Staying Busy

The weather in Vermont has been mostly beautiful, however we have had some extra rainy days.  I have not had the chance to enjoy the sunshine as much as I wanted because summer session is keeping me extra busy.  Today is Friday, and Monday I have a final due, a research memo due, and my first reading for my Term Two class.  I will get through it though, because I know in two weeks I have a week off to enjoy the sunshine.

Most of my summer session finals are open book, and I have a weekend to do them.  Although that takes away the weekend, it is also a nice change from the 3 hour pressure session I experienced for finals during the fall and spring.  I enjoyed my first class, Environmental Law, and am looking forward to my second summer class, Indian Country Law and the Environment.  My Friday class is Environmental Dispute Resolution.  I took it to push myself out of my comfort zone.  I enjoy it because it is a departure from lecture format and it will force me to vocalize when I tend to stay quiet during class.  I am looking forward to what the rest of summer session brings, but especially looking forward to that week of vacation!

Of envelopes and entrees

VLS 34th Commencement

The ceremonies were a blur.  Families,  friends, and benefactors merged into a great sea of awe and encouragement. Vermont Law School puts on a graduation ceremony worthy of your hopes and hours of sacrifice, then sends you off sobbing,  just the way you came.

This last semester of law school was an entangling. The days were filled with breaks, and breakdowns. Each of us taking our turn, the class of ‘09,  subject to anxiety, loan debt sticker shock or new wave economic depression. It made the days unpredictable and bonded us the way layers of earth tell the story of time in color, and texture. We are tightly packed and arranged by arrival.  We are the bright shiny things of tomorrow and knowing it, takes a little joy away and exchanges it for a second thought, a moment of fear, and a opening just small enough to hold your insecurities.

The questions have come in waves since the the end of the second summer. Where will you go? What will you do? What bar exam will you sit for? Seemingly harmless queries, quite like daggers aimed at the heart, separate you from your ego. Where do you go in the worst depression since the crash, where do you work when experienced attorneys are turned out in the hundreds, hitting the ranks of the unemployed like so many strikes? Where do you search for reserves and smiles when the revolution comes to your town, and your town stretches across fifty states?

Vermont Law has a special place in the pantheon of legal educational institutes. She was number one in environmental law when we came in and there she remains. A special pocket of law and life where your ability is trumped by your energy and effort. Vermont is the place where David beats Goliath, where the heart is your shield and sword. In this place curiosity is king and the swans can kill you, even while you look down your nose at them.

I will miss the chase breezeway, the scene of so many a culture club. I will miss the smiling faces that greeted me in So Ro to go, but most of all I will miss the warm feeling that comes with knowing that the degree that comes at the end of the trip was a team effort.  Each moment of my future is hoisted onto the kind words of professors, the knowing nods of  Deans and the stealthy support of the law librarians.  Community makes all the difference. Friends fill in the spaces here, where the repetition would lead to madness, they pick up the slack and reinforce the weaker bits with tears, laughs and commiseration. I will miss them too.

The next few steps will be shaky ones, new places will test our mettle and all that we came to do will finally come to pass.  Thanks to the office of admissions you will be able to keep tabs on me. I blog on as a new alum.

until then,

TDT

Ocean Fest

It has been 2 1/2 weeks since I landed in Anchorage.  My internship has been going great, and I’ve already met lots of people.  Today, I am volunteering at Ocean’s Fest.  It is a day of learning about the ocean and its resources along with providing awareness to the public about the dangers that currently face it.  I will just be at the information booth answering questions like “where’s the music at? where’s the film playing? what can I do?”  But it should be a great time!  Hope you are all having a great summer as well!

Summer Session

On Tuesday, I started classes for my MELP degree.  The class I am taking for Term 1 is Environmental Law.  Since I don’t have a background in environmental science, I figured this would be a good class to take to provide me with a background which would prepare me for the rest of my MELP classes.  Summer session is definitely a different experience than my fall and spring JD classes.  There is a lot more reading to do, but that was to be expected considering the classes are 2 or 3 weeks instead of 3-4 months.

I find myself enjoying my Environmental Law class a lot more than any of the classes I have taken so far.  After all, I choose Vermont Law because of its’ environmental program.  However, the foundation I received my first year has definetly helped to make the readings more understandable, and I do appreciate that.  I am looking forward to the rest of the summer and sharing my experiences!

Home

Finals are over!  I took about a week to relax, move my stuff into a new apartment, and explore VT.  When exploring VT, I went fishing on the White River and saw my friend catch 4 big smallmouth bass, went hiking up Kent’s Ledge twice, went hiking at my new apartment for next year, went to Ben & Jerry’s and the Red Basil in Waterbury and Stowe, and went to Burlington for the day.  Everything was great and I would recommend taking the time when you are in Vermont to get out and see what Vermont has to offer.  After some relaxing, I headed back to my home in Fraser, MI yesterday.  It was a 13 hour trip (usually 16 in the winter).  I am now home, but leaving on Tuesday for Alaska.  It is relaxing, but also crazy at home since I haven’t been home in awhile.  There is a lot to do and a lot of people to see before I leave again.  I am also a little nervous about traveling by myself to a whole new place with no one there that I personally know to help get me settled in.  I am sure that everything will go smoothly.

Still 85

So it is still sunny and warm.  It has been getting up to 80-85 degrees over the last few days.  During my study breaks, I’ve been taking my dog, Rock, down to the river to swim.  I’ve found that this is a great way to relax and de-stress over the coming exams.  Tomorrow, I am going to pick up my Criminal Law take home along with the VJEL and Law Review write-on packets.  Of course, I am going to wait to work on these until after Constitutional Law on Thursday afternoon because I have been working quite hard to make sure I am prepared for this exam. 

One lesson to be learned from Con Law Review Session today: Turn off your cell phone or turn it on slient so that the whole class doesn’t laugh at you and you turn all red in the face from being embarrassed.  This is the first and last time that this will happen to be, but I wanted to make sure you know and remember. 

Back to studying.

Reading Week

It’s almost done!  I have 22 days until I get on a plane to Alaska for my summer internship.  I think this point alone is what is keeping my spirits up right now as I study for finals.  It is getting tough sitting inside all day since Friday studying when it has been gorgeous outside compared to the previous few weeks.  The weather is sunny, calm breeze, and around 70-80 degrees.  My first final is on Thursday for Constitutional Law, and I am feeling pretty good about it so hopefully everything turns out well.  If the weather keeps up and my studying keeps up, it should be a great end to an exciting semester.

One Week Left

I can’t believe that I have just one week of classes left (and then two weeks of finals) until my first year of law school is finished.  It flew by.  Although I will be here taking classes in the summer, it is rewarding to know that I survived my first official year of law school.

I had my oral argument for Legal Writing today.  This type of public speaking is a lot different than any other type I have done before.  I am not used to being interrupted in the middle of an argument with a question.  However, I handled it better then I though I would.  I was sure I would become frustrated and try to talk over my professor, but I didn’t, instead I patiently waited for him to finish the questions and answered them to the best of my ability.   I am grateful that I had the opportunity to practice this year and find the things I needed to work on so I can perfect them for Appellate Advocacy next year.

i’m trying

I’m trying to paint on a Saturday.

I’m trying to motivate myself to outline.

I’m trying to get through the end of the semester.

I’m trying to enjoy the warmer/nicer weather.

Wait…I’m trying to paint????

Yes, I am trying to paint a picture for my boyfriend’s birthday.  Am I artist?  No.  Do I have an idea of what I want to do?  Sorta.  Has my first attempt alreadt failed miserably?  Yes.

I’m sitting here waiting for “cover-up-the-ugliness” top-coat to dry.  Hopefully I can salvage this but right now it’s not looking good.  Of course, I did not have white paint so I had to paint over my mistakes with black, which does not actually look black because it is covering much ugliness underneath.  Anyway, I think I have a secret weapon.  A slinky.  How awesome is that?  I plan on rolling the slinky in paint and then rolling it around on the ugly blackish colored canvas.  It can only improve how it looks now.

Anyway, back to the law school reality.  I am almost done with my first year- YAY!!!  Speaking of that, I need to register for classes in the next week and I don’t entirely know what I want to take, which could be a problem.  Strangely, I like the school just handing me a pre-made schedule.  Now, I will be the only one to blame for having 8:30 am classes.  Damn.

I found a new place to live next year.  Very cozy, clean, new, and very very close to campus.  Actually, it is basically on campus, which is awesome.

Question:  How long does it take acrylic paint to dry?  Answer:  Too long.

Well, back to painting.

VT Supreme Court at VLS

Last week the Vermont Supreme Court held session in VLS’ very own Oakes courtroom. One of the advantages of studying law at VLS is that there are no other law schools in the state, so we have a close relationship with the courts and legislature. It was exciting to see a real oral argument firsthand. I attended the arguments for Perry Babel v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, a case which got a lot of press in Vermont when it was decided at the trial court level. 

According to the plaintiff, Perry Babel, Father Paquette had molested boys in parishes in other states prior to being hired by the Diocese of Burlington in 1972.  Once hired by the Diocese, Babel claimed, Father Paquette molested boys during his assignment to a parish in Rutland.  Nevertheless, the Diocese transferred Father Paquette to a parish in Burlington, where between 1976 and 1978, he molested numerous boys, including Babel, an altar boy.  In 1978 Father Paquette was relieved of his duties due to complaints of abuse lodged by parents of other altar boys. Babel sued the Diocese many years later after learning that the Diocese had, in other instances, declined to discipline or otherwise sanction priests for molesting children upon learning of the abuse, and was awarded over $8 million in damages. The Diocese was appealing the damage award. 

Needless to say, it was a gripping case. The plaintiff’s attorney really emphasized the emotional trauma Babel and others had experienced. I felt the Diocese’s attorney had a tough row to hoe. 

One detail I found interesting about the court itself was that of the five justices, two are women and all but one are not from Vermont originally. I think that says a lot about the legal culture in this state – welcoming and perhaps more flexible than some places.