Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Law Students Blogs -> SoapBox Law

Law Students

: SoapBox Law

LAST POST!

Last Post: This will be my last post for Soapbox Law. (Wait for boos). The real purpose of the blog was two fold 1) an outlet to express my experiences as a law student and 2) let my family and friends know what I am up to. It also surprisingly became a small resource for law students interested in Santa Clara Law School, the JAG Corps and even for some interested in Mormonism. With law school finished and the monotony of bar prep set to begin, I?ve decided to take a blogging hiatus. I?ll probably continue to post my Sunday School lessons from time to time as well as other religious thoughts on my religion blog. I reckon I?ll have an itch to blog about my JAG career or at least about what my family is up to once my career begins in earnest in October, but both will probably more appropriate in a password protected format for my closest homies are maybe even anonymously. If anyone has any questions re: law school, the Navy JAG Corps, Mormonism or anything else, you can continue to e-mail me at dendo4life@msn.com. I?m sure the blogosphere will wait breathlessly until I return. In the meantime, here are some parting thoughts:

First Post: I forgot to celebrate the third year anniversary of SoapBox Law, which occurred a week an a half ago. My first post was a lame disclaimer, followed by a post on centrist judges, followed by expectations for the blog, which fulfilled it?s primary function to include a ?touch of autobiographical information about my impending legal education and employment.? Done and done.

Santa Clara Law School: My experience at Santa Clara Law School has been great. Some of the problems that I had, like class room attendance, are endemic of the law school experience. There were more than enough opportunities to pursue my desired legal career. For me, I?m all about the practical experience and SCU had no shortage of those opportunities; I was able to do internships through the school and while in school, work at a law clinic, do a lot of moot court and trial team tournaments, etc. The professors are, for the most part, wonderful and the student body bursting with fantastically bright legal minds. I also had a lot of different types of employment opportunities; I started out interested in Intellectual Property and then criminal law and then, obviously, military law. Though my interests evolved, the University supplied all of the resources I needed to pursue them. In sum, I whole heartedly commend Santa Clara University School of Law to any potential law students. I certainly am very happy with my law school experience there.

Memorial Day: My wife and I started Memorial Day yesterday morning by watching the last two discs of Band of Brothers. The whole thing is just fantastic, and though I?ve seen it many times, I was especially moved by the episode ?The Breaking Point?, which shows Easy Company getting the crap shelled out of them as they prepare to take the town of Foy near Bastogne shortly after the Battle of the Bulge. That episode really encapsulates the level of sacrifice some of our service members endured to keep the world safe.

Bar Prep: I started preparation for the California Bar this past week by taking the six day PMBR course. I found it very useful and I was generally pleased by how much law I?ve retained since the first year of law school. That being said, some of those questions were freaking ridiculous. I?ve heard PMBR introduces the most difficult questions to humble their students, and it worked. I began BarBri today, and I'm very excited to dive in head first.

Grades:

I?ve always felt like it is bad juju to have graduation before the final grades are released. What if you fail one of your last exams? What if you underestimated the number of credits you needed? What if you unwittingly forgot to get your supervised writing requirement? All manner of things could potentially go wrong, which kind of hangs over you a little bit during the whole graduation thing. Thankfully most of my grades have come back, and none of them have been Fs (the only grade I can?t get). In fact, I?ve gotten two As and a B, which is really shocking. I?m still waiting for my Remedies grade, which I?m a little worried about, but given that I was more worried about some of those other grades, hopefully it will be alright.

American Idol Favorite Performances:

Circumstances were such that I watched a lot of American Idol this season. My wife was at school late on Tuesday nights, and I usually got home right when it was starting, so after a long day, I usually gave into the temptation. I didn?t watch every week, but here are my favorite performances from season 7 in order:

1) David Archuleta - Imagine

2) Michael Johns - It's All Wrong, But It's All Right

3) David Cook - Hello

4) Jason Castro-Daydream

5) Chikezie - She's A Woman

6) David Archuleta ? Love Me Tender

7) David Cook- Eleanor Rigby

8) David Archuleta - Shop Around

9) Jason Castro- If I Fell

10) Carly Smithson- Jesus Christ Superstar

Politics: I?m a political junkie and if I feel the need to comment on the current election I?ll reckon I can start posting on my old Soapbox Politics blog if I really need to get it out of my system. Because I anticipate my bar prep will be all consuming, and because the moments that I do have free I don?t want them spent on politics, I simply don?t have the time for it. Suffice to say that I think Obama is the most radical candidate the Democrat party has ever produced (and no, you don?t have to call the hyperbole police) and McCain, while flawed, at least understands the threat of Islamic terror. Any blogs in the future about the 2008 race would just be variations of that theme. I do believe that America is inherently a conservative country, a place that believes in family values, hard work, innovation, free markets, low taxes, liberty and lower government interference. A McCain victory will be predicated on reminding the country that the Republican party is the natural home for those who share those values while reminding people the Democrats are naturally antagonistic to it. McCain will also have to show the country that the progress in Iraq is nothing short of miraculous, with virtually every important forward area being manned by Iraqi forces with casualties now at all time lows, and that the Republican goal of actually winning in Iraq is achievable and the Democrat goal of surrender is equally achievable if they come into power. This will not be easy, but it can be done and I think it must be done.

Full post as published by SoapBox Law on May 27, 2008 (boomark / email).