Joke of the Day

WTF? Someone over at PennLaw thinks its funny to repeatedly mail me information about their school. They are a very good law school. How did they get my name? And surely they must have seen my LSAT grade when they acquired my info. It would be nice if I actually had a chance to get accepted, but Penn is outta reach.

I doubt they are trying to solicit more apps since they are up 30% this year anyway. So what is the deal? Maybe they heard about my favorite casserole recipe?

FRCP 4

So FRCP 4 tells us how to deliver effective service of process. But can it move and shake like this?

Drug of Choice

Any of you know-it-alls know the long term effects of Caffeine? It is paradoxically ridiculous how much better I study after shoving an AMP energy drink down my gullet.

Filet O Fish

The hardest part about leaving the West Coast for the Midwest is the lack of Sushi.

Game 1

We played our hearts out. The other team had one guy who was 6'6 225 and athletic as hell. There was nothing we could do to stop him. We lost by seven points after being down at one point by 18. A great team effort and by the looks of the league, that will be the toughest team. It was kinda sad to see how out of shape we all were. You know you're outta shape when two 20 min halves seem to take forever.

Back in the library tending to my much neglected studies.

The Super

At what point in an aspiring lawyer's career do they feel confident using the knowledge they've gained from law school? Im waist deep in Landlord/Tenant law, and ironically, have a problem with my apartment.

The roof has been leaking about 15 oz a night into the master bedroom. I requested this be fixed. Nothing has been done so far. I have Cribs coming next week to do a followup to the tour I gave them last time, except this time, I have food in the fridge.

So do I:
a) withold rent stating that they are in breach of providing me an inhabitable apt?
b) pay rent and ask for part of it back? (personally not my favorite choice)
c) suck it up and hope my transfer applications are accepted.
d) pay rent in rolls of nickels.
e) remove the jars and let the water drip on the floor causing more damage and thus "sticking it to the man".

Random Friday Thoughts

I wonder where spring breakers will go now that Mexico is pissed at us?

Another long week of law school done. This term is flying by. Intramural basketball starts this weekend. We are underestimated, and to make matters worse, two of our teamates will be away on a ski trip. Hopefully I will be able to represent the west coast accordingly.

How long do you think it will be before Jello yanks Bill Cosby's endorsement contracts?

How Far Will Two Cents Go?

I just finished my personal statement. It has been refined and looked over many times. My best writing on it came while being frustrated with homework. I had a few attorneys look at it and I hope the admissions board looks favorably on it. All I need to do is wait for class rank to come out.

For those who put a lot of stock into what other law students say, stop freaking out. I no longer read the yahoo group for transfers. The only credible sources are people who have actually transferred from the school you left to the one you are going to. Even then, who knows why they were admitted. Stop freaking out and focus on this term. The curriculum is getting tougher. This is the part of the school year where dedication and work ethic count like never before. Ive noticed a lot of my peers slacking off this term. Conditional letters of acceptance will suck those who dont take this term seriously.

Its also been a while since I reflected on how this term is treating me. I have met great people here. I am getting a great education. If for some reason I dont transfer I am still going to be a great attorney with great friends. Life is good.

Crossroads

I just got done with a two hour meeting with a prof from last term. This prof in many ways embodies the type of attorney/person I strive to become. He is very articulate and genuine, yet still has the edgyness for when he needs to be a shark.

I have spent many meetings with him talking about my transfer options. Throughout all the conversations he remains partial to keeping me at this school. He reiterates that good attorneys rise to the top regardless of where they graduate from. He has shown me in many ways why this school is better than most. Our bar passage rate is awesome for people that get 3.0's. There are many solid reasons to stay, and yet still so many to go. Conflicted to say the least.

My transfer applications will be sent next week to three schools. I figure I want to at least try. Lets see if I can get in anywhere. I owe it to myself and my family. It just feels good to have a mentor that provides solid advice. That is hard to find.

I thought I told you not to bother me while i'm vaccuming my room!

This poor kid. No one even warned him. Came across this doing Torts reading for next week.

Action was brought against vacuum cleaner manufacturer to
recover for injuries sustained by 11-year-old boy who suffered an amputation of
part of his penis while playing on a canister-type vacuum cleaner. The United
States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Frank J. Murray, J.,
entered judgment for plaintiff for.$93,750, and both parties appealed. The Court
of Appeals, Levin H. Campbell, Circuit Judge, held that: (1) the district court
had sufficient grounds for refusing to rule that plaintiff failed to prove that vacuum cleaner came within recognized exception to privity
requirement; (2) there was sufficient basis for holding that vacuum cleaner
presented an unreasonable risk of harm to children who might reasonably be
foreseen to explore and fiddle with the device, and (3) issue of comparative
negligence was properly submitted.Affirmed.

In better news, Prof Contracts has the same flu I had, and we have no class tomorrow. Hope Hitler, i mean Prof Contracts feels better fast.

Daily Dose of Politics

This was too good not to post...

http://andiamnotlyingforreal.blogspot.com/2005/01/protest-sign-gallery.html

http://andiamnotlyingforreal.blogspot.com

Love that First Amendment!

Quote of the Day

A quote to surmise all those cocky law students we cant stand...

"He was born on third and thinks he hit a triple."

-Taken graciously from Veiled Conceit.

The last Word

For years now I have been trying to quit paying AT&T my hard earned (or in this case, government borrowed) money. Their crappy service and customer care is at an all time low. I finally switched over to Sprint. Hopefully I wont have the same problems with them.

The real tragedy of this situation is the fact that ATT stands to lose at least 10k of my money by losing me. Most people expect to have cell phones from here on out, and if they would have tried just a little harder to keep me happy, they would have kept me. Its not like I was expecting them to bake me chocolate chip cookies and serve them to me with a glass of milk in bed. I just wanted some damn customer service. Oh well, that is all over now. I vow to never be a customer of theirs ever again, unless they purchase In-n-Out Burger in which case I will be a hypocrite and eat there weekly.

Marshmallow Heaven

The fluffy white stuff is coming down hard. A foot last night and the forecast says its not going to let up. As long as Spongebob is gay, I wanted to be the first to claim that snow is gay. The Christian Right doesnt need proof and neither do I. If an animated cartoon that lives in a pineapple is gay, so is the fluffy white stuff. I know this is silly. Imagine being the person claiming that Spongebob is gay. Idiot. Thanks to the First Amendment here is my list of things that are gay.. just because:
1) Dick Cheney
2) Ashlee Simpson
3) Contracts II
4) Parking Meters
5) Richard Simmons
6) Ashlee Simpson's Voice
7) Nick Lachey
8) that creepy guy that stares at me in the library
9) Dubya
10) readers that disagree with any of my posts

This Bill is Unconstitutional

Apparently, if your name is Bill, you are perfect for harrassing females. Could someone please give these guys some better game so the ladies stop going public.

First we had Clinton.
Then O'Reilly.
Now Cosby.

Do you think he used Jello analogies in his pickup lines?

Do you think you are competitive?

The girl in front of me in Property records class with her computer. She inserts the sound bites into links in her class notes. Then when she needs to hear a part of class she wants to go over again, she simply clicks on the link. Genius. Scary at the same time.

Coffee Talk

I think that its silly how the predominant stereotype in the legal industry is to not take transfers as serious when making hiring decisions. While this is generally a stereotype, it would be so prevalent unless true in some aspects. Why would a firm judge a transfer harshly compared to their colleagues. Transfers usually have to be at their top of their class to do so. They have a solid worth ethic after a year of demonstrated performance in law school. They also come from humble beginnings and know what its like to work hard, so chances are, they will appreciate the job opportunity a little more. Also keep in mind that they transitioned to a new school with new curriculum and grading styles. That can be tough in itself. Remember what we all faced on those first term finals? Transfers do it all again their first term at the new school.

It just seems completely contradictory to me the way transfer students are viewed. If anything, a little more respect might be due. Discuss.

Can I transfer from a T5 to a T-1?

I'm a member on that yahoo group for transfers. Some relevant information but apparently the majority of transfer students that write in are also completely oblivious to the transfer process. I dont believe that for 1 second. When we all decided to go to our respective schools we mapped out our long term plan. We did that because we are law students. Overly analytical, calculating maniacs who dont rest until we get our way. So now we have students that ask, "what should I do if i dont have any extracurriculars?". Run, my friend. Run far away. You know exactly what to do. You twist your credentials to fit the school you are applying. Better yet, tell the new school that you are applying because your current school doesnt have good doughnuts in the lobby. Make it easier for me.

ps. what do you think my chances are in transferring from a t4 to Harvard. My first term i have a 2.1 specifically with all minuses, and I was a runner-up in the national pocket pool tournament.

pss: would it help my chances if I told the registrar that my magic 8ball said I would get in?

Another Simpson is Arrested

Why cant it be Ashlee? Why?
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/01/19/simpson.daughter.ap/index.html

Subpar

Subway is the McDonalds of sandwich places. I hate their food and im pissed that they are the only food place open after 4 pm in this damn town.

Drooling my life away

Classes this term are a snooze. Products liability really knocked me on my butt. I though it would make for some really interesting reading, and for the most part I was way off.

Contracts is about the same. The Parol Evidence Rule is tough, but at least I know these concepts will probably come up again.

Con Law is actually my favorite class, mostly because we dont have long reading assignments and the material is somewhat interesting.

Landlord tenant law is horrific. I thought it had potential to be fun. Cases with crazy landlords have been left out of the text. Most involve pretty boring issues.

Civil Procedure is the best class I have now. It seems like a new language and the prof makes it interesting.

Walking to 6 blocks to class while it is -3 degrees is not fun, contrary to what you've heard. I also finished my personal statement for transfer applications, so I got that going for me. Would it be overkill to hire a plane to write "let me in" in the sky the day my applications get read?

Transferring for Three Easy Installments of $49.95

From my conversations with many peers and the comments on various blogs I wanted to discuss the transfer process so far.

I am primarily applying to schools on the west coast of the country. About half of the schools I am applying to take early applications. Most will make a decision based on first term grades although some will admit based on similar completion of your second term. This differs vastly from school to school and most of my east coasters tell me that they have to wait until the first year grades are in to apply.

I encourage all to apply as early as possible. Except to the schools where I am applying. Then, please wait until next September. Just kidding. Sometimes the early bird gets the worm. I feel that my grades for first term might be strong enough alone, but I also plan on letting them know who I am again. Not just some guy with a decent gpa, a guy who wants to go to their school because they have the best legal library in the country. Im the guy who was born from day one to wear a (insert school here) shirt. Cheesy, but in my case genuine. I want to be near home. I am passionate about that. Hopefully this will be enough. Until then, I study my but off again. Like in Jerry Maguire when he says he wants his clients and all of Sugar's. I want my A's and yours too.

Deep Thoughts (Seriously

This post comes at the end of a week of flu induced delierium. I was fortunate enough to keep up with my assignments each day, so im really not behind, although im not sure I was very productive while I read.

I suppose there are set times in life where you realize your personal growth. Making the basketball team freshman year, highschool graduation, etc. These are all coming of age moments where you realize that you are successful, or strive to change what you are doing so that you are successful.

The most interesting thing on how law school affects my life is that ive had these coming of age moments at the weirdest times. So much pressure is put on exams that there is this missing void at all times in law school. I think that is why people feel guilty when they arent doing law school stuff. This carries on to their careers, families, etc.

We all say "that wont happen to me". Realistically, it will. Billable hours will happen to everyone.
Im putting my foot down now. I came to the realization in the last few weeks that being a lawyer will be tough. Being a good person is even tougher. A combination of the two might be next to impossible but something needs to change.

I guess what im trying to say is that after reading a particularly negative blog about how soulless the industry is, I decided that im not going to sacrifice the way I am just to fit in. I have always been able to make things work while being supportive of people. If people held themselves to a higher standard then maybe this industry wouldnt have such a bad rap.

Maybe im naive? This outlook has worked for me so far. Im not quite sure where this thought came from, but it was in the middle of reading a very long case.

Hot in Here

At the risk of sounding redundant, the weather sucks here. Yesterday it started out being 52 degrees and went to 15 by nightfall. Today, a blustry 11 degrees and windy as hell. This flu just wont seem to go away, and it seems like class has just dragged on all week. Finally a weekend to catch up on rest and studying.

Im not quite sure how anyone could look forward to these winters?

In good news, 3 of the schools that I am applying to in the next few weeks do not requre a letter of recommendation, so apps are almost ready to fly out the door. Just gotta wait for the class rank to come out. Its too bad they dont factor in my top score in Pole Position into the mix. Then i would be number 1.

Law Fever

My fever pinnacled at 102 degrees last night. When your temperature gets that high, your thoughts tend to get really weird. For some reason, I kept thinking that the fever was making me forget everything I had learned in law school so far. How true it was.

Looks like the appeal process is not in my favor. From a substantive standpoint, the items I am trying to appeal are not really likely to be reversed. It is basically my word against the teacher's.

She's a Man Eater

O-O here she comes.. Prof Contracts is brutal. She is blunt, rude, abrasive, and demeaning to say the least. For these reasons, I like her. She knocked us down a peg the first day of class by telling us that our grades sucked no matter how good they were. She picks on people, and doesnt relent unless she feels like preying on her next victim. I like her because she speaks her mind. She is a good professor who would most likely be accused of sharing too much of her inner monologue. In this legal environment, where people are frowned on for expressing their opinions, I like her style. She doesnt care what people think of her and she's not afraid to let you know that. I can respect that.

In better news, they added 3 points wrong on my torts exam, so I will file an appeal. I am 5 points away from the next grade up so I hope that I can squeeze out a couple more with a substantive appeal as well. Either way, life is going on.

Save Ferris

Sick as hell, day 2. Went to bed at 930 and I am still drained. Torts was especially boring today, covering Product Liability.

I need the class rank to come out so I can finish my resume and personal statement and send out my early transfer apps.

Im wondering if it would be more advantageous to wait until next term grades come out. I suppose this is a catch 22, because there is always the chance that I wont do as well.

Chicken Soup for the Gunner

Im not sure how, but I got sick. I played 3 hours of basketball last night so that might have had something to do with it.

ConLaw is cancelled for next monday because of MLK day, which is fine by me, but the makeup is the following Saturday morning at 8 am. How sadistic is that?

Prof Contracts is going from mean to growing horns fast. We have weekly online assignments, known as CALI lessons for all you L's out there. Each one she assigns is an hour at least.
The Parol Evidence Rule one took me an hour and 2o minutes, and im a fast test taker. On top of this, we have a weekly essay, that is turned in before lecture. Dont forget the reading she assigns. She then started our first class by telling us that we should all be ashamed of ourselves if we got less than A's. She's another pompous top ten grad (Uof M) and also known on campus as an elitist which seems pretty redundant in the law school arena. More to come as im sure she will provide many hours of blogging material.

Move over Jessica, theres a new Aniston in town.

I would like to be the first person this minute to announce my marriage eligibility to Jennifer Aniston. I fully intend to be a stay at home pillow fighter if that is the role she wants me to have. We can spend our afternoons making s'mores and poking out the eyes on pics of Mr. Pitt. We have a special nickname for him. She might get mad for me telling you this, but we call him Arm. Thats all for now. I will fill you in on our honeymoon from Tijuana.

Constitutional Law

It seems to me so far that Con Law being derived from the Constitution (duh) is a bunch of old farts rambling on for pages at a time, when a couple of sentences would have done the trick. This reminds me of when I converse with old people, and they ramble on and on. Occasionally I will nod that I am listening, but in my head im thinking of other things, all the while catching the drift of what the geezer is telling me. I dont know what I would do without a supplement for this class. Does it get more interesting? Ive never been a history buff.

Ask a drunk guy for advice and this is what you get!

Pre- law students usually ask me what law school is like and I try to give them the best answer possible. I don’t want to steer their young minds in the wrong direction so I try to be effective by using a good analogy. Law school is a lot like Karate Kid I. You move to a new town, a new school and you are not sure what to make of things. The apartment that they told you was a palace is actually a dump, run by the local slumlord (my apartments).

At school you aren’t sure what to make of things so you look in the mirror realizing your average (we are all the cream of the cream) and decide that you should hit on the most popular girl in school, only to find out that her boyfriend is a blonde, muscle bound tough guy (torts, contracts, crimlaw, property) who takes Karate lessons at a local Cobra dojo.

Blonde muscle guy, who never really starred in any other movies realizes that you are messing with his squeeze so he does what any jock in the 80’s that doesn’t own an Iroc Z does. He picks on you. In defense you decide that the best way to spite him is to wear a ridiculously cumbersome Halloween costume, and come to the dance dressed as a shower. When hilarity ensues, you spite Blond Muscle Guy by putting your face directly in the line of fire of his fists- o- fury. After you run away like an androgynous one hit wonder actor dressed as a shower curtain, you run to your old Asian maintenance man and ask him how to learn to be tough (tutorials, supplements, coffee, sleeping with the teacher, etc). He does what anyone with a right mind would do in that situation. Treats you like a pledge and hazes you (Socratic method). He then makes you do silly things like wax a car, take out the trash, wear a silly headband, all in the name of taking down Muscle Bound Guy who I just remembered is named Johnny (Final Exams). The only problem is we need to fit in a montage so that the movie make a few bucks (you know you went to see it). Insert the montage here, where Daniel stands on a boat and tries the crane kick, standing on the post on the beach doing the crane kick, and you guessed it folks, waxing more cars (studying for final exams intensely).

At the competition, Miyagi and Cobra leader who wears ridiculously tight black shirts stare each other down (lexis and westlaw).

Daniel and Johnny square off and for some reason the crane kick prevails (cramming for exams) giving false hope to wimps all around the world (I really tried it in grade school and got my butt kicked).

Daniel feels good until part two when he goes to Okinawa and falls in love with Kimiko who is taken by a guy who again, was only in a few movies. (realizing that this was only one term, and you still have 5 to go).

Moral of the story: Karate kid is quite possibly the greatest movie ever, and law school is tough. Oh, and never go to a dance dressed as a shower, unless you really like getting your butt kicked.

Thank You Everyone

Just wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone who has offered support this term. Friends, family, loyal readers, the mustached librarian, and that creepy guy who smiles at me in the library. Thank you. With so much turmoil going on in the world it gets tough to legitimize daily problems when they seem so insignificant in the worldly context. I wholly believe that hard work when facing any obstacle will eventually pay off.

Should I send a fruit basket?

I sent away my cover letter and resume to the firm today. For the new readers, I worked for a fairly prestigious firm last summer as a file clerk. I schmoozed my way into getting treated like a summer clerk by the partners, much to the chagrin of my coworkers. Before leaving for law school I told the hiring manager that I wanted to summer clerk for them even though I only will have one year under my belt. He and I were on a fairly close terms, I mean we even discussed how he met his wife, tips for picking up law school chicks, etc, so I think we wasnt Bs'ing me. He told me that he wanted me to send him my grades as soon as first term was up. That was a large part of my reason for spending first term intimately dating my textbooks. Now the ball is in his court.

It would be really great for my resume to work for the firm after only 1 year of law school. It would open doors for me my 2nd summer, doors that might be geographically isolated if I dont transfer. Most of my 1L compadres have little or no hope of a legal summer job. Im hoping I can be one of the lucky few that get fortunate enough to get a legal position and get some cashola too. Im debating telling the hiring partner that I will work for free part time if they reject me. I doubt he would turn that down. Im not counting myself out yet. I wonder if I should send out some more resumes. Word is that the market is flooded in my hometown. I guess it couldnt hurt.

I love Fridays

Its the end of the first week of second term, and I must admit I feel alot better than I did last term at this time. The paranoia of grades, and the constant gossip of who had the inside track on a class has dwindled. While some students are even bigger asses than they were last term, the majority including myself were humbled by first term.

After acquiring my first term skills, not including bow staff or numchuck skills unfortunately, I feel confident that I can tackle a greater amount of studying this term while maximizing effeciency.

I decided on Gilberts for Civ Pro over Glannons E&E because of the visual layout. Im hoping that will payoff, because I cannot stand cluttered words. I think that is why gleaning the info out of the textbook is so hard initially.

Im working on a post that gives insight to why I think 3rd and 4th tier schools are harder than most 2nd tier schools. Comments are welcome either way, and I might end up annoying loyal readers, but I honestly believe this from the little experience I have combined with opinions of others. Anyway, expect that sometime later, hopefully soon though.

For now, happy friday and Property reading.

the Shizzolator

Here at 2 cents and Change, we pride ourselves on reaching the common man. Our research staff has data that shows kids learn better from their role models. The only two that come to mind are Snoop Dog and Ashlee Simpson. Ashlee unfortunately was off promoting Miracle Ears, so Mr. Snoopaloop himself came to the office and helped our staff of reasearch midgets translate 2 Cents and Change into a cool blog. Enjoy.

http://www.asksnoop.com/shizz_frame.php





Ps. Borrowed the shizzolator from another weblog that I cant find at the moment. Thanks though.

Gilberts v. Emanuels?

Sorry to be redundant readers but I need some more opions. I cant seem to make a decision. For Civ Pro I am choosing between Gilberts and Emannuels. I've used Emanuels in the past but found that when they are not keyed to the book we are using, are not as helpful. The Civ Pro edition isnt, but I also have not used Gilberts in the past.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Harda$$

Prof Civ Pro is ridiculous. Cool guy but strict. He wants us to type briefs a minimum of 1 page each. No book briefing is allowed, and he can randomly ask to see our brief (case briefs not underwear) at anytime. Im not opposed to writing a brief for each case, but there is no way in hell I am going to write more than a page for each. Plain and simple, there is not enough time.

It snowed another 5 inches last night and the forecast expects more.

Going to start the transfer application process pretty soon. Buttering up Prof Property from last term for a letter of rec. He volunteered to do write one so that shouldnt be too hard. This school is notorious for sitting on transcripts to hurt the chances of transfer students. I wonder what the legal implications of a letter requesting they be sent as soon as they are available would be?

So far Gilberts is outweighing Emanuel's for the Civ pro supplement. Tough decision. What would brian boitano do?

Not a Fan of the Ladies are ya Trebek?

Prof Contracts is mean. She is downright mean. She started out class today by asking everyone to raise their hands if they were happy with their grades. Two people out of the 130 raised their hands. She then proceeded to tell us all that B's and C's were not acceptable, and no right minded client would hire an attorney that got C's. Yep, she's a peach. 15 weeks with that frigid ray of sunshine.

In other news, prof civ pro put a case name on the first assignment page without telling us it was in the casebook, so me and many other classmates went in search of a book that didnt exist. Dont tell anyone. Thats my blonde moment for the week.

Can anyone recommend a good civ pro supplement? I hear Emmanuel's is pretty good. Gotta run. Got a date with Prof Contracts. She's going to show me how to turn coal into diamonds.

Put on Your Hip Waders

Apparently I go to a school full of geniuses. Look out Yale, here comes a TTT with more brain power. It seems that I cant find a single person who did horribly this term. What does that amount to? A bunch of BS. There are obviously plenty of C's, D's, and F's, and I cant find a single person who got one. Gotta love how much people lie because they dont want to look bad. I guess we will all find out in 3 weeks when the GPA's are official and the class rank is released. Im guessing most will still lie about that, but with a little detective work should provide some humor when I catch two people with the same rank.

Grades

Hey everybody. I just wanted to let all of you know that I am leaving law school because of bad grades. In fact, the registrar called me and asked if I wanted a job at the local carwash. Ok, Ok, im just messing with you. My grades were good. In fact they were really good except for Torts. Torts was a tough exam and until I look at my blue book, I have no way to tell why my grade was so low. Either way, I should still be in contention to transfer, provided next term grades are similar and hopefully better.

Seeing as how most 1st termers are never happy with their grades, I dont plan on breaking tradition. I hate how minuses here knock the grade down to half a grade point. For example, in undergrad a B- was a 2.85, here it is a 2.5. Here, if you get a C, a midget jumps out of a trap door and hands you a samurai sword. He kindly waits and if you dont hurry and off yourself, he intervenes and does the dirty work himself.

All in all, I am satisfied with my grades. Hopefully the firm will hire me this summer and I can spend every paycheck on strippers and girl scout cookies. And if you really must know the exact gpa i received, its real close to Pi.

thanks

Thanks to C and S for picking me up at the airport at 1 in the morning. Its been a rough week so far and the anticipation of checking grades didnt help things. For those interested, the article about my friend is here.

http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-9/110471514377440.xml&storylist=orlocal

Thanks to my family, friends, and dog for a memorable and not long enough vacation.