Barrister by day, Bacardi by night

Ebb & Flow in a Big Pond

Have I bitten off more than I can chew?  I never realized just how big a law school Washington College of Law (WCL) is.  There are over 380 incoming full time first-year law students.  Throw in the part-time and evening students and you have nearly 500 1Ls.  Oh, let's not forget all the international LLM students.  And I'm just one of 42 transfer students.

School will be in full swing next week and I'm already seeing the crowds growing in the library.  Student huddling over printers and crammed into tiny cubicle desks.  As an incoming transfer student, I'm already bombarded with e-mails from the Career Services Office, Financial Aid, and the Registrar's Office.  I've got a reception at 4:30.  I've got Orientation at 6:00.  I've got two apartments to visit at 7:30.  I've got cover letters to write.  And first thing Friday morning I need to find a locker.

It's all so overwhelming.  The difficulty being a transfer student is starting all over.  I was once part of Law Review.  Now I have a 60-page write-on competition just to regain my once lost honor.  I had 5 interviews lined up for me at the Sunbelt Minority Job Fair.  Now that I'm no longer at Texas Wesleyan, I have to decline all my interviews.  Instead, I'm fighting out with 600 other law students for an OCI bid.  There are 87 additional employers who have resume collection boxes.  And it's not even the first day of class.

On another note, I saw a familiar face yesterday.  Ah, you can always count on Professor Gillmer to brighten a lost soul.

Guess who?

When my father first saw this photo, he said, "There it goes ... I knew my son was a closet liberal."  Of course, that may not be an exact translation.

I was out for a mid-morning jog and decided to see who was still around from the Law Student Division.  I ran into John, a California law student, who asked me if I wanted to attend a luncheon.  He mentioned that Senator Clinton would be speaking.  "Wait ... you mean Hillary Clinton's here?" I asked.  He nodded.  A free lunch ... I've always liked the sound of that.  I asked John, "You don't think I can walk in like this."  I stood back pointing to my bright orange Nike tank top and navy blue running shorts."  John shook his head.  So I glanced at the ticket: "Lunch served promptly at 11:30."  I glanced at my watch: 11:20.  My hotel was 5 blocks away and 19 floors up.  The Hyatt was 3 blocks away from my hotel.  If I've ever possessed a specialty, its working magic in a time crunch.

Mind you, I've got some great looking calves.  But I'm glad I decided to change into something more appropriate.  My table happened to be 4 tables diagonal to the Senator's.  Moments before the luncheon began (fortunately, things like this always run late) my former classmate Robin pointed out that Senator Clinton just arrived.  I said to her, "Dude, we've got to get photos."  And we did.

I wonder what she would've thought if I walked up sweating profusely in pair of running shorts.

My Life On-line

Aug 12 - After talking with an academic counselor, I decided that it was best if I kept a lighter course load.  I'm looking at a long write-on competition for the law reviews this fall semester.  Namely, I'm expected to write a 60-page note complete with footnotes.  Most people never finish.  So I'll still take Business Association & Criminal Procedure.  I reluctantly dropped Jurisprudence so I avoid taking day classes 4 days a week.  Instead, I'll be talking Trademark and International Business Transactions.

I'm currently in Atlanta today, far removed from where I should be searching for place to live and even farther from where I need to pack my belongings. Yet, through the wonders of modern telecommunications, I am able to make arrangements via the Internet. One minute registering for classes and the next minute I'm browsing through job listings on the Career Services forum. I keep hitting up Craigslist in hopes of finding an apartment nearby campus that's less than $650 (utilities included and furnished) but then again, I've always been the dreamer.

I had just said my farewells to a few of my first-year professors yesterday at Texas Wesleyan. I was scheduled to take Business Associations, Intellectual Property, Constitutional Law, Employment Discrimination, and Professional Responsibility. All fine courses, but perhaps nothing as focused as what American University offers. I just registered for Criminal Procedure (a required course), Business Association (a prequisite for many future courses), Legal Aspects of Foreign Direct Investment, and Jurispurdence. I have yet to determine a final class to round out my 16 hours. Perhaps I'll take a seminar on International Contract Law or Space Law & Satellite Communication. Its difficult to decide between courses of interest and courses of relevance. My interest lie in corporate litigation and international law; but at the same time, my curiosities lie in other topics such as entertainment law and terrorism. A broad field of interest indeed. In the end, I feel it best to follow the advice of my first-year property professor, Professor Short, "take classes where you'll get the best grades."

Help the Homeless

You could say that I'm homeless right now.  The fact that I'm staying in three-star hotels in downtown Chicago doesn't detract from my improverished circumstances presently.  Ever since departing from Prague last Thursday, I've lived out of luggage bags and the same four outfits.  Yes, I could use a washer-dryer combination.  I have no address - save a phone number and e-mail.  Soon I shall return to Dallas to visit my parents before flying to Atlanta where I will stay with my brother for a few days.  Note that I'm only "visiting" my parents because I have several unfinished matters to take care of back in Dallas.  I'm in Atlanta to visit a potential employer and from there, I return once more to Dallas before moving to DC, where I will crash at a friend's place for a day or two.  Hopefully by then, I will have found a place to live.

As of right now, I have no home.  I have less than two weeks before the fall semester begins and I have yet to find suitable accomodations and a job that may foot the bills.  Campaigning these past few days at the Law Student Division does not help much with my search.  I lost the elections but I'm no stranger to political upsets.  In any case, I'll continue writing more whenever I find another morsel of time.

American University

As of August 22, 2005, I will be attending American University Washington College of Law.  I know that I am foregoing a number of honors at Texas Wesleyan University, however, to be competitive in the D.C. job market, American University offers a greater exposure to internships and job prospects.