Are any of you unhappy? Forum

[northwood]

i like law school when im not there

[Gorki]

I'm enjoying law school. Do I have some kind of mental illness?

Right there with ya though, after my introduction to the blue book I see a future contention happening......

I think the bottom line with Bluebooking is don't get wrapped up in the details. Even my professors don't know all the rules. As long as the judge can find your case, who cares if you italicized a period?

You really only need to know the basic rules unless you want to write-on to LR. At that point, italicized periods and appropriate application of BB rules to obscure ass sources determines if you make journal.

[CreativityKing]

I really hate 2L. Journal is soul-sucking work. I am far busier than I was 1L.

I am ready to be with law school.

[northwood]

I really hate 2L. Journal is soul-sucking work. I am far busier than I was 1L.

I am ready to be with law school.

if its not Law review.. drop that journal.

[northwood]

tomorrow smells like a great day to take a personal mental health day.

[JCFindley]

I'm enjoying law school. Do I have some kind of mental illness?

Right there with ya though, after my introduction to the blue book I see a future contention happening......

I think the bottom line with Bluebooking is don't get wrapped up in the details. Even my professors don't know all the rules. As long as the judge can find your case, who cares if you italicized a period?

You really only need to know the basic rules unless you want to write-on to LR. At that point, italicized periods and appropriate application of BB rules to obscure ass sources determines if you make journal.

Thanks......

I doubt it will bother me that much but wow, two hours of LWR hearing about how great is, oof.....

Only two credit hours for 1L though and I don't stress about it.

(I have NO intention of writing on to a journal.)

[kalvano]

(I have NO intention of writing on to a journal.)

You might want to re-think that.

[JCFindley]

(I have NO intention of writing on to a journal.)

You might want to re-think that.

I know the pluses and minuses and may well change my mind. For now, my interests are criminal law or an aviation law firm.

I know the standard LR > Moot Court etc but from what I understand, Applicable clinics/externships/commitment to PI > moot court > LR for crim law. Regarding aviation law it will be my background and grades that get me in.

[rouser]

the neck pain is getting to me more than anything. not sure how you can say it isn't intellectual enough though. would like to hear.

What do you find intellectually stimulating about it?

Also, God forbid you find yourself in a class with that obnoxious gunner who either goes on and on with hypotheticals that will never happen and has nothing to do with anything or decides to throw a tantrum because he disagrees with Easterbrook's reasoning. I think law school is pretty cool for like the first four weeks, then it gets tediously boring as hell.

That said, I'm pretty excited about actual practice.

obnoxious gunners are bad I agree. I still find it stimulating mainly because talking about cases is a bit more interesting to me than what I did during undergrad which was mainly English. the reading sometimes sucks especially when judges ramble on with points that won't be brought up in class. overall though I'm not hating it so far.

[thesteelers]

Yep, I'm unhappy. Nobody who knows me in RL would ever guess. I hate law school.

[nStiver]

I visit TLS for the first time in months, and I am yet again reminded of how many negative people there are here. Jeezus guys life is not that bad. These are first world problems--we have law school problems, some people can't eat.

[minnbills]

some people can't eat.

like law school graduates?

[The Valkyrie]

some people can't eat.

like law school graduates?

boom roasted.

ramen for dinner the last 4 nights

[nStiver]

some people can't eat.

like law school graduates?

Touche-pretty funny

[jess]

.

[hiima3L]

(I have NO intention of writing on to a journal.)

You might want to re-think that.

I know the pluses and minuses and may well change my mind. For now, my interests are criminal law or an aviation law firm.

what

[Pretzel_Logic]

(I have NO intention of writing on to a journal.)

You might want to re-think that.

I know the pluses and minuses and may well change my mind. For now, my interests are criminal law or an aviation law firm.

I know the standard LR > Moot Court etc but from what I understand, Applicable clinics/externships/commitment to PI > moot court > LR for crim law. Regarding aviation law it will be my background and grades that get me in.

I still really recommend rethinking that. People are still going to ask why you aren't on a journal if your grades are legit.

For the record, I've always wanted to do criminal work, I spent both summers doing criminal work, and every interviewer I've ever had has mentioned my being on a journal. (I'm even on the secondary one.) Real talk, my dad pushed me to do it, and even though it's grunt work, I'm really glad he convinced me to push through and at least try out.

[guinness1547]

(I have NO intention of writing on to a journal.)

You might want to re-think that.

I know the pluses and minuses and may well change my mind. For now, my interests are criminal law or an aviation law firm.

what

I believe he's speaking of Bird Law. Bird Law in this country is not governed by reason.

[JO 14]

(I have NO intention of writing on to a journal.)

You might want to re-think that.

What makes me unhappy. . . the journal is aggravatingly time consuming and I have no idea why I need it and I question how it would ever be helpful. I have a BL SA and no inkling on how it would look if I resigned since I do not know anyone who has resigned. Are there any known repercussions attached with resigning? If someone would explain the upside of journal, it would be appreciated (those I know who declined journal seemingly have no regrets).

[JCougar]

What makes me unhappy. . . the journal is aggravatingly time consuming and I have no idea why I need it and I question how it would ever be helpful. I have a BL SA and no inkling on how it would look if I resigned since I do not know anyone who has resigned. Are there any known repercussions attached with resigning? If someone would explain the upside of journal, it would be appreciated (those I know who declined journal seemingly have no regrets).

When you practice, you will likely get asked to proofread/bluebook briefs submitted to the court that your partners/senior associates have written. It really does help to know Bluebook rules and to hone your other editing skills. You generally are not having to cite the kind of obscure sources in court briefs as you are in law journal articles, but it has helped me. It seems tedious, but any writing/editing and research experience you get is probably more useful than anything you get out of going through the Socratic method and learning the BLL of some area of law you're never going to practice in. That's pretty much a lawyer's work day. Research, write, edit. Rinse and repeat. Throw some document review in there, too.

Resigning from law journal is a really bad idea, IMHO. It basically screams out that you are lazy. It would be hard to explain that to any prospective employers if you get no-offered or need to look for another job for whatever reason.

[Scotusnerd]

What makes me unhappy. . . the journal is aggravatingly time consuming and I have no idea why I need it and I question how it would ever be helpful. I have a BL SA and no inkling on how it would look if I resigned since I do not know anyone who has resigned. Are there any known repercussions attached with resigning? If someone would explain the upside of journal, it would be appreciated (those I know who declined journal seemingly have no regrets).

If you dropped that journal and I was an employer, I would drop you. I have no reason to hire someone who didn't like their journal when I have 20 other candidates that did so, 5 that were editor-in-cheif of it, and another 2 or 3 applications from lawyers with ACTUAL experience.

You drop that journal, you will have a hell of a time getting jobs. No skin off my back if you do, but just some advice.

[Gorki]

Stopping in to confirm that journals are an aggravating but helpful... I was only asked in a single interview about my journal, BUT I know people with higher grades and no journal that are asked "Why no journal?" within the first few minutes of an interview.

[jess]

.

[Gorki]

Journal was not helpful for me.

(1) Interviewers assumed I wasn't on journal and asked if transfers weren't permitted to write-on, to which I'd have to point out the journal on my resume.

or

(2) They thought the flagship LR at my school was a secondary journal. When I'd say it was the main LR, they'd make a comment about never having heard of it. Ironically, these were generally people who were either on secondary journals or no journals when they were in LS.

I agree with this. My interviewers either do not notice, do not care, or if they do its just in passing. But I have heard all of my friends with legit grades + no journal that in literally every interview it is brought up. To me journals seem to be like writing a cover letter: if you do it right you are still unlikely to get much praise as it is simply expected, a poorly written letter or not sending one at all leads to low/non-existent chances of job.

That said, it sounds like your interviewers were clueless to me... How hard is it to read everything on 1 page? Seeing my journal and not giving a shit is one thing... But developing a belief contrary to what is explicitly said on the paper just seems odd.


EDIT: I also really like the views on TLS about what journal is versus what the E-board and others at your school will say... If any of you 1Ls have time in the spring, try talking to the E-board and 2L E-board gunners about how great LR is... Then go ask the lower echelon editors and other 2L staff members about LR... Its light and day and both hilarious and depressing... I imagine its like hearing the OCI recruiter at a cocktail hour talk about how amazing Firm X is, and then hearing your average junior associate at Firm X tell you about firm X.

[kalvano]

There's always the strong possibility that interviewers didn't mention the journal because it's just expected that you'd have it, and you would not have gotten the interview without it.