So I think part of the problem with 1L year in terms of its value as a preparation for 1L summer jobs is that students end up in such a variety of different types of jobs that it is tough to fully prepare people for all of them. For example, while I definitely feel that thanks to LPW my legal research and memo writing skills are not what they could have been, I'm also in the position of wishing I had had access to better language training while at CLS. Obviously language training is the sort of thing that at law school will always be voluntary because most students probably don't care about it or don't need it, but language classes such as they are at CLS are very thin. I worked at and went to the "French Table" from time to time, and it generally seemed to just be a discussion in French, that while helpful in keeping the rust off, did not teach me much technical legal French vocabulary. Therefore, I was wondering if other people here thought that language classes might be better attended if the law school actually brought in profs/alums/lawyers who practice extensively overseas or with foreign clients and taught classes on "legal French/Spanish/Japanese/etc." Now before people dismiss this as far fetched, think about it this way, the school gets similar people to come in and teach LPW, so I imagine it would be a comparatively easy sell to get similar people to come in and teach languages to a bunch of students who are anxious to learn about technical vocabulary and who have voluntarily signed up for the class. It seems to me that for at least 5 languages (if not more) you could probably find 20 or so students willing to sign up for, say, a 1 credit class that meets once a week that teaches them the fundamental legal jargon of a foreign language. I know for me it certainly would have been a hell of a lot easier if I had known how to explain topics like easements etc in French before I arrived here instead of having to learn them on the fly. What do people think? Also are there any other ideas like this that people have? It just seems to me that the LPW system is definitely broken (and that most people agree about this) so I think it is interesting to try and think of ways to improve it or similar programs that might thrive along side it.

-- AlexLawrence - 16 Jun 2008

I'm working at EPIC, a pro-privacy advocacy group. Many concepts are outside my grasp, but mostly because they're technical, e.g. about Internet technologies. Still, I think that some of the habits I formed this year -- distinguishing the meanings of words, etc. -- are actually making it harder for me to read and speak "advocacy" and "computer technology". Among crash-tested practical lawyers, "thinking like a first-year law student" turns out to be too thorough and too slow, like demolition by an oral hygienist. It is something I'm adapting to.

I wanted to share this recent article in Rolling Stone, about surveillance in China, which made me proud to be at EPIC at this moment. If people find it worth discussing, we can move it to a new thread.
"Remember how we've always been told that free markets and free people go hand in hand? That was a lie. It turns out that the most efficient delivery system for capitalism is actually a communist-style police state, fortressed with American "homeland security" technologies, pumped up with "war on terror" rhetoric."

-- AndrewGradman - 16 Jun 2008

Thus far, I'm quite happy with my summer internship. I'm interning with the Kings County DA office and it's definitely been a great experience thus far. I haven't really used my "research skills"...mainly because my assigned ADA hasn't really been working on any motions that he could pass of to me. However, some of my fellow interns have, and they don't seem to be too worried about the costs of Westlaw and Lexis.

As for using skills taught and honed during 1L...well, I can say that I've used some of them, mainly in conversation with my ADA when I'm trying to understand the law that someone has been charged under or just really trying to understand the fundamentals of a case. Learning how to spot potential problems that the defense could jump on has been a good thing given that I've been allowed to participate in questioning witnesses.

Basically, despite already knowing that crim law isn't for me, I'm really glad that I'm working at the DA office.

-- NicoleMedham - 15 Jun 2008

For what it's worth, during the first couple of weeks, I was also horrified at the thought of pulling up Westlaw and Lexis databases that cost the firm, and often the client, anywhere from $8 to $134 per click of the mouse. I don't know how representative this firm is of other firms or for-profits in general, but we were given 1 to 1-1/2 hour training on each database (again) during the first week, and we walked out of that training with a freebie pass for a week. Nothing like spending that week frontloading research assignments, then downloading, emailing, printing, and comparing research strategies with each other (there are 25 summer associates here). By the end of the week, and after researching a 50-state comparative analysis, my anxiety at the thought of switching to "pay per view" declined substantially. Plus, you may have the choice of being charged by the minute or by the transaction, and that can make a difference, depending on what information you need. You probably already know this, but if Westlaw or Lexis reps visit your organization to offer advice, they are inclined to give you a day pass if you ask. Then there are the 800-number representatives who give you research angles for free, if that's included in your organization's package. Hopefully, we'll all feel more relaxed about this by the end of the summer.

-- BarbPitman - 14 Jun 2008

That frightens me as well. I still find the interfaces of both counter-intuitive and find myself spending more time than I really should looking for things.

-- KateVershov - 13 Jun 2008