoning, the ability to communicate complex ideas in a simple and effective manner is an exercise in disciplined succinctness. 

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Memo Week’s Secret Memo

/ Alex Mostaghimi / Leave a comment

Memo week came and went with the grace of a Vanderbilt train crash. While all LP students are told at the beginning of the semester what they can expect, memo week still manages to derail our priorities. Nevertheless, if we heed the lessons learned from this short period, we might be able to build healthy habits to avoid future pains.

Memo week tends to bring the first symptoms of stress to the forefront, and its showing is magnificently diverse. 

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