Cornell 1L taking questions Forum

[Lacepiece23]

Where are good places to play pick-up basketball? And the answer is probably no, but does Collegetown Terrace have basketball courts in addition to its fitness center?

Noyes is where most people including me go. It has an indoor and outdoor gym. I hate playing outdoor so I'll usually play indoor. It gets pretty crowded sometimes, but is a lot of fun.

[Lincoln]

Can anyone comment on the following classes and/or professors in terms of how interesting/useful/difficult/enjoyable they are?

Financial institutions – omarova
Tax – green
Antitrust- hay
Trusts & estates – Sherwin
Bizorgs – hockett v whitehead
White collar crime – Garvey
Land Use – Underkuffler
Private Equity Playbook – Blassberg
Admin – Farina
Deals Seminars
Securities Clinic – Jacobson
Law & mental Health – Beresford
Water /Indian Law – Torres
Corporate Finance - Minella

Tax with Green is kinda boring but Green knows his shit and the final is kinda easy.
Antitrust with Hay was maybe my favorite class in law school. Sit in the front cause he speaks softly.
I loved Admin with Farina. It's like con law and fed cts but fun and more practical.
The securities clinic wasn't my bag.

[Lavitz]

The securities clinic wasn't my bag.

Can you share why? I was planning on taking it during 3L. Can PM.

[Lacepiece23]

The securities clinic wasn't my bag.

Can you share why? I was planning on taking it during 3L. Can PM.

I heard its a B plus factory and the security work that you do isn't like the work big firms do anyway so it isn't applicable. Just what I've been told.

[Arbiter213]

The securities clinic wasn't my bag.

Can you share why? I was planning on taking it during 3L. Can PM.

I heard its a B plus factory and the security work that you do isn't like the work big firms do anyway so it isn't applicable. Just what I've been told.

On the other hand, Whitehead is almost certainly the single best prof in the school to have on your side re: clerkships, or anything, for that mantter.

[BullShitWithBravado]

The securities clinic wasn't my bag.

Can you share why? I was planning on taking it during 3L. Can PM.

I heard its a B plus factory and the security work that you do isn't like the work big firms do anyway so it isn't applicable. Just what I've been told.

On the other hand, Whitehead is almost certainly the single best prof in the school to have on your side re: clerkships, or anything, for that mantter.

I don't think Whitehead teaches the clinic though. I thought it was Jacobson and another outside attorney.

[Lincoln]

When I took it a few years ago it was Jacobson. It's true that the cases you work on are not truly relevant to big firm practice. I actually found the lectures and workshops interesting, but that says something about the actual clinical work. I did some side projects that were cool, but I just didn't find it worth the time.

I also just generally don't like working on non-hierarchical teams, which is what clinical work often is, because you inevitably get stuck working with someone who just has no fucking clue what they're doing.

As for being a B+ factory, that wasn't my impression, but we didn't really talk grades much within the class.

[Miss_Sunshine]

Any insight regarding the following courses?:

Labor Law, Practice, and Policy - Cornell
Introduction to Depositions - Whelan
Contemporary Challenges in Labor Law - Liebman
First Amendment Law - Tebbe
Contemporary American Jury - Hans
Litigation Drafting - Freed
Death Penalty Clinic - Blume, Johnson
Trial Advocacy - Weyble
Arbitration Law & Practice - Meyer/Yusem

Or - are there any other classes that I should take before I graduate?

Thanks!

[Lincoln]

Any insight regarding the following courses?:

Labor Law, Practice, and Policy - Cornell
Introduction to Depositions - Whelan
Contemporary Challenges in Labor Law - Liebman
First Amendment Law - Tebbe
Contemporary American Jury - Hans
Litigation Drafting - Freed
Death Penalty Clinic - Blume, Johnson
Trial Advocacy - Weyble
Arbitration Law & Practice - Meijer/Yusem

Or - are there any other classes that I should take before I graduate?

Thanks!

Intro to depos is (or at least was when I took it) mandatory pass/fail. It's minimal work but still kinda fun cause you get to actually participate a bit.
Litigation drafting is cool if you like that stuff and Freed is the nicest person ever.
People love trial ad but I never took it.

You should def take all the core classes. If you want to be a litigator you should also take fed courts and conflict of laws. Antitrust is awesome and I really enjoyed Int'l Commercial Arbitration with Barcelo. If you want to do transactional, well.... go to business school?

[Miss_Sunshine]

Thank you, Lincoln - this is immensely helpful.

If anyone has other insights, I'd love to hear them.

[Arbiter213]

You should def take all the core classes. If you want to be a litigator you should also take fed courts and conflict of laws. Antitrust is awesome and I really enjoyed Int'l Commercial Arbitration with Barcelo. If you want to do transactional, well.... go to business school?

Tax was a waste of my time.

[Lincoln]

You should def take all the core classes. If you want to be a litigator you should also take fed courts and conflict of laws. Antitrust is awesome and I really enjoyed Int'l Commercial Arbitration with Barcelo. If you want to do transactional, well.... go to business school?

Tax was a waste of my time.

I mean, it's not like I learned a whole ton or really anything that I use as a litigator, but a basic grasp of the taxation framework is something every citizen should have.

[Arbiter213]

You should def take all the core classes. If you want to be a litigator you should also take fed courts and conflict of laws. Antitrust is awesome and I really enjoyed Int'l Commercial Arbitration with Barcelo. If you want to do transactional, well.... go to business school?

Tax was a waste of my time.

I mean, it's not like I learned a whole ton or really anything that I use as a litigator, but a basic grasp of the taxation framework is something every citizen should have.

Yes, but I had that already. I'd say Legislation would be much more important on both usefulness and importance.

[Lincoln]

Yes, but I had that already. I'd say Legislation would be much more important on both usefulness and importance.

I heard good things about that class, but I didn't take it. For anyone doing anything remotely transactional, though, taxation will be of at least some help and legislation will be totally useless. Plus taxation does actually come up sometimes for litigators, like what the tax implications are of various settlement options, etc.

[Arbiter213]

Yes, but I had that already. I'd say Legislation would be much more important on both usefulness and importance.

I heard good things about that class, but I didn't take it. For anyone doing anything remotely transactional, though, taxation will be of at least some help and legislation will be totally useless. Plus taxation does actually come up sometimes for litigators, like what the tax implications are of various settlement options, etc.

Agreed legislation is useless for transactional folks, but it's supremely useful for litigators (vs. "sometimes" useful for tax)

[BullShitWithBravado]

Thank you, Lincoln - this is immensely helpful.

If anyone has other insights, I'd love to hear them.

Take a clinic if you want to do litigation. I learned more in clinic than I did in any other class. I would recommend the LGBT Clinic or the Death Penalty Clinic (but not the Sec Reg or Labor Law Clinic). I also really enjoyed Intro to Depos; I learned a lot with minimal effort and Whelan is super nice.

[Lavitz]

Thanks for all the insight re: classes. Now there are too many classes I want to take.

I go to Finger Lakes Fitness Center in the Commons. It's never crowded and there's 24 hour access. Considering how crowded the Cornell gyms get, it's worth the short trip off campus.

This place sounds great.

It really is. And if you live in the Center Ithaca Apartments, your membership is free.

Well, I think I know where I'm living next year.

[FlanAl]

Any insight regarding the following courses?:

Labor Law, Practice, and Policy - Cornell
Introduction to Depositions - Whelan
Contemporary Challenges in Labor Law - Liebman
First Amendment Law - Tebbe
Contemporary American Jury - Hans
Litigation Drafting - Freed
Death Penalty Clinic - Blume, Johnson
Trial Advocacy - Weyble
Arbitration Law & Practice - Meijer/Yusem

Or - are there any other classes that I should take before I graduate?

Thanks!

Totally depends on what you want to do after graduation. Everyone raves about death penalty and johnson and blume are definitely helpful people to have in your corner. The criminal defense or the prosecution clinic will probably give you the most court time out of any of the clinics and from what I could tell, also require the least amount of work. Trial ad is a great class but it requires a pretty good deal of time and effort and probably isn't worth it if you plan to do biglaw etc..

[Arbiter213]

Any insight regarding the following courses?:

Labor Law, Practice, and Policy - Cornell
Introduction to Depositions - Whelan
Contemporary Challenges in Labor Law - Liebman
First Amendment Law - Tebbe
Contemporary American Jury - Hans
Litigation Drafting - Freed
Death Penalty Clinic - Blume, Johnson
Trial Advocacy - Weyble
Arbitration Law & Practice - Meijer/Yusem

Or - are there any other classes that I should take before I graduate?

Thanks!

Totally depends on what you want to do after graduation. Everyone raves about death penalty and johnson and blume are definitely helpful people to have in your corner. The criminal defense or the prosecution clinic will probably give you the most court time out of any of the clinics and from what I could tell, also require the least amount of work. Trial ad is a great class but it requires a pretty good deal of time and effort and probably isn't worth it if you plan to do biglaw etc..

What's this I hear about USAO clinic being disbanded?

[Lacepiece23]

Any insight regarding the following courses?:

Labor Law, Practice, and Policy - Cornell
Introduction to Depositions - Whelan
Contemporary Challenges in Labor Law - Liebman
First Amendment Law - Tebbe
Contemporary American Jury - Hans
Litigation Drafting - Freed
Death Penalty Clinic - Blume, Johnson
Trial Advocacy - Weyble
Arbitration Law & Practice - Meijer/Yusem

Or - are there any other classes that I should take before I graduate?

Thanks!

Totally depends on what you want to do after graduation. Everyone raves about death penalty and johnson and blume are definitely helpful people to have in your corner. The criminal defense or the prosecution clinic will probably give you the most court time out of any of the clinics and from what I could tell, also require the least amount of work. Trial ad is a great class but it requires a pretty good deal of time and effort and probably isn't worth it if you plan to do biglaw etc..

What's this I hear about USAO clinic being disbanded?

It wasn't disbanded, but they took away the class. So basically you only get 4 credits for the same amount of work and travel rather than six. A lot of people, myself inlcuded decided that we really didn't want to do it for only 4 credts. However, a few people are still doing it.

[toothbrush]

Isn't it bc US attorney's aren't allowed to teach anymore?

[Arbiter213]

Isn't it bc US attorney's aren't allowed to teach anymore?

Is that a thing?

Also, lacepiece, didn't know you'd been hired.

[Lacepiece23]

Isn't it bc US attorney's aren't allowed to teach anymore?

Is that a thing?

Also, lacepiece, didn't know you'd been hired.

Yes, I was going to do it.

[FlanAl]

Just to clarify, in addition to the USAO clinic there is also a prosecution clinic with the local Tompkins county prosecutor. The local one is what I was referencing regarding significant court time with less effort compared to other clinics.

[bjblue01]

Does anyone have any advice on using preferences for course selection? Are there any seminars that tend to be harder to get into? Thanks.