Law Students

Write On? Right On!!

By Steve Pirates

Let me start by saying that I enjoy law school as a general rule. I like my classes most of the time, I like most of my fellow students. I enjoy writing and I like academic challenges. Just sayin’ so that you have a clear idea of where I’m coming from on this.

The write-on competition for law review SUCKS. Ten (10) days, ten (10) to fifteen (15) perfectly edited and Bluebooked pages of scholarly writing. Good thing that we never learned scholarly writing as 1Ls. Good thing that we’re using the “other half” of the Bluebook for this paper. Good thing that the prompt for the competition is BEGGING for a memorandum of law and not actually a scholarly discussion. Good thing that our law review in their infinite wisdom grades on the bulk of its members and takes roughly two (2) to four (4) students out of the twenty (20) or so that do the write-on competition. Good thing I’m writing three (3) other papers this Summer for classes. Good thing I’ve got an Evidence midterm coming up.

Good thing indeed.

I will say however, that this paper is forcing me to do a blind trial of how to write a scholarly paper, which I imagine can only help me in my three (3) paper writing classes for this Summer. I am also glad that I found out how to put in footnotes. I never knew before. This will certainly be an “ends” based experience. If I make it on, I am sure I will feel that this competition was a great challenge that paid off for having the tenacity to plow through this new style of writing. If I don’t, I’m sure I will feel that it was a huge waste of time that may have adversely impacted my Summer classes for nothing. I will know on June 23rd how I feel.
For the time being I simply feel pressured and aggravated.

Full post as published by Jolly Lawger on June 09, 2008 (boomark / email).