There is an old saying, “It’s not what you know but who you know.” I’ve got to tell you it’s true. Unfortunately, it seems that I don’t really know the right people. You see, I’m trying to get up to Portland, Oregon. Meanwhile, everyone I know is down here in Southern California, either in Los Angeles, or in San Diego. I am well aware of the other old saying, “go to school where you want to work.” The problem is I didn’t know I wanted to work in Portland until after the transfer deadline. C’est la vie.

It got me thinking about issues of class in law school. Law school, from my experiences here and visiting other schools, skews upper-middle suburban. There are quite a few people in law school who have a parent, relative, or family friend who is an established attorney. This is often not the case for people from socioeconomic strata of lesser means. Say a kid from Long Beach who grew up in a safe-ish neighborhood in a not-so-safe part of town, with a single mom, with no family car till that hypothetical kid was fifteen. Yeah, I know a whole lot of successful lawyers.

I do know a few, down here, in San Diego, I did work as a paralegal for a while. But the people I know aren’t in the right fields, or the right geographic region. It’s kind of a bummer. Now, this isn’t a pity me post. I’ve got the Walton book on getting the job of my dreams. Apparently a gorilla is supposed to hire me. But it’s just astounding how much where you come from can influence where you wind up. I picked law school without anyone really guiding me. I wonder what, or where, I would have picked with some counsel on the matter.

I wonder, when I have kids and they’re ready to grow up, if I’ll be a help to them. It’s not that I want them to follow in my footsteps. I just want to make sure that they have an easier time getting where they want to go than I did. My family did absolutely great for me, given what we had, I’ve probably gone further than to be expected. I just hope I can give more.

Posted on September 30th, 2008 by Steve Pirates
Filed under: Cal Western | 1 Comment »

And apparently Pop-punk makes her qualified to run the economy.

Speaking at the Columbus rally alongside McCain, Palin said: “Here in Ohio, the high price of gas is making a full tank seem like a luxury.”

Tom DeLong of Blink-182 replied, over a decade prior: “A tank of gas is a treasure to me, I know now that nothing is free.”

Posted on September 30th, 2008 by Steve Pirates
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In A.D. 2008
Election was beginning.
American Public: What happen ?
Wall Street: Somebody set up us the bomb.
American Public: We get signal.
Sarah Palin: What !
American Public: Main screen turn on.
Sarah Palin: It’s you !!
COURIC: How are you gentlemen !!
CCOURIC: All your base are belong to us.
COURIC: You are on the way to destruction.
Sarah Palin: What you say !!
COURIC: You have no chance to survive make your time.
COURIC: Ha ha ha ha ….
Republican Voters: Captain !! *
Sarah Palin: Take off every ‘ZIG’!!
Sarah Palin: You know what you doing.
Sarah Palin: Move ‘ZIG’.
Sarah Palin: For great justice

Seriously, it woulda made more sense to use THESE talking points than the ones that Sarah Palin kept referring to. Her answer starts out well enough, but it just goes down hill from there. By downhill I mean descends into rambling nonsense. And yet I actually know people who are voting for this ticket.

Posted on September 26th, 2008 by Steve Pirates
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Today Washington Mutual was taken by over by the Government. The assets were then sold to J.P. Morgan.
This is the second bank in 6 months taken over by J.P. Morgan. First Bear Stearns and Now WaMu. I predict that in 2101 A.D. they will realize that J.P. Morgan set us up the bomb. Our only hope is to take off every ‘ZIG’.

Posted on September 26th, 2008 by Steve Pirates
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On Friday our Summer grades were released. I have to say that I’m very pleased all things considered. I managed to win an award in Negotiation, which was surprising and very gratifying. But most importantly, I didn’t fail Evidence.

Our Evidence final was disrupted by a fire alarm. There was no fire, and we were quickly informed that it was a false alarm. So, we continued our test. However, I apparently became so distracted that I did not finish my final essay. By did not finish I mean did not start. I completely forgot about it. I was two sentences away from finishing my second essay when the fire alarm went off. When we received the all clear signal, I finished my essay. And then I hit the Submit button and closed my computer.

Now, in the weeks prior to the exam our professor had told us there were three essays. The proctors told us three essays. When I counted the pages before we started there were three essays. Some how I managed to block all of that out and just do two.

As soon as I figured out what had happened (10 seconds after I left the building) I went over to the Associate Dean’s office to see if there was any way to write the last essay on the spot. Sadly, there was nothing they could do. I do agree with their decision, even though it sucked for me. So, between that day and Friday I’ve been worried that I’d fail Evidence.

On Thursday I received an e-mail that I needed to go to the Academic Support office to sign a waiver allowing them to use my exam as a sample for future tests. I figured that meant I had either done really well on the two parts I did finish, or my professor was using me as an example of what not to do. Fortunately, after receiving my grades I found out it was the former. I managed a solid “B” in the class. The only thing that kind of bums me out is that had I finished (or even started) the last essay, I believe I would have easily wound up with an “A” and could have contended for the award in that class. Still, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. To salvage a “B” out of that fiasco was wonderful.

The irony is I did better in Evidence than in Con Law. And I felt good about Con Law. I felt good because I had finished the whole test. And yet I only pulled out a low “B”.

Maybe I should start taking only 2/3ds of each test I take. I seem to do better that way.

Posted on September 21st, 2008 by Steve Pirates
Filed under: Cal Western, San Diego, Tips n' Tricks, law school, classroom drama, law school exams, summer school | No Comments »

Avast and ahoy Jolly Readers! T’day be Talk Like a Pirate Day! This be the most wonderfully time of the years! Truly tis sweeter than dew on a barrel of rum. I invite each and every one of ye to spread the word.

As for my own self, in Property, I shall encourage each and every one of my little 1L swabbies to answer questions like a pirate. And for anyone who asks advice or questions after class, they shall be answered only if the lily livered lubbers ask in the form of a piratical question.

YO HO!!!

Posted on September 19th, 2008 by Steve Pirates
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Ok, so here’s something that has always bothered me about Pacific Law Center. They use “actual clients” who explain that when they got in trouble they needed aggressive representation and blah blah blah PLC saved their asses, ok, whatever.

That’s not my problem. My problem is that it is completely confusing to me that anyone would want to be on television admitting that they had a legal problem sufficient to need Pacific Law Center. I mean, if you were an employer and you saw one of your employees on television plugging Pacific Law Center, what would you think? If you were interviewing someone that you’d seen before … and it dawned on you that when they were accused of a crime they hired Pacific Law Center… would you hire them?

Posted on September 18th, 2008 by Steve Pirates
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I’ve written a few times about the importance of balancing work and life in law school. In the 1L year especially, it can be tempting to throw oneself with reckless abandon into law school. But it is important to keep focused on the important things outside of law school.

Take me for example. All I’ve really wanted to do in law school is to join the negotiation team and go compete. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to interview for the negotiation team for the ABA Negotiation competition November 1st and 2nd. But, I had to let the concept of Life Balance dissuade me from my goal. I’ve been focusing a lot on school lately, and need to spend more time focusing on my personal time.

Besides, I think my fiance would kill me if I skipped out on my wedding day to go to the ABA competition.

Posted on September 17th, 2008 by Steve Pirates
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So Volkwagen has these new commercials with Brooke Shields talkin about some VW mini-van. One of the quotes used is “Thousands of women are having babies for German engineering.”

Anyone else think that sounds a little Reich-y?

Posted on September 16th, 2008 by Steve Pirates
Filed under: Cal Western | 1 Comment »

Today I went to the Doctor’s office. I’m generally a pretty healthy and hale guy. Really the only things wrong with me are frequent ear infections. My “regular doctor” is actually my ENT Doc. The past few days I’ve been under the weather. Kate finally convinced me to go get checked out. I thought I had an ear infection, but I was wrong. I apparently have a sinus infection (so sexy, I know). In order to check it out, the Doc swabbed by sinus.

“How does one swab a sinus?” you ask. By shoving a flexible metal swab up the nose, and into the sinus cavity and orbit. So basically, to check for a sinus infection they poke the back of your eyeball. It was very unpleasant.

Just thought everyone would like to know.

Posted on September 13th, 2008 by Steve Pirates
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