There are two schools of thought on how one should approach the work/life balance in law school. Some people think of the classes and assignments as work product and the law school experience as a business. They put in their hours at the library and go wherever they go to have a life. They smile during an occasional chat and have no enemies. However, given their limited amount of interaction with other students, one could question whether they have any friends at law school. Therein lies the point, making friends, having enemies loving or hating the experience seems to have very little to do with that approach. They clock in and out and are off to their significant others, pets and responsibilities. It all seems very neat, organized and civil.
On the other side of the fence are students like me. People who eat, sleep and breathe the law school experience. We are totally immersed in it for better or worse. It gets messy. We live as close to the campus as the real estate market allows, get to the library as soon as it opens and are probably found there at close. We get our campus news by word of mouth, cherish the verbal joust of the “everyone email” and spend far too much time together. We tend to be involved, in political debates, administrative events and every other scandal. This creates a sort emotional extravagance which creeps into the bricks and mortar stuff of cases, briefs and job searches.
I often wonder how my experience at VLS would be different, if I checked in just in time for classes and checked out at close of business on Fridays. Would I love my friends as much as I do? Would I look forward to hallway gabfests with classmates from my old section? Would I feel so tied to this micro-community that I love it even when I hate it? Probably not, but as always the grass is greener.
This semester has presented some challenges that I had not expected. The appellate monster ate most of my free time and took all the energy I could muster. luckily, she hasn’t bested me yet. I know because I’m still here and are excited that the oral argument phase is upon us. I am looking forward to having the judges question my arguments and I’m lucky enough to have a case that really interests me. Boumediene versus Bush, will be heard in the Supreme Court on December 3rd and I have gotten to cut my teeth, working with some of the real materials which will be before the court. I have no delusions that I understand the breadth of issues but it’s nice to know that this is just the type of stuff I will be doing… for real in about 18 months. Wow… it is mindblowing how quickly 3 semesters have gone by.
I’ve got to go for now, back to the library of course.
