Winter showed up, briefly, a couple of weeks ago, and a friend (also a Southerner) and I decided we would take advantage of it. Neither of us are great skiiers, so we decided to pass on that option. Also, while cross-country skiing is something I’ve begun to work at, a more relaxed winter activity was in order. The solution: snow-shoeing.

(I’m not gonna lie, but I have to admit that I was a tad disappointed to discover–prior to my snow showing outing–that snow shoes have evolved substantially, and that they are no longer like wooden tennis rackets. but I digress…)

We checked out snow shoes from the VLS Gear Shed, and spent a couple of hours wandering the trails at Billings Farm in Woodstock. It was fun to try something completely new, and even better to get outside. In the South, winter is a time to stay indoors. Cabin fever abounds. I love that Vermont embraces winter. As for snow shoeing, it turned out to be incredibly simple. Perhaps I expected more, but it was slightly anticlimactic to discover that snow shoeing is just walking/hiking on the snow. Regardless, it was a good outing, and I’m excited for the prospect of future outdoor winter activities.

As we move along in the second semester, our classes assign more work, the temperature drops to -20 at night, and the job hunt begins.

I took Legal Ethics, aka “Legal Profession,” last year, my 2L year. I did “my time.” At least, I thought I had. But the class portion of my Semester in Practice, SiP, was all about ethics. My comparative law class, discussed ethics yesterday. My environmental ADR class, discussed ethics and moral philosophy. My negotiation class? Ethics was the first topic of the class. Every single activity or class in my final time at law school involves Legal Profession class-type scenarios and references to the model rules.

No one likes their legal ethics class, mainly because it is a required course and there are no real answers. If a student has not yet realized that the law has very pliable standards, and few bright-line rules, this is the one class that will finally break even the most flexible student. A student MUST become comfortable with the attorney axiomatic answer of “it depends.” I’m not actually sure the rules exist for any purpose but to confuse attorneys and cause law students trepidation at the actual practice of law. But it is so pervasive! I had a great supervisor during my SiP, and half of our discussions turned to the professional ethics of our actions. Yikes. It was a great thing to take that class prior to sending me off into the real world of an internship.

So, I think I get it, legal ethics really is something that attorneys constantly need to be be wary of, and considerate to. I get it, I get it. Can I get onto my substantive lessons now? Wait, ANOTHER ethics discussion?! I better know the Model Rules backwards and forwards by the time I take the MPRE in March. Three more months of ethics discussion catching me unawares? I won’t have any excuse.

Although, this afternoon, in a fit of restlessness, I took a walk around town, admiring the glow the bright grey light gave to the town and surrounding landscape.  This is what winter should be.  In DC, it never gets cold enough for it to do more than rain and freeze and make everyone hate the season.  Much more of the country and the world is turning out the same, as climate changes.  It saddens me, as a northern Midwesterner, how many people rag on winter without ever really knowing its full potential.

Times like these are meant to be savored.  The same could be said for one’s last semester of law school.  Sure, sometimes the conditions are terrible, with the atmosphere leaving one in a lousy mood, but overall, things are actually really quite beautiful.  Pretty soon, people will be counting on us to solve their problems and holding us accountable for our work.  These are the last few moments to pick up some pointers without risking any major consequences.  I am taking classes that interest me, along with ones that are useful for future practice and the bar, as well as volunteering at the ACLU.  Beyond all school obligations, I am happy to have most of my friends back here to go on winter adventures with me.  Basically, what is to stop us from enjoying life?  Who said law school had to be a drag?

Here is to a full and fabulous semester, Swans!

Thankfully, in Vermont, we have snow to help us pass the time as we wait.

Mentoring can be a formal relationship with obligations of time spent, measured in alliances and apprenticeship. Oftentimes, a mentor-mentee relationship develops organically from something quite like a friendship between folks looking to share and to add to a teachable spirit. It is an ageless affair between skill sets, looking to and from, and it is vital in an economy of scale where what you know is less important than who you know, when you knew it and where you will take that information. We are all widgets becoming an asset in context. Networks provide the entrée, the circumstance for the happening of your future. 

Networking isn’t about popularity but about comfort, providing familiarity that allows for people to enter into relationship. It isn’t about the most cards or the most diverse database but about space for feeling, feelings that inspire a connection of goodwill and extension of personal space. Face time isn’t about just showing your face but about a revealing of your interests, energy and listening skills.

Just recently several doors were opened to me by way of friends I made during my days at Vermont Law School. A reputation for hard work and a knack for good conversation stayed in the memories of classmates who thought of me when a job announcement surfaced. In these times a memory is as good as a fairy godmother who rather than sprinkling you with dust fertilizes the job search with real leads and positive references. Need I say more?

TDT