I moved across the country to attend law school, one of the biggest decisions in my life. So not only did I attend a new school, I moved to a new city. Exploring cities is a lot of fun, and now that I have lived here for a year, I wanted to point out some fun destinations for any newcomers who will be new to both the school, and the city.

Okay, San Diego = beaches. I don’t have to go into a lot of detail there, I’m sure. There are tons of beaches, one for everyone I bet. Surfing, hiking, sunbathing, picnics…you name it, San Diego has it. My personal favorite beach (so far) is Coronado; the beach with Hotel Coronado on it. It’s beautiful, huge, and the sand is gorgeous (okay,  I grew up next to a man-made lake, so maybe my perspective is a little skewed). Regardless, for someone who has only seen an ocean a couple times in her life, Coronado is quite impressive.

Food – Downtown/Gaslamp is fun, but touristy and overpriced for the quality.  I tend to enjoy dining in Hillcrest more, because there seems to be more variety & quality. However, my boyfriend and I did dine at Cafe Sevilla on 4th & Market this past Fourth of July, and it was very nice tapas restaurant. I liked it because the portion sizes range from tapas (small bites), tapitas (I think that’s what the menu called them – medium sized) and regular portion entrees.

Pizza Fusion is my favorite pizza joint here – it’s on 5th & University in Hillcrest. They do meat, vegetarian, and vegan pizzas; their ingredients are organic and fresh. I get tons of coupons in the mail for this place, so when I’m craving pizza, this is my fave.

The Linkery in North Park is also a really interesting restaurant/bar. They create their menu from whatever ingredients are available locally. The menu gives credit to all the local farms from which they get their ingredients. While the name Linkery does signal that they cater to meat lovers (and the meat is also local, high quality), they do make great efforts to invent vegetarian and vegan friendly dishes. However, strict vegans/veggies might want to veer away because I did see a back room where meat was being cured/dried/hung (I don’t actually know the correct term…), if that may bother you.

Drinks – My personal favorite so far is Syrah. Syrah is a wine bar downtown…I think it is one of the “speakeasy” bars that have been popping up around the city. It’s underneath a building and has a “hidden” doorway. The decor is urban and fun. There is a great variety of wines, and they also have beers, cocktails, champagne, etc. I enjoy Syrah because I am getting a little old for the regular bar scene and this place is great for sipping a glass of wine and hanging out with friends. It’s a bit pricey, but well worth it. Go there to celebrate end of finals or landing a new internship/job sometime.

In Hillcrest, Martinis Above Fourth is also a great place. I think you can guess what their specialty drinks are. Great laid back atmosphere and wonderful staff.

My favorite place to relax and have a fun day is Balboa Park. I have a year round pass to the Zoo, and there are a ton of museums. The Old Globe presents Shakespeare plays as well as other theatrical productions. There are also a couple IMAX theaters in the Park.

So, for a girl without a car in this automobile-oriented city, I have still found quite a few fun things to do when I need to get out of the library and back in touch with reality ^_^.

This past spring, I spent a significant amount of time working with the wonderful staff in the Career Services Office so that I could find a summer job, and gain some real world experience. The job market is tough here (as anywhere) and I know a lot of students were disappointed because the paid  job availability wasn’t very good. However, there are LOTS of volunteer opportunities that I think are an excellent option for a first summer job. I have quite a bit of background working in non profit organizations, so this was an easy fit for me. I applied to several positions, and I took a job at the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program. This organization does work in numerous areas (http://www.sdvlp.org/), and I work for the Education Law Project.

The Education Law Project is a great  fit for me, because I enjoy working with children, have a background in the foster care system, and am interested in students’ educational rights. As one of their legal interns, I have been assigned a caseload of kids, mostly in the foster care system, who need advocacy in schools. With the supervision of the project attorney, we help ensure that these kids get the educational services and programs that will help them succeed in school. I work with foster parents, teachers, principals, therapists, and a variety of other professionals, and follow the progress of these students. I am quickly becoming acquainted with the ins and outs of special education law, including IEPs, 504 Plans, and various psychoeducational assessment tools. I also plan to write a paper for my Child Welfare class on the educational needs of youth who are transitioning out of Juvenile Hall. Focusing my paper on special education will allow me to both learn more about an area of education law, and contribute my research to the Education Law Project.

I am really happy to have this opportunity to see first-hand how the special education system works from the perspective of a law student/prospective lawyer. I have always had an interest in education law because my father is a special education teacher, so I grew up learning about IEPs and assessments, and the special role these teachers have in helping youth.

When you first begin law school, getting a job is the last thing on your mind. However, the job search creeps up quickly and is really an important part of preparing yourself for finding a post-law school job.

You may think that a lot of my posts are job/career related, but that’s because it is on my mind a lot. I’m really looking far into the future, and trying to plan everything out so that I have the maximum opportunities later, even if they are years down the road. It can be overwhelming, but it is also exciting and refreshing; if you are stuck in a rut briefing case after case or trying to slug through reading some code or law, stop and think about WHY you are on your thousandth brief, or circling “ands’ vs “ors” and “shall’s” vs “musts”. Thinking about the future is how I keep motivated, because honestly, it’s very difficult  sometimes. So, stay positive!

Another bit of advice: as a 1L looking for your first job, don’t be too picky. Just get some experience. It is important to realize that no matter WHERE you work, you will gain experience and knowledge that can be applied to any future job/internship. And who knows, you may end up liking that area of law a lot more than you expected!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer

I will be meeting the new Summer Enrichment students this evening before their first class. I clearly remember when it was my first day. We were all so nervous, because we had no idea what was in store for us on the first day of our first law school class. All we heard were rumors and fears stemmed from horror law school stories like Turow’s 1L or one of those many law school movies that are around. Thankfully, our first class (and the rest of my law school career so far) has NOT been like any of those movies. We did not get called on in the first class (my biggest fear at the time) and the professor was very nice. It has all certainly been a rewarding and exciting experience. There’s always a little fear when you start a new class, but I think that the Summer Enrichment students are lucky, because they get to experience (and quell) the jitters and nervousness before the rest of the 1L class arrives for the fall term.

By the time Fall 2010 arrives, these summer students will be pros ^_^  This is one of the few schools that give you the opportunity to take a law school class as a law student and get all the benefits, without having the pressure of how it might factor into your GPA. Have a great experience everyone!

I haven’t posted that much this summer, but that’s because my summer has been quite relaxing and quiet. I am NOT complaining. I only have class twice a week, and I get out of work at 5pm. Then I get to go home! A 9 to 5 schedule could certainly spoil me.

I am still waiting for the weather to get nicer…for some reason, San Diego summers don’t seem to start until July. May and June are cold (relatively speaking) and cloudy because of a marine layer. However, this weekend has been quite nice, upper 60s and sunny. Unfortunately, it gets oddly cold in the evenings. I have been known to wear my warm winter jacket on occasion…yes, the girl who came from Buffalo NY thinks San Diego is cold. I really am spoiled…

Classes are going well. I enjoy taking classes in the summer; I always have, even in undergrad. Classes are quite relaxed and most people aren’t so stressed you can feel it in the air (well, except for those studying for the bar right now). I am not on campus nearly as much as last semester and that’s a good thing for me. I hate to say it, but when you spend 12 to 14 hours a day for a year in the same two buildings, you can begin to loathe it.

I will be having a change in pace this fall, as I start my MSW portion of my program. So I won’t be at CWSL at all this year; I’ll be spending it all at SDSU. I like change and new environments, so I think it will be fun. And I think by the end of the year, I will miss Cal Western (and the law library)!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. I hope I get to meet the new students in the Summer  Enrichment Program too!

Oh poor neglected blog.

My first summer after being a 1L. Unlike many of my friends, I am taking it easy and trying to get back in touch with my life as it was before law school began. I am taking two classes: Law & Literature and Child Welfare Law & Policy. I am also interning at San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Education Law Program. I barely know what to do with  myself now that all this free time has come into my life. But I am, gasp, STILL catching up on all the lost sleep from the past year.

Other things that I have done this summer (and it’s not even June yet!): my sister came to visit the week after finals; we went to the zoo, went shopping in Horton Plaza and Fashion Valley, finally made it to La Jolla Coves to see the seals, walked through a couple museums in Balboa Park, and visited Old Town. Justin and I went to Coronado Beach. I am finally able to make it to Hillcrest Farmer’s market again, which I missed so much over the school year.  I am cooking and baking again! One of the things I absolutely love to do with free time (vegan quiche, strawberry rhubarb pie, banana bread, pasta, chana masala, the list goes on).

My internship is great, and so are classes.  In fact, I have to cut this blog post short because I have to get going to my internship now. I’ll post more later. But I do recommend taking a light summer – especially if you were feeling as burnt out as I was after spring finals. And especially if you’re in it for the long haul…dual degree means that I have three more years to go, not just two. If I have to do four years of schooling, I am going to take advantage of a quiet summer while I still can.

Take care!

Okay. It feels good to say that. I am officially a 2L. I have been through 3 semesters of law school, and starting my fourth (I’m counting my Summer Enrichment) this week. I seriously don’t know where the time went; everything flew by so fast.

My one week break came and went so quickly. My sister from NY came to visit and we had tons of fun. She left Monday morning and the reality that school and work are beginning set in. But, I’m actually very excited. I have decided to only take two elective classes this summer, and will be working 20 hours per week. I need a break, and cannot put myself through another full course load of required classes. Being a 1L is grueling, and I fear I am burnt out. Especially of reading cases and lugging around casebooks that, when put together, could probably weigh more than me.

Lucky for me, I chose my courses wisely. Law & Literature, and Child Welfare Law & Policy. Neither class requires a real case book, and very minimal case reading. In fact, I will be reading works by Melville, Aeschylus, Shakespeare, and Dreiser. And I get to watch two movies. I greatly missed my undergrad  lit classes, so I am psyched that my contracts professor is teaching this summer course.

Tomorrow I attend training for my new internship at San Diego Volunteer Lawyers Program. I will update you all on my internship experience as the summer goes on.

Also, I have been accepted to intern at St. Vincent De Paul’s Village for my Fall placement in the MSW program. I will be at San Diego State University this Fall & Spring completing my first year of the MSW portion of the dual program, but don’t worry, I plan to blog about it all!

I hope all my fellow classmates had a great break and enjoy the summer. Everyone seems to be doing something exciting, whether it be taking cool summer electives, studying abroad, working in SD or in their home state! I am certainly excited about my summer plans. Oh and I hope I get to meet some new students who decide to take advantage of the EXCELLENT Summer Enrichment Program they offer here for incoming 1Ls. I think it starts June 21st.

And to my Section 1 classmates: It’s been a blast and if I don’t see you over the summer, I will miss you and will hopefully see you around when you are a 3L (and I’m back at CWSL for my 2L courses)!

Finals are looming already. I have certainly lost track of the time…this semester was definitely busier (and more exciting) than the first. I would love to write a very long post detailing all the great opportunities and experiences I have had throughout my second semester of law school, but I really must hit the books…

This will be pretty short, but I wanted to tell everyone two very awesome experiences I had these past couple months.

First: Job  hunting. Career Services helped us hit the ground running in the search for a summer job/internship/clerkship. They have a website where they “craigslist” all the job opportunities for students so that we don’t actually have to “search” much. I applied to over fifteen jobs from those they posted on the website. I also applied for the Diversity Fellowship Program that the San Diego Bar Association hosts for diverse 1Ls interested in corporate/large law firm experience. While I was not chosen for the Fellowship, the experience of meeting the employers and interviewing was immensely beneficial. After that interview, I had five or six more interviews with various non-profit employers.

Interviewing is scary, but it gets easier. Career Services hosts “mock” interviews for 1Ls to practice their interviewing skills. I also set up an appointment to have another “mock” interview with a career services adviser. That helped me prepare a lot. Additionally, after my third or fourth real interview, the nerves calmed and I was able to answer questions confidently and relax and enjoy the process. All the employers I met with a very nice and many times, the interview felt like a conversation.

In the end, all the applications, interviews, and thank you notes paid off. I will be employed with the Volunteer Lawyers San Diego Program this summer, working with foster youth in the education system. It’s exactly  what I wanted, and I’m stoked.

The second thrilling opportunity I had came when it was  time for our Legal Skills Oral Argument competition. Every second semester 1L must participate in an appellate oral argument. We receive a fact pattern in the first week of Legal Skills II and choose a side to represent. We then have to write an appellate brief, and prepare an oral argument.

I’m deathly afraid of public speaking. I actually thought about how I could get out of doing it. My professor is so supportive and gave me confidence. It also helped that she told me that if I threw up or cried during the argument, it wouldn’t affect my grade ^_^ So, in March, we all had to go into a room with a panel of three student “judges.” Once you start talking, the judges will interrupt you and ask you any questions they want. So, prepared speeches don’t help one bit. You need to know every facet of your argument so you can competently answer the questions and then continue with your argument. It’s nerve wracking to no end. When it was my turn, I just wanted to get it over with. I made my introduction, answered the questions to the best of my abilities, and before I knew it, my seven minutes were up. I was done and feeling very relieved.

Making it through the first round of the arguments was a huge accomplishment for me. I was happy I had kept up the courage to participate at all. Of course, amidst my relief of having finished (and not even for a second believing that I would move on to the next round) the arguments, my professor announces to my class that I’m going to the semi-finals!

Another day of anxiety and practicing. This time, tougher judges (professors & people on the actual Moot Court teams), and AN AUDIENCE. I felt that for sure, I would faint this time. It was a stroke of luck that I didn’t in the first round.

My turn came, and I introduced myself and answered the judges questions again. I got nervous and tripped up a couple times, but overall, I was proud of myself.  I didn’t make it to the final round, but I feel very accomplished for having made it that far to begin with. If you told me two months ago that I’d be in the semi-finals of the appellate competition, I would have probably laughed at you.

Looking back on it, it was a lot of fun. Scary nervewracking fun. And I might actually do it again next year!

Well obviously my “short” post has gotten out of control, and it’s past 4pm so I really need to go study. Expect more posts after finals! Good luck everyone!

I seriously don’t know where the spring trimester went…I cannot believe it’s practically mid-March and finals studying starts in a week.

I’m sitting in the library at 6:30am; my days keep getting earlier as more work gets stacked onto my plate. The summer job hunt is in full force; I’ve had four interviews so far, and another one today. I’m also preparing to attend SDSU in the Fall for my first year of the Social Work program. We have an internship for that too.

Speaking of internships (since the ones I’m applying to are mainly pro bono), California Western was named to the 2009 President’’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction.  See the article at this link http://www.cwsl.edu/main/default.asp?nav=news.asp&body=news/presidents_honor_roll_022610.asp

CWSL has numerous outstanding community outreach/volunteer programs, so if you are seeking a career in public interest/nonprofit legal advocacy, this school would be a great fit. There are so many things that I wish I could get involved in right now, but there just isn’t enough time (and I probably don’t have enough energy). I’ll focus on grades this semester, and then jump into my internship with whatever pro bono employer I work for. I’m sure I will be doing plenty of community service with my SW degree too.

Oh, please remember that Earth Hour is coming up soon, on March 27th at 8:30pm local time. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this event, it is a world-wide collaboration for action on climate change; all you have to do is turn off your lights for one hour starting at 8:30pm. This is the third year in a row people have done it, and the movement is growing.  Go here: http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx for more information.

Have a great week everyone!

We have a four day weekend here for Presidents’ Day; I definitely need it. These past few weeks have been quite brutal stress and deadline-wise. I plan to catch up on sleep and school work. Not quite as exciting as some of my classmates who get to go home and visit families, but the break is not long enough for me to travel all the way back to New York.

So I promised to keep you updated on the CWSL-UCSD collaboration project. On Feb. 2nd, CWSL hosted a student Q&A regarding the plans. I’d say it was a very good turnout; standing room only in our “auditorium” (which seems just like a big classroom…).

There is a committee of CWSL and UCSD faculty/board members who meet regularly to talk about plans and logistics. Professors’ Cox and Weinstein are on the CWSL panel and they answered our questions, along with Dean Smith. They were careful to note that these plans are very preliminary and that there a lots of things not ironed-out yet. But it was a very good opportunity to learn more about the proposal.

They wanted to reassure us that CWSL would stay self-sufficient; we would stay at our present location and keep our faculty & staff. Merging w/UCSD would be beneficial to many; UCSD has made a name for itself and would make CWSL more well-known. Some of the points that were discussed are listed below:

• UCSD would give us more access to research and interdisciplinary fields;
• there would be an increase in interdisciplinary class offerings;
• It will not create a “new” law school so there would not be an increase in lawyers
• There would not be an increase in student admittance, although it could become a more competitive school
• The law school name will probably change (Professor Cox pointed out that other schools who have already gone through this change often changed the names after awhile, or incorporated both schools’ names)
• UCSD is concerned that CWSL will cost them money
• Professor Cox and Weinstein are going to try to get the Committee to have another panel with the UCSD committee members
• To those graduating/graduated: don’t worry, a name change should not affect the validity of your transcripts

For being in its preliminary stages, the panel was quite informative. Either way, things like this tend to take quite awhile, so nothing will change overnight. When I hear more, I will post it in my blog.

Job Searching: To current students, if you’ve missed the Career Services updates, the deadline to apply to the Pro-Bono jobs is Feb. 19th.

This past Thursday was filled with job search networking opportunities. The Pro Bono fair was a great success, at least judging from the turnout of both law firms/organizations and students. The tables took up 2 floors and it was quite packed with students. There was  a vast array of tables and organizations, from employee rights to district attorneys to bankruptcy clinics. It was fun and a great way to get to know what types of Pro Bono areas are out there.

Thursday evening I attended an attorney panel hosted by the Korean American Bar Association of SD and CWSL’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. I’m very glad I attended that panel. The panelists were informative and entertaining; we got a lot of good tips on job/internship hunting in this economy, and in general. It was great to meet so many diverse attorneys, all who work in a variety of fields (Court of Appeal, patent law, Career Services Advisor, etc.).

As a 1L, (after October) you will be BOMBARDED with mixers/panels/CSO sessions/Bar events, etc. Get involved and attend some. But be a little picky; you won’t have time in your schedule to attend them all. I try to attend most of the CSO’s sessions, but they are during my lunch break anyway. Other than that, I mostly choose to attend only the events oriented toward diversity or my area of interest (family/child law). Some of the panels (like the KABA/APALSA panel) are pretty small and intimate. Choose those; you will have a better opportunity to meet & greet  afterwards and find someone who you can connect with. For me, I met a Korean American attorney who did her first summer internship in Seoul, Korea. That is an opportunity I would absolutely love, and I wouldn’t have known it was possible if I hadn’t attended.

Well, it is Friday night and I have four days of semi-freedom ahead of me. I’m going to finish up my work so that I can go home and relax.

P.S. Good luck to all those taking the Bar!

It seems that January is a very difficult month for law students, or at least 1Ls. Two weeks of vacation is not enough to recuperate after the onslaught of your first round of finals. Everyone returns tired and not ready for classes to begin full-force again. It is difficult to concentrate in classes when you have no idea how well you did on your final exams. Grades are not released until the end of January. Professors time and time again comment on how we are all in a pre-grades coma and it is difficult if not impossible to exercise the Socratic Method on any of us. Amidst the tension of grades is the fact that Spring is internship searching time. Career Services offers numerous workshops and info sessions regarding resume and coverletter writing, how to interview, etc. Summer job applications must be made and sent, some which require a significant amount of time and effort.

This past Friday grades were finally released at 4pm. Finally, relief for most of us; we can stop worrying about grades and start getting back into briefing and reading and absorbing information and participating in class. I think this first term of waiting for grades will be the worst of it. Next term at least we will have a semblance of where we might stand in the class. But I know that it was difficult for many of us to make it through a month of classes when we didn’t even know if we passed last semester’s courses.

Back to Career Services and job applications: The Bar Association has a great Diversity Fellowship for 1Ls and 2Ls to participate in during the summer. It was modeled off fellowships in other states, and last year was quite a success. Numerous well-known companies and law firms participate; they take fellows who have made it through the application process and have been assigned via the Diversity Committee.

Luckily, the deadline for this year’s Diversity Fellowship application was extended from Jan. 15 to Jan 29th, so that I was able to get my application materials together. The application requires some work; a personal statement, and a writing sample using a prompt they supply you with (this means submitting your Legal Skills I memo is out of the question). They also required two letters of rec, letter of good standing and a completed application form. It is really worth the effort though.  You get great experience with well known corps/law firms. Great networking possibilities. And it’s one of the few paid internships available to 1Ls.

I find out in late Feb. if I make it to interviews for the Fellowship, so I will keep you posted.

Lastly, everyone at CWSL received emails from the Dean regarding talks of cooperation with UCSD and Cal Western. I don’t know much about this, but there is an information meeting on Tuesday so I’ll blog more about it after that. Everyone I speak to is really excited about this new development, because the UC system is pretty well known, and it would help Cal Western get on a more national scale. I have to get more information before I can make any decisions about whether I am excited about the change or not.

Good luck to all prospective students in the application process! I remember these next few months were quite stressful. My advice is to just get the applications out asap. and then try to relax while you wait for responses (I know that is impossible; as impossible as people telling me to relax after finals b/c I had to wait a month for grades).

Back to the books!