Top 5 Ways to Recover from Finals week

1.      SLEEP. If your anything like me sleep was not a priority during the days surrounding finals as I was cramming and reading everything related to the classes I was taking. For the first day after finals, don’t even get out of bed till the morning has passed and its lunch time.

2.      Nutrients. During finals week I was eating anything that was close at hand and cheap, that meant I subsisted on packaged and fast food for around 10 days. Let you body recover by giving it some real food that actually hasn’t been processed.

3.      Have Fun. Doing what you like and “letting your hair down” is completely underrated and actually should be included in a minimal way during finals. I didn’t have any fun during finals so it was time to live it up as soon as I worked up enough energy to charge into the weekend.

4.      Forget about school. The thought of school brings back anxiety and stress for many students (myself included) so do your best to cut ties with your educational institution until a couple days before classes start.

5.      Family Time. Depending on your family situation, spending time with relatives can be enjoyable or a complete headache. Regardless being with those who love and support you is a valuable time in ones life as those we love most sometimes get minimal priority once it’s time to hit the books.

The Top Three Things You Should Take Away from your First Semester of Law School

1.   What worked and what didn’t.

This is the best opportunity you’ll have to reflect back on the things that went well and the things that you want to change. There is still time to implement new strategies and to get yourself into new habits in your second semester. Remember that even the greats weren’t perfect on their first try. 

2.   Remember that it’s your experiences that get you to your end goals, not your grades.

It’s the totality of your law school career as well as your networking and other experiences that will make you a great lawyer. The first semester of law school is a challenge that you have conquered and thus making it through in itself is a success.

3.   Regardless of the outcome there is more ahead and there you have more to do.

I feel like it is never too early to look ahead so don’t let your grades define you. Grades are not the end but instead are the beginning. Whether you finished in the top of your class or didn’t perform as you had hoped, the first semester is just a steppingstone. The possibilities are still endless this early in the game so don’t let up and don’t give up. The best is yet to come.

Top 5 quotes from 1L cases:

1. "This case presents the ordinary man—that problem child of the law—in a most bizarre setting." - Cordas v. Peerless Transp. Co., 27 N.Y.S.2d 198, 199 (City Ct. 1941)

In a contract case regarding a potentially haunted house:

2. "…a very practical problem arises with respect to the discovery of a paranormal phenomenon: “Who you gonna' call?” as the title song to the movie “Ghostbusters” asks. " - Stambovsky v. Ackley, 169 A.D.2d 254, 257, 572 N.Y.S.2d 672, 675 (App. Div. 1991)

                       And…

3. "…plaintiff hasn't a ghost of a chance, I am nevertheless moved by the spirit..." - Stambovsky v. Ackley, 169 A.D.2d 254, 256, 572 N.Y.S.2d 672, 675 (App. Div. 1991)

4. "The parties may shout consideration to the housetops, yet, unless consideration is actually present, there is not a legally enforcible contract." - In re Greene, 45 F.2d 428, 430 (S.D.N.Y. 1930)

5. "Although plaintiff's body ignited into a fire ball, he miraculously survived the incident." - Derdiarian v. Felix Contracting Corp., 51 N.Y.2d 308, 313, 414 N.E.2d 666, 669 (1980)

How to Prepare for Law School Exams

1.      Study Hard, Study Smart– Law School exams are a different type of beast and require an absurd amount of preparation time (especially considering your whole course grade is reliant upon it). With that said, the top of this list is of course dedicated to the very long day-and-night study sessions that come in preparation of the final exam. Studying however, should be spent wisely and should both be tailored to your learning style, but also be scheduled in a way that you have time to unwind a bit prior to taking the exam

2.      Gather your weaponry for the Exam – Go to the store and stock up on anything you may need for the exam. Gather up the pencils, the pens, the earplugs, the water, the tissues, and if your feeling really good splurge a little and grab those really nice highlighters you like using so much.

3.      On the day of the Exam RELAX – You are not going to learn anything productive the day of the exam. You can spend the morning review your outline briefly, but other than that, get yourself a good breakfast, put on some soothing jams, and think about ANYTHING besides the exam your about to take. This will let you enter the exam cool and collective, which is a HUGE advantage. Trust me. It will help.

4.      After the test, don’t talk about it, don’t think about it – YOUR DONE! Congrats! Now you are free till you have to take the wretched Bar exam, but you can worry about that later. Go out and have some fun! Last thing you should be doing is talking about that one minute issue that you should have wrote about. What are you going to do about it now? Nothing. So why waste your energy on it??

5.      Hibernate. – You are done with school for the time being. Go catch up on the many, many hours of sleep deprivation you are suffering from.

Top Five 1L mistakes:

1. Having a life outside of law school.
        Do you still have a life outside of law school? You might think you do, but in fact you don’t.

2. Reading
        This is the reason you don’t have a life outside of law school.  Unfortunately, in the long run, those hours and hours you spent writing briefs for class are only helpful on the two times you get called on.  Rough.  Not to mention, you’ll only get called on the two times first semester that you didn’t read.  Double trouble.

3. Going to law school
         Wait… what? This post got negative real quick.

4. Dating
        I know you met your dream girl/boy, very cool.  But when he/she decides that it just isn’t working (which will be the night before your contracts final) you’ll be left with a broken heart and broken grades (wow, I am terrible at this).

5. Attending a law school other than Pepperdine
        Trying to save this post on the last one here.  Luckily for us, Pepperdine is one of the most amazing places on earth (both in regards to the beauty of the campus and quality of the people) so cheer up b/c I hear 2L isn’t so bad and unless facebook is a required 3L course I’m pretty sure the 3Ls in the atrium aren’t doing much of anything.

Top Ten Google Searches 12 Hours Before a Final Exam:

1. What foods make me smarter?
2. Should I sleep before an exam or study?
3. Puppies dressed as 19th century chimney sweepers
4. Despair
5. How to cram for the exam
6. What is law?
7. Sleep deprivation
8. Non-legal jobs
9. Puppies dressed as World War II soldiers
10. Me do law good one day?

Top 3 Things I've Learned About First Semester Finals

1. Learn to Type: Haha, real funny.  Good joke.  I've been typing since I was 10 years old.  My cousin is 3 years old and can type on an iPhone faster than my father can.  Surely this can't be a problem in law school.  Well, it is.  Nothing is more sad than seeing someone hunt and peck with their index fingers while they are typing on their laptop.  That's cute, good luck on finals buddy.  The gunner at the front of class types 120 words per minute in her sleep and does not make mistakes.  You can barely get through the Issue sentence of IRAC before she has fully analyzed, concluded, and moved on.  This will be an issue for you if you cannot type more than 50 words per minute with some semblance of accuracy.  In the summer before law school you should be shoring up your typing skills rather than shoring up your beach body.  One of them will get you extra bump on finals, and one will not.  Sorry Ladies (and Suave Gentlemen), Law School Finals are graded anonymously!
2. Start Outlining Early:  Take one hour each Friday to summarize the week's notes from your classes.  This is not hard and you need to do it.  Nothing is more stressful than trying to finish your outline before finals AND learn the material at the same time.  Everyone told me this: 2Ls, 3Ls, Academic Success Workshops.  I kept up on some classes and I let other classes slack.  This was a mistake!  I walked out of my finals feeling like I could have failed, or I could have aced it - but I had no idea and still have no idea where I might have come out.  Don't let this be you.  If you aren't an "outliner", then start memorizing your rule definitions early on and practicing them so that when you are learning the nitty gritty details of the class in December you won't have to memorize the definition of battery.  Hopefully it will be second nature by then and you've typed it 500 times.
3. Buy Supplements and READ THEM:  All students who competed Civ Pro know our best friend Glannon by now.  You know - the tall, dark, and handsome lad who mysteriously lurked about the back of the classroom all semester (but you didn’t really bother to introduce yourself until December 4th).   I had literally no idea what was going on in Civ Pro when Thanksgiving rolled around.  I had kept up with (some) reading and paid attention in class, but there are so many cases that were out of date by the final that I was scrambling to separate the pre-1900 legislation that didn't matter anymore from the precedent established later on that is now law.  Read the supplements as best you can throughout the semester to get a better handle on the material as you are going through it, otherwise you will be helplessly lost come December.  They also come with multiple choice questions that will knock your socks off.  Got Glannon?  You better.

Why going to Law School can actually be beneficial for a parent:

1. You get to appreciate conversations with your law school peers, because for the rest of the day you will be talking down to your child and probably wish you were back in class.
2. It makes you a more efficient person. Because of the limited available time to study, you have to find a way to get everything completed in half the time the rest of the class will spend on the same assignment.
3. You get better at negotiating with your child. Believe it or not, law school does teach you some skills that will make your life as a parent easier.
4. Waking up at 2 am to read for Civ. Pro is not so bad after all. It forces you to have some quiet, alone time while everyone in the house is sleeping.
5. Study Group Time? Sure! It gives you a good excuse to get out of the house without feeling guilty that you are running away from your child! A parent needs a break from time to time...Now you have a valid reason to do it...

Second semester of a first year law student at Pepperdine University School of law!

  The law students at Pepperdine University started their second semester on Monday, January 5th, 2015.  Except for their legal writing class which they also had in their first semester, they are introduced to four new subjects of law this semester which are constitution law, Ethical lawyering, Criminal law and Property law. With one extra class compare to last semester, the first year law students are facing changes in their schedule as they will spend more time in classrooms due to the extra class.  As to the classes the students are enrolled in, by many the constitution law is considered to be one of the hardest classes for a first year law students and for all law students in general. Though despite the changes and difficulties of the classes, the Pepperdine law students will get amazing opportunities to participate in different assignments such as moot court and appellate briefs for their legal writing class and they will have the opportunity to practice and take part in oral arguments which to many recently graduated students, it was one of the most interesting assignments of their law school years. Also the first year students will be looking to submit applications and their resume to find summer jobs which, to many having a summer internship is an important part of the journey of law school and valuable to their future. The first year Pepperdine law students will have their last final of their first year on Friday, May 8th.

Top 10 Thoughts You Have During Law School Finals Week:

1.     I am definitely going to ace my torts final.

2.     *day before the exam* Just kidding…I know nothing.

3.     I’ll just word vomit on the page and write anything I can remember (aka nothing).

4.     Whatever, if I fail I’ll just become a chef.

5.     What is food? I can’t remember the last time I ate..

6.     Never mind…all the chocolate wrappers on my desk answer that question.

7.     Now it’s time to watch videos to make me sane again, like this little piglet slipping on ice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvvBWvgitbs)

8.     What was I doing before this?

9.     Nothing makes sense anymore…

10.  *after the last final* What just happened?

Negligence: Old School v. New School

My friend was irate. She felt such behaviour was a disgusting money grab. While at one point in my life I might have agreed with her, after one semester in law school I was able to see the other side of the coin.

My friend worked at a doctor’s office and had recently had a patient who was suing a car manufacturer for injuries sustained during an accident. This patient claimed that the seatbelt design was defective and contributed to her injuries. Sounds like a pretty basic claim of design defect, right? So what is my friend getting all worked up about? Well it turns out this car accident was at least partially this patient’s own fault. She had gone out drinking with a few friends and, while intoxicated, they had gotten into the car and started to drive home. They were the cause of the accident in which this patient was injured, so my friend was shocked that this patient had the chutzpah to now turn around and sue the car manufacturer for an injury her own actions caused.

I, on the other hand, immediately recalled something we had learned in Torts class this past semester. Traditionally, when one’s own negligence contributes to the injuries, the other negligent party is completely off the hook. Even if the injured party’s negligence only contributed to the injury 5%, the offending party walks away scot free. This is called contributory negligence. But more and more courts nowadays have moved away from this strict system and have adopted what we now call a comparative negligence system. This takes the injured party’s negligence into account in assessing the damage award, but it does not completely bar any action against the negligent party.

The old school has a very good argument: if not for the injured party’s negligence, the damage would not have occurred, so why should they have the ability to collect for an injury that was their own fault?? At the same time, the more modern comparative negligence system also has its benefits. Firstly, it incentivizes people and companies to take the utmost care to avoid injuring anyone. Secondly, if not for the for the negligence of the offending party, this injury would not have occurred either, so why should they walk away free of charge?

There are arguments for both sides, but thankfully (for lawyers at least!), the courts allow more and more negligence cases in.