Life at Law: Oregon Law Student Blog

Why Join the Law Review, Again?

2012-02-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

In 1921, the Oregon Law Review became the first law journal in the Pacific Northwest. In 1967, the Review became entirely student-run, and student editors, each and every year, chart new ground to pioneer novel legal ideas to our readers throughout the state and across the nation. When you arrive at Oregon Law in the fall, I am certain that you’ll see the editors of the Review working tirelessly with our authors to encourage in-depth and thoughtful inquiry and careful legal writing. And, in so doing, we are forging our own trail, changing the course of history. Really!

These days, with the rise of online journals, chat rooms, and legal blogs, our printed publication, comfortably situated in the stacks of the law library, seems less frequently called upon for vetting rising trends or conflicts in the law. It surely seems as if any printed publication like ours may be heading towards an uncertain future. I mean, who reads books these days? No need—just log onto SCOTUSBlog, the Volokh Conspiracy, Huffington Post, or another one of your favorite online sources to hear what scholars are saying, right? Wrong.

Consider a recent example. Just last term, the United States Supreme Court decided a case called Wal-Mart v. Dukes.[1] In general (and general is all that matters for Life@Law), the Wal-Mart case presented the Supreme Court with an important question related to class actions: whether a really large class of plaintiffs (the people suing Wal-Mart) alleging employment discrimination based on discretionary employment decisions could satisfy the “commonality” requirement under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(a).[2] (I know, I know, bear with me. By the way, there were actually two separate questions in the Wal-Mart case, but there’s no need to address the second one here.) A fractured Supreme Court ultimately decided that no, it could not, and the opinion taken as a whole arguably closes multiple doors for future employment discrimination cases of this type.[3] The decision was five-to-four—that is, five Supreme Court Justices said “no, you can’t move forward as a class” and the other Justices disagreed. That happens quite often, it turns out.

What is noteworthy for the purposes of this blog post, though, is not the intricacies of the law or the correctness of the Court’s decision. (Maybe we can talk about that another day.) Rather, what is enlightening is the high Court’s careful and extensive reliance on . . . a law review article![4] Seriously. One law review piece helped guide the Supreme Court to change the course of complex litigation as we know it, at least in this context. And we aren’t talking about dropping one footnote and moving on—the Supreme Court quoted Professor Nagareda’s article eight different times.

That’s a huge deal, and it’s not all that uncommon, either. Wal-Mart is just one example. Law reviews are changing the law, changing history, making waves. Not only in the U.S. Supreme Court, but also in state high courts—all of which we like to call “courts of last resort”—it is often the case that the parties are in that court because no other court has decided the questions the parties are asking. When that happens, courts of last resort must look to other laws; earlier, related decisions; and, you got it, law review articles for answers.

And this is why the editors of the Oregon Law Review do what we do. We make waves, inquire into complex issues of state and federal law, grapple with the unsettled, and engage in this complicated, ever-changing, always-an-adventure doctrine we call the law. When you arrive here at Oregon, we invite you to join us.

[1] 131 S. Ct. 2541 (2011).

[2] Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(a)(2) requires that, when you file a class action lawsuit, the questions presented must be “common to the class.” It's super cool. In your second year at Oregon, I strongly recommend Complex Litigation.

[3] If you’re curious and really want to read more, check this out: John C. Coffee, Jr., A Primer on Wal-Mart v. Dukes, U.S. L. Wk., July 19, 2011, at 93. Or, in the alternative, take Complex Litigation when you get to Oregon!

[4] Richard A. Nagareda, Class Certification in the Age of Aggregate Proof, 84 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 97 (2009).

Wayne Morse Center: Capitalism and the Common Good

2011-11-12T23:37:00.000-08:00

It sure has been a fantastic start to the year for the Wayne Morse Center for Law & Politics. For those of you who haven't had a chance to get involved--you definitely should. The Wayne Morse Center really is a gem housed right here at Oregon Law, as its interdisciplinary focus spans across the University of Oregon and the Eugene community and its forward-thinking themes strike directly at the heart of what our former Senator Wayne Morse would devote his energy to today. Earlier this year, the Wayne Morse Law Fellows organized a day-long visit with Economist David Korten, who is the author of the book "Agenda for a New Economy." Professor Korten engaged the law school in some really energetic discussion about turning phantom wealth--created on Wall Street--into real wealth and bringing live back to main street. Last week, we talked with former Senator Russ Feingold, sitting as this year's Wayne Morse Chair for Law & Politics, who spoke with the University community about the Citizens United decision and what it means for lives moving forward. (When I get pictures, I will certainly post them here!) This Center is just incredible, and the students, faculty, and law fellows involved are some of the most energetic individuals I know, truly desiring to affect change on our campus, in our community, and throughout the world. If you haven't had a chance to yet, definitely check out the website for more information on the WMC's upcoming programs!

October 24th is Food Day!

2011-10-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

October 24th is Food Day and we have been celebrating here at the law school for the past week. The Good Food Group has been sharing recipes with the law school for cooking good food on a budget as well as tips, such as how to store root crops for the winter and where to buy locally grown food in Eugene.

The Good Food Group is comprised of a group of law students committed to supporting local farmers, eating good fresh food, and to supporting sustainable food policies locally and nationally. We meet once a week over lunch and talk about a wide variety of topics such as, how to make pasta sauce, tips for urban farming, and how the University of Oregon can support a sustainable food system.

The University of Oregon and Eugene are great places to be if you are interested in food issues. There was a hugely successful Food Justice conference at the University in February 2011, which generated lot of enthusiasm around campus and at the law school, which can still be felt today. Many students (both law students and from other departments) are interested in supporting local agriculture and are active with issues such as the national farm bill or city policies on urban livestock.

Eugene, and the surrounding area, supports many farmers, both small and large, who sell their vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, honey, grains, and more at one of several farmers markets in town. Some of the markets even run all year. For more information on local farms and restaurants in Eugene that support local farmers see: http://www.lanefood.org/home.php

Federal Circuit Visits Oregon Law

2011-10-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit visited Oregon for the very first time, hearing arguments across the state. They visited Oregon Law and heard oral arguments in three cases, all of which were open to the public for observation. Even more, the judges and attorneys stayed after the argument to answer questions for law students--what a fascinating experience! I had to write a reaction paper for a class, a portion of which I thought I'd share on this blog:

"The arguments themselves were definitely the highlight, though, with two cases about patent law and another case with a substantial Administrative Law question. The third case was by far the most straightforward; with some background in Administrative Law (a class I took second year about how administrative agencies--for example, the EPA--work), it is much easier to put the question into context.

"And it is not surprising that the administrative law question came up, either—I can imagine, with the subject matter dealt with by the court (the Federal Circuit has special topics that it can cover, unlike other, more general courts), that questions of administrative law come up all the time. I often think of Administrative Law solely in an environmental regulatory context, so it was good to realize the breadth of areas in which administrative agencies play a tremendous role. And for good reason, right? It’s hard to imagine another way to structure a regulatory system that would preserve the level of expertise provided by an agency and the level of regulation needed, in many cases, to protect industry and the public more generally. Watching the judges—among the experts in the field—themselves struggle with the questions presented in the first two cases seemed indicative of this fact."

SEE?? The law is so super cool, and the Federal Circuit arguments were definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Oregon Law and the students here. (That's not to say that other, even cooler, things won't come along next year--they most certainly will.)

Nadia

Howdy Y'all

2011-10-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

Howdy Ya’ll!

Fall is official here...and as the rain rolls in my mind wonders back to the 100 plus degree days of summer. I spent my summer in sizzling Austin, Texas interning at LIVESTRONG. Going to Austin was an exciting prospect as I had never been to Austin let alone Texas. This summer was an experience I will never forget! And even though I had never imagined myself in Texas, after my summer in Austin I am considering taking the Texas Bar.

Work All Day

Standing next to Lance Armstrong's 7 Yellow Jerseys from winning the Tour de France

At LIVESTRONG I worked as a Health Policy intern helping the foundation with researching and writing about their position on state, national, and global health policies. I wrote articles for magazines and other publications about the importance of making sure states and countries have health policices and legislation that ensure their citizens have adequate access to health care and medication. Particularly I assisted the Policy director with preparations for the UN Summit on non-communicable diseases which took place September 19-20 in New York City. My experience at LIVESTRONG introduced me to non-profit work and healthcare policy and law. My legal and general career interests still lie in Sports and Entertainment Law, but this summer made me realize there are other areas still related to sports and entertainment that can really make a positive change in the world.

Additionally, every staff member and intern was extremely nice and welcoming - the nonprofit culture was something that I really enjoyed. The office even had its own gym and daily lunchtime yoga!

Play All Night

Me and my roommates and our friends about to Texas Two Step at Broken Spoke

While work was fun and interesting I fell in love with Austin over the summer because all of the things to do and the overall vibe of the city! (Warning: I am about do some shameless promotion about the city of Austin.) Austin - being the live music capital - had live music going almost every night of the week at some of the coolest venues! I was able to catch Raphael Saadiq and GirlTalk live in concert. Austin has many opportunites to be outside, even when it is 106 degrees. I went paddle boarding on Lady Bird Lake, wake boarding on Lake Travis, and tubing on the Guadalupe River. The nightlife offered something for everyone! East 6th street had the bars for the University of Texas students and West 6th was where you could find the 20 and 30 something yuppies. I was even able to learn some Texas two-step at Broken Spoke dance hall!

My law school buddies came to visit me! At a Bar on E 6th Street with Nicole and Shehn.

Austin is the perfect mix of young people and families. Wednesday evenings at Zilker park you would find college students, families with young children, and traveling hippies mingling and listening to the weekly Blues on the Green. Additionally, Austin has some of the most delicious food around, everything you could imagine...vegan, Tex Mex, Japanese, Italian, anything!

Moral of the Story

I am about to throw some cliche knowledge at you! Sometimes the unexpected turns out to be the best. So in law school and in life, this summer has taught that sometimes it is best to just say “yes” and go with it!

Myself, Shehn, and Nicole taking a jumping in front of the Capital in Austin! [May or may not have been at 2am.]

Summer Wrap-up

2011-08-24T14:13:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that the fall semester is upon us already. This summer has been an amazing blur of moving, bar exam study (my husband), summer classes, new jobs/externships, and settling into life in our new town of Durango, CO. We've had some great adventures (see above photo from a recent hiking trip).

Although classes began this week at Oregon Law, I'm still in Colorado and will be for the remainder of the semester. Instead of taking classes, I'm completing a 14 week externship through the school for full academic credit. It's a great way to get hands on experience with legal work and a nice reprieve from the normal lecture and exam schedule. I am working for an attorney based in Durango who specializes in criminal defense and tribal law.

Although my externship has just begun, it's already been incredibly rewarding and a great learning experience. I've gotten to meet with clients, learn some of the basic statutes that we'll be working with every day, observed hearings, met with county judges, and attended my first trial! The bulk of our work takes place on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation in Towoac, Colorado. My mentor is one of the few attorneys allowed to work in this community and he's built a great relationship with the local court. Last week I attended my first in-custody hearings and helped out with my first trial. It was especially enlightening to compare the tribal setting with county or district court (all I had experienced to date). For example, in the tribal court one of the biggest difficulties consists of finding enough people from the venire to impanel a jury. Many of the members of the tribe were verbally reluctant to judge another tribal member and protested having to participate. Even more members of the jury believed they were related to the defendant or the victim/witness. In the end, the judge declared a mistrial because we couldn't find 6 jurors to sit on the jury panel. Although this was a pseudo-victory for our client, it was difficult to feel as though it was fully earned and somewhat disheartening to see that much work is needed to make this system function.

All in all, I can see that this is going to be a great experience and feel lucky to be placed in such an interesting and unique externship. More to come as I continue to delve into the murky world of criminal law...

Halfway already?!

2011-07-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, we managed to hit the midway point of summer break and in counting the weeks left, I am slightly amazed by how fast it has flown by.

Six weeks ago, I began an internship with an international rule of law development consulting firm in San Francisco. The firm partners with organizations, typically USAID, the State Department, and, occasionally, the UN Development Program, in establishing rule of law systems in specific countries. Rule of law systems can entail anything from further judicial training, establishing civil society organizations, and further developing court administration systems. For example, I recently saw pictures from a court in Moldova where the “filing system” was no more than stacks and stacks of paper on a bookshelf. One project we would be working on, if our proposal is accepted, would be to work with software developers in establishing a functional filing system. In the last weeks, I have worked on proposals for Macedonia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Sri Lanka.

As the Proposal Development Intern, I am responsible for editing the proposals we draft, assist in finding and preparing consultants to travel, and basically do the last minute “how did we forget that” projects. I’ve been given quite a bit of responsibility and have yet had to make a coffee run for anyone except myself. I’ve also been lucky enough to work on more than just proposals. The firm has many active projects, including an Access to Justice program in Iraq, and I have edited several of the program assessments including an evaluation of services provided widows and a proposal on how to strengthen law school clinics.

While juggling work, I am also planning the 2011 Oregon Review of International Law conference in partnership with the Morse Center. So far, it’s going off without a hitch and we are all looking forward to this year’s theme entitled Third World Approaches to International Law: Capitalism and the Common Good.

I find myself dreading the end of summer as I enjoy the 90 degree weather in the Bay Area, adventures with friends, and work that I find myself enjoying doing.

Summer School

2011-06-30T17:54:00.001-07:00

Greetings! I wanted to provide a short update on where I've been since I left Oregon in May. I'm spending the summer taking courses through the University of Utah, SJ Quinney College of Law. Perhaps not the most exciting of choices, but taking classes allows me to stay on track with my plan to graduate in December. And, I'm almost there! The reason I ended up in Utah is because my husband got a job with a law firm in Durango, CO and I wanted to be in close(r) proximity to our new home. Also, Utah offers intensive summer courses, including several week-long classes, so this program afforded me the flexibility I needed.

It's been a busy but rewarding summer. I took a two-week course called "Drafting Contracts," where we learned the basics of drafting and completed exercises. I enjoyed the hands-on aspect of this class and feel like I gained some transferable skills. To my surprise, I really enjoyed learning how to craft language to achieve specific objectives. I also learned that almost anything can be construed as vague language, so drafters must be careful and diligent.

My impressions of Salt Lake City are mostly positive - I love the mountain vistas and access to running trails. I haven't had much time to explore the city itself, but hope to when I return for the last week of classes in mid-July. After that, I'll be done with law school courses and have only a 14 week internship to complete before I can graduate. I'll be starting in August so more on that soon...Ciao!

Summer in Washington!

2011-06-25T06:16:00.000-07:00

Greetings, from Washington, D.C.! I'm spending the summer working for Beveridge & Diamond, an environmental and land use law firm in Washington. This summer has been really fascinating, getting to live in the nation's capital, being in the center of everything, and getting some really great experience in environmental law. So far, I've been able to work on large research projects about areas of law more generally (like negligence, failure to warn, certain statutory causes of action in various states, etc.) and some more discrete questions of law -- including constitutional law! -- in jurisdictions across the country. It has been fantastic.

There are three Summer Associates at my firm--myself, a student from George Washington Law, and a student from Vermont Law. We all work together really well (though we don't really work together that often) and have been able to do some really fun stuff here in D.C. together. Last week, B&D let us take a cooking class after work. (Yum!) Next week, we are going on a kayaking trip on the Potomac and a hiking trip in Virginia.

I'd definitely recommend checking out opportunities in Washington, D.C. for at least a summer in law school. I think there are about 7 or 8 UO students here, so there are a number of resource you can use to get advice on how to find an opportunity. I'm happy to share my approach!

Enjoy the sun, and stay cool!

Nadia

Legislative Issues Seminar in Salem

2011-04-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesdays at the Oregon State Capitol ...

This semester, I was able to spend every Wednesday in Salem at the Oregon state capitol. This is another one of the (many) outstanding opportunities created for students at UO law to help expose students to the lawmaking and policy making process.

The Legislative Issues seminar, taught by former Dean of Career Services Merv Loya and President Emeritus Dave Frohnmayer, is offered, at least until this year, every two years (during each legislative session). The seminar meets just few times throughout the semester to hear panel presentations and small group discussions from lawyers, legislative counsel, lobbyists, agency heads, and other individuals involved in the Oregon legislative process. Each student in the class also spends at least one full day each week in Salem, either with a state senator, a representative, a lobbyists, or perhaps a state agency office.

I have spent every Wednesday this week working for a state senator. The experience has been fantastic -- the senator sits on four different committees (Education; Judiciary; General Government, Small Business, and Consumer Protection; and Redistricting) and sets aside a number of interesting projects that I can work on while both in Salem and in Eugene. I've had the chance to work directly with Legislative Counsel to draft amendments to proposed bills, meet with lobbyists to discuss strategies and policy implications of proposed legislation, meet with constituents to discuss concerns, perform legal research for the senator, and sit in on public hearings, work sessions, and Senate floor sessions. I have developed great relationships with the senator and her staff, and I have been able to learn and better understand the lawmaking process in Oregon. The seminar really is a great experience, and now that the legislature will meet annually, it may be an opportunity for even more students!

Eugene and its Wine!

2011-04-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

Oregon has a love affair with wine, and with good reason. The growing season is so long and the weather so relatively mild that several vineyards can really thrive. This past week, the Law and Entrepreneurship Student Association (LESA) sponsored a fantastic panel discussion called Law of Wine. All the local wineries are represented and a representative from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the regulatory agency for the state's wine businesses. They bring tons of pretty fantastic wine and talk to the students about all the legal implications involved in running a vineyard. This was my first time attending, and I was upset that I hadn't gone as a 1L or 2L.

One of my favorite wineries in town is Sweet Cheeks Winery. Everyone who works there is super friendly and knowledgeable. And one of the best things about Sweet Cheeks is that they are not pretentious in the least. Once the weather gets nice (and it is now) they sponsor live music on Friday evenings. Some friends and I went this past weekend to take in some sun and music. We brought some cheese, smoked salmon, and fruit. We hung out for a few hours on the patio after the complementary tasting and enjoyed the band. It really is one of the best things about living in Eugene.

Trial Practice

2011-04-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

This semester I enrolled in a course called "Trial Practice." I would highly recommend this course to all students, especially those with even the slightest interest in litigation. In fact, even if you don't think you will ever find yourself in a courtroom after your J.D., this course is still useful. Trial Practice teaches a number of critical skills, such as how to improve your public speaking skills and how to create a coherent argument from a complicated set of facts.

There are few things that set this class apart from most of my other law school classes. First, the course is highly practical. There is some reading, but the majority of learning is in the form of weekly workshops, led by local practitioners. During each workshop students practice delivering opening and closing statements, learn how to conduct direct and cross examinations of witnesses, and how to deal with experts and enter exhibits into evidence.

Second, this course is incredibly rewarding. Each component of the course is well thought out and designed to teach students an important skill. The progression makes sense - by the end of the class most of us felt absolutely amazed at the amount of information we had learned and the skills we gained.

Third, the trial! The course culminates a three hour trial at the beautiful federal courthouse. Students work in pairs of two and are assigned a case to work on. Each pair is responsible for writing a pretrial memorandum and submitting all sorts of related documents, including voir dire questionnaires and Motions in Limine. Students then prepare opening and closing arguments and direct and cross examinations of witnesses. The trial is pretty realistic, it's formal and there is a judge and jury. The jury deliberates at the end in front of everyone, which is a great way to learn what part of your case you were most or least convincing at!

Here is a photo of the beautiful federal courthouse in Eugene, where our trial was held:

Since I just finished my final trial, I thought I would write a little bit about the experience. I was assigned a murder case, State v. Hudson. My partner and I represented the prosecution. We worked incredibly hard, in fact I just now feel like I have time to breathe and catch up on all my other classes. It's one of those all-consuming experiences. Writing the pretrial documents was challenging but really helped us to get a grasp of the issues. Meeting with our judge and arguing for what evidence should be admitted was also great experience and I really cemented my knowledge of evidence in the process. Looking back, even though the trial was just last Monday, it seems like a total blur. The anticipation was probably the most difficult, I felt pretty nervous to stand up in front of everyone and argue our case. But once we got going I really felt like we found a groove and the course had prepared us well for every step of the process.

As a final note, I want to mention that our wonderful professor, Leslie Baker, is retiring and won't be teaching Trial Practice next year. She was a fabulous instructor and this is certainly a huge loss for our school. So I want to thank Professor Baker for a great class! We all wish you well in your (much-deserved) retirement!

2011 Public Interest Environmental Law Conference

2011-03-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Another great conference event at the University of Oregon School of Law. Last weekend (March 3 through 6), the Land Air Water environmental student group hosted the 2011 Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (more commonly known as PIELC). The conference, which is entirely student-run, is in its 29th year on campus, and brings together some of the worlds most passionate environmental attorneys, students, professors, activists, and community members. During PIELC over 1500 conference participants descend upon Knight Law School to engage in very substantive and solution-oriented discussions about the leading environmental questions that face our community, our country, and the globe.

The conference was planned by six students (myself included!) and takes a full year to take shape. This year's theme, Turning the Tides: Creating a Green and Clean Future, was particularly solution-driven, asking participants to discuss new ideas, formulate agreements, and develop ways to move forward from our environmental downfalls of the past. We talked about tar sands, food sovereignty, capitalism and its effect on the environment, Citizens United, the Gulf oil spill, public lands grazing, and hundreds of other important topics. We heard from keynote speakers Vandana Shiva (sitting as the Wayne Morse Chair for Law and Politics this spring), Arjun Makhijani of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, Jeremy Wates of the Aarhus Convention and the European Environmental Bureau, Bruce Nilles of the Sierra Club, and many more. In fact, the entire keynote and panelist line-up can be found at the conference website: http://www.pielc.org/pages/home.html.

One of the best parts? The PIELC conference is free for students! We had a number of students from schools as far away as Vermont, Canada, and Puerto Rico attend the conference this year. Some of our panelists traveled from Thailand, and our keynote speakers from Cuba, Ireland, and cities across the United States. This conference is the largest and oldest student-run conference of its kind in the world, and it truly is a forum for the world's current and future leaders to implement change.

Check out the cover of last week's Eugene Weekly for a fantastic article featuring this year's PIELC Conference Co-Directors: http://www.eugeneweekly.com/.

A Day at the 9th Circuit

2011-03-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday a group of second year law students had a unique experience. We traveled up to Portland to watch arguments in front of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, at the beautiful Pioneer Courthouse (see below).

In addition to the excitement of simply being at the beautiful courthouse in downtown Portland, the arguments (three in all) were fascinating and covered a range of issues. The first argument was an appeal from an Islamic Charity whose assets had been frozen by the government with little warning or explanation. Professor David Cole from Georgetown Law argued for the plaintiffs and we were generally agreed that he presented a powerful and eloquent appeal on behalf of his clients, the nonprofit organization. The court allotted 30 minutes for each side because of the complexity of the case, so we were fortunate to have a more in-depth perspective on the factual and legal issues before the court. All of the arguments were truly fascinating. Personally, I learned a great deal about appellate advocacy just by listening to the different attorneys. After the arguments, we had the opportunity to ask questions of the Judges and their law clerks. We got some insights into how the court runs behind the scenes and the way in which judges approach each case.

The day culminated in a luncheon with the judges, their clerks, and several district court judges from the Portland area. Dean Moffitt made a brief speech and there was plenty of time to talk informally among the group. Overall, we felt pretty lucky to have had such a unique opportunity. I’m guessing the opportunity also inspired many students to consider clerking when they finish law school as well. For me, this may not be in the cards since I’m moving to such a remote area. But after this experience, you can be sure I’ll jump at the chance if it ever seems like it might be a possibility . . .

2011 Food Justice Conference

2011-02-24T18:44:00.000-08:00

By far, one of the most outstanding events that I've had the privilege of attending as a Wayne Morse Fellow and a University of Oregon law student. This conference, which happened just this weekend and early this week, brought together more individuals committed to food justice, sustainability, and principles of food sovereignty than I could have imagined were out there. Dr. Frederick Kirschenmann, from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture gave an incredible opening plenary on Saturday night, bringing his experiences, lessons, and visions from the farming communities in Iowa to address the issue of food sovereignty in the changing world that we live in today. Dr. Vandana Shiva, in residence as the Wayne Morse Center's Resident Scholar (wow!), gave the closing address. I sat in on one (among many) panels made up of young, eager, urban farmers, greenhorns (http://www.thegreenhorns.net/), and individuals leading the charge in a movement towards micro-livestock. Like I said, a fascinating, vision-creating, and inspiring event led by our own University of Oregon students and faculty. You really can't get this anywhere else. Check out more at: http://waynemorsecenter.uoregon.edu/foodjustice/program/index.htm.

Wild and Scenic Film Festival

2011-02-23T09:16:00.001-08:00

Last night, Cascadia Wildlands hosted its fourth annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival at the U of O campus. A group of friends headed over to Agate Alley before the festival for some winter warmers and dinner. We headed to the festival a few minutes late, and arrived to a packed house of 500+ outdoor enthusiasts, students and community members. Gathered in front of a HUGE movie screen, we packed into the aisles of the venue to watch some excellent skiing, hiking, and fishing films from all over the world.

http://www.cascwild.org/wildscenic11.html

By far the highlight of the night, at least for me, was Eastern Rises, a fly fishing comedy about a trip to the Kamchatka panhandle in Eastern Russia. Funny characters, outlandish stories, massive fish, and some bigfoot fanaticism all came together to produce the best fly fishing film I've seen in a very long time. If the Wild & Scenic Film tour comes through your neighborhood, I'd highly recommend you check it out.

Part of what makes life at Oregon Law so amazing is the multitude of resources we can draw upon from the larger university community. When I was applying for law school, it's what made Oregon stand out from some of the smaller schools I was considering. From film festivals to craft center workshops to club sports teams, there's no excuse to be bored when you're in Eugene.

2011 OLSPIF Auction

2011-02-22T11:13:00.000-08:00

Every year, Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund (OLSPIF) hosts an auction to raise money to fund summer programs for students who participate in public interest work during break. The Auction is attended by students, faculty and staff of the Law School, and local attorneys. This year, OLSPIF raised about $35,000 to be awarded to multiple students for summer internships.

While in the past, the Auction has been held in the law school with Professor Lininger leading the live auction in Room 175, this year the Auction was held at the Eugene Country Club. Everyone was dressed to impress in cocktail attire, and I even saw one floor length gown.

Among the items auctioned off during the live auction were a week's stay in Argentina, a weekend in Mexico, and a spa weekend in Portland. Highly popular items that were hotly contested were a Wine night with newly appointed-Dean Moffitt and his wife, a night of French Cuisine with Professor Mooney and his wife, and a Karaoke night with Professors Greenman, Reynolds and Chinn. The silent auction was just as diverse in its options; my friends and I won a home-cooked New Orleans dinner made by a fellow classmate and my mother knit a scarf, hat and mittens that a professor won. I heard of highly competitive bids between Dean Paris and a current 3L for a Korean dinner cooked by a fellow 2L.

In the past, the Auction has been one of the most popular and widely attended school events, and this year was no different. I look forward to seeing what OLSPIF pulls together next year!

A little mountain fun!

2011-02-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

What's so great about the beginning of the semester -- the chances you have to get out and see Oregon. What an incredible place! Please, before your life gets too busy, get out and enjoy it!

Mount Bachelor, January 2011.

2011 Sports and Entertainment Law Conference

2011-01-31T22:43:00.000-08:00

Hello! I am totally going to use this blog to brag about - what I think - is the most amazing group in the law school. The group I am managing director for, SELF....!

On Friday January 28th, the Sports and Entertainment Law Forum hosted the 2011 Sports and Entertainment Law Conference at the White Stage building in Portland, Oregon.

The conference featured five different panels that discussed business and legal topics in the Sports and Entertainment industries. The five panels are listed below:

1. MMA: The legal aspects of an e

merging sport.

2. Headed North: Pacific Northwest Professional Sports Teams

3. North[west] Hollywood: Entertainment and Music Law in the Northwest

4. Sports Business and the Law

5. Sports Agents and Compli

ance Issues.

Each panel featured experts from the respective industries who went into detail about the legal concerns in the industry,

career prospects, the current hot button topics of the moment, and much more. For example, in the MMA panel, the panelists and moderators discussed the legalization of the sport - since not all states in the US allow MMA. The Entertainment panel spoke about breaking into the industry and the opportunities in the Northwest for a meaningful entertainment practice.

The last panel of the day featured former NFL agent, Josh Luchs, who famously confessed to Sports Illustrated he pai

d college players against NCAA compliance ru

les. Along with Luchs, the panel featured a former UO football player, Keenan Howry and two university compliance officers. The conference and this panel got coverage in the Oregonian as well!

The conference room at the White Stag was filled with law students from all three Oregon law schools, business people, lawyers, professors, undergraduates, business students, reporters and more. It was a long day, full of information, but even at 4:30, the room was

packed! Stay tuned to www.oregonselc.com for more information about next years conference and video and pictures from this year!

Until we meet again...

Working for the Weekend

2011-01-31T12:13:00.000-08:00

Going to law school has its perks. In particular, you can take advantage of the beautiful law library here at the U of O. Like many other students here, I have been working with a professor this year doing research and other projects. This semester, I am designing assignments for students in a business tax class.

With the extra work, though, comes extra time in the library here at school. Third and second-year law students don't have classes scheduled on Fridays, so the school is usually very quiet on Friday mornings. That makes it a great time to come into school and get some work for professors done while the law library is less crowded.

This past Friday, I came and worked throughout the day as Oregon was enjoying a sunny respite from the winter weather. If you can't be outside playing in the sun, it helps to be somewhere you can still enjoy it. Not only is our library fairly new and comfortable, but the large windows throughout the library make studying inside more tolerable when warm weather comes. The weather has been incredible this week and the library windows provided me ample sunshine and views of the surrounding trees. While it's hard not to be tempted to drop all my books and go hit the trails, at least I get the warm sun shining on me as I work my tax code magic.

Reason #437 Why Oregon Rules!

2011-01-24T18:35:00.001-08:00

Winter steelhead and salmon fishing on the Oregon Coast...

Options

2011-01-19T07:32:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the greatest part about being in school is the multitude of different experiences it provides. While working 8-5pm brings structure and regularity, the freedom of law school has allowed me to explore new activities and involvements and ask questions I may have been too focused on my daily routine to consider "in the real world." I've witnessed similar revelations in the lives of many of my classmates and I've come to the conclusion that such explorations are part of what makes law school such a valuable experience.

While this sentiment might seem a little tardy and many of you might be thinking that college was the appropriate time for such changes, I would argue that most of us are too inexperienced/naive in undergrad to grasp the "big picture" of how fun, family, and career fit together. With a few years of work under our belts, law school provides a time to make adjustments in priorities and delve into new career interests that may not have been attainable with a 40-hour a week (or more) daily grind.

I came to law school with a fairly well-defined sense of what I hoped to accomplish with my shiny new law degree after graduation. In the year and a half I've spent at Oregon Law, those aspirations have flown out the window and have been replaced by new goals which are clearer representations of the things I value and the life I want to lead. So, to those of you considering legal studies, my advice would be to come to law school with clear goals and the dedication to achieve them, but also, the flexibility to allow them to shift and change as you explore your options.

J-Term

2011-01-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

Prospective students may not be aware that Oregon Law offers classes during the January term. Each winter, the week before the spring semester begins, students can elect to take a one week, one credit intensive course. The topics vary widely, from Tribal Law to Entertainment Law to State Administrative Law (the last one taught by the University of Oregon's former dean!). The benefit of taking a one week intensive course is that students get to study one subject in-depth while getting an additional credit under their belt.

In the midst of my 1L year I didn't feel like I stomach additional coursework. However, this year, because I intend to graduate early, I decided to take a J-term class. I ended up enrolling "Law Practice Management," taught by an instructor from the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund. The class seemed very practical because it was intended to provide students with a sense of how to go about setting up your own practice after law school. Over the course of a week, we talked about many topics, including big picture financial considerations, including how to set your fees for service, as well as the smaller details, such as where to locate your office and how to furnish it. Many of the concepts were completely new to me. And, I'll admit that I'm still as daunted about the prospect of starting my own practice as I was before I took the class.

Although many students in the class agreed that we weren't ready to think about starting our own practice just yet, I would venture a guess that at some point down the road at least a few of us will call on the resources we acquired in Law Practice Management to take steps towards this goal. And, I think we are all now slightly more prepared for that day, because we are aware of what we don't know and the things we would need to figure out before we start.

Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

2011-01-17T22:54:00.000-08:00

Aloha!

(The title of the blog post means: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, in Hawaiian).

So we meet again...a new semester before us!

The reward for working so hard during the semester is a nice five week "break"! I use the term lo

osely because talk to any of my 2L friends and they'll tell you they learned one

valuable lesson this winter break...do not volunteer to do work for school over break.

Don't get me wrong, being ambitious is great! I mean, that is why we are all

in law school. But remember that you need some time to unwind!

While I was able to travel a lot this break I wish I would have not been involved in so many activities and had more time to spend with my friends and family. I was in Hawai'i for the first two weeks of break, then San Francisco, then Wisconsin! It was great fun, but I was doing a lot work on the plane rides.

I was mainly working on a tr

ademark moot court brief and organizing the 2011 Sports and Entertainment Law Conference! (attend this! It is going to be AMAZING!) Luckily, all the work I was doing were things that I enjoy and the industries / fields I want to work in!

So moral of the story, don't take on too much over break!

Hugs, Kisses, and Puppies,

Kira

Last Game at Mac Court

2011-01-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

I went to the last game at Mac Court on Saturday. It was a women's basketball game, and UO won. I have only been to about 5 games at Mac Court, but I really like the facility. Mac Court is an OLD arena on the Oregon campus that feels so much like a high school gym. The stands come right down to the floor, and the upper stands go right up to the ceiling. I think that if the upper stands were ever full, the highest fans would actually have their heads pressed against the roof.

Like football, students get free tickets to basketball games. Unlike football, students don't have to reserve them in advance for women's basketball games. I like that setup, because I will often decide on gameday whether or not I have time to watch a game.

It is being replaced by a HUGE new facility called Matt Court. Matt Court opens this month, and there will be both men's and women's basketball games, as well as PYROTECHNICS and CONCERTS. Everybody is all atwitter over the fact that Elton John will be playing in February! Big show for Eugene. The new arena has gotten some flack for being so HUGE, EXPENSIVE, and SHINY. However, it does seem like Mac Court has passed its prime and it is fitting for the University to have a more state-of-the-art facility. It certainly does grab your attention when you arrive in Eugene from the East.

Boredom?!

2011-01-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

In the last week, I had three fellow OLaw students tell me they were bored. I wanted to scratch my head when they said it. We had all spent the last month of fall semester daydreaming about all the things we wanted to do over break - read novels, watch movies and trash tv, spend time with friends and family. And to a large degree, do NOTHING.

As you can imagine, when they all complained of boredom, I wondered, first, if it was just a plight limited to OLaw students or if it was universal; and second, why they couldn't find ways to entertain themselves.

Not many hours after my classmates complained of boredom, my best friend, a 3L at UCLA law, had the same complaint - that he wanted to get back to school and "his life".

Now, they may all be complaining, but I am more than happy to fully enjoy the next week without classes. Granted, I will be working on the last of my International Moot Court brief, job applications, cleaning my apartment, and watching the Ducks smash Auburn in the National Championship, but at least I won't be complaining of boredom.

Eugene Marathon

2011-01-06T11:38:00.001-08:00

I am addicted to signing up for things. This realization came about in undergrad when I joined about 23 clubs during the first two weeks of my first year. I've grown since then, and I try to limit my obligations as much as possible, but sometimes I can't resist. This time, it is the Eugene Marathon. Many people have asked "why?" and I have no good answer. I'm not a runner. I've never run a race...not even a 5K. I don't know the jargon. I don't have the fancy running equipment (body glide? Really?!?!). And I can't even tell you that I run regularly. So, I have no idea why I did it, but I paid $85 to find out if I like running. Marathons. Yes, it would have made sense to start with a half-marathon or a 10K, but clearly logic escaped me on the day I made an impulse decision and registered online.

Anyway, I'm a week into training, and I'm sore. About halfway through each run I ask "why did I think this was a good idea?" but then by the time I have finished the run I feel accomplished and ... exhausted. I am hoping that by the second or third week I will stop being sore and start looking forward to the runs. In the meantime, I'll "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming..." Finding Nemo, anyone?

Winter Break

2011-01-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Law students seem to sort of go into a trance at the beginning of winter break... their brains are fried and they are stunned by the seemingly vast amounts of time stretching before them with no papers due, no class reading, and no impending finals. I usually use that time to catch up on a haircut, get outside to ski, take my (self-labeled) neglected dogs for many walks, and start working through the piles of laundry that accumulated during finals. By Christmas I am usually coming out of the fog and dressing in something other than sweatpants everyday. New Year's brings the anticipation of the elusive "awesome, once-in-a-lifetime, outrageous" evening that it never actually turns out to be, and then we start barreling toward Spring semester. Of course, I squeezed in a 10-day trip to Colorado for which I rented a mini-van and drove through the snowy western U.S. to bring my dogs to my parents house (I wouldn't fly with them and don't want to ask anyone to babysit for that long). But here I am, staring down the barrel of January-term classes, which start next week. Winter break has been fun, and I have gotten in some good leisure reading, hiking, skiing, and plenty of sleep, but I'm ready to get going on my LAST semester of law school. I hope you had a happy holiday of your preference and your new year is off to a great start!

Skiing out of bounds...

2011-01-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about life in Eugene, Oregon is accessibility to mountains. During the hectic semesters, I often forget that just one hour from the rainy Willamette Valley you can find beautiful powder, perfect for showshoes, skis, or whatever preferred winter footwear might be. Just two days after finals were over, my husband and I (along with our dog), headed East up towards Willamette Pass. In the midst of a winter storm, we found a quiet wonderland of snow, perfect for backcountry skiing! I felt alive again, as we trekked up towards Mt. Fuji (Oregon's version), working our way through piles of deep powder and drinking in the quiet of a winter storm in the woods. Here are some photos from our adventure...

Telemark skies (with skins on the bottom) to help us climb up the steep slopes.

On the Waldo Lake road, heading towards the trailhead.

Zoe (our dog, aka "snow antelope") rests along the way.

Thank Goodness for Winter Break

2010-12-23T16:28:00.001-08:00

I've been home almost a week now, and officially on winter break for a week and a half. Despite working on the International Moot Court Competition for most of break, I'm hoping that it will be as amazing as last year's but with a bowl game win at the end of it!

November passed by in a whirlwind. I came home mid-month for the CAL game, a friend's birthday celebration, and because I knew that if I came home for Thanksgiving, I wouldn't crack my books once. I then spent my first Thanksgiving away from home. Despite the fact that I was surrounded by good friends and my brother, it still felt odd. Going home after dinner to study for my ConLaw 2 final was a bit of a let down as well.

The beginning of December was nothing but finals, and I seem to have repressed those memories already. All I have to show for the 10 days is tabbed books and colorful outlines. The rest of the month is going to be busy - between writing for Moot Court, I will be celebrating Christmas in San Francisco as a tourist with my family and oldest friends. I'm celebrating the New Year with some Law Ducks (including Kira) and old friends. And then will be returning to Eugene in time to watch the National Championship game.

And then will start prepping for the next semester, but that's a long ways off and something I am avoiding putting any thought into.

Oregon Blues

2010-11-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

The other night, I just had to get out of the library. You know, finals approaching, students are stressed, I'd had just a little too much coffee to keep me focused on that Criminal Investigation reading, and all of a sudden I realized I just needed to move. To get out of the school, possibly out of Eugene, just for a few hours. Before this all really stars.

And this is one of the best things about living in Oregon. Our proximity to the Pacific coast, and to a portion of the Pacific coast that is just absolutely breathtaking, has been a small part of this law school experience for me. To take a peaceful, winding drive through the coastal range, and to sit on a sand beach and watch the sun set behind the sea stacks and lighthouses ... what an experience. So that's what I did. One more time, before the final push to December really starts, I took a break. And I really recommend it.

I'm not a doctor, but I played one in a trial!

2010-11-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had an unusual experience: I sat in a witness chair at the Federal Courthouse. I gave testimony and was cross examined. Not many people get to experience this in their lifetime and I probably never will again, but it was an exciting experience and taught me a lot about what it's like to participate in a trial (and not as an attorney).

UO Law offers a course called "Trial Practice." Each semester, Professor Leslie Baker, a former Multnomah County DA and Assistant US Attorney in Eugene, teaches the class to 40 lucky students. The course meets twice a week, one day a week for a lecture and one day to "workshop" skills the students learn. (Note: I'm not in the class this semester, but my husband is).

The class culminates in a final mock trial held at the beautiful Federal Courthouse in downtown Eugene. Students get to choose whether to try a civil or criminal case and often get their choice of which side to work for. My husband chose to serve as the defense attorney in a civil trial. The trial was about a breast cancer patient who alleged that her radiologist was negligent. The student-attorneys for each side were required to find volunteers to serve as jurors and witnesses, which is how I found myself on the witness stand testifying as one of the patient's doctors!

I learned a great deal from volunteering for the mock trial. First, I am definitely going to take this class next semester, especially after seeing my husband get to apply all the skills he learned in class to the trial and what a rewarding experience that was for him. In fact, all of the student-attorneys did a great job - it was obvious they worked very hard preparing for the trial. Second, being a witness is difficult! While I was testifying, I felt extremely nervous and it was difficult at times to answer questions. I felt myself searching the faces of people in the courtroom to try and assess how I was doing - I don't recommend this! Finally, I learned that attorneys have to keep track of an incredible amount of information during each part of the trial. There was not a moment when the four students weren't on their toes, either objecting to certain conduct or questions, or noting specific arguments with the goal of incorporating them into later questions or their closing arguments.

In sum, what a great experience! I highly recommend volunteering for mock trials as a witness or juror and then taking this class. This is a very unique learning opportunity and I can't think of a better way to see if trial work is right for you.

I will post again with more perspective when I get to work on my own trial this spring!

OSB Sustainable Futures Section Celebration

2010-11-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

On Monday night, the Oregon State Bar Sustainable Futures Section held it's first annual awards celebration at Ater Wynne, LLP in downtown Portland. I was lucky enough to attend the event, which included remarks from US Representative Earl Blumenauer as well as a tour of Ater Wynne's impressive new LEED Gold offices.

The event got me excited for the Green Business Initiative Student Association's spring symposium, which will be held this year on April 1st at the UO's White Stag Block in Portland. GBISA is working with both the OSB Sustainable Futures Section and the Lane County Bar Association Environmental Law Committee to host CLE events in Eugene and Portland leading up to the symposium. The symposium itself will explore sustainable steps out of Oregon's down economy by hosting four panels with experts in energy efficient building retrofits, government promotion of sustainable practices, sustainable supply chain management, and emerging green business leaders in Oregon.

It's encouraging to see more attention being devoted to sustainability in the legal profession and exciting to live in a region that's leading the nation in green business development.

Aloe Blacc at Mississippi St. Studios

2010-10-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

In preparation for finals looming a few weeks away, I've decided the upcoming week should be used for relaxation purposes. Heading up to Portland on Thursday evening for a show at Mississippi St. Studios. One of my favorite venues, Mississippi is in Northeast Portland and provides a cozy venue for all kinds of acts on their journey through Oregon. Aloe Blacc is playing this Thursday, which should make for a great time.

http://www.blogotheque.net/Aloe-Blacc,5671

I didn't get a football ticket for Friday's game against the Huskies, so perhaps I can use the day to catch up after the Portland trip. OR, if the weather isn't awful, I may head over to the McKenzie for some late-season trout fishing. Anyone interested in fly fishing during their time in Eugene should check out the Caddis Fly's blog at http://oregonflyfishingblog.com/ for helpful tips, classes, and updates on fishing conditions in the Willamette Valley.

It Gets Better

2010-10-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

In response to the recent incidences of bullying throughout the country, especially bullying of LGBTQ children and adults, the LGBTQ student group at Oregon Law made this video. Huge credit goes to our current President, Zach Smallwood. Enjoy!

Happenings

2010-10-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since I last posted! The best part of attending law school at Oregon is the amount of events that you canparticipate in when you are not reading till your eyes bleed.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I am the managing director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Forum. Last week, we had the amazing opportunity for Rich Cho, the general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers, to come and given a lunch time talk about his job and his journey to GM. Mr. Cho received his law degree from Pepperdine University, he was able to give a unique perspective to students who might end up using their law degree to pursue a career outside of the legal world.

This season of NCAA Football has been amazing...! Especially for the Ducks! [At the time of this posting the Ducks are #2 in the BCS and #1 in the human polls]. As a grad student at Oregon you get free tickets to the home football games. This is a great way to take a break and attend one of the best football stadiums in the country.

The Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund [OLSPIF] throws a fundraiser in the form of a 80s party! OLSPIF helps to financial supports law students who pursue public interest. The money made from the party goes to assist students through stipends for summer employment with public interest jobs.

Catch you next week!

Night Away in Portland

2010-10-18T09:11:00.001-07:00

One of the advantages of living in Eugene is that as law students, we're still able to get away to Portland for an evening but are not constantly tempted by the actual advantages of living in a big city that can prove distracting to students.

This last Saturday was an example of one of those get away nights. The Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and the Black Law Students Association made a joint trip to Portland to see the Trailblazers play the Warriors. While it was disappointing to see my Warriors lose, it was nice to get away from Eugene for a night and spend some quality time with friends. (4 hours in the car, round trip, is a lot of quality time!)

While we were in Portland, I also got to see a friend (Hi Lauren!) who is externing in Portland this year with Oregon Public Broadcasting, and see how one can have a nontraditional 3L year.

I have a busy week ahead of me but am also looking forward to next weekend, which will have to be productive in the midst of the UCLA game on Thursday, a birthday party on Friday, and 1Hell, the 1L class' fundraiser, on Saturday night.

Environmental Entrepreneurs Networking Event

2010-10-16T10:42:00.001-07:00

Last night, a group of Green Business Initiative Student Association (GBISA) members had the privilege of networking with the leaders of Environmental Entrepreneurs (http://www.e2.org/jsp/generic.jsp) before hearing US Senator Jeff Merkley speak on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green collar job creation. E2 is a national community of individual business leaders who advocate for good environmental policy while building economic prosperity. By partnering with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), E2 has become the preeminent voice in green business advocacy in the United States.

The event with Senator Merkley was hosted at the UO's White Stag Building in Portland, which also hosts GBISA's annual Green Business Symposium (scheduled for April 1, 2011!). Before the talk, GBISA members had an exclusive opportunity to sit down with E2 leadership for a discussion of their career paths and how they became associated with E2. The event provided us with a unique opportunity to pick the brains of some of today's leading green business advocates, as well as establish connections that may lead to internships and job opportunities after law school.

GBISA is the student group associated with the UO's Green Business Initiative (http://www.law.uoregon.edu/greenbizlaw/), one of the first law school programs in the country dedicated to the intersection of law, business, and the environment. With my interest in sustainable development and energy policy, the Green Business Initiative and GBISA were leading reasons for me to choose Oregon Law. The resources we have available through the U of O's commitment to green business issues are unprecedented and have added invaluable depth to my legal education.

D.C. Part 2

2010-10-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

My externship at the EPA has really picked up these past few weeks. I've been helping an attorney with an upcoming FIFRA case which has involved reading hundreds of pages of chemical analysis/tests, but it's been surprisingly interesting so far. Hopefully I'll get to do more pre-trial work once I'm done with this current project.

Last Friday I had the chance to see one of my favorite bands, Built to Spill, at the 9:30 Club. Apparently the 9:30 Club is pretty famous, and a lot of good bands/artists pass through. It was a great show. I've been waiting to see Built to Spill for about 5 years now. I've missed them twice in Oregon, so I was glad I finally saw them live.

Not the most glamorous exterior...

But the inside makes up for it

Here are a few clips from the concert (not mine):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGIbYGJSIwE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8MKZ5x-deI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CqZQP34Or8

Things in D.C. are going really well. I've got a good balance between work and my social life, but with job applications and work picking up, things are going to get a bit more hectic. Despite the work load increase, I'll still be going back to the 9:30 Club as often as I can.

Keeping In Touch

2010-10-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

For a lot of students, their support network is pretty far away. While my younger brother is a 1L here at Oregon Law, the rest of our family is back in the Bay Area. I find myself skyping with one of my siblings or parents almost weekly, in an effort to feel like they are a part of my every day life and that I am still in theirs.

Before I moved away to come to Oregon, we used to do Sunday Night Family Dinners. Last night, my parents had a large dinner and I was able to skype in and talk to everyone. My nephew, who keeps getting bigger and whose growth I have been able to see through web chatting, was especially talkative and active last night and it made my night to be able to talk to him. It was also my godmother's birthday and being able to see her and wish her "in person" was special to me.

Most students I've talked to have maintained contact with not only family, but with friends as well, through skype and ichat. Being able to tap into your safety net while away at school is extremely helpful and I am happy I can fall back on mine through technology.

ACE

2010-10-10T23:08:00.001-07:00

The ACE Tutor program is an outstanding supplemental study & review program offered to 1Ls for every fall and spring semester course. An ACE Tutor is a 2- or 3L student who was successful in that particular course and who is committed to helping 1Ls learn the material. In general, they are fantastic -- nothing is quite like sitting down with someone, one-on-one, who has been exactly where you are now, to talk about questions, work through challenges, or engage in general law school chatter just when you need it.

When I was a 1L, I found the ACE Tutor program really helpful -- my ACE Tutors were able to provide me with study tips, review sessions, sample exam hypos, and most valuably, one-on-one time with them to talk through the course material. As a first-year student, I was finding myself trying just about everything when it came to studying -- group work, flash cards, outlining, re-outlining, hypos, etc. -- attempting to find just what worked best for me. And I realized that that is what it takes -- searching your own study skills, strengths, and weaknesses to really figure out what it is that works best in your academic pursuit. My ACE Tutors were instrumental in helping me to figure that out. When I didn't quite follow the professor, it was so critical for me to have someone else to turn to for an explanation. When what I was doing just didn't seem to be working, there was always another suggestion.

Now, I'm an ACE Tutor for 1L Civil Procedure. What an experience! Knowing my fellow ACE Tutors, I can say that these folks are really there to help, and boy do they know their stuff! They all use various teaching methods to help students review the material, are consistently available for individual office hours, and are excited to work with 1Ls. Truly a group of committed scholars. I encourage you to check out the program, if you haven't already!

The Law of Wine

2010-10-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

In mid-September, my husband and I took a 1-credit, weekend-long seminar called The Law of Wine. As you can imagine, this course is quite popular with students, so when I was admitted off the waitlist, I jumped at the chance to participate! The course took place at the University of Oregon’s White Stag building in Portland, which is located downtown near the Willamette River and close to the local famer’s market.

The Law of Wine offered a comprehensive and detailed perspective on the wine industry, covering everything from property to production to packaging. Chris Hermann, a partner at Stoell-Reeves and an adjunct professor at UO Law, taught the course. He is extremely knowledgeable about many aspects of practicing in this area of law and has years of experience working in the industry (as you can imagine there aren’t very many specialists like him). Professor Hermann discussed many topics, including environmental compliance, trademarking, distribution, how to grow grapes and make wine, the history of the wine industry in Oregon, licensing, and more. Throughout the course, Professor Hermann stressed the importance of understanding the industry as a way to connect with clients and be a more effective advocate for their interests.

The course culminated in a wine tasting and a visit from Bernard Lacroute, owner of WillaKenzie Vineyard. Mr. Lacroute gave a presentation on his vineyard’s approach to growing grapes and producing wine. His winery is committed to sustainable practices and long-term planning for environmental change. I was truly impressed by the variety of ways WillaKenzie Vineyards is a progressive operation. And, the wine we were privileged to sample was amazing!

I would recommend this course to any student, from those interested in practicing in this specific area of the law, to people who just like to drink a good glass of wine!

Prosecution Clinic

2010-10-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

This summer I participated in the Prosecution Clinic in addition to working at a firm. The Clinic required about 12 hours/week in addition to the scheduled class, and I got 3 credit-hours for it. It was only 8 weeks long, but we crammed a lot of experience into those 8 weeks. This semester I have been participating in the Advanced Prosecution Clinic, which is basically a less-structured extension of the main Clinic. There is no classroom component, but we still get case assignments and have other duties in the office.

In the Clinic, six students work with the Lane County District Attorney's office to handle criminal matters in Lane Country Circuit Court. Six other students work with the prosecutors' offices in surrounding counties. We start by attending arraignments, watching trials, and taking violation cases (often speeding or other traffic violations). Eventually we're assigned a case to try, with the supervision of a Deputy District Attorney. It is fantastic to get time in court in front of the judge. It is a much more tangible learning experience than reading cases for class.

My upcoming case (I've prepared for 4 trials now) deals with the theft of two companion animals. In short, the defendant took the two pet dogs of the victim, because the defendant believed the victim owed him money. I'm seeking 12 months in prison, so there is a lot riding on the trial! Wish me luck!

College Game Day

2010-10-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

I'm logging in to, well, reiterate everything that Kyle says below. What a BLAST! I can't imagine attending a University that didn't have the spirit, collegiality, and exciting competitive atmosphere that comes with the University of Oregon. When I was deciding where to attend law school, finding a place where I could share my love of college athletics was, as odd as it sounds, one of the items at the top of my list. [I was born and raised a Nebraska Cornhusker, so you can understand.] Because when it comes right down to it, the University community, in addition to the law school community, makes all the difference.

Don't get me wrong, when I need to work, I work. I am, more often than not, in the library briefing cases and editing citations with my law student colleagues. But everyone needs something to get them out of the library, into the community, and out on the field. And there's nothing -- really, nothing -- like a group of friends, the beautiful, crisp, fall air, a lot of green and yellow, and yet another seven points on the board for the DUCKS.

Ducks v. Trees

2010-10-03T10:02:00.001-07:00

Oregon v. Stanford was last night and was one of the best college football games I've attended. The Ducks came from a 21-3 deficit to take down the Cardinals, 52-31.

Other than being an exceptional place to learn the law, attending school at the University of Oregon most definitely has some perks, and Saturday afternoons in the fall are near the top of my list. I can't think of a better study break than getting together with friends and trying our best to lose our voices before Monday morning classes.

Shameless SELF Promotion

2010-10-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

I am going to take this time and talk about the student group that I am the managing director of...the Sports and Entertainment Law Forum!

Before I came to law school, I had worked in the entertainment industry since I was fourteen. So coming into law school I knew that I wanted to find myself back in the entertainment industry, but this time in a legal capacity. When I decided to come to Oregon, I was very excited to learn there was a group called the Sports and Entertainment Law Forum! Naturally, I joined the law forum as soon as possible.

The past year and a half of being a part of SELF has been great! SELF has put on some great events, like poker night, and had some amazing guest speakers in the IP and Entertainment fields.

I guess the point of this blog posting is to say that whatever you are interested in pursuing in your legal career there is an avenue for you to explore that in. Even though sports and entertainment law is not a focus at Oregon, I was able to find a bunch of students who were interested in the same area of law as me!

If you want to learn more about SELF follow us on twitter, facebook, and our blog!

D.C.

2010-09-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

I've been in D.C. for about 3 weeks now and I've been enjoying every minute. After a hectic few weeks I've finally settled into the city. I live right outside of Logan Circle and I'm located in a pretty central location. I'm about a 10 minute walk from U Street, 10 minutes from Dupont, and about a 25 minute walk to White House/Penn Ave.

The EPA has been incredible so far. The attorneys in my office have been great. They're friendly, supportive and always willing to give life/career advice. I've been trying to take advantage every opportunity possible, and I'm really grateful for this externship. I've been working on a variety of issues ranging from FIFRA to CWA. I've also been able to sit in on EPA meetings and meet various EPA attorneys and EPA Criminal Investigators. It's been great and I imagine it will only get better.

Here are a few photos (not mine) of my building:

The door I walk in through every morning...

It's been tough readjusting to a 8-5 schedule, but in my free time I've managed to do a little exploring. Just last week I went to a show (with a fellow U of O Law alum) at a place called the Black Cat, right near U Street. Two fellow 3Ls from Oregon were in D.C. this summer and encouraged me to check this place out. It was definitely worth it. We saw a Exit Clove, (a local D.C. band now based out of Brooklyn) Telekinesis , and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. All the bands were great and the venue lived up to the billing.

Black Cat

I think it's worth mentioning that U Street is a really interesting place. It's a safe haven from the super-preps that swarm Georgetown, and offers a nice reprieve from the suits you find downtown. Granted it draws the "super hip" crowd, which I definitely don't fall into, it's a still a great place. U Street has a lot of history and character still prevalent from its days when it was known as "Black Broadway." Even thought it's been heavily gentrified, you can still feel the history.

Anyways, I'll be back with more next week. It's been a really great experience so far and I only expect it to get better. I may do a D.C. food edition next week. I recently found a Georgetown bar that serves 10 cent wings during Monday Night Football...could be dangerous.

Living downtown

2010-09-27T11:33:00.001-07:00

I have, like a lot of others, moved every year that I've lived in Eugene. The good thing is that I've gotten to experience three very different areas of Eugene. The bad thing is that I've had to lug all of my stuff up and down stairs, across town, and even back and forth to Portland. For my 3L year I decided that I wanted to live downtown. It was one of the best decisions I've made. I love the apartment, the neighbors (including my fellow blogger Shehn), and the neighborhood. I walk to my externship at the county courthouse and it only takes me 15 minutes to get to school on the bus. We have a major grocery store, a smaller local specialty market, great restaurants, and fun bars all within walking distance. With all of those pluses the best part about living here is the view. It's spectacular. There are not a ton of tall buildings in Eugene so living on the 7th floor means I can see all the way out to the southwest hills. Sometimes the best part of my day is coming home, sitting on the couch, and staring out the window. Once you see this view, maybe you'll agree.

You're in Tracktown!!

2010-09-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm the type of person that needs to move. Anywhere. I don't sit still well, so when I started law school I ran into a dilemma ... how many hours on end could I possibly sit still in the law library?! Honestly, I still struggle with this a little, sitting in the same spot, reading the same mind-boggling administrative law cases, and wishing I was moving.

So I run. What a great way to get moving, see the city, and clear your head of all that confusing legal theory. Since August of last year, I think I've covered most of the great city of Eugene, from the river trails (Ruth Bascom and Pre's Trail) to Rexius to Fern Ridge to Hendricks. There's so much to see, so many miles to cover, and so much thinking to do! If getting out and moving is your thing, it's well worth it. Just set aside an hour -- that's all you need -- to get out and see the world around you.

I thought I'd pass along some running trail thoughts. Some of my favorites, not-so-favorites, the best views, the steepest hills, etc. ...

Favorite Trail: Rexius / Adidas. Check it out. It's great because it's wood-chipped (and not paved), nice and cool (because it runs along the Amazon Channel), and has plenty of twists, turns, and drinking fountains. The "trailhead" is not far from the law school (Amazon Parkway and Hilyard Streets), but you can pick up a paved extension of the trail at 19th Street. It covers a long stretch of the Amazon greenbelt, including the Ash Forest and the wetlands areas, so it's a great loop, wherever you start.

No-So-Favorite Trail: This is tough; they're all so great! But Eugene has a number of paved (concrete and asphalt) trails, which I try and avoid if I can. When you're doing a long run it's hard, but as much as I can, I go for the wood-chipped or dirt trails to try and avoid injury.

Best Views: Pisgah. This may also fall under "steepest climb" too! What a view though, once you get to the top, you can see just about as far as you can imagine up and down the Willamette Valley, and on a clear day the Sisters out east. Another chipped trail (unpaved), so it's easy on the joints.

Running in Eugene is, by a long shot, what has gotten me through those long days in the library. So the next time you're itching to get out, even if it's drizzling, know that there's a beautiful trail through the Rhododendron Garden at Hendricks Park just behind the school, or a fast jaunt along Pre's favorite spot just down by the river. And if you're looking for a buddy, don't hesitate to nod. I'm always in!

Enjoy Tracktown!

Sandboarding?!?!

2010-09-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

I've really come to enjoy living in Eugene, with its unique local flavor, interesting restaurants and bars, and so many things to do within an hour's drive. A few friends and I made a trip to the coast to enjoy the sun before the weather turns and we enter another long, wet winter. After a morning game of touch football with a group from the law school, we made the quick one hour drive to Florence, OR, due east of Eugene.

We spent the day in Florence exploring, eating clam chowder, and sand boarding the dunes of Honeyman State Park. Having grown up on the California coast, I've been sand boarding a few times before, but had forgotten how much fun it can be. The weather was perfect and it was great to get out and see more of Oregon before classes start getting crazy.

After a few hours of sand boarding, we headed back into town for dinner. A classic car show had overtaken the streets of "downtown" Florence, so we spent the rest of the day browsing, taking cheesy tourist photos, and talking shop with the car owners. After what felt like a very full day, we still made it back to Eugene in time to read for the next day's classes.

Greed Is Good

2010-09-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, 1987.

On September 25, 2010 Oliver Stone's Wall Street 2 came out in theaters. I know, you are thinking, so what? That is about stock brokers. We are going to be lawyers! Well, once you take Business Associations you will know [if you already don't] that the financial industry and the law are very intertwined.

On September 24, 2010 Professor Illig secured a room in the law school for law students to watch 1987's Wall Street, followed by the midnight show of Wall Street 2 at the Valley River Center Theaters. So, instead of going to ThuNBar, about 100 students packed into room 110 to watch the the cult classic film. Before the film started, Professor Illig gave a little talk about the real-life background story of 1985 and the financial runs the country was in. Professor Illig was on Wall Street in 1985 and had great war stories to share. Explaining that Oliver Stone made the second movie about the current financial situation that we are in.

Students getting seated in Room 110 before the movie starts.

During the two hour showing, there was even a costume contest for the person with best period piece costume! The winner walked home with the book, Devil's Casiono, about the Lehman Brothers fallout.

The winner of the costume contest.

Overall, it was a great get together with fellow law students and laugh about the absurd size of 1980s cellphones and the crazy fashions. And there was a touch of education in there....which is why we are all here, right?

"Work you to death"

2010-09-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

There's an adage I have heard almost weekly since starting law school. "First year they scare you to death, second year they work you to death, and third year they bore you to death."

So far, its proven true for my 2L year. My life has been a balancing act between classes, extracurricular activities and trying to maintain a social life.

This year, I am taking four classes - Legislation, Business Associations, International Business Transactions, and Constitutional Law II. Legislation and Con Law are center on my government services interest while International Business Transactions is a requirement for my International Certification. Business Associations, to be quite honest, I am just taking because it is on the bar exam.

My extracurriculars this year include a continuation in Phi Alpha Delta and serving on the Diversity Committee. I have also picked up a position as the 2L Representative on the Student Bar Association. Our meetings have been interesting thus far, but it only seems to make sense as we all, for the most part, have loud and outgoing personalities. Last week, the 1Ls elected their section representatives and I'd like to congratulate Joe, Alyson, and Kabir on their new positions. (Meet some more members here: http://www.law.uoregon.edu/org/sba/ ). My last big activity is as an Associate Editor for the Oregon Review of International Law. My team was assigned our first article this last week and the task of editing 50 citations and 15 pages of text seems daunting but doable.

Lastly, I've been saving time for fun. Ducks Football has been the major source of my fun outlet, but I've also been out dancing a couple times at the "clubs" in Eugene. At left is a picture of my brother and I at the first game of the season. He's a 1L at UO Law and it has proven interesting to watch him navigate the water without adding my 2 cents on what he should be doing all the time. (Hi Inder!)

This weekend is going to be the first real indicator of how my semester is going to go. I have a birthday party to attend, a trip to Portland for Lewis and Clark's Multicultural Law Student Association's Diversity Barbeque, the 3L Fundraiser, and the Oregon-ASU game. On top of it all, I have to find some time to do some reading and edit those pesky citations.

Back in the Saddle

2010-09-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

The beginning of 2L year: a crazy blur of coursework, settling back into Eugene life after a summer in Colorado, and remembering what it's like to be a law student. Somehow I imagined that starting 2L year would feel seamless, but it's definitely been a bit stressful and chaotic. My courses are definitely challenging, but ways that differ from my 1L experience. Instead of learning how to read cases, I'm focusing more on learning new and unfamiliar areas of the law. The format of the courses is also really different - more discussion and more engagement with professors.

Since it's on my mind, I'll describe my approach to course selection. I decided to take a mix of courses - some for the bar, some environmental law (my main interest) and also some criminal law courses because I'm thinking of pursuing criminal (public) defense as a backup plan (in case a job in environmental law isn't readily available when I graduate). The courses I'm taking this term are varied and really give a sense of the breadth of topics available to second and third year law students. I'll describe the courses I'm taking this semester below:

Administrative Law - an essential course for anyone who wants to practice environmental law and a great overview of how agencies operate in the United States. This is really challenging but will be well-worth the effort!

Natural Resources Law - covers the basic laws that govern natural resources management with an emphasis (so far) on the National Environmental Policy Act

Climate Change Law and Policy - co-taught by Professor Maxine Burkett, the visiting Wayne Morse Professor for 2010 from the University of Hawaii, this course covers the fundamentals of climate change science and law from a national and international perspective.

Criminal Adjudication - a challenging and comprehensive look at our criminal justice system, a nice complement to the first year course. I got to observe my first trial as part of the course!

Evidence - self-explanatory but I'll add that this is an important course for any aspiring trial law and probably any aspiring attorney.

The Law of Wine - a one credit weekend course in Portland at the end of September.

A one credit seminar on the BP oil spill - a truly unique class! The course is actually lecture series telecast (live) from Tulane Law School. The lectures provide interdisciplinary coverage of the crisis in the gulf from the perspective of lawyers, engineers, scientists, academics, and nonprofit groups.

A total of 16 credits and 7 courses makes for a busy semester! In my (limited) spare time, I'm training for a half-marathon, working as a Fellow for the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, and helping out with various other student groups.

D.C. Bound

2010-09-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

The summer is all but wrapped up and I'm getting ready for my externship down in D.C. For the past week I've been busy packing/preparing and getting everything in place. I've enjoyed my time at home (Boston) but I'm ready get my year started. I just found out I'll be placed in the Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training at the EPA. Should be an interesting semester.

I'm disappointed that I'll miss a semester with my friends in Oregon, but I think a semester in D.C. will be a good consolation prize. I had an unbelievable summer working, traveling, and visiting my law school friends in various places. I'm sad to see the summer go, but excited about the fall. I'll post again when I'm settled in D.C. Oh, and if you're into shows there are some great bands coming to Eugene/PDX this fall. Arcade Fire and the Flaming Lips just to name a few. For now here are some random photos from my summer:

Lavender Law Conference

2010-08-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a conference in Miami with seven other law students. It is an annual LGBTQ conference and it was incredibly fun. The first day is a career fair, and the second two days are panels and workshops with law students, judges, and practitioners from around the country with an interest in LGBTQ rights. The most interesting panels I attended were about LGBTQ youth in the foster care system and the status of the rights of intersex individuals. OUTLaws, the UO law school LGBTQ student group is planning to host a campus-wide panel about some of the intersex issues on campus this fall.

The participants were from all over the country, though the east coast was heavily represented. It was a great opportunity to hear about the experiences of other students as well as network with some seasoned experts. I was really proud that University of Oregon had EIGHT students attend (the law school pays transportation and hotel for the students). Many other schools, even some big law schools, only had one or two students attend.

Outside of the professional side of the conference, Miami was awesome. The conference was on Miami Beach, and several of us spent a few hours in the ocean every evening after the conference activities. I forgot how much I love to Atlantic and how warm it is!

2L Summer & 3L Starting Gun

2010-08-24T15:23:00.001-07:00

I have to be honest with you. I don't even remember summer "vacation" happening. I know that I changed the months of my calendar, and I know it is warmer now than it was in May, but I don't know what happened in between.

I worked at a firm in Springfield (next to Eugene) this summer. It was incredibly educational, but it was also exhausting. Transitioning from the student schedule (class at 9:00 or 10:30am, Fridays off, evening study sessions with friends, etc.) into an 8-5, M-F schedule was PAINFUL to say the least. I had to have some serious self-pep-talks about sitting at a desk in front of a computer for 8-9 hours every day and not throwing my pencil cup. I don't mean to say my experience was bad - it was really good. It was just a big adjustment.

I also participated in the prosecution clinic this summer. I worked at the Lane County District Attorney's office for class credit. It was also really informative, in a very different way. I thoroughly enjoyed being in the courtroom. It was stressful at moments (many moments), but it was incredibly fun. I'll write more about that experience later.

Anyway, we're back to the grind now - classes started yesterday and all of my 3L peers are doing their best to act like they are putting as much energy and enthusiasm into their work as we did two years ago...oh no, wait...no they're not. The 3L's I've spoken with (myself included) are trying to give it our best while we balance part-time work, MAJOR life decisions (like where to take the bar), impending student loan payments, and enjoying our last year together. The tone is different, but we're all still very happy to be here. It is great to see a fresh new class of 1L's with their bright eyes and bushy tails, but it seems like a LONG time ago that we were in their shoes.

South Sister Summit

2010-08-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Summer in Eugene has been unbelievably relaxing and enjoyable. Fishing trips and river floats have been plentiful, as have out of town trips to new and unexplored locations.

On Wednesday morning, two friends and I headed into the Deschutes National Forest to conquer the third highest peak in Oregon; South Sister. We parked the car and made the four mile hike to base camp at Green Lakes and had our tents pitched by 5pm. Our campsite was sandwiched in between Broken Top and South Sister, which made for beautiful views and much excitement for the impending climb.

We woke the next morning at 6am to start the trek up the 10,358 foot peak. From our base camp at Green Lakes, the hike covered a distance of 5.5 miles and almost 5,000 feet of vertical elevation gain. The route is quite steep and had all three of us gasping for breath in the thin mountain air. We reached the summit at 11am and were the only climbers on the mountain until the day-trip crowd from Devil Lake started to pour in around noon. The views from the summit were incredible, with a 4600-acre fire consuming land just north of bend. Smoke covered the horizon, obstructing views that are said to cover half of the state in clear weather.

After enjoying the views and a quick lunch on the summit, we began our descent around 1pm. The afternoon sun had softened the snowpack enough to allow us to glissade down most of the route, reducing the time of our descent to just over an hour and a half. Glissading was by far the highlight of the trip, making the grueling ascent completely worthwhile. Back at base camp, we took a chilly dip in Green Lakes, refilled our water bottles, and took a quick nap before packing our gear back up to head to the car. Door to summit to door, we were gone for just under 36 hours. One more reason why you can't beat Life at Law in Oregon!

Waning summer days...

2010-08-01T13:04:00.001-07:00

It feels as though summer has absolutely flown by! The last few months have been a wonderful whirlwind of work and play. It's hard to believe that I'm finishing up the last week of my summer internship in environmental law.

My internship has been a great experience, in part because I was lucky to have a wonderful attorney/mentor to guide me through the work, but also because the work itself was fairly diverse. Some of the things I helped to accomplish included filing a federal complaint, writing an administrative appeal, writing informal memos on topics such as Eleventh Amendment immunity and supplemental jurisdiction, creating spreadsheets to organize attorney information for a multi-state lawsuit, and helping to summarize information on the latest climate change research. I got to read some great books along the way including Storms of My Grandchildren (by one of my heroes - Dr. James Hansen) and Climate Code Red. I highly recommend both for a sobering but important and informative perspective on the global climate crisis.

One of nicest aspects of this summer was having some time off to play and explore the mountains in SW Colorado. My husband and I hope to move to Durango, CO after law school, so we took advantage of our free time on weekends to hike, climb, go for bike rides, and enjoy some of the festivals and concerts the area has to offer. Some of the highlights include: a weekend in Telluride, backpacking in the Cedar Mesa area, visiting some natural hot springs, and celebrating our one-year anniversary with a picnic at Haviland Lake.

My favorite adventure had to be running the Devil Mountain Ultra-Marathon, a 50km race in Pagosa Springs (see below). The terrain was steep and included more than 5,000ft of elevation gain! 90 degree weather and horseflies made it a tough race to be sure, but I really enjoyed the mental and physical challenge. And, it was really satisfying to finish in 4th place for the women!

Taken together, it's been an incredible summer. I'm looking forward to our return to beautiful Eugene at the end of the month. So far, my course load includes Natural Resources Law, Administrative Law, Climate Law and Policy, Negotiations, and Criminal Adjudication. It should be a challenging semester, but I'm looking forward to improving my knowledge, especially after my experience this summer.

See you all in a few weeks!

~Maya

Almost End of Summer(!!!) Update

2010-07-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that summer is almost coming to an end and that August is almost upon us. The last two months have flown by far too quickly and the beginning of my 2L year is looming in the distance.

Finals ended in mid-May and I made my first road trip of the summer down to the Bay Area for some quality time with friends and family. It was an uneventful trip quickly cut short by summer school.

I spent the month of June immersed in Evidence and Legal Pro with Professor Lininger. I decided to do summer school in February so that I could lighten the load of classes I would be taking during my 2L year. While in classes, I also clerked for an attorney in Eugene who practices employment law and civil litigation. I looked at the job as a learning experience to see if I really wanted to practice law or if I actually wanted to go into policy work, which had been a passion for several years. Summer school ended around the same time as my clerkship did. I learned about hearsay and attorney-client privilege, and really learned that I do want to do policy work.

On a quick trip down to Berkeley for a friend's wedding, I had reconnected with two of my former supervisors who were very interested in me returning to the classroom in Oakland and then helping them rewrite our curriculum on teaching skills to pass the California High School Exit Exam. As soon as summer school ended, I packed up my Saturn for my third (and final) drive to the Bay. I spent the last two weeks in Oakland teaching reading and writing skills to high school juniors and seniors who are English as a Second Language Students so that they could pass the CAHSEE.

In doing this work, I have rediscovered my passion for education and education policy. Suddenly renewed by this passion, I spent this last weekend tanning by my parent's pool with Kira of the Life at Law Blog ( ) and researching education policy think tanks.

I have one more week in the Bay Area. I'm spending quite a bit of it working on finishing this curriculum, but I also have a trip planned to the California Shakespeare Theater to see George Bernard Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession and dinner with my godmother.

I am, surprisingly, excited about my return to Eugene, my weekend at OLIO, my brother's move to begin his 1L year, and the end of an amazing summer.

Legal research, science, and mountain living

2010-06-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Durango, CO! Summer life in SW Colorado is great so far. I'm enjoying my internship, learning a lot about environmental law, and spending time exploring the beautiful surroundings.

There were many options for summer work, but I chose to set up a summer internship working for an environmental attorney who lives in Eugene (I am telecommuting because my husband got a job at a private firm for the summer). Because I am trying to accelerate with the intent of graduating a semester early, I am paying summer tuition and getting 6 academic credits for my work. Although the financial reality of paying to work for someone is a bit rough, the experience I'm getting as an intern is invaluable. I've been assigned research tasks that range from determining standards for biological pollutants under the Clean Water Act to compiling and synthesizing relevant science related to climate change nationwide.

The most exciting moment of my internship so far was helping to file a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of several environmental citizens groups in the Western US. The complaint is against a government agency for a proposed project that would allow the poisoning of a wilderness area. In writing the complaint, I drew on my recently acquired knowledge of civil procedure (thanks Professor Coles-Bjierre!). I was also able to use my background in ecology to develop a coherent argument for the risks associated with applying a particular chemical to pristine ecosystems.

In all honesty, there have been frustrating moments and the learning curve is steep. It's also a strange experience to go from academic exercises to writing real legal briefs. That said, it's also extremely rewarding work. And, if we are successful, this lawsuit will contribute to preserving the pristine quality of wilderness in the West. I'm hopeful that we will prevail!

Finally, in my spare time, my husband and I have been spending our weekends exploring the area. Last week we went for a beautiful hike to Crater Lake (no, not the one in Oregon) in the San Juan Mountains. Below are a couple of photos from that hike and one from our recent trip to Telluride.

Saturday Market

2010-06-14T11:38:00.001-07:00

Spring semester is over and summer work has started! Maybe I shouldn't be so excited about work, but I love the rhythm of things. I think I'd take a 9to5 over the unpredictability of school any day. Unfortunately, I'm almost busier now than during the school year. I'm splitting my summer between a private firm and a legal aid services agency. I'm also taking a summer Real Estate Planning course and trying to fulfill my writing requirement. Yikes! It's fine though because I'm distracted from all the busyness with the first glimpse at a beautiful Oregon summer. This past Saturday was 80 degrees with not a cloud in the sky--perfect for the Rose Parade in Portland (http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Photos-Grand-Floral-Parade-2010-96227519.html) or a trip to Eugene's Saturday Market.

Saturday Market is great! The food is gorgeous and amazingly fresh, the vendors are friendly, and it's the perfect place to people watch. Check out the pictures below and stay tuned for more posts about summer in Oregon.

Until. . .

Summer Swimming

2010-06-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Now that the Spring Semester is over, there is a bit more free time to do things that one enjoys. [By a bit more time, I mean at least an hour or so].

Students are busy in summer school, working summer jobs at firms and courts, doing research for professors, and taking time to relax.

The one thing I have done to relax was start hitting up my favortie outdoor pool. I was excited when spring semester ended because of the re-opening of Amazon Pool! Outdo

or pools are few and far between in Oregon - especially in the fall and winter. So when the opportunity to swim outside arises....I'm there! Check out the link for Amazon Pool for the open swim hours and prices. While it can be pricey for a single swim, the vitamin D you get is worth evert penny! Additionally, if you are worried about prematuring aging, morning swims

- right when the sun is coming up - are amazing as well.

Look for more posts about summer fun and summer law life!

Life In and Out of Eugene

2010-05-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

Eugene has got to be one of the greatest places in the United States to go to school. Now that finals are over and summer classes have yet to begin, I've been able to get out and do the things that make the quality of life here so incredible.

On Wednesday, a classmate and I headed over the Spencer's Butte to make the 2.5 mile hike up to one of the better views in the area. On Thursday, a few of us drove up to Portland for a concert at Mississippi Studios. Tomorrow, I'm headed to Bend for some more hiking, a little fly fishing, and another show. It's such a privilege to live in a place where there are so many adventures to be had all within a few hours drive.

Classes, student orgs, and working can be a bit suffocating during the school year, but being so busy has really made me value the down-time I have. Living in Eugene has been ideal for law school, as we're far enough away from big-city distractions to focus on school during the week, but close enough to escape to Portland, the outdoors, or the coast for the weekend.

Summer Plans

2010-05-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

It has been little while since my last blog post and I apologize for the radio silence. Finals were a complete blur of studying, reading, sleep, and more studying. It was great to finish the first year and I am glad to be moving on from the 1L experience. Towards the end of the semester I got to select courses to take for next year, including some environmental law - finally! I'm looking forward to taking Administrative Law, Con Law II, Wildlife Law, Natural Resources Law and Policy, among others. More to come as I sort my schedule out over the summer.

In the meantime, I'm spending part of the summer in Durango, CO, where my husband is clerking for a private law firm specializing in water law. Durango is absolutely gorgeous, with tons of rock climbing and trail running right out our doorstep. It's a place we may think about relocating to after graduation, so spending a summer seemed like the best way to try it on.

To fill my time, I signed up for two courses through the law school: A reading and conference course and a legal writing course. I'll be working under a professor and completing research related to water and wildlife law. I also plan to complete the writing requirement as part of my work.

Looking back, it's amazing how much we have all learned this past year. I look forward to gaining practical experience through my legal research this summer and applying it to my studies next fall. More to come as things get going...

Summer

2010-05-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

Finals are over, but work is right around the corner. Even though I didn't have too much down time, I took advantage of the time off. I had a few days to drive out the country and the coast, and it reminded me why I chose to go to school in Oregon.

These pictures are from 15 minutes outside of Eugene, and it's one of my favorite drives. Once the weather gets nice and I need to get away, I head out here. There's a winery out in this direction, and it's just a quick easy drive to get there.

In addition to taking a few day trips, I've been packing for my move to Portland and Washington D.C. Most of my time has been spent cleaning/packing boxes and watching T.V. I've had the pleasure of watching the Celtics finish off Lebron, and take a 2-0 lead on the Magic. Rajon Rondo has been phenomenal. I mean, he runs that offense with such efficiency, it's hard not to respect what he's doing. I'd love to see a Celtics/Lakers finals rematch.

The next post I have will be from Portland. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post, and a few food carts to talk about. I'm excited about my first weekend up in PDX.

Cheers Oregon - Thanks for a great 4 years!

2010-05-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

Well, this is it: my last blog as an Oregon law school student. My family arrives to Eugene in 40 minutes; in about 48 hours I will graduate with a JD/MA from the University of Oregon; in about 96 hours I will turn my thesis into the graduate school and will have completed my first day of my bar review course for the Oregon Bar.

Graduation will be a bittersweet experience for me. I am excited that I will be finishing law school (the long hours spent reading and stressing about not having a steady income), but I will also miss being a student. When else am I going to be surrounded by such a large group of peers who are driven, interesting, and will undoubtedly do amazing things with their legal careers? When else am I going to have too many options of extracurricular activities: lunchtime speakers (and the free lunches!), symposium, conferences, potlucks, volunteer opportunities, etc.?

So what’s on the horizon for me? I am going to spend my summer studying for the Oregon bar through BarBri. The class runs from May 24^th to the beginning of July. The bar exam is on July 27^th and 28^th in Portland, and then I start clerking sometime in August. My summer is going to basically consist of studying and attending weddings – probably more studying then anything else. It is kind of anti-climatic to graduate from law school and 2 days later to start studying again for the bar. After the bar in August, I will take a trip with my husband for some R & R and then maybe fly home to visit my parents in Savannah, GA and lie on the beach for a few days.

For those of you reading this blog wondering if going to law school is a good decision or whether Oregon is the school for you, I offer you this: Ultimately, deciding to go to law school is a big decision and an ever larger commitment. But it was an opportunity that I have grown immensely from and I truly believe that going to law school at Oregon was the perfect fit for me. I wonder if I would have been as happy and relatively successful in law school had I gone to another school besides Oregon, and I really believe that I wouldn’t have. I am not trying to sugar coat the decision to go to law school either. Yes, there were a lot of tears, moments of pure exhaustion, and numerous times I asked myself why the heck I decided to go to law school in the first place. And yes, I feel like I have been living in a black hole for the last four years and I am emerging as a different person. But no, I definitely do not regret my decision at all. The experience has made me more confident, more outspoken, and certainly more committed to public interest work.

Thanks to all for a great four years and to everyone who has supported me through this journey!

Go Ducks!!!!

Signing off ~ Michelle Bassi J

Graduation + bar prep + moving = VERY BUSY!!!

2010-05-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

So, this will probably be my last post on this blog. As the title suggests, I am graduating!!!! Part of me says "wow, finally!!!" But in all honesty, I don't know where the time has gone; it really has flown by SO quickly.

I finished my last day of classes on May 3 by playing a review game (ala "jeopardy) in Business Associations. It was a good way to wind down the term because honestly I don't think I could have sat through one more lecture. That night some friends and I gathered at Chapala's to drink some adult beverages, eat some good food, and toast to our accomplishment of finishing classes. It was a short lived celebration, however, because we all had to start preparing for finals right away.

Friday May 14 was my last final. I wasn't sure what I expected I would feel. I had the normal sensation of continued adrenaline for about an hour after the final but then the let down set in and I realized I was EXHAUSTED. But I had to gather my strength and get ready for the moving sale we had the following day. It was our only free day before we move, so there was no time to rest or celebrate. I tried to combine adult beverages with my pricing of sale items, but I just found myself growing more tired. I think I was in bed by 9 that night.

Our moving sale was a success and we have gotten rid of nearly all of our worldly possessions and we're ready to leave for Texas on June 9. Our house sale also appears to be going through smoothly, so we are glad to be leaving with that done.

The day after the moving sale I was finally able to breathe and enjoy being done with school. We did some clothes shopping for my husband so he would be decked out for graduation and then we went to see a movie and out to eat. Small things, but you appreciate those more when you've been unable to do them during the semester!

My "break" was very short lived because the next day (2 days after finishing finals) I had to start preparing for the bar. Most people will start bar prep next week, after graduation, but I am studying on line so I am creating a schedule around our move to Texas. I need to start early because we are taking about 10 days to leisurely get down there in June. Realistically, I understand that I'm not going to get a whole lot done between now and then. Graduation is this weekend and with family coming into town, I won't get anything done. Then there is the packing up and cleaning, moving out of our house for good. Mix in there my husband's birthday, and our anniversary, and that cuts significantly into focus and time. I'm trying to be realistic in my expectations for preparation before we leave, but I hope to at least get a large stack of flash cards written up so that I can study those during the long drive. I know that once I get down to Texas I will be able to concentrate much more. My husband will be flying directly back here to begin preparation for a summer musical with OFAM, and that will leave me with undivided study time at my brother-in-law's for six weeks.

Today I'm reviewing contracts and it is reassuring to me that many of the concepts I struggled with during 1L year now seem "easy". For some reason everything 1L year seemed so complicated and difficult for me. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me to prepare for the bar, but I'm glad to know that most of it will just be memorizing stuff and not necessarily having to learn or re-learn subjects.

I'm very excited for graduation. At the beginning of the term I didn't know if I would even walk at graduation; it just didn't seem important to me. Now I'm so glad I made the decision to do it. My whole family will be there and it is just a very proud moment for me to realize all the hard work and sacrifice has paid off. I'm going to be able to put 2 very valuable letters after my name: J.D. And I have a job doing what I really want to do. I wouldn't trade a million dollars for what these three years at UO Law has given me. I really wouldn't!

Chocolate Chips

2010-04-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after our last Consititional Law I class, a friend gave me some advice based on how she’s going to approach our final, which, if one listens to 2L and 3Ls’ horror stories, is supposed to be a soul-sucking doozy. She’s approaching it with a bag of chocolate chips. At first I just stared at her, convinced that either she misspoke or I heard her wrong.

But then she explained, “a middle school teacher told us that we should bring chocolate chips to our tests. The minute we get frustrated or don’t know an answer, stop, sit back, eat a chocolate chip, think about the question and then tackle it anew.”

I plan on not only doing this during my exams, but also in my study habits. I just got comfortable in a spot in the library, amazingly, not surrounded my undergrads. My laptop is out, I've got a stack of Contracts books on my right, and a water bottle and Gatorade on my left, right next to a bag of sour patch kids.

My goal today is to finish off my outline for Contracts, just as I completed my Property one yesterday. As soon as I hit a block or am confused, I’m going to stop, sit back and eat a sour patch kid. And then, with more confidence, sugar, and a calmer outlook on life, approach it again. And once I’m done with the outline, I plan on rewarding myself at the end of the night with an ice cream sandwich or a beer. Or both.

Thesis Defense!!

2010-04-27T21:30:00.001-07:00

I am defending my thesis for my M.A. in International Studies this upcoming Friday!!

Another big hurdle to cross, which will put me one step closer towards finishing my JD/MA. My thesis research is entitled: ETHICAL ISSUES OF WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING CLIMATE: EQUITY AND LEGAL PLURALISM IN CHILE. (Sorry for the all caps - I copied and pasted it from my actual thesis and I'm too lazy to retype it again). Right now my paper is at 110 pages, and basically that is all I am working on around the clock. (And outlining for exams and writing papers for my other classes). I have left my footnotes to fill and I am editing over 300 footnotes right now. Awful. I thought I'd be done with Bluebook after I finished my tenure on law review. Not so. Anyhow, I'll blog about the experience once it is done. I have put way too much time into practicing my presentation, but I'm over preparing as a way to calm my nerves. Wish me luck!

Here is my abstract for my thesis project: Climate change is disrupting the underpinnings of effective water management by profoundly impacting hydrological patterns. Political entities mandated with freshwater management must respond to society’s water needs as availability fluctuates and, in doing so, will encounter difficult ethical dilemmas because existing water laws are ill-equipped to resolve such problems.

This thesis takes Chile’s water laws as representative of the challenges in addressing ethical disparities arising from freshwater management in a changing climate and proposes that “water ethics” can effectively be used to manage freshwater resources. I examine the 1981 Water Code with a critical eye towards ethical shortcomings and also examine distributive impacts upon indigent farmers and indigenous communities. I conclude that Chile’s existing water laws are inequitable because they deny legitimacy to diverse socio-cultural norms regarding water use. Principles of modern water laws must incorporate diverse cultural water norms using a legally pluralistic and ethical approach to management.

First Blog

2010-04-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

It's taken a while for me to get going but I'm glad to be posting for the first time. Things have been hectic over the past week so I'll just jump right in.

I found out last week that I'll be in Washington D.C. for my 3L fall semester. I applied for an externship with the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and was accepted into their program. I'm pretty excited about this. I had to scramble to get an externship proposal written and approved, but it's done now and things should work out. It should be a great opportunity and I'll get to spend a semester working in DC and hanging out with friends from undergrad.

Also, for the past two weeks I’ve been trying to find housing for my summer externship in Portland. To be honest, I can’t remember how many random people I’ve emailed asking if they’re still renting out that one bedroom, or if their sublet is still available. At one point, I was desperate enough to email a house full of 45+ year olds asking if I could be their roommate. I’m 26. After sending that email, I realized I had hit rock bottom in terms of apartment hunting and decided to seriously reevaluate my search process. I’ll let you know how it goes.

In addition to spending my time apartment hunting, I’ve been seriously distracted by the NBA playoffs and the NFL Draft. Despite my best efforts to get ready for finals and write my 20-page paper, I’ve been on espn.com and cnnsi.com compulsively checking scores and reading NFL draft analysis. In case you’re interested, the Celtics are currently sitting on a 3-1 series lead, and Mel Kiper gave the Patriots a B- for their draft efforts.

In between all of these distractions, I have been trying to get ready for finals. The weather this weekend was gorgeous and I decided to write some of my paper outside in the backyard. If you’re going to write a 15-20-page paper, why not do it outside? I'm sure I would have been more productive in the library...but the trade off was worth it. These next two weeks should be hectic, but I'm looking forward to the nice weather and the summer.

I Am A Walking Office Depot

2010-04-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

Some of the Contents of my Backpack

It is that time of year…finals are around the corner, stress levels are through the roof, and you've maxed out your credit card at Office Depot. Before coming to law school I was informed that there would be a lot of extra expenses. Such as, business suits, brief cases, anti-depressants. But no one made any mention of the amount of money that would be spent on general office supplies.

The first of these expense is highlighters. Remember in undergrad when you never read enough to even bother to highlight? Well, you are doing something wrong in law school if you haven't gone through your first batch of highlighters in a month.

The second of extra expenses is tabs. I was never aware of the array of tabs that one has to choose from. Skinny ones, colorful ones, folder specific ones, the list goes on. And tabs are not cheap! Tabs are super useful for marking important sections of your textbooks and reading supplements [see second picture below].

My Favorite Type of Tabs, Post It Durables. [I have already come to terms with the pathetic-ness of this statement. ]

The Tabbing System On My Property Book

In sum, make sure to request Office Depot Gift Cards from those whom plan on giving you goodbye presents. Then, you too can be a walking Office Depot!

JELL Banquet

2010-04-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Last week the Journal of Environmental Law & Litigation had its annual end-of-year banquet. The banquet was held at the Eugene City Brewery downtown. We have the event each year to celebrate the completion of editing two issues of the journal. It is also a time to recognize various members for outstanding editing and service.

The banquet was a fun ending to a year full of hard work. JELL members can bring guests, and JELL provides a ton of food. This year it was all-you-can eat hamburgers/veggie burgers, onion rings, and quinoa salad (which I had never even heard of before - but it tasted great). It was nice to take my wife to see the people who I spend most Wednesday nights editing with.

Since I am in my last semester, my JELL activities are now over. Being an editor on JELL was a great experience. It provided great learning opportunities, but it was also a lot of fun.

Mission accomplished!

2010-04-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

I came back from my trip to Austin, Texas exhausted but with a job in hand!!! I am so excited and it is such a relief to know that I have secured employment for August.

And it's not just any job, like I was afraid I might have to settle for in this down economy. I will be working in immigration, the only field I really want to work in, and with the preeminent immigration attorney in south Texas, arguably in the entire state of Texas. Our personalities clicked amazingly well and I liked her right from the start. Everyone at the conference was clamoring to talk with her and get advice on their complicated cases. She's a firecracker, a right-fighter, and fun too! It is really important to her that I be trained well and thoroughly instead of being "thrown to the wolves" like most associates are. While I have an extensive background in immigration law already, I truly appreciate the valuable training she is willing to invest in me.

Now all I have to do is focus on passing the bar! I'm doing Kaplan's bar prep for Texas online and I plan to start after my last final on May 14. I will study for about 4 weeks here then take about a week off to drive down to Texas starting June 10. I'll be staying with my brother-in-law in Bryan, Texas and will finish bar preparation there while my husband flies back to Eugene to participate in a musical production with the Oregon Festival of Music. It will be hard to be apart from him for 5 weeks, but at the same time I think it will help me focus and commit as much time as possible just to studying.

I have five more class days remaining, a paper, two finals, and a small project to finish before graduation. It is so hard to believe it is all coming to a close. I'm so glad I made the decision to go to law school, very pleased with my experience at the UO, and READY to move onto the next adventure of life!

Hired!

2010-04-13T18:29:00.001-07:00

I am happy to report that I am gainful employed! I will be clerking next year for a judge in the Lane County Courthouse. The Lane County Clerkship is unique opportunity because the judges on the court typically hire 8-12 new clerks per year. A clerkship position is a great job opportunity right after graduation – as a clerk, you are exposed to the inner-workings of the court, whether that be a trial court or an appellant court. Not only do clerks get a ton of exposure to various types of law, observe good lawyering first hand (or learn from the mistakes of others), but the clerkship is a great way to network and meet attorneys in the area. This is going be the perfect job for me – I am really eager to learn more about different fields of law (especially because there were so many interesting courses that I didn’t have time to fit into my class schedule and trying to meet my JD/MA requirements) and see how the court functions. The clerkship lasts for a year, which means my husband and I are able to stay in Eugene for at least one more year. We are both really excited about that, and I am especially excited that we can stay in Eugene because there are so many things I haven’t been able to do while I’m in school that I’ll be able to do AFTER the bar (train for the Eugene Marathon for example).

Speaking of the bar, I will be taking the Oregon bar in July. I spent a good chunk of time working on my bar application over spring break (and editing my thesis…a fun spring break, right?). I sent out my bar application a week-and-a-half ago. I am registered to take the BarBri bar review course, which begins on Monday, May 24^th. Graduation is Saturday, May 22^nd so there really will not be so much down time between the end of exams (May 10^th is my last final), finishing my thesis (thesis defense coming up on April 30^th!), visiting with my family for graduation (May 13^th-24^th), and the bar review course beginning (May 24^th).

Eventually, probably in August/September 2011, my husband would like to go back to graduate school. Since he is an Oregon resident, he would like to attend the U of O because in-state tuition is reduced. So hopefully I will be able to find a job in the area after my clerkship to help support him just as he has helped support me through law school. We are hoping to stay in Eugene for a while, (or indefinitely if possible) but we would be happy to live move to Portland, Corvallis, or Bend as well. My older brother also just got a teaching job at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Given that he will be there for a while and I loved my summer legal internship I had in Denver, Colorado is also on my list of potential post-clerkship destinations. Who knows though…anything is possible.

Job Search

2010-04-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

Like the vast majority of my graduating class, I don't have a job offer yet. But, I'm hoping that will change one week from now. Allow me to explain by describing my post-graduation job search.

I was fortunate to get a job as a law clerk at a local firm and I started working during winter break of 1L year. I have really enjoyed my clerkship and was pretty sure it would lead to a formal offer for post-graduation employment. Then my husband and I decided to move to Texas, so I let the partner know about our impending move.

I had my list of priorities for job options in Texas, which were: 1) immigration court; 2) non-profit; 3) private firm. I found out early in the fall that #1 was no longer an option so I applied for #2 and NEVER heard back from them, despite applying multiple times.

Finally in January, once we had decided what city we would be in, I decided to send out my resume to 20 immigration attorneys in that area. I was really excited when a week later I got an email expressing interest in my resume. Unfortunately, he also wanted to wait to interview me until I arrived in Texas this summer. Of course I have really been hoping to secure employment BEFORE bar prep and moving.

The second person to contact me sounded very promising but after I talked more with him and figured out he had only been out on his own for six months, I was concerned it could turn out to be a big mess. The weird thing is that once we started talking about a salary amount (his initial suggestion for pre-bar passage was $10/hour!!!), he just disappeared off the face of the earth and stopped responding to my emails and voice mails. Awkward. Especially because we will be living in a small town and I will most likely run into him at some point.

As this opportunity fell apart, I decided to attend an immigration conference in Austin so that I could do some networking and convince employers that I am serious about moving to Texas and working in immigration law. When I signed up I mentioned my plan to move to Harlingen and one of the organizers recommended I talk to Jodi Goodwin. I had sent her my resume with the initial batch but hadn't heard from her, so I used this excuse to contact her. I let her know I would be attending the conference and would love to get a chance to chat with her there.

I was really excited to hear back from her that she had received my resume and had been meaning to contact me. This started a series of emails back and forth over the next few weeks as we got to know each other and she described what she was looking for. It is the most ideal work situation I could ever ask for and we are very compatible. We are even now facebook friends!

So, the immigration conference is next weekend. Jodi told me she prefers to meet me in person before she gives me a formal job offer, just to make sure that we click in person.

It has been quite the journey and I know it has been the same for many others this year. Wish me luck!!!

Small Business Clinic

2010-04-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Oddly enough, I happen to have a free moment. It has been a very intense semester and much of my time has been spent doing work for the Small Business Clinic (SBC). Most of the clinics here at UO are done by lottery, but for the SBC you have to apply, be interviewed, and then selected by the supervising attorneys. The clinic lasts for one semester. The idea of the SBC is that local small businesses that have some flexibility in timing can get free legal advice. Each student is paired with two clients and one of the two supervising attorneys for each client.

The client work is what takes the most time for students participating in the SBC. We have an initial meeting with the client and determine exactly what services the SBC will be able to provide based on the time constraints of the semester and the limited scope of legal services the SBC is able to provide. The because of the legal complexities, the SBC does not provide complicated tax or securities advice. Typically, students end up creating an entity for the client's business and then some kind of contract for services or goods that the client can use with its customers.

Once the details of the representation are determined, the drafting begins. This is a great challenge because most of the students have never actually drafted a legal document before. However, the experience is invaluable. We usually work from some kind of template, but every client is different and there is so much thought that has to be put into every word of the document. We trade drafts back and forth with the supervising attorney and that process really helps me to understand the "why" of contract drafting. At this point in the semester I am close to wrapping up documents, but some are on the 12th draft so clearly it has taken some time to get to this point.

The great thing about the SBC is that I really feel like I have practiced law like a transactional lawyer. Working for an actual client teaches you what kinds of questions to ask. The drafting is really just about spending the time to craft the kind of document that will meet the clients needs while taking care of the big legal issues. I have my first final client meeting next week and I am really looking forward to tying it together by explaining to the client what we have done for them and how we have tried to protect and benefit their business.

Oral Argument

2010-04-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I gave my first oral argument - a milestone in the first year experience! Let me explain...

All first year students write a brief for Legal Research and Writing (a year long course). The semester culminates in a 10 minute oral argument during which students advocate for their clients before a panel of three judges.

For many students, giving an oral argument is both an exciting and slightly nerve-wracking experience. I was no exception. I enjoyed writing the appellate brief, but the thought of arguing in front of a panel of judges made me feel anxious, in part because it's not simply delivering a lecture but rather engaging in a dynamic dialogue with judges. However, the best advice I can give to any student completing this assignment is to watch a couple of panels beforehand. Watching other students present their oral arguments taught me that while it's important to know your arguments and the relevant precedent, it's equally important to anticipate weak points in your case and solidify responses to potential questions. In many cases, students spent more time responding to weak points than they did on the talking points they prepared in favor of their client.

Despite my nerves preceding the oral argument, I was grateful for the experience. When I was up at the podium, I felt like a lawyer for the first time! It was both thrilling and empowering to think that if I performed well, I could convince a judge to rule in my client's favor. If nothing else, it's a great way learn first-hand what appellate advocacy is all about.

Hiking in the Dunes

2010-03-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

I spent the first half of spring break visiting my brother in San Diego. I drove down with two classmates, who I left at their homes in Las Angeles. The total drive time was only about 15 hours on I-5, which we completed in one day. We had great weather on the drive down and most of the way back, but we ran into rain upon crossing into Oregon from Nor Cal.

I spent the second half of break catching up on laundry, a little homework, playing with friends, and hiking. On Saturday I hiked the John Dellenback Dunes trail just north of Coos Bay. From Eugene, it was just about a two-hour drive out to Florence and down Highway 101. It was a beautiful drive and we had sunny weather. The Dunes trail is really interesting, because it starts in a wooded area at the base of some rolling hills, just off Hwy 101. Soon, you start walking into the dunes, which feel like a gigantic desert. At some points, you can't see anything but sand.

The wind blows the sand into really interesting designs in this section. Earplugs were a good idea, as well as pants, jackets and a hat! Almost a mile later we found ourselves in a marsh. The trail was wet, and sometimes we were walking through 8-10 inches of water. It is almost entirely covered overhead by plants and trees, but it's very beautiful.

Finally, we found our way out to the coast. The water was green and warm, and nobody else was around. It was quite windy on Saturday, but the sky was clear. The total hike took about three hours, but we spent just over an hour on the beach. I think the distance was just under three miles, and I did most of the return trip barefoot. If you find yourself in Oregon, this is a great trail to see many different landscapes!

It's the Final Countdown...

2010-03-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

So here we sit, the final Sunday of Spring Break. Only a month of classes remain...FOREVER!

Spring break was a nice getaway, but there was plenty of work to do. My wife, daughter, and I flew down to Las Vegas to meet up with her parents, brother, and his wife. We got to Vegas Saturday night and Sunday I was able to catch plenty of the second round of the NCAA tournament while cruising up and down the Strip. Monday we packed up and drove to Brian Head, Utah, for some skiing. The conditions were not perfect the whole week, but I got in two solid days of downhill, one in fresh powder. Brian Head is very close to Zion National Park and Ceder Breaks Nations Monument. The view from the top of the mountain was outstanding. Then there was more basketball to watch this weekend...unfortunately that included my alma mater, Ohio State, losing a tough Tennessee team.

The break did include plenty of time working. As the semester winds down that means we have to finish our client work in the Small Business Clinic. So, I spent some time drafting a services agreement and operating agreements for my clients. The process is basically trading drafts back and forth with one of the supervising attorneys. I really enjoy this kind of work and I am very much looking forward to presenting the final product to the client and helping them understand exactly what we have done to help their business.

I have spent most of today researching and writing a memo for work at the US Attorney's office looking into a sentencing enhancement issue for a defendant that was recently found guilty of tax fraud by a jury at the federal courthouse in Eugene. It is very hard to believe that my time at the US Attorney's Office is coming to an end. I have been there since the summer after my 1L year. Though I do not have plans to pursue a career in criminal law, I have had an amazing and hands-on experience. I was out in Bend right before spring break and did a sentencing before the magistrate judge and might have one last trial in Eugene during the May docket right before graduation.

Even more amazing is that my bar review course begins this week. I am planning to do the Rigos program to prepare for the Oregon bar (and I spent this year as a campus rep for Rigos). It is unique in that it starts before classes are over so that the material is spread out and we only have class twice a week during the summer (and on Saturdays starting this week until we break for finals). While I am certainly not looking forward to the bar exam itself, I am looking forward to re-learning all of those legal concepts I learned in contracts, torts, property, etc. during the 1L year. Much of it left me the moment the final exam was over, but I think going back with the perspective of 3 years of law school will really help all the pieces fall into place.

Now to try and get my bar application finished and submitted so I can actually sit for the exam!

Looking post-law school...

2010-03-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

Inevitably, a 3L must consider what he or she is going to do post-law school. I have been at that point for quite some time now and thought it was worth dumping some thoughts. First, there is no getting around the fact that the economy is down and along with that so are the number of open positions. The legal world has taken the brunt of this downturn at transactional law practices. Businesses are not doing deals and so they don't need lawyers to put together contracts and purchase agreements and the like. Litigation, on the other hand, is still going fairly strong. Bankruptcy and insurance defense litigation are where it's at.

Geographically speaking, it seems that no place is that much better or worse than another place. The conundrum for the 3L planning to take the bar this July is that a bar exam generally only admits you to a single state. Narrowing in on one state significantly limits job options. However, there are not many law firms willing to hire applicants that have not yet passed the bar so you don't have much choice but to pick a state, take the bar, and hope a job materializes later.

Now, to be sure, at least a handful of my fellow students have secured clerkships, firm associate positions, government attorney jobs, and others I'm not aware of. For the rest of us (or at least me) all options are on the table. Here are a few that I'm looking at:

1. Keep applying. This is something you just have to do. I'm constantly scouring Craigslist, State Bar classifieds, and the job website through our career services website. I have not seen a single posting for someone graduating and taking the bar this summer. The jobs are all for someone with JD in hand that can start soon, and the vast majority of those are looking for lateral hires with 2-7 years of experience. But, you just never know when you just might click with a firm that was looking for something else but finds the right fit with you.

2. Networking. This overlaps a bit with the application process. I have sent several "applications" unsolicited and then followed up with the lawyer or law firm that was not hiring, but willing to talk. Informational interviews can never hurt. While I am not really gaining any traction right now as far as jobs go (every attorney I talk with politely reiterates that this is a terrible time to look for a job), again you just never know when your connection with have a connection that needs someone like you.

3. Contract Work. While many attorneys and law firms are not willing to hire someone and pay all of their benefits, I have talked to many smaller firms that have plenty of work and no associates. Many of those attorneys are willing to pay a decent hourly wage for someone to do the research and drafting. There are some postings for these types of arrangements. It seems like a great way to network, gain experience, and make some money. Similarly, there are many listings for office share arrangement where a firm or group of attorneys has empty office to rent. The rent usually includes a conference room and maybe even access to a legal assistant. The goal is to find one where the attorneys have plenty of overflow work to throw your way.

4. Starting your own practice. As far as I can tell, unless you are practicing in a place where you already know many people in town or know attorneys that are willing to refer work to you, this is a tough one to pull off. There are certainly ways to avoid many of the overhead costs at the start like an office, an assistant, and practice management software. But the bottom line is that you only make money when you have work and doing that work is going to be a challenge without any experience. The key here is having a mentoring attorney that can help guide you.

5. Take a non-legal job. For me this is a tough pill to swallow having invested 3 years and a hundred thousand dollars in law school. Not to mention the fact that I really do want to practice law.

So those are some quick thoughts. I have no idea where I am going to end up and at this point and I have resigned myself to the fact that I really need to take what I can get and likely won't land my dream job out of law school. And while there is some stress involved in needing to be able to support my family, there is some excitement in the unknown. Good luck to all the 3Ls still on the hunt!

PIELC 2010!!

2010-03-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

Last week was the 2010 PIELC – the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference. Every year, students from the Land Air Water (LAW) group put together this conference that draws large national and international crowds. From Thursday to Sunday, the PIELC conference takes over the law school and the student union on campus. The energy surrounding the PIELC is quite amazing too – there is just a sense of excitement (especially for those of us interested in environmental issues) and renewed dedication to important environmental problems that participants in the conference carry.

This year, the theme was “Recover, Renew, Reimagine.” The conference draws some well know and inspiring speakers. This year the line up included Steven Donziger (U.S. attorney working on the Chevron Texaco case in Ecuador), Congressman Peter DeFazio, Terri Irwin (native of Eugene Oregon and was Steve Irwin’s wife (the Crocodile Hunter)), Trip Van Noppen (President of Earthjustice), as well as many many others.

Students at Oregon have an incredible opportunity to participate in the PIELC and meet and network among some of the world’s most important environmental activist. Besides the key note presentations, there are different panels throughout the day on a wide range of topics. And these are all topics that are timely and are often presented by the leading people in the field. I have greatly benefited from the PIELC because for the last two years there has been a panel on topics that I have been writing about. Last year I wrote my law school composition (or as we call it “comp,” which is basically a long paper that you have to write as a law school requirement) on the Navy’s use of sonar and the impacts on whale populations for my Wildlife law class. There was a panel on this exact topic that brought in five experts from the field and I was able to talk and get valuable insight into this problem, which ultimately led me to write a comp that I’ve used for a writing sample. This year, I’m working on my thesis and there was a panel about the proposed dams in Chile. Again, I learned a lot of information by attending this panel, and this is information that I could not have read in journals or books either.

There is a lot more about the PIELC then what I can cover here (I have to run off to mediation), but I suggest that anyone interested in environmental law to definitely make an effort to come to the PIELC one year!!!

A Sunny Day...

2010-02-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

What a great few days we have had here in Eugene. I had never lived in the Pacific Northwest until coming to UO for law school, so the climate is entirely new to me. I love summers in Eugene because every day is just about perfect. I like that the winters never get too cold. It does rain most of the winter, but not usually not constantly. And usually each winter you get a nice stretch of a week or two here and there with some sunny weather to help you make it through.

I must admit that the rain and clouds was starting to get to me, but we finally made it to a streak of nice days. Today, I got out and had a nice run along the mulch trails close to our house. There were so many people out running and every runner gave me a nod to acknowledge how great it was to get out. Not only has it been sunny, but the temperature has gotten up near 60 degrees...perfect running weather if you ask me. I'm not a hardcore runner, but there is something about Eugene that makes you just want to get out and hit the trails.

One of my favorite things about having time to run is time to listen to podcasts. There are some great podcasts that are very educational/enlightening and still entertaining. Usually, the only time I have a chance to listen is when running or when I drive to Medford or Bend for work with the US Attorney's Office. My usually podcasts are Radio Lab and the Planet money podcast, both from NPR. Radio Lab usually focuses on some science, either biology or sociology-related issues. The delve into diverse topics from race, to parasites, to laughter and sleep. The show is very entertaining, done much like This American Life.

Planet Money is nice because it is usually 15-20 minutes long so I can get in a couple during a run. It keeps track of current events, but with a business/finance focus. I first found it while I was take my Advanced Business Law class and found the show very useful in helping me understand complex business law issues. Some episodes they devote to just explaining something like regulation of financial institutions or sources of the financial crisis. I really feel like listening makes me sharper on current business issues and hopefully that translates into being a better business law attorney.

Speaking of being an attorney, this week I had my first client meeting through the Small Business Clinic. I local business owner came in seeking legal advice from the clinic. The client is assigned to me for the semester with a local attorney serving as my supervisor (and teach for the seminar part of the class). During the meeting we discussed the client's needs and came up with a couple of products that would benefit the client and that I can accomplish over the course of the semester. When the semester is over I will have completed an LLC filing with the state of Oregon, drafted an LLC operating agreement, and drafted a service contract for the client to use in his business. In class we have done a couple of contract drafting exercises and I have really enjoyed them. Going into law school I never imagined myself as a transactional attorney, but I really enjoy understanding a client's needs and crafting a contract that protects the client.

I will have one more client this semester and have that first meeting later this week. The work is going to make for a busy semester, but in the end I will go into the legal world with actual experience. Later this week I also head to Medford for a few federal misdemeanor trials. I am very lucky to have such great hands-on opportunities while a law student. Hopefully it will help me find a job! Now back to the Olympics...

Friday Afternoon Club

2010-02-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

As you would expect, there are MANY student organizations at Oregon Law, and they host a variety of events, meetings, fundraisers, etc. One of my favorites is Outlaws FAC. It is the simplest event. You don't have to sign up in advance, it is free, you can stay as short or long as you like, and it is open to everyone. While it doesn't raise money for any disadvantaged people, animals, or natural resources and it doesn't exactly further our understanding of the law, gathering with LGBTQ students and their families, friends, and allies on Friday afternoon for a drink or snack is really quite enjoyable. It gives students who can't commit the time to hold a board position or attend regular group meetings the chance to stay involved. It also gives a lot of allies the opportunity to show support by just showing up at a local pub for awhile. Outlaws hosts FAC a few times each semester, and they are usually at a restaurant/bar near the law school around 5:00 on a Friday. They are always open to non-law students, so if you're in the area, feel free to call the school and get more info!

Baseball & Sunny Days

2010-02-18T15:21:00.001-08:00

Contrary to popular belief, the sun actually does shine in Eugene. When it does, it is wonderful. I love the sunny days in Eugene. Of course, whenever it is sunny, everyone at school is a little more depressed because we all want to be outside. Fortunately, my family was able to take advantage of one of these days recently, and we took a walk to PK Park, the University's brand new baseball facility. The way the sun was shining on the road was proof of Eugene's wet climate.

The ballpark itself is coming along nicely. The first home game is on March 2 - something I definitely want to attend. PK Park is the largest college baseball facility in the northwest, and definitely one of the nicest. I have included a couple photos: one of a view of the outfield, and the other a look from behind the center-field wall.

It was a beautiful, sunny day for a walk in Eugene. The weather has been pretty nice around here lately. For me, there is nothing quite like baseball and the approach of spring, so it was a great day for me. Plus, with Oregon's team starting its second year in a brand new facility, it is even more exciting. Of course, I had hoped to pass along this passion for baseball to my son. Unfortunately, he was much more interested in the construction equipment scattered around the baseball park. Oh well (at least we can still catch home run balls from back there, right?).

Long time no post...

2010-02-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

It has been far too long since my last blog post. Mea culpa. Life has been a tad crazy.

Graduation is in 97 days. That is so insane to me. It really feels like just yesterday that I was starting this adventure of law school. Everyone warned me it would go by quickly, but I didn't think it would go this quickly. It all feels like a blur and I know that the next 97 days will be the same. I'm trying to cherish each day, despite my excitement for what's next.

In 98 days I will be loading a few precious possessions into a u-haul trailer, and hopping into a car with my husband and my dog. We are heading to South Texas, Harlingen to be exact. A location neither of us has ever been to and neither of us has a connection with. But, after a lot of prayer, we just know that we are supposed to be there. We believe we are called to that area for at least two purposes: 1) to start a church; and 2) to start a nonprofit organization to serve Latinos in the Rio Grande Valley.

The nonprofit has been a dream of ours for at least four years, however it had lain dormant until this semester when I started taking nonprofit law. In the class one of our main assignments is to go through all the motions of starting up a nonprofit. I decided to take our idea and set it up as if we were already in Texas. We want to establish a center called Puentes (Bridges) which would offer education, training, and immigration legal services to help Latinos cross from where they are currently both socially, economically, and professionally to where they desire to be. It is so cool to be taking this class and it has helped me to see that our dream can easily become a reality.

Law school has taught me so much, but more than anything it has taught me that I really can do anything that I set my mind to. This degree will open the necessary doors and the education has laid the foundation for establishing Puentes. I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend law school, for the support of my husband to do so, and for my faith in God to provide me strength to succeed in law school.

In other news, this last friday night was salsa with LALSA, a dance fundraiser to support Latino/a Law Students Association. It was such a fun time and it was a great success. I was so proud of my successor directors who took the event we did last year to the next level. So proud of you Marissa and Aly!

1L Rep Kim Trujillo holding down the raffle table.

LALSA Co-director Marissa Garcia

Co-director Aly Garcia

Before the dance my husband and I went on a double date with a fellow law student friend and her attorney boyfriend. We decided to check out Papa's Soul Kitchen, which is arguably the best BBQ in town. The wait was about an hour and a half, since its such a small place and so popular, but it was definitely worth the wait!

2L Sarah grubbin' on ribs!

My husband and I, content after eating some amazing BBQ.

Ready to get down at salsa with LALSA!

Sarah and Nathan, our double date.

Legal Research and Writing at Oregon Law

2010-02-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

All first year law students enroll in a year-long course called Legal Research and Writing (LRW). The LRW department is highly ranked among law schools, and this accolade is well-deserved. The course is well-structured and very challenging. The goal is to teach students the basic skills they need to complete legal research and draft basic legal documents - invaluable to any internship or summer clerk position, not to mention throughout our professional careers! The course is split into two sections: the first semester focuses on building the foundation, teaching skills such as online and library research skills and writing objective legal memos. The second focuses on persuasive legal writing.

During the first semester, I enjoyed learning basic legal research and writing skills. Legal writing is a world apart from my science background, in part because the research tools are different, but also because it requires reading and interpreting text in a whole new way. The professors emphasize the importance of understanding the structure of published opinions and interpreting the holding of a case, in order to determine if it applies to the particular point at issue. One of the most frustrating aspects was having to re-learn how to write! Legal writing is very different from most undergraduate papers and all of the scientific papers I've ever written. Be prepared to be humbled - in a good way! By the end of the first semester, most students were amazed at how much they learned and were able to master. LRW is one of the most rewarding courses for that reason.

This semester we've moved beyond objective writing to tackle persuasive writing, in the form of an appellate brief. The pace of this second half is quick and we're expected to be able to effectively research a legal topic on our own now. Our professor is guiding us through the structure of our brief, but leaving the content mostly up to us to figure out. That said, my professor is really accessible, as are the tutors, when I have questions about structure or content.

Our first topic is judicial recusal. We were given a 'case' at the beginning of the semester about a (fictitious) basketball coach who was fired for complaining about the difference in her salary and the salary of the (male) coach of the men's team. At trial, the jury found for the plaintiff, but the district court judge's son was a partner in the firm representing the plaintiff. We have to argue (depending on which side we are assigned) that the judge should/should not have recused herself because of the potential benefit to her son with a favorable outcome. It's a fascinating topic and touches on important policy considerations, such as promoting public confidence in the judiciary and creating clear and objective standards for judges. I am challenged to separate out my own feelings about the case from the salient legal points that should be made.

This past week was a frenzy of writing and research because our first (partial) draft was due on Friday. The citations alone can consume hours and hours of my time! Next we'll research the second half of the brief and turn in our complete brief in mid-March. The semester culminates in an oral argument, where each student will argue for 10 minutes before a panel of judges! Exciting and scary at the same time.

So this is LRW at Oregon Law in a nutshell. Be prepared to work VERY hard and to be challenged, but also be prepared for the reward you'll reap when you master these important legal skills!

Black Law Students Association Regional Convention

2010-02-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, a small contingent of Oregon Law students went to the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Regional Convention in San Francisco. We had a really good time. I'm the region's treasurer so I had some work obligations while at the convention, but I did get the chance to see some of the city.
We were in a really nice hotel at Fisherman's Wharf so, if you're into doing touristy things, they were right outside the door. If you wanted to explore, two of the major cable car lines were blocks away. We spent some time in Union Square, hiked up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower, and had ice cream at Ghirardelli Square.

Every year as a part of the convention, our regional community service director organizes an event. This year we participated in a "Law Info Day" at a local elementary school. Thirty 5th-8th graders participated in mock trials, crafted and presented opening statements, and, in my smaller group, debated the benefits and disadvantages of their school's off-campus lunch policy. It was amazing to see how focused these kids were. There's no way that I was interested in pursuing a legal career at 8th grade. It was really inspiring.

There were also some really great speakers. John Burris, a Northern California civil rights attorney, was the keynote speaker and one of the Oregon students organized a panel on LGBT issues in the Black community. We got to meet with an attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights and an activist working for Equality California. The discussion turned quickly to the struggles around Proposition 8 and it was good to get a different perspective on that ongoing legal battle.

I had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I have tons of reading to catch up on for school. Better get back to it.

One Bummer of a Super Bowl Party

2010-02-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

So I love the Colts. I lived eight years of my life in Ohio, but right next to the border of Indiana, and two years in the Hoosier state itself. Although I now live on the other side of the country, I still love my Colts. So naturally I was excited about the Super Bowl last night. My wife and I invited several law students and their families over to our house for a football party last night. My wife put a lot of effort into making food and decorations.

(me, full of pre-game optimism)

As it turns out, it was a lot of effort for nothing. As I'm sure everyone knows, the Saints prevailed. The law students, who I thought were friends, were all chanting "Who Dat?" by the end of the night. So I learned a valuable lesson about Super Bowl parties: if your favorite team is playing, perhaps you should watch it by yourself. Of course, I wasn't devastated - after all, it's just a football game. My son loved the evening because he got to hang out with all his friends (children of fellow law students). Plus, there was more than enough food for him to sneak while his dad was watching the game.

Roller Derby

2010-02-07T23:40:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I experienced another first courtesy of Eugene. Roller derby. I have been intrigued by the sport since I saw that awesome movie Whip It. Ellen Page (from Juno) joins a roller derby team and, all in two hours, learns to skate, falls in and out of love, and kicks some butt out there on the track. Who knew that Eugene had its own league? I didn't until a 1L here at the school sent out an email encouraging the law school to come out and support her. I was pumped.
The matches were held at the Lane Events Center at the Fairgrounds and it completely sold out. It truly is fun for all ages. There were little girls dressed up like their favorite roller derby rock stars and adults in costume having a good time and rooting for their teams. The women who skate all have day jobs, but take the time to practice and show us a great time. My favorite part is the cool names that the teams come up with and the names that the individual skaters have. I want to give a shot out to Autumn Attic Weapon (if this doesn't make sense to you, say it out loud) and, her team, the Andromedolls. They won last weekend and I'm looking forward to seeing them battle again in March.

So close, yet so far...

2010-02-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

This is shaping up to be my favorite semester of classes. The main reason is that I finally feel like I am getting to do work and think like a real lawyer. It is no longer just reading cases and wrapping my head around legal theories.

I was selected as one of seven students for the Small Business Clinic this semester. In the clinic we actually are assigned real clients from the community. We conduct the meetings and prepare work for the clients with one of the two supervising attorneys that also teach the clinic seminar class. It is very overwhelming to start to prepare for that first client meeting and realize how much responsibility really falls on our shoulders as an attorney. The client really trusts us to know what we are talking about and produce a legal product that their business can depend on. At the same time, it is exciting because I start to realize that I really do know what I am talking about -- at least on the more basic issues -- and that I actually have been learning the law as a law student. My first client meetings are still a couple of weeks off, but there is much prep to be done.

I am also take a seminar class called Business Planning. The course is taught by an adjunct professor that worked as a business law attorney for a firm in Eugene for many years. Business Planning goes very well with the Small Business Clinic because we are learning more of the details to help someone plan a business. The readings for Business Planning have already come in handy in helping me prepare for that first client meeting. The professor teaches the class based around a hypothetical problem so all of our readings and review of tax code make more sense because it is all in the context of the hypothetical. The class is challenging, but definitely one of my favorite classes because we spend so much time talking about being a lawyer and all of the issues that could come up in serving the client.

My third class is Accounting for Lawyers. Now I have to be honest, I have no exposure to accounting and expected this to be a snooze fest. I took the class because I know the professor is fantastic (Professor Jamie Moffitt) and because Professor Moffitt sold me on the usefulness of having an exposure to accounting when doing business law. Wow was she right. I find the material to be very interesting because I had no idea how critical accounting practices are for a business. The relevancy to a lawyer comes in because there are many judgment calls to make as a business in deciding how to record numbers. The concepts we are learning in accounting have already come up in Business Planning and my fourth class, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Mergers and Acquisitions, or M&A, is taught by one of my favorite professors, Professor Illig. I like the way he structures classes and the material and, quite frankly, I like the format of his exams. It has been a great class to round out my understanding of business law. While the material is fairly complicated and still a bit confusing to me, it really is a pleasure to be in class with Professor Illig.

So that is the rundown for the semester. I titled this post the way I did because the other aspect of this semester is early bar prep. I'll talk more about the specifics of that later, but thinking about the bar makes me realize that while I may feel like I am ready to think like a lawyer and provide legal advice, the ever looming bar exam makes life as a practicing attorney seem so far away. Bleh. All I can do is just enjoy what is left of law school.

ASUO Budget Hearing

2010-02-06T23:08:00.000-08:00

The University of Oregon has a unique student government program called the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO). The ASUO has divided itself into three branches: executive, legislative, and judiciary. With my position as the Business Editor of the Journal of Environmental Law & Litigation (JELL) - yes I know, a lot of acronyms here on campus - I have had to deal with the ASUO quite a bit over the past year. I appeared before the senate in preparation of JELL's annual symposium. There are actually two law students who serve on the senate.

Anyways, the reason I bring up the ASUO now is because I recently had to go before the Programs Finance Committee and present JELL's budget proposal for next year. The students on the committee have control over the allocation of the incidental fee money paid by each student as part of tuition - a significant amount of money. Several months ago I had to submit our proposal, but this was an opportunity to explain and negotiate. The committee members asked questions about our operations, our fundraising, and our specific requests. It was an interesting experience. The committee members actually seemed interested in what JELL does, and I feel pleased with the approved budget. While the process seems long and irritating at times, I am sure it is a good learning experience for all involved. While I don't enjoy asking people for money, it sure is nice to get it.

Partner v. No partner during law school

2010-02-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

I am married and have been with my partner since the beginning of law school. In fact, we met before law school and moved to Oregon together so I could attend law school. My relationship has been a blessing in getting me through law school! He has taken over the majority of our domestic responsibilities (cooking, cleaning, etc.) over the years. I cannot tell you what an incredible help this has been, particularly since I work about 12 hour days (seriously: class, studying, work, I go between 6 am to 11 pm almost every day). And since my husband is not a law student, he help keeps my life balanced. Rather than talking about Pennoyer v. Neff over dinner, which I often find myself talking about case law to others despite the blank stare I receive, we talk about the things we did more regularly before law school – like hiking, or planning weekend rafting trips.

Next month, I will experience, for the first time since starting law school, life as a law student without a partner! GASP. My husband is going to paddle the Grand Canyon for the entire month of March so my dog and I will be on our own. Who is going to feed me? Who is going to run out and get me coffee late at night when I need my extra caffeine boost and we’ve run out of beans? This just goes to show how spoiled I’ve been these past 4 years! I am a very independent individual, so I know how to manage on my own, but it will be a challenge for me, particularly because I have to really buckle down and write my thesis right now (I’m at about 35 pages now!).

Before the Grand Canyon trip opportunity came up – which was just the beginning of the week – my husband and I were training for the Eugene Marathon. I was reluctant to train with him, given all that I have going on, but I agreed because (1) exercise is the best way for me to beat my stress and (2) it was something I could do with my husband, who I only see for about 2 hours a day. Needless to say, we aren’t doing the Marathon anymore because he will be gone for the month of March.

Law school can be tough on relationships. So prepare yourself and your partner if one person in the relationship is going to law school. I have witnessed many couples split up during law school because the demands of the program. But I have also witnessed law school bring couples together (I bet they talk about Pennoyer v. Neff over dinner!). My husband always says: If I didn’t have kayaking while Michelle was in law school, I’d go crazy. So word of advice to all the partners of potential law students out there: get yourself a hobby. And for those law students with non-law school partners: tell them daily how much you appreciate their support!

My first trial...

2010-01-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got around to having my first trial. As a law clerk at the US Attorney's office, one of our responsibilities is to represent the federal government when petty offense defendants wish to plead not guilty to their tickets. More often than not, the defendants decide to make a deal with us or fail to show for their appearance. I have had a couple of sentencing hearings in front of the judge, but this was the first time I actually had a defendant want to plead not guilty and go through with it.

The petty offense trials are bench trials held before a US Magistrate judge. Petty offense defendants do not have the right to a jury trial or the right to request a district court judge (a defendant must have a Class A misdemeanor or above). These cases are a great proving ground for law clerks because the defendants represent themselves pro se, there is no jail time at stake, and usually the possible fine involved is no more than $500. Since it is a bench trial, the Magistrate is able to jump in and ask questions of witnesses in case the typical questioning does not cover everything.

Usually the law is pretty straightforward and most cases are "strict liability" offenses so that the government does not need to prove the defendant's intent. Still, the cases take a great deal of prep work because you want to be prepared for anything the judge might ask. Usually it starts off with going through the event with the citing officer. The officer is usually the only witness for the government and there will be evidence such as physical evidence seized or photos of an area.

At my trial last week I really was not too nervous. There is not a big courtroom full of people watching and so it really becomes a more conversational event where you are just trying to get at the truth of what actually occurred. The Magistrate was very disarming, but still very serious about the proceeding. The most intimidating part was the courtroom itself. This trial was at the federal courthouse in Medford, Oregon, which is a classic older building with beautiful courtrooms. Very humbling to step into the well and sit down at the table where so much history and justice have been served before.

The case was tough because our proof really ended up being the word of the officer against the defendant and everything else was circumstantial. The judge ended up siding with the defendants so I lost my first trial. I think I could have done a better job during the trial in really poking holes in the defendants' story, but in the heat of the moment, and without much practice, I forgot one of the cardinal rules of cross examination: DON'T USE OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS! I had done a decent job of cross examining one of the defendants, but then in my final question I totally gave it all away by asking, "So don't you think it's possible that..." I had already got him to say the things I wanted, but then I gave him a chance to just say, "No."

Luckily we are there with a supervising attorney who took notes of how I handled the trial and spent time afterward to walk through it with me. The feedback is invaluable and I know I will at least not make the same mistakes next time. It felt great to get in there and play with "live ammo" as it were. Lots more to come about the first week of classes.

Cross-Country Skiing

2010-01-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

My new favorite activity is XC Skiing. I have been alpine (or downhill) skiing since I was 3, and having grown up in Colorado, I have enjoyed some pretty amazing terrain. Last year, my first winter in Oregon, I found the local ski areas to be quaint, convenient, and lacking a little something. I know that Bachelor and Mt. Hood probably offer some amazing experiences, but they are a little too far and a little too pricey for the law student time and money budgets. This year, I found myself with some new friends who go XC skiing almost every week. It has been a fantastic alternative to driving up to the smaller resorts and skiing the same trails over and over again. Another benefit of XC is that as long as there is snow on the ground, it doesn't matter too much whether it is heavy, sticky, fluffy, dry, or wet. PNW snow is often heavier than Colorado (and Utah) snow, so it's not as desirable for alpine skiing. When XC skiing, it doesn't really matter! There are TONS of XC and snowshoe trails within 60-90 minutes of Eugene, and a lot of them have public shelters with wood stoves. We've been able to ski in, have lunch in a warm shelter and ski out the last two weekends. I have my own equipment, but Berg's, a local Eugene retailer rents an entire XC package with gaiters for only $12. And you don't need to buy a lift ticket! This week we found ourselves in six inches of new snow and had a great time near Waldo Lake. I think we're planning an overnight trip within the next few weeks, so I'll take some photos to share!

UO Basketball Game, Rough game, Funny Duck

2010-01-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

This weekend I finally (!!) made it to a sporting event at the UO. I say finally with emphasis because I have been at the UO for almost 4 full years and haven’t made the time to enjoy the Pac-10 Division 1 athletic events in town. I went to a small liberal arts college for undergrad, so I haven’t really experienced large D-1 sporting events. Since I am nearing the end of my time at the UO, I bought my husband and I tickets to the men’s basketball game. I bought us tickets to the UO v. Arizona game because I am a fan of both teams (born up in Tucson, both parents went to undergrad and medical school at Arizona, and Arizona was my 2^nd choice of law schools…obviously 2^nd after Oregon) so the game was only a win-win situation for me!

The game started at 1:30 pm so I had a very unusual morning of sleeping in late (9 am) and then my husband and I went to Café Zenon for brunch. YUM! After brunch we headed over to the game. I bought tickets that were not in “The Pit,” the student section. As a student, I have the to option to request tickets in The Pit, but I decided to shell out some money to buy seats where we could sit down and not having screaming fans surrounding us. Unfortunately, Oregon lost. In fact, Oregon never had the lead and did not play a very good game during the second half. Despite losing, it was a fun experience and definitely one I’d like to repeat before I graduate and possibly leave Oregon. Besides the game, my second favorite part of the event was our mascot, the Duck. He has quite the dance moves…

Wayne Morse Fellowship

2010-01-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

Undoubtedly one of the most rewarding aspects of my first year of law school has been serving as a Wayne Morse Fellow. The fellowship is open to first year students and so at the outset of this entry I would like to encourage all incoming students to seriously consider applying for this unique opportunity.

There are many benefits to serving as a fellow, which include, but are not limited to:

The opportunity to be immediately integrated into community of dedicated students, faculty, and staff
The opportunity to work closely visiting scholars (which will include Maxine Burkett and Vandana Shiva in 2010 – 2011)
The chance to interact with members of the broader community as you help to organize educational events, such as lectures and discussion panels
Monthly fellows meetings where a guest will speak about aspects of the Center’s theme or on topics of interest
A chance to expand your professional horizons through exposure to aspects of student and professional life you might not otherwise experience in your first year
Finally, the fellowship provides one of the only scholarship opportunities available to incoming students

As a first year fellow, you will be uniquely and centrally involved in organizing and leading the Center’s activities, including guest lectures, discussion panels, and informal discussions with students. Events are organized around a central theme. The theme for 2009 – 2011 is Climate Ethics and Equity. In addressing this multifaceted and complex issue, we have hosted several renowned scholars from multiple disciplines, including Dr. Jim McCarthy, Dr. Dale Jamieson, and Dr. Rebecca Tsosie.

Dr. Jim McCarthy is a Harvard University climate scientist and co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He visited the Wayne Morse Center and the School of Law in fall 2009. Dr. McCarthy is a highly respected scientist and public policy advocate on climate change. Dr. McCarthy participated in a great panel discussion on finding solutions to the climate crisis.

Dr. Dale Jamieson, Professor of Philosophy and Head the Environmental Studies Department at NYU, spent much of the semester in residence at the University of Oregon. Many students, including myself, relished the opportunity to learn from Dr. Jamieson on topics such as the ethical implications of bioengineering, conflicting approaches to endangered species protections, and how to integrate multiple perspectives in exploring solutions to the climate crisis.

Here, Dr. Dale Jamieson speaks at a reception for the Environmental Studies Department:

Here, Dr. Dale Jamieson speaks with my husband and me after a lecture entitled, Minding Animals and the Environment:

Dr. Rebecca Tsosie gave a memorable guest lecture. Dr. Tsosie is Professor of Law and director of the Indian Legal Program at Arizona State University. She delivered an engaging and dynamic talk on natural law, native environmental ethics and policy, and traditional approaches to environmental stewardship.

Below is a photo from: The Perfect Moral Storm: Ethical Challenges of Our Climate Crisis Symposium hosted by Ted Toadvine, Resident Scholar, Steve Gardiner, UW; Kathleen Dean Moore, OSU; Jay Odenbaugh, Lewis and Clark; and Dale Jamieson, Wayne Morse Chair

If you would like to learn more about applying for the Wayne Morse Center Law Fellowship, visit the website: http://waynemorsecenter.uoregon.edu/ Please also feel free to email me (Maya) directly with any questions about the fellowship: leonardc at uoregon dot edu.

*Photos courtesy of the Wayne Morse Center

Looking back on fall semester...

2010-01-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

So, today began my return to reality. It is not quite the start of spring semester, but I am taking one of the winter term classes, which are new this year. The classes only last one week and most are worth 1 credit. I am taking the "Law Practice Management" class, which is designed to teach us how to start and run our own law practice. The first class was interesting and I'll have much more to say about it later on in the week.

I thought it would be good to give a good recap of last semester. First of all, this was my first semester as a father. Our daughter was born in August and just turned 5 months old. Luckily my wife was on maternity leave for much of the semester, so while there were plenty of late nights, the pressure was not too bad for me. I took a lighter class load so that I would not have to be reading all of the time and could focus on learning how to be a parent. My wife had to go back to work at the beginning of November, so our challenge was to make it through to the next semester without starting child care. Unfortunately, we moved away from family to come out west so there is no cheap babysitting. Luckily, the new grandparents are both excited and willing to travel so we did get lots of help from them to help cover a few weeks. With all the help and thanks to my flexible work schedule we were able to make it all the way through with only a day of day care. My finals schedule was ideal as I only had two regular finals for my four classes and they were spaced a week apart.

Quick recap on my classes from the semester:

Negotiation: This might be my favorite class I have had in law school. You don't read case law and worry about being grilled on a cold call. The class is totally interactive and most classes the reading is to prepare a problem/case. You are assigned a role and paired with another classmate and conduct a negotiation through a role playing exercises. The opportunity to practice negotiation skills and techniques out of my normal comfort zone and then to get candid feedback from my opponent was invaluable. Great class.

Federal Judicial Settlement: This course was taught by a Federal Magistrate Judge here in Eugene. It was a great perspective from a great legal mind. It was almost like a mentoring experience. Very helpful for practicing in the real world.

Bankruptcy: This class was difficult, mainly because the bankruptcy code is insanely overly complicated. Class to class the workload was not too bad, and much of the class was spent doing problems which is very helpful in learning how to apply the code in actual situations. I am very glad to have the background in bankruptcy and could even see myself practicing bankruptcy law...something I never before thought possible.

Copyrights: I never though I had much interest in IP (intellectual property) related law, but I am so glad I took this course. We discussed patent and trademarks briefly so that I had a basic frame of reference for IP law generally. Copyright law is totally relevant to so many parts of my life that it was easy to engage on the issues and fascinating to see how the laws developed. Protecting intellectual property is a major policy issue and I think the exposure will benefit me greatly should I make it into business law practice.

That's a quick look back on classes. It was a very nice semester. This semester will be a bit more grueling. More details on that to come.

Winter in Eugene

2010-01-08T13:47:00.001-08:00

Photos of the law school building during last year's snowstorm.

Photos: Barron Sawyer '10

New Years in Eugene

2010-01-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are in 2010 and one of my resolutions is to be a better blogger! So, the good news for you, curious reader, is that you will get to hear more about my fiercely interesting life as a law student. Lucky duck.

Last night I spent the "holiday" in Eugene. It started with a failed attempt to see an afternoon showing of Avatar 3D. A few other law students and I didn't buy tickets in advance, because we did not anticipate the show being sold out. Oops. We rescheduled for Monday. Instead of the movie we ended up going to our friend Paul's house to hang out and have some food and drinks before heading to Starlight Lounge. Classy, I know. For those of you who aren't familiar with Eugene, Starlight offers large "leather" sofas and fantastic people-watching. From Starlight I headed over to campus to meet up with a different group of friends who was ringing in the new year in the studio of the university radio station. It's not the way I would have anticipated spending new year's eve, but if the people are good company, pretty much anything can be fun. From the radio studio we headed back to downtown Eugene to dance. There were actually A LOT of people downtown, despite the fact that many students are not around over winter break. Compared to a lot of cities, Eugene offers a very affordable NYE experience. I think we paid cover at two of the three establishments we visited and each was $5 or less. It may not have been the most exciting NYE I've ever had, but it was easy, included a lot of fun people, and was very low-stress.

I hope you all had a wonderful evening and have your resolutions all mapped out for a fun and successful 2010! Happy New Year!

Reflections on a Semester of Law

2009-12-27T07:17:00.000-08:00

Writing to you from snowy Boston, MA: Vacation with family and my husband has been great. I desperately needed some time to relax after the semi-chaotic finale to the semester. And, with some time and perspective, it finally seems possible to write about my first semester of law school with a little clarity. Here are a few things that come to mind...

1. The first semester of my 1L year was truly a whirlwind and like nothing I've experienced academically. Even though I was fairly well-informed about the law school experience before I started, there was no way to anticipate what it felt like to try and keep up with the pace of learning or to memorize the sheer volume of material students are expected to know to prepare for final exams.

2. The prospect of comprehending the required material for final exams in torts, contracts, criminal law, and civil procedure (over 1,200 pages of reading for this last course alone!), was truly overwhelming. In truth, I took one day off from studying the entire semester and I still wasn't sure that I was prepared. Yet, I was surprised by how the information coalesced when I finally sat down to write the tests.

3. In studying for exams, I realized that much of law school is self-taught: classes provide a structure for learning material, but the process of stitching together the various elements of a course happens at the end of the semester when you're on your own. Although you outline throughout the course, there is no way to circumvent the process of reflecting and learning once you can finally see the larger picture of the entire course. It's critical to learning how to think like a lawyer.

4. Finally, I went into the exam experience determined to maintain a positive outlook, to remember that the purpose was to reflect on what I learned, and to stay balanced throughout the two week period. I think I was partially successful at keeping these goals in mind - I lost more sleep than I'd like to admit. But, overall I feel like I accomplished what I set out to do (which was learn!) and I get to try again next semester...