Back at law school...

William Mitchell has a requirement that every student has to attend a certain number of presentations ("PLP"s)--given by faculty, attorneys from the community, or experts in some field--by the end of the first semester of the second year. The idea behind it is to expose us all to different areas of law and pique our interest in issues that aren't covered in our required classes. Some people have not been enthused by this "extra" requirement, but I have really liked it. In fact, I'm almost done with the requirement, but I probably will continue to going.

This past week, I went to a PLP given by a relatively young attorney on the requirements of filing a suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the Minnesota state counterpart. And while the topic was really interesting, but there were two things I really liked about this particular presentation. The first was the passion he had for his work. I could see it in the way he talked about the state of the law; his voice was focused, sometimes to the point of straining. I could see the anger when he was discussing how routinely disabled people in our society get the short end of the stick. It was so refreshing to see. In law school, I've met professors who are passionate about what they teach, or just about teaching in general. And that's great. But, their appreciation in many ways is very clinical. It's the appreciation or anger one has for the mechanics of a subject. It's the difference between looking at a Van Gogh and appreciating the brushstrokes, the choice of color pallate and the structure of the painting, as opposed to feeling the painting on some visceral level. Obviously, it's good to appreciate the mechanics, but sometimes you just have to feel it.

The second thing I liked about the presentation was something he said as he was starting. "I found law school," and he paused thinking of the best word, "deeply alienating. So, if that's where you're at, don't worry." I don't know that I am finding law school deeply alienating, but it is, as I've mentioned, a very lonely endeavor. Most days, it's just me and a number of books, with breaks for class and eating. And it's nice to hear from someone who didn't romantacize the experience. I think my experience is pretty different than most people I've bump into. I am older. I'm married. And, I'm more quiet than a lot of people. So, in a lot of ways, I feel pretty isolated.

Which isn't to say I'm not enjoying law school. I am. There are tough days, but this wasn't meant to be easy. And that challenge is really exciting.

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So, yeah, I am back at law school. We started up on the 10th, and that first week was rough. I thought I was ready to return after the break. It turns out, I was ready to get back to class, but buckling down and getting the work done proved to be a little hard. Luckily, my drive returned this week big time. I worked late every night this week and did so with good focus. And it felt good. So, that's nice.

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What hasn't been nice is that Mitchell has a really odd system of grade reporting. Basically the past 3 Wednesdays and Fridays they've posted what grades have come in on the internet. But only from 5.30 pm until 10 am the next morning. And my grades have trickled in. Of the four that will report this way (my writing class does it differently), I only have one grade. And I know that I'm trying not to focus on grades. And grades aren't the focus of my learning. And what's important is that I get where I want to go. Yeah, these things I am aware of. However. I would like to see how I did. I took these tests over a month ago, and I know that these are all classes of over 70 people, and the process of entering all of the grades into whatever system they have must be long and exhausting. And they have to get to the seniors first. But I'm really having trouble being patient about this.

It's just tortorous to check every Wednesday and Friday for three weeks and only see one grade. And to have no idea when the rest are coming. ugh.

The good news is next week they start posting them every night of the week. So, hopefully by this time next week, I'll have some idea whether I should be pushing myself harder or changing my study habits. Hopefully.

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One reason I've had to work late this week is because I have been working on applications for a number clerkships for the summer, which are due on Tuesday. Good news on that is that I'm done. All of the positions are in the public sector--some really exciting places. I know a lot of poeple are going to be applying for these, and the odds that I even get an interveiw are long. But. It's worth a shot. And I think I'd do well at any of these places. So, we'll see.