Confessions of a 1L: I’m in a relationship with my secret library study spot

Grecia Perez

Not quite sure where my days begin and end at this point.

I am also quite sure that my secret study spot on the third floor of the library and I were connected in some past life because, as it turns out, I can’t get enough of it. I find myself spending more time at the library these days than any other place – my home included.

When I moved to Kansas from California, I bought a pet turtle to keep me company – don’t ask. I’m almost positive that said turtle has developed a distaste for my presence due to my long periods of absence. I get home, books in hand, and he looks at me, almost as if he doesn’t know who I am. Considering that his brain is the size of a pea, this may very well be the case. However, I choose to think that he is actually just jealous of the relationship I’m having with my secret quiet spot on the third floor.

All of this can only mean one thing: Finals are lurking.

I’ve been out of school for a while now, and the only other exam that I’ve had to concern myself with has been the LSAT. If there is one thing I know now and that KU has made great efforts to emphasize, it’s that preparation for finals can never begin too early. This is a concept that I have had a hard time explaining to my friends and family outside of law school. They are curious as to why I’ve begun to stress, prep and plan for exams that I won’t be taking for another eight weeks. My personal reasoning may be different than others, but the outcome we’d like to achieve always remains the same – to succeed. I uprooted my life and walked away from a career as a means to embark on this endeavor. Failure is not an option. If this means making a “Grecia-like” indent on one of the third-floor chairs until finals are over, so be it. If this entails having a diet consisting mostly of vending machine goodies, snacks will become one of the elements in my pyramid of food groups.

I cannot stress the importance of starting early with outlining all of your courses. It would be nearly impossible to cover all of the material by just reviewing notes. This is not, which I have learned the hard way, at all like undergrad in that respect. Cramming is not an option. Either you understand the concepts or you don’t, and no amount of cramming will compensate for that. However, the familiarization with the terms is just a fraction of what is required for these exams. These terms, facts and laws must then be applied in a clear and cohesive manner to various situations. There are a lot of analytical skills that begin to formulate through the process of studying and outlining. I am no longer just regurgitating facts; I am attacking problems. Given this reasoning, I am more than happy to spend my days at the library.

There is always a reason to procrastinate, but there is nothing that can bring back time spent on understanding the material. With that said, I can honestly say that I’ve made some amazing friends while taking up shop in the library. We are all bound by the drudgery, the stress and the confusion that is commensurate with your first semester/year in law school. Being the overachievers that we are, we can also recognize when we’ve been working hard and need a break. I’m not quite sure how to describe the feeling you get when you’ve spent an entire weekend studying, looking up and seeing your friend sitting there doing the same. It is a sense of solidarity that can only be achieved in silent admiration.

Despite the pressure of it all, I love being here. I couldn’t imagine my life having not elected to attend law school or KU for that matter. So, my turtle will have to deal with it for a few more weeks because Momma has stuff she needs to get done.

— Grecia Perez is a 1L and KU Law Student Ambassador.

Working 5 to 9: A day in the life of a 2L with 2 kids

Amanda Angell, KU Law 2L

5:15 a.m.: Unfortunately, this is when I get up. Mondays mean Torts II at 8 a.m. I also share one bathroom with my husband and two boys, so if I want a shower that isn’t interrupted by little people accidentally flushing the toilet, I must get up first. My husband pours the cereal and milk so I can finish getting ready. I chug a cup of coffee while directing the gathering of backpacks and water bottles.

6:56 a.m.: I realize that I’m eligible to register for spring classes at 7 a.m. I hurriedly grab my laptop and place my courses in my shopping cart on Enroll & Pay so I can register as soon as 7 o’clock hits.

7 a.m.: Button clicked, and I’m registered for every course I wanted. Awesome.

7:30ish: I’m out the door with my 5-year-old, while my husband drops off our second-grader and heads to his teaching job.

7:45 a.m.: I arrive at KU and drop off my 5-year-old at Hilltop Child Development Center. Hilltop is amazing! Having great child care has been the key in making school/family/work fall into place. Another Hilltop plus: They have an in-house kitchen headed up by a former Free State cook; so my little boy is eating well, and I don’t have to pack another lunch. I give my 5-year-old a hug and a fist bump and am on my way.

8 a.m.: I park at the Burge and head to Green Hall. On a good day, I have time to grab a cup of coffee from the Burge Union before heading in. On a bad day, I’m stuck with the coffee machine in Green Hall. Nothing is more delicious than auto-dispensed coffee with ‘lightener.’ But hey, it’s caffeinated.

8:10 a.m.: Torts II with Professor Westerbeke (“the Beke”). Professor Westerbeke is an institution here at KU Law, and I’m happy to have had the opportunity to take two of his courses. We turned in a memo today, so tomorrow he is going to bring us donuts from Muncher’s. The Beke really is the best.

9:15 a.m.: Professional Responsibility with Professor Gottlieb. PR is a required course at KU Law, and it helps prepare students to take the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE). I’ll be sitting for the MPRE in August. Professor Gottlieb gives fair warning as to when students will be “up” for answering questions, which takes off some of the pressure that can crop up in large lecture classes. Class ends 10 minutes early — enough time to run upstairs, check my work email, drop off my books and grab my Tax materials. (Monday morning’s four textbooks, plus a binder full of notes and my laptop tote is a bit much.)

10:20 a.m.: Federal Income Tax with Dean Mazza. I never planned on taking Fed Tax, but after getting scolded by my advisor, I reluctantly enrolled. My fear stemming from my lack of mathematical ability was unfounded. The math has been completely tolerable, and I actually enjoy working through statutory-based law. It also doesn’t hurt that Dean Mazza is a master teacher. I’ve enjoyed it so much that I registered for Taxation of Business Enterprises in the spring. Seriously, tax is great and everyone should take it.

11:15 a.m.: I head up to my study carrel. My schedule is great in that most of my classes are finished by lunch, giving me the afternoons for studying, work, meetings, etc. Tax, Torts II, PR and Health Law and Policy, plus guest speakers are all on the schedule for this afternoon.

12:30 p.m.: “Best Civil Practices” panel. I head downstairs for a panel put on by the Shook, Hardy & Bacon Center for Excellence in Advocacy. KU Law and student organizations bring in fantastic speakers every week during the lunch hour, and there is almost always free food. Today’s speakers include two federal magistrate judges who give a presentation about their role in the federal courts and the best practices attorneys should use when appearing in federal court. I end up getting put on the spot when I nod my head in response to a question posed by one of the judges. I fumble my way through an answer and survive, and spend the rest of the panel being extremely aware of my body language.

1:20 p.m.: Back to studying. I do my best not to take work home with me, which means I’m good friends with my study carrel in the law library. It is so important to find a place where you feel comfortable and productive. I get through Tax and Torts II and mentally high-five myself when I realize I finished my PR reading the day before. I crack open Health Law and get to work.

3:20 p.m.: Off to a meeting at my second-grader’s school. After the meeting, the principal gives us a private tour of the building, explaining its history and pointing out where all of the new renovations will take place. I’m excited that our amazing neighborhood school will be getting a major update; the building will finally match the quality of the teaching that goes on inside!

5:10 p.m.: I pick up my oldest son from his after-school program and head home. I get home and rummage through the fridge for a quick dinner — leftover tortilla soup, yum! I realize that we are out of clean bowls and warm it up in a measuring cup. Yeah, I eat it from the measuring cup, too. Don’t judge — our 1930’s bungalow has yet to see the wonderment of a dishwasher. My husband arrives home with our youngest and tells me he will make dinner and wash the dishes (oh, the sweetest of words). I have an evening class on Mondays, so after a round of hugs and “Tell me about your day” with the boys, I’m off.

6 p.m.: Arrive at Health Care Access Clinic. Tonight, my Health Law and Policy class is being held at the Health Care Access Clinic. The director of the clinic gives us a tour and an in-depth look at the practices and policies of the clinic, as well as how these fit into its mission — to serve those without insurance or a medical home. I clerk for Forbes Law Group LLC, a firm that represents health care providers and organizations. I spent my summer immersed in HIPAA, Medicare, Stark and Anti-kickback, ACA, etc., so to be able to take a class that addresses these same areas has been very affirming. Now that I’ve gotten a small amount of experience under my belt, I’m able to see the practical connection between my coursework and practicing.

7:54 p.m.: Class is finished. Now is the time I remember that we are out of milk and fruit for lunches. I decide to just go to The Merc and suck up the price difference … and $65 later I’m heading out with ONE BAG of groceries. Ugh, oh well.

8:45 p.m.: I’m finally home for the night! My husband washed the dishes as promised! The boys set out their clothes for the next day! I put away the groceries and tidy up the kitchen. I’m beat. There will be no more studying or working tonight.

9:20: My husband cues up “Orange is the New Black” on Netflix. I check the alarm on my phone to make sure it is set for 5:15 and officially check out for the evening.

— Amanda Angell is a 2L, KU Law Student Ambassador, law clerk and mother of two.

Is law school really worth a million dollars?

When I advise students about law school, I advise them to view the decision to attend law school as a career decision, not as a financial one. That being said, common sense, experience and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) all suggest that for most people law school is a good investment. For example, according to BLS statistics, in 2011 the median pay for attorneys was $113,310 and the employment rate was 97.9 percent.

But how much is a J.D. really worth? And what about all those folks who have a J.D. but don’t practice law?

According to Michael Simkovic and Frank McIntyre, a J.D. is worth $1 million. Simkovic, a law professor at Seton Hall University, and McIntyre, a business professor at Rutgers University, collaborated on a sophisticated economic study of the value of a law degree. Relying on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the authors compared college graduates who went on to pursue law degrees against college graduates who did not attend any graduate school. Using present day valuations, they found that, on average, lifetime earnings for the students attending law school were $1 million higher in pre-tax earnings.

Interestingly, this study studied both people with J.D.’s who are currently licensed to practice law and those with J.D.’s who are not licensed and are presumably working in positions that don’t necessarily require a J.D. This is important because there has been a lot of discussion recently about what graduates can do with a J.D. Some critics posit that the only successful outcome for law graduates is working in a big law firm in a major metropolitan area. Other critics downplay whether “J.D. advantage” jobs should be counted as a positive outcome. This criticism always makes me smile because my job, assistant dean at a major Midwest law school, is categorized as a J.D. advantage position. There was no J.D. requirement when I applied, but I can assure you that my J.D. definitely gave me an advantage in getting what I think is a pretty cool job. Back to the study, what the authors found in their study is that there was a significant financial advantage for J.D. holders, whether they were actively practicing law or using their J.D. in other fields.

So, is a J.D. really worth $1 million? Not being an economist, I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer that question on my own. On the other hand, Simkovic and McIntyre’s study generated a lot of conversation and debate in legal education circles. TaxProfBlog is a legal education blog site run by Professor Paul Caron from Pepperdine University School of Law. On the site, Caron did an excellent job compiling numerous articles, both pro and con, about the study. I encourage you to read them for yourself and reach your own conclusion.

— Steven Freedman is assistant dean for admissions at the University of Kansas School of Law.

3-to-1 mentor relationships unravel Green Hall mysteries

Adjusting to life in law school can be a monumental task. The quicker you adjust, the better your experience will be. That goes the same whether you are straight out of undergrad or, like myself, spent years working in another field before matriculating. Those first classes were filled with so many unknown terms, and not just legal terms. What were these outlines professors kept mentioning? How could you get previous exams online? Why does Green Hall seem to have secret passages? These questions are simply too embarrassing to ask in class.

The goal of 3-to-1 KU Law is to give first-year students a person to whom they can direct those questions, a person with experience. Almost exactly equal numbers of 3L mentors and 1L mentees signed up this year. Over pizza and a beer or two, the 3-to-1 board earlier this month went about the task of pairing mentors with mentees. It tried to pair students with similar interests and backgrounds. Emails went out to mentors introducing them to their mentees early on the evening of Oct. 3 – hopefully the first step in forging a number of lasting bonds and creating a connection between two KU Law classes.

Mentees can expect to hear from their mentors soon. Ideally, some friendships will develop and the KU Law community will be stronger for it. At the very least, more students will learn Green Hall’s secrets.

— Matthew Moriarty is a 3L and treasurer of 3-to-1 KU Law.

MUST WE KEEP SECRETS? Constitution Day: The 1st Amendment, whistleblowers, and surveillance of newsrooms

Beginning in June, newspaper and online coverage of Edward Snowden’s leaks of National Security Agency documents exposed multiple layers of government spying on Americans. The NSA documents, published by the Guardian in Britain, the Washington Post, and others, revealed that the U.S. government:

News media across the country are concerned, realizing that reporters and newsrooms are subject to government spying while exercising their First Amendment freedom to serve as a watchdog on government. As stories about the NSA documents unfolded, the KU Law chapter of the American Constitution Society invited Charles D. “Chuck” Tobin to speak about government surveillance and the First Amendment rights of whistleblowers, reporters, and the media at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Constitution Day, in Room 104 of Green Hall. A lunch of Chipotle burritos will be available to KU Law students who attend.

A respected litigator of First Amendment matters, Tobin has represented media clients in state and federal trials and appeals around the country. He criticizes court rulings that diminish the First Amendment rights of citizens who lack a press pass.

“Some courts still seem to remember that the First Amendment is meant to protect speech – everyone’s speech,” Tobin wrote in “First Amendment Caste System,” appearing in the January 2010 edition of Communication Lawyer.

Before the Snowden revelations, Tobin had been working on resolving conflicts that developed between journalists and the Justice Department this summer following the discovery that AP reporters and a Fox news reporter had been placed under targeted surveillance because of their reporting.

So far, no reporters have been arrested or charged in the summer’s dramatic exposures of U.S. government secrets, but pundits, Twitter users, bloggers, and others have suggested that Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald should be prosecuted for reporting about the documents leaked to him by Snowden.

Protections for whistleblowers are particularly tenuous. Throughout the summer, various elected officials called for the extradition and arrest of Snowden. In July, as Snowden evaded U.S. authorities in Russia, the U.S. Army finished its court martial of another whistleblower, Bradley Manning. Then a private first class, in 2010 Manning showed the world via Wikileaks a 2007 video of a U.S. helicopter machine-gunning a family van in Baghdad as its occupants tried to rescue a severely injured Reuters employee. Manning, an Army intelligence analyst, released the video with 740,000 secret U.S. government documents. Convicted of violating the Espionage Act in July, Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in August. (After sentencing, Manning disclosed a lifelong gender identity conflict and publicly sought to be recognized as a female, Chelsea Manning.)

Tobin’s visit to KU is sponsored by KU’s law student chapter of the American Constitution Society, with support from the Kansas Bar Association and its Media Bar Committee, as well as the Media, Law and Technology program at the School of Law. He will participate in several Constitution Day events at the law school. Tobin chairs the national media practice team for the Holland & Knight law firm in Washington, D.C. Tobin previously served as chair of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Communications Law and as in-house counsel for USA Today publisher Gannett Co., Inc., which owns media outlets nationwide.

— Mark Kind is president of KU Law’s chapter of the American Constitution Society.

Summer at small-town firm yields ‘little taste of everything’

So here we are, once again, starting a new year in ol’ Green Hall. After spending the summer scattered across the globe, we, the law students, have started to reconvene. And with the fall semester upon us, we are likely going to talk about our internships and clerkships and summer courses and study abroad. Well, here’s my chance to beat everyone to the punch and share my experiences with you.

This would be a great opportunity to tell you that I did not clerk for a Supreme Court justice. Nor did I bag a position with a large international law firm. I didn’t take summer classes or study abroad. Instead, I spent my summer working in a small, general practice firm you’ve never heard of, in a place you’ve likely never been (Pratt, Kansas). This is the kind of summer job experience that I wanted, and I hope that when you read why I chose this path, you might understand its appeal. So here’s why I pursued this course of action and what I learned while there:

I got a little taste of everything

In a small town, you can’t always pick and choose what type of law you want to practice or who your clients are (subject to rules concerning conflicts of interest, of course). You basically take whatever walks through the door. In my case, the firm handled just about everything: family law, criminal law, estate planning, title work, and everything in between. I researched topics ranging from partition of land motions to procedures for quashing a search warrant. And this being “western Kansas,” there are a lot of land and mineral rights to deal with, meaning I learned far more about oil and saltwater disposal wells, land descriptions, and title work than I ever thought possible. I now know what ICWA stands for, and I’ve learned enough about Special Needs Trusts to know that I never want to be a trustee for one. Also, if you need to write a lease agreement for an RV park, I’m your girl.

I didn’t just write memos and research on Lexis and Westlaw

Now I wrote my fair share of memos and racked up quite a few hours researching, but that’s not all I did. I drafted trusts, lease agreements, operating agreements for LLCs and corporations, city ordinances, and settlement agreements in divorce proceedings. I went to the jail and sat in on meetings with prisoners, attended hearings in CINC (Child In Need of Care) cases, and witnessed a mediation and case management conference. I wrote and sent out my own letters, met with clients – and discussed everything I did with the attorneys, of course.

Advice and mentoring did not just come from the firm

The county defender, the county prosecutor, the district and magistrate judges, and other attorneys were more than willing to talk to me about their experiences. If I didn’t understand the procedure or background of a case, they were more than willing to explain it to me. I witnessed negotiations between attorneys, plea bargaining, mediation speeches, and tough judgment calls. Essentially, I saw different facets of the court system up close – which is so much better than reading about it in a textbook.

So that’s the abridged version of my last three months, which I will tell numerous times over the next few weeks. And the best part is, in exchange for my story, I will get to hear everyone else’s. I’ll hear about what it’s like to be a clerk for an appellate court judge or be an intern at the public defender’s office. I’ll see pictures from Ireland and Turkey from the study abroad crowd. I might even get a few course recommendations to use in planning next year’s class schedule. Maybe someone had an experience like mine. But I’m actually kind of excited to see everyone again and hear what they learned. So to all my fellow law students: I hope your summer experiences were just as wonderful as mine. Welcome back!

— Elisabeth Short is a second-year law student at KU. She blogs about her life as a “writer, law student and nerdy person” at http://thepencushion.blogspot.com/.