Law Clerking

This has been a pretty busy week so far (yeah, I know it's only Wednesday). At the law clerking gig I've been doing some general housekeeping on a few files -- putting together petitions, filing petitions, writing a few letters, answering discovery requests, and putting documents in order for the file.

I attended a mediation for the first time the other day too. Mediation, as I learned, is a court ordered deal to get parties another chance to get to settlement before going to trial. The mediator's job is to get one side to pay a little more and the other to accept a little less with the hope there is a meeting somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately we were hit with some surprise information that took a real winner of a case and made it a real loser. Lesson learned: trust your client, but don't trust your client's memory -- ever!

Somewhere in the I've also been working on getting the Career Services website updated, which has been going well but, it take times (that I don't really have), and still taking care of the administration tasks for the job bank database (which, fortunately, doesn't take much time).

As if that wasn't enough I also have a few potential future clients, with some problems, who will probably need to be referred someone soon.

Oh, and school starts again in twelve days.

Summer Work

Last week I started working for a Personal Injury firm in town. Having worked so much for insurance, mostly in property and casualty insurance in the past few years, it has been interesting to see the business from the other side. Most importantly I am getting a chance to work with people who actually litigate and get that much needed resume worthy experience stuff.

It has also been pretty nice to get the rest of the story when it comes to what practice is really like. The stuff you don't get in law school that's pretty important.

Things that need to be done while in law school, even if you don't get paid for it, so you can get a job when school is over.

Judicial Ethics

A comment to Rule 2.2 of the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct says:

Although each judge comes to the bench with a unique background and personal philosophy, a judge must interpret and apply the law without regard to whether the judge approves or disapproves of the law in question.

Makes you wonder about some recent statements by potential SCOTUS associate judges...

LSAT Question?

I really don't remember the LSAT very well (nor do I care to), but this seems like XKCD captured a question from it.

Summer School

Today is the first day of Summer I (first summer session). It feels good to know that other people are going to class while I'm taking a break from it. I have a break until June 29, when Summer II begins, to goof off and not think about school much.

Onto 3L

My grades all came in the other day and I am quite pleased with myself. Trusts was my lowest grade, but I was expecting that (because of that I'll end up litigating trusts one day). Classes are registered for summer and I'll be taking Sales and Texas Civil Procedure II. At some point I'm going to have to check my registration for next Fall and Spring so I can get out of here.

I will be enjoying the break while I have it.

Done

I have turned in my last final exam and I am done for the semester. I did not sign up for classes in the first summer session so I will not have to go back until June 29. It will be nice to take a long break before my last year starts up. Bring on 3L.

Stupid Law School Politics at St Mary's

The administration at the law school does things that are hard to understand -- sometimes they seem to be like the man behind the curtain -- no transparency. They have refused to renew contracts for two instructors, and earlier this year they did not renew the career services office director's contract (who they also had leave before her current contract was set to end).

One of the instructors just filed a discrimination charge. She is the wife of the former dean, whose demotion is also questionable. (There was a settlement following his charge of discrimination against the school.) The linked article sums it up pretty well, and I see it the way the Piatts do. He is one of my favorite professors, and although I have never taken any of her courses I have always heard good reviews.

I'm afraid that this will end in a similar settlement (tuition is already high enough already!). Glad I'll be done next year, but it pisses me off that things are handled the way they are. I'd like my law school to have a good reputation even after I have graduated.

The Express-News also reported on a student petition that was circulated, but I think that it may be a little unbalanced. I'm not sure who is right or wrong, but it would be nice if the administration was a bit more open with what was going on -- it would enhance its reputation.