16 September 2007: a blue-sky Tunbridge Sunday of roasted corn, cider, and cotton candy.

As a 3L, a great sense of nostalgia wells up, reading the posts below. Such eagerness, such enthusiasm, such bewilderment! The bewilderment quickly fades after the fifth or sixth week, but I hope that unbridled enthusiasm never leaves. The law is exciting.

As you progress further into your legal education, the reciprocal relationship between life and the law becomes clearer. Humanity is the struggle between principle and practice; played out in the courts of law, as noted by Mr. Lusignan, it becomes incredibly gripping drama. This spills not only into Torts, Contracts, or Constitutional Law, but into Estates, Administrative Law, even Evidence.

At Vermont Law School, both students and professors are full of purpose. We are a politically charged body of frequently clashing beliefs, but testing one another in a forum tolerant of dissent, keenly seeking out that human drama. This is what makes for such engaging in-class experiences. Where college is the new high school, near-compulsory and prerequisite to anything resembling a decent job, individuals distinguish themselves by pursuing professional degrees; amongst our professional class, individuals distinguish themselves by challenging their own beliefs and practices, seeking out principle, then defending it with passion. This is the VLS community.

My experience here echoes the sentiments below. The camaraderie remains after two years in the trenches. I’ve only ever felt in competition with myself, never pressured to perform by my peers. I can attest that 1L energy can be sustained. As with anything, discipline is key. But to really keep your momentum, you’ve got to maintain intellectual curiosity, a certain fascination with the brutal realities of life, and challenge yourself to prove principle can guide your practice.