As you might expect, the last couple of weeks have been really rough. We're hitting the home stretch and, with finals around the corner, there's a lot of work to be done. Outlines need to be made. Reading needs to be done. Schedules need to be figured out for next semester. Memos need to be written. And what's more, the stress level seems to have been kicked up a level, because of finals and because of Professors telling us that this year was hard, but that next year will be harder. With all of that going on, you can believe me when I tell you that I've been running on fumes, which isn't the best sign considering there's 2 weeks of classes and finals left.
At the beginning of this week, I had decided I was just going to have to put my head down and hope that a second wind kicks in. But I was not hopeful. And Monday morning, when I was put "on-call" for a contracts case, I felt weary. You see, our Contract professor has a system where she names "co-counsel" for class who have to answer most of the questions about the case or problem we're going to deal with. It's a nice middle ground between cold-calling and the predictability of being told exactly what cases you're responsible for. Still, when you see your name hit the board, your heart drops a bit. But, as luck would have it, I was down on the list and me and the guy in front of me got held over with 1 case left.
So Wednesday, he and I would have to team present this case together. Which is pretty common for the big cases, like this one. Tuesday night, I read the case over and checked my notes. I was ready for that case. I knew that case. I was confident that she could ask me anything about that case and I would know the answer or where to look for it, so that I could come up with a response quickly. Which of course meant that on Wednesday, the guy in front of me had to present that case on his own. I was to get another case.
And you know what? I hit that damned thing out of the park.
They've been telling us this semester was the semester where we would start "feeling like attorneys", and I did not believe them. What does it mean to feel like an attorney? But, you know what? As I was presenting that case, I felt like I knew what I was doing. I knew what was important about this case and what wasn't. And I came across like I knew what I was doing, which doesn't always happen when you do know what's going on. So, I guess that's what it feels like to be an attorney.
But more important than that, is I got a big win. Right when I needed it. I know it's tempting fate to say this, but I think I've got my second wind. And that's good, because it's gonna take a lot of effort to get through finals.
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But it doesn't end there for me. About four days after finals end for me, I'm going to attempt to write-on to law review, which I've been told is a harrowing experience. Mitchell gives us three weeks to do it, partially to accommodate people who have full-time jobs or clerkships that begin right away. But, I think they also give us three weeks because it's hard. Really hard. I don't know much about this yet, as I haven't asked too many questions, but there's an information session next week and I'll get it figured out then.
Also next week, I get to register for my classes for next semester. Which I am so excited about. I think I've got it all planned out. It mostly pivots on whether I can get into a section of Criminal Procedure that is rumored to be terribly hard to get into, because the professor is awesome. So, we'll see. But, even if I don't get into that section, I'm excited by some of the other classes I'm looking at. I'm mostly going to take some required classes, but they look interesting. If nothing else, they will be different, and they'll lead me to be able to take other classes the semester after that.
To sum up--things are good now. I'm working hard, but it doesn't feel like drudgery. It may descend back into drudgery, but if there's one thing I've learned this year, it's that when I feel good, I should just enjoy it. There's always something around the corner that could take it away--usually that something is Civil Procedure.
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