Moot Court Team!

Recently, I was fortunate enough to serve as a research assistant to two competitors on our Moot Court Team. After working and practicing 6-7 days/week since November, we finally went to the Miami Regional of the 2009-2010 ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition on March 11-13, 2010. The competition was held at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, which was an exciting experience for competitors to argue in a real courthouse! The competitors were judged by practicing attorneys.

Our team won 2 of their 3 oral argument rounds and just missed advancing to the round of 16 by fractions of a point. Although the near-miss was disappointing, the two competitors, the student-coach, our faculty advisor, the second research assistant, and I were very excited to have achieved success in the competition, and were grateful for the opportunity to compete! Our participation in this prestigious national championship competition for the first time does wonders to enhance the reputation of our school!

Time Flies

The final semester is under way, and the first few weeks have gone as quickly as the past three years. For many 3Ls the course work for the semester is stocked with electives and "easier" classes; however, I am still taking required classes. I am also taking a full load in the business school. Making sure that one has all of their requirements to graduate is an endeavor: classes, pro bono hours, senior writing requirement, graduation application materials. Even though it seems like much work, the general feel of almost graduating is a crutch in itself. Many 3Ls may have the "itis" already and throughout the semester.

Law Review

Last semester, I was fortunate enough to be selected as a Member-Candidate for the St. Thomas Law Review. In our school, you have two opportunities to become a Member-Candidate—you can either (1) “grade-on” by being in the top 10% of your class, or (2) “write-on” by participating in a legal writing competition. Either way, becoming a Member-Candidate is a blessing, and a curse. Of course, it is extremely exciting, and an honor to participate in such a prestigious organization. However, it is also SO MUCH WORK! At the time, I was constantly stressed. But now, in retrospect, I see how much I gained from being a Member-Candidate. My research and writing skills have improved exponentially, and I was fortunate enough to have fantastic third year students serve as my mentors. I learned so much from them, and I consider myself fortunate to have had the unique opportunity work with other intelligent and motivated students. Now, I am proud to be a full Member of the Law Review, and I hope I can serve as a mentor to the new Member-Candidates.

Finals, Negotiations, and Projects, oh my!

As the last week of law school emerges, I feel a slight panic coming on. I seem to always panic when it comes to the final weeks of law school mainly because well, its law school! Just this upcoming week alone I have a 2-hour negotiation as my final for Interview, counseling, and negotiations (a must-take with Professor Dell, who is ABSOLUTELY amazing! What a privilege to have someone so knowledgeable teach at our school), 4 projects due in my Law Office Management class (another must-take if you ever plan or have ever even considered owning your own law firm someday), and a Torts exam for my Art of Lawyering class (don’t let the name fool you, there is no coloring involved, its purely a mix between a bar prep course and a BIG wake up call as to where you are in relation to being prepared for the bar!). Time management is a must, which is why I write out a daily schedule of each task I will set out to complete that day and mark it off as I go. My goal this semester is to make Dean’s List, as I have the past 2 semesters. It seems like a pretty reasonable and do-able goal coming from a straight A undergrad education but law school takes a lot more than a little luck and some late night cram session (although those 2 things are, in fact, helpful!). I believe it takes dedication, determination, and a little thing we all know as hope! Law school is hard but it is also do-able. At times, you may feel like you weren’t meant to be a lawyer, or that this is “too hard” or “too much” for you (trust me, I feel that way right now – most of my classmates in my Business Associations class probably do too!) but the reality is, there are dozens upon dozens of attorneys that have graduated and will continue to graduate from good old St. Thomas Law. They did it! They passed the bar and have gone out into the real world and become very successful attorneys. So if they have done it, why can’t we? Why can’t we do the best we can, even when times get hard? Because we are scared? Nonsense! You should never fear success! So for those who are starting and those who are thinking about starting law school, DO IT! Don’t be scared! Don’t ever think you are not good enough or not smart enough. If you got into law school, it is because someone looked at you and said, you know what, I think they can do this! So if someone else saw that in you, why shouldn’t you see that in yourself? If you are thinking of applying but are scared of being rejected, you will never know until you try! If this is what you really want, there is no sense in not following your dreams. Believe in yourself and this journey will become that much more bearable, even in the darkest of times, even when you feel you have no hope left. Look to your left and your right at your classmates and know that you belong here just as much as they do! So believe, have hope, and remain determined and dedicated! This semester is almost over, and WE WILL make it through!

BEST OF LUCK ON FINALS! Till next time,

Aimee S.

Opportunities!

Being the president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL) is something I decided to undertake because I felt I could do a lot to help our school. Our past president didn’t make the chapter a very active one and I wanted to do something about it. Therefore, on top of my 5 classes (yes, I know, I am crazy), I undertook a very heavy social calendar for my FAWL. I am proud to say that through blood, sweat, and tears, I have had an amazing semester with regards to FAWL. We had a supplement sale to raise money for our organization (which went super well!). Then we had a Breast Cancer Awareness sale and participated in the Race for The Cure breast cancer 5k walk/run and raised over $760 for breast cancer! We also had the opportunity to work with the Miami-Dade FAWL and had a “Speed-Networking” mentor/mentee event where we went around the room ranking possible mentors and networking with both Judges and Attorneys (from very prestigious firms, may I add!). This event was very successful and I was very happy to see several of my male members attend this wonderful opportunity! All the attendees then ranked the mentors in preference of whom they liked most and were later paired up according to both our rankings and compatibility. I was luckily paired with my first choice, Judge Glick, a Criminal Court judge for Miami-Dade County. As part of my mentee experience, I have been invited by the Judge to attend court for a day and see what she does on a daily basis. I believe this is an amazing opportunity that has been presented to me and I couldn’t be happier with my mentor. I also got to network at this event and got a couple of contact information from various other mentors, whom I plan to stay in touch with. Networking is very important because who you know will always facilitate the job search after or even during law school (obviously, after your first year – I don’t recommend anyone work during their first year, unless its completely necessary and administratively approved – since law school is the equivalent of what you feel when you are cultured shocked!). Lastly, this Halloween we held a costume drive and donated over 112 costumes to the children in the Women in Distress shelter of Broward County (a very special thanks to Silvia and her family, who own a costume store, for that!). I am really looking forward to all the things we will have going on next semester and all the wonderful opportunities being part of an organization can provide! So join an organization! It can be a source of endless opportunities you may not get as just a student!

Till next time,

Aimee S.

Dao (of Law School)

For nearly a decade, I pursued a life in accordance with Tao. While in college, I woke up early every morning and performed Taoist energetic, calisthenic, meditative, and preservative exercises for at least two hours. In the afternoons and evenings, I would practice martial arts and fighting techniques for another couple hours. On every break from school, I traveled to the mountainous regions of southern California to train with my traditional Taoist and martial arts instructor. While I was there, I devoted 10 to 15 hours a day to such training. I loved this pursuit. I experienced changes to my mental, physical, and spiritual capacities that are beyond even my own belief. My physical movements became pre-cognitive, my mental state was like a pool of ancient undisturbed, unpolluted waters, and I entered spiritual realms and states that priorly never existed for me.

The pursuit of law, and especially the study of Law in law school is quite Taoist in nature. Tao reaches into eternity. Its principles are etched onto the very structure of the universe. Law has ancient roots as well. In the study of law, it sometimes seems that we must reach deep into the bowels of the earth itself, in order to extract a jewel of knowledge. Most days the answer is that there are no hard and fast answers. There is only the pursuit. The endless pursuit, to gain some understanding of what is law. But, if you follow a stream long enough, the primary source will soon reveal itself.

Similar to my pursuit of Tao, my pursuit of Law has caused immense changes in my being. I used to have difficulty putting certain things in order (hence my difficulty with multiple choice questions), which is evidenced by my getting lost every time I drive an auto. Lately, I have noticed I can analytically work my way through problems that I was unable to priorly. No more getting lost.

The key attribute being engrained on my spirit through the pursuit of law is EFFICIENCY. I never really understood the pressures of time until I entered law school. Efficiency is a philosophical principle. Bruce Lee revolutionized martial arts in the 1960s-70s, through stressing economy of motion. Flowery, fanciful movements were replaced with whatever got you from point A to B the quickest. That which has truth is often revealed in combat.

All disciples are vehicles to higher levels of existence. I did not come to law school for the almighty $, I came to reach a higher plane of understanding. If you reflect, perhaps you may see that you boat is riding down stream next to mine.

Balancing Law School with a Social Life

While we’re here classes must be our number one priority, however even the greatest student can’t study 24 hours per day. It is important, for your social, mental, and physical health, to learn how to balance work with play. Although I strongly encourage dedicating the proper amount of time to your classes, I also recommend finding healthy ways to unwind at the end of the day/week. Personally, I go to dinner with girlfriends every Friday night. This is a great way for me to relax, and enjoy my life outside of law school. Others enjoy watching TV, seeing a movie, going to the gym, or a myriad of other relaxing activities. However, I do have one disclaimer: because we live in Miami, there are many distractions and temptations present by way of nightlife. I strongly advise against finding solace from the stress of law school in nightclubs and alcohol. I know they’re fun, but it’s hard to recover from a night of partying while trying to read in the library. Sorry if I sound like a bore, but we have to keep our long-term goals in mind. I promise, it will pay off in the end!