Write-On Support Group Forum

[ToTransferOrNot]

1 space or 2 spaces between sentence, which do you use and why? Credit will be given to cogency of argument.

2 spaces is a holdover from typewriters. 1 is TCR.

Also, a hint: don't use Times New Roman for your submission (in fact, Times New Roman is pretty much bad for everything unless you are writing for a narrow-format column). Don't use a sans serif font. If you fully justify (which you should,) make sure you use a typeface that doesn't make all letters the same width. All of these things make your submission more readable.

whoa

[SteelReserve]

I hate this crap...I dont even want to be on law review/a journal....I just want a JOB!!!

I know the write-on post-final is stressful and annoying, but if you don't enjoy perusing pages of text and case law and writing an analysis, my friend, you will not enjoy your job as a lawyer either.

[IzziesGal]

I hate this crap...I dont even want to be on law review/a journal....I just want a JOB!!!

I know the write-on post-final is stressful and annoying, but if you don't enjoy perusing pages of text and case law and writing an analysis, my friend, you will not enjoy your job as a lawyer either.

I agree with this. We all desperately want a break after finals, but I am sure there will be (many) times in our careers where we plan a vacation or to take a lazy day somewhere and are hit with an unexpected project with a quick turnaround time. This isn't much different from how the real world is going to work.

That being said - I am struggling with my thesis and I echo everyone's sentiments about hating this. I am not hating the research and "perusing pages of text and case law" part, I am hating questioning myself over and over about whether my thesis is good enough to get the job done, or if it's what the LR people are looking for. That's the part that sucks for me. If I end up making the wrong decision, 11 days will have been wasted and bye-bye law review. Its hard to just write freely, knowing what is riding on this.

[wiseowl]

I hate this crap...I dont even want to be on law review/a journal....I just want a JOB!!!

I know the write-on post-final is stressful and annoying, but if you don't enjoy perusing pages of text and case law and writing an analysis, my friend, you will not enjoy your job as a lawyer either.

there's a little difference between that job and this one...in the current job i am handing someone green pieces of paper with dead white dudes on them, in the future job they are being handed to me.

[SteelReserve]

That being said - I am struggling with my thesis and I echo everyone's sentiments about hating this. I am not hating the research and "perusing pages of text and case law" part, I am hating questioning myself over and over about whether my thesis is good enough to get the job done, or if it's what the LR people are looking for. That's the part that sucks for me. If I end up making the wrong decision, 11 days will have been wasted and bye-bye law review. Its hard to just write freely, knowing what is riding on this.

I hear that. But from the other side as a person who will be grading LR submissions this year, I hope it makes you feel better to realize this:

The LR cares less about your thesis being one way or the other and more about your ability to:

1) follow the rules of the assignment and;
2) produce a near flawless paper in terms of typos, grammar problems, and citations and;
3) you do not misinterpret the articles/cases you are assigned

Those are the things you do on LR! You don't go around changing the author's arguments for him, you check to make sure his bluebook citations are correct and that he followed the rules for putting apostrophes in the right spots, etc. You check to ensure that when he makes a citation, the author of the original piece actually meant or said what the article author says the original author said.

In sum, make your argument; it might not be the argument the particular LR grader cares for, but believe me that a stellar argument will be absolutely dinged if in the first paragraph you end up using "there" instead of "their"!

Edit: I hope that is helpful and I hope you nail it!

[IzziesGal]

That being said - I am struggling with my thesis and I echo everyone's sentiments about hating this. I am not hating the research and "perusing pages of text and case law" part, I am hating questioning myself over and over about whether my thesis is good enough to get the job done, or if it's what the LR people are looking for. That's the part that sucks for me. If I end up making the wrong decision, 11 days will have been wasted and bye-bye law review. Its hard to just write freely, knowing what is riding on this.

I hear that. But from the other side as a person who will be grading LR submissions this year, I hope it makes you feel better to realize this:

The LR cares less about your thesis being one way or the other and more about your ability to:

1) follow the rules of the assignment and;
2) produce a near flawless paper in terms of typos, grammar problems, and citations and;
3) you do not misinterpret the articles/cases you are assigned

Those are the things you do on LR! You don't go around changing the author's arguments for him, you check to make sure his bluebook citations are correct and that he followed the rules for putting apostrophes in the right spots, etc. You check to ensure that when he makes a citation, the author of the original piece actually meant or said what the article author says the original author said.

In sum, make your argument; it might not be the argument the particular LR grader cares for, but believe me that a stellar argument will be absolutely dinged if in the first paragraph you end up using "there" instead of "their"!

Edit: I hope that is helpful and I hope you nail it!

Thanks for the peace of mind. I am just scared my thesis is too narrow or "out there." I am choosing not to take the most obvious route, and terrified that this will come back to haunt me. I am going to stay positive. (I think).

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Thanks for the peace of mind. I am just scared my thesis is too narrow or "out there." I am choosing not to take the most obvious route, and terrified that this will come back to haunt me. I am going to stay positive. (I think).

See, I feel like I totally misunderstood the point of endnotes. Oh well.

[You Gotta Have Faith]

Thanks a bunch for the input SteelReserve!

That's sort of what was told to me, but it's good to have someone confirm it.

[steve_nash]

That being said - I am struggling with my thesis and I echo everyone's sentiments about hating this. I am not hating the research and "perusing pages of text and case law" part, I am hating questioning myself over and over about whether my thesis is good enough to get the job done, or if it's what the LR people are looking for. That's the part that sucks for me. If I end up making the wrong decision, 11 days will have been wasted and bye-bye law review. Its hard to just write freely, knowing what is riding on this.

I hear that. But from the other side as a person who will be grading LR submissions this year, I hope it makes you feel better to realize this:

The LR cares less about your thesis being one way or the other and more about your ability to:

1) follow the rules of the assignment and;
2) produce a near flawless paper in terms of typos, grammar problems, and citations and;
3) you do not misinterpret the articles/cases you are assigned

Those are the things you do on LR! You don't go around changing the author's arguments for him, you check to make sure his bluebook citations are correct and that he followed the rules for putting apostrophes in the right spots, etc. You check to ensure that when he makes a citation, the author of the original piece actually meant or said what the article author says the original author said.

In sum, make your argument; it might not be the argument the particular LR grader cares for, but believe me that a stellar argument will be absolutely dinged if in the first paragraph you end up using "there" instead of "their"!

Edit: I hope that is helpful and I hope you nail it!

From another grader of LR submissions, that's pretty accurate. I read one submission that was beautifully written, but the writer completely missed the point of the assignment. The submissions that have impressed me so far have been 1) free from typos, grammatical mistakes, etc., 2) well-written and clear without being pompous, and 3) display a grasp of the legal problem at hand and a fluidity with the law.

By "pompous," I mean using excessive legalese or excessive adverbs that add nothing to substance.

[Bankhead]

1 space or 2 spaces between sentence, which do you use and why? Credit will be given to cogency of argument.

2 spaces is a holdover from typewriters. 1 is TCR.

Also, a hint: don't use Times New Roman for your submission (in fact, Times New Roman is pretty much bad for everything unless you are writing for a narrow-format column). Don't use a sans serif font. If you fully justify (which you should,) make sure you use a typeface that doesn't make all letters the same width. All of these things make your submission more readable.

Eh, my school requires 2 spaces.

My school requires Times New Roman.

[thesealocust]

oops

[Llewellyn]

My school requires Times New Roman.

Mine goes with Courier. Why engage in such meaningless discourse?

[thesealocust]

oops

[ToTransferOrNot]

My school requires Times New Roman.

Mine goes with Courier. Why engage in such meaningless discourse?

It isn't meaningless. When things like this aren't standardized, things like margins, font, etc. really do make a difference in how your submission reads, for good or ill. It is going to have an impact on your score. Same goes for final exams, if you aren't using examsoft software. If your formatting is "pretty," a professor is less likely to get that "glaze-over" effect and miss points that you're making.

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Finished!! Now I get to wait a month to learn I didn't make it

[mikeytwoshoes]

International law and pizza review is due tomorrow.

[sanpiero]

Finished!! Now I get to wait a month to learn I didn't make it

+1

[hithere]

International law and pizza review is due tomorrow.

Do they require a personal statement?

[thesealocust]

oops

[prezidentv8]

I hate the write on competition.

That is all.

[wiseowl]

I hate the write on competition.

That is all.

you and me both skipper, you and me both

[prezidentv8]

I hate the write on competition.

That is all.

you and me both skipper, you and me both

I hate everything I've written so far.

[BobSacamano]

Mine is due in a little over a week and I haven't written a word. We were given a bunch of sources to use but given no direction. Basically, we can write about whatever we want, and don't have to use the sources, but we were given a bunch of sources on the same topic (which I gather would be a good idea to write about). And it has to be a novel legal concept, obviously. Thanks for the guidance, LR write-on people!

I'm thiiiiiiiis close to just saying "screw it" and just playing the coin-flip odds that I grade on.

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Mine is due in a little over a week and I haven't written a word. We were given a bunch of sources to use but given no direction. Basically, we can write about whatever we want, and don't have to use the sources, but we were given a bunch of sources on the same topic (which I gather would be a good idea to write about). And it has to be a novel legal concept, obviously. Thanks for the guidance, LR write-on people!

I think the point is coming up with your own direction.

[BobSacamano]

I think the point is coming up with your own direction.

Yeah, I get that. I just don't want to do it.

Le sigh.