Posted: September 1st, 2010 | Author: Justin W. Anisman | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 1L, Excitement, Law School, Nerves, UWO |
Since Frosh week is right around that corner, I thought it might be a good idea to do a quick round-up of all the things I’ve been told about law school this summer. Naturally, I realized that the entirety of these fit nicely into the three title categories. So without further ado, here are the good, the bad, and the frightening things about 1L, law school, and life as a lawyer. Try to imagine, if you will, the rest of this post being said in a thick wild-west accent, it really adds to the effect.
The Good
- Lawyers make monies. If you don’t believe me, you should check out Infirmation.com:
- No one fails out of law school. So as worried as we all are Nervous?! Whose nervous…not me the truth is that everyone I speak to keeps telling me that getting into law school is the hard part; staying in, is a piece of pie and easy as cake. I heared a story from one of the Lawyers here at my firm from when he was in law school: He and a friend of his were writing an exam with 3 questions (2 worth 25% each, and 1 worth 50%), when the exam was over his friend told him he thought he did terrible. Apparently, he entirely failed to answer the 50% question. What mark did he get on the exam you might ask? Somehow, while managing to fail half the exam, he ended up with a C. What’s the moral of the story? No one fails out of law school and <3 the bell curve.
- Everyone acts really impressed when they ask you what you’re up to, and you say going to law school.
- “Law school was the best time of my life.” No matter how stressful nor difficult, the general consensus is that law school is great. If anything is certain that next three years of my life are sure to be an incredible roller coaster adventure of fun and excitement without all the nausea.
- Three more years of not entering real life. Woot!
The Bad
- Law school is bloody expensive. I know that tuition alone at UWO is $15,000 a year and this seems to be on the less expensive end of law schools in general. On top of tuition there is room and board, food, entertainment, transportation, books, furniture, utilities and so much more. Going to law school is practically unachievable without financial aid and with all this accumulating debt over three years, it’s going to be very difficult affording anything at least for the first little while out of law school. I guess it’s a good thing that for the first 5 years we’ll be working minimum 70 hour weeks; we’ll have no time to spend the money we’re using to pay off debt.
- “Lawyers, every single one of them, go to hell; except for those practicing Environmental Law: they end up in limbo.” -I’d rather not say
- I don’t know why but lawyers are generally hated, and if you’re at law school then you are literally being taught how to be someone that people generally hate. lol.
- “Studying law…making a responsible choice for my future…it’s a Friday night…being a lawyer had better be awesome” – Marshall (How I Met Your Mother)
- You will be spending hundreds of hours reading thousands of pages in many books filled with microscopic legal text.
The Frightening
- “If you’re working from 8am until 8pm and occasional weekends, then you should be doing more work”
- “The grades you achieve in 1L determine the job you get during OCIs; the job you get during OCIs (On Campus Interviews) determines where you article; where you article determines your entire future law career.” Drawing this to it’s logical conclusion, my entire future depends on how well I do in 1L. Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!
- The Law Job Market is so bad that recent graduates are resorting to hunger strikes. I know! I didn’t belive it either.
Well that’s it really, this time next week and I’ll be in class.
One of my best friends has just gotten engaged, another is moving to new york city, and another appearantly is on speaking terms with the Dali Lama (I’m not kidding). It seems whether I like it or not everything’s changing.
Be safe on your move up to London, or wherever you’re going, and I hope you enjoy the last little bit of summer.
Posted: August 27th, 2010 | Author: Justin W. Anisman | Filed under: Uncategorized |
Well today is Friday 08/27/2010 and at this exact moment (this one) it is 11:25AM and the term begins at 8:30AM on Tuesday, 09/7/2010. I’m not sure if you noticed it but something suspecious is going on here, look what happens when you substract those dates.
09/07/2010 8:30AM
- 08/27/2010 11:25AM
01/-20/-3:05
(1/-20)/-3:05 =
1*-(1/20)*-(1/3):05 =
1*(1/20)*(1/3):05 =
(1/60):05
Well obviously, 1/60 of an hour, is one minute. so therefore
(1/60):05 = 0:06 or 6 minutes
It’s now 11:31, so it took me exactly 6 minutes to figure this all out. Weird. I think I’m on to something here.
Some of you doubters may think that this is just a coincidence but I know better. You might say I’m insane law school is starting very very soon and I’m just letting my nerves get the better of me, but I know better. But if nothing I say can convince you otherwise and if you still think this post is entirely crazy and that I must have had half my brain cut out or something, just look:
In ½ of 6 years, in just 3 short, barely noticable years, somehow, I will be a lawyer
and I don’t know about you but that thought blows my mind, excites me, and scares me all at the same time.
And that is really what all this aforementioned crazy math really shows.
Posted: August 25th, 2010 | Author: Justin W. Anisman | Filed under: Uncategorized |
‘
I am writting this article, in a heap of flurry as literally several onlookers wait to “point and laugh” at a new 1L student leaving his very first class. Jack Mullens, apparently, has found himself to be the only student sitting in the entire front row of class. Now that Jack has been socially ostracized, this reporter fully expects him to change schools before the tuition refund deadline passes. What else could you possibly do after this great an embarrassment?
Breaking news update: I write to you now live from what I’m referring to as a ‘Jack sympathiser’ on a quick washroom break from class which is expected to end within the hour. For obvious reasons, it is her request to remain anonymous, thus we have chosen to use the name Eleni in order to protect her true identity.
“Eleni could you please describe to my readers the atmospher in the classroom?”
“A lot of us are in shock, Justin, we expected to see some lame kid dressed in business casual, maybe a suit and tie, but not this. It’s really just very overwhelming. At first everyone just kind of snickered under their breath, only one person really stood up and called him a loser, but every minute that passes seems to make it worse. Even the professor is having a hard time making eye-contact with the keener now.”
“Thank you Eleni, I know this must be hard for you. How do you think something like this could happen?
“He’s one of those over eager students, he arrived to class on the first day way before anyone else … must have thought a lot of people wanted to sit in the front row and so he sat down in the front-middle seat even before anyone else got there… that was probably his big mistake … the rest of the class filed in and just as Jack realized no one else was sitting in the front row, the Prof walked in. It was too late! … I’m sorry I’ve got to get back into class.”
“That’s alright, Eleni, thanks for your time.”
The story first broke via twitter, SMS, bbm and Facebook just 20 minutes into class. In the past usually a situation like this would only make Jack an outcast in the one class, however in today’s world of modern miracles, almost all schools in the area already know. ”That kid is so lame” shouts some high school kid, as the crowd slowly grows outside the classroom. In this short time the crowd has nearly tripled. This store is certainly spreading like wild fire. In attendance, I see a few small groups of high school students clearly playing hooky to watch the excitement, there seems to be a gathering of U of Guelph girls, some professors, and many Western students hanging around. Oh at the back even Dean Holloway is here in order to make sure things don’t get too out of hand.
Well stay tuned everyone, cause we’ll be right back …
‘
… and then I woke up
Posted: August 23rd, 2010 | Author: Justin W. Anisman | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 1L, Business Law Clinic, Community Legal Services, UWO |
Today on Gladiator-Ninja-Zombie-Pirates we have a showdown to the death between two fierce competitors: Community Legal Services and Western Business Law Clinic. The former provides free legal advice and representation to members of the community, and to Fanshawe College and Western students; the latter provides small start-up and early stage businesses with affordable legal counsel. In this head-to-head challenge only one can emerge victorious.
At least that is what I thought when I began writing this article, however the truth is that both clinics provide very unique and distinct opportunities and over our three years at law school it is very possible to become involved with both if you so choose. However, according to a top-recruiter at a large Bay Street law firm, it is very important to keep in mind when making a decision that clinic work is entirely for your curriculum vitae.“Don’t think you’re really going to learn anything,” she said, “this is strictly résumé building.”
That being said, both clubs are extremely competitive, present unique opportunities, and make it very difficult to choose one over the other, especially if you’re unsure about what area of law you want to go into. Therefore, in order to help myself make a correct and informed decision I contacted both clinics and had them answer a bunch of questions which really helped me choose the one right for me.
*Just a quick disclaimer before you begin reading, for the following interviews, for CLS I talked to the full-time Director, Doug Ferguson, and for WBLC I talked to Gordon Cassie, a student heading into second year.
Questions
1. How many volunteer spots are available this September for 1L students? |
Community Legal Services
There are approximately 30 spots available for 1L students. |
Business Law Clinic
The clinic hires twelve first students every year to fill its volunteer positions. Last year there were over sixty applicants. |
| 2. Is there a minimum number of hours of volunteer work per week? and if so how many? |
1L students must attend one duty hour per week. During their duty hour there will be training, file reviews, and assisting with initial interviews with clients. In addition, 1L students are expected to participate in our Public Legal Education Program. If they wish, they can assist 2L and 3L caseworkers who have a complex case. |
No there is not. Time commitment will not exceed 3-4 hours most weeks, however some weeks have special events (including two trips to Toronto per year) and during those weeks the involvement might be up to ten hours. |
| 3. How much opportunity is there for first year students to appear in court? and if there is none or very little, how does this change in upper years? |
1L students do not represent clients in court but can observe or assist caseworkers who have trials or hearings. Caseworkers in 2L or 3L are those who are taking a clinical course such as Litigation Practice, Advanced Litigation Practice, or Criminal Law Advocacy. They appear in court on behalf of clients on a regular basis. In the fall we have about 40 2L and 3L students working in the clinic, and a little less in the second term. |
Each first year student works on one file. The type of work they are doing will vary greatly from file to file but will usually involve some type of legal research. |
| 4. Furthermore, what is the advancement process like, how does a volunteers role change throughout his time at school? |
Occasionally near the end of the school year we may give a 1L student who shows interest and potential a straightforward file that does not require a court appearance. Any 1L student (whether they have volunteered in CLS or not) can apply to be a supervisor. This means they would work for a salary in the clinic during the summer, then during the school year, they would supervise two duty hours per week and participate in our Outreach and Public Legal Education Program. Our Outreach program consists of duty hours at the Salvation Army Centre of Hope (for homeless persons), WOTCH (Western Ontario Therapeutic Community Hostel for those with mental illness), and FanshaweCollege. With our PLE program students will give seminars to non-profit organizations and social agencies such as the Youth Action Centre, Mission Services’ Quentin Warner House, and Glen Cairn Community Centre. We also bring to the law school students from Catholic Central Secondary School to learn about law, and write newspaper articles that are published in the Gazette, the Fanshawe student newspaper, and on our website. |
Volunteers are expected to make a three year commitment to the clinic. As they progress through law school their roles will change accordingly. Second years have the largest responsibility at the clinic as they manage their teams file and coordinate the completion of the work. |
| 5. How many clients will a student work with at one time/over one term? |
A caseworker in 2L or 3L will work with a number of clients during a term. The numbers will vary depending on how quickly a file is closed. It will generally range from 7-12 clients overall. This does not include our PLE program. |
A student will usually work with one client per term. |
| 6. How much opportunity is there to work with upper-year students/practicing lawyers? |
There is plenty of opportunity for 1Ls to work with upper year students if they show interest and are pro-active. There is regular contact with the five lawyers who work in CLS (two are full time – Doug Ferguson and Jason Voss, and three are part-time – Margaret Capes, Sue Latta, and Deanna Harris). |
First year students work very closely with the second year student. They will be brought to all meetings with the mentor lawyers who are professional lawyers in London. |
| 7. How highly is experience with your clinic valued in OCIs (On Campus Interviews)? |
Law firms are generally interested to know if a student has worked in a clinic. I think clinical experience is most valuable when it comes to articling interviews – CLS students have an advantage over other students because they know what it takes to practice law – running a file, dealing with clients, writing opinions, appearing in court, keeping track of their time dockets, etc. They can hit the ground running when they start articling. For OCI, clinical experience is still helpful; while 1L students have not run a file, they have had a chance to work in a law firm environment at CLS. This gives them an advantage at interview time. |
WBLC students tend to place very well at Bay Street firms. |
| 8. Are there any notable graduates who volunteered with your clinic? |
One of our grads, Geoff Beasley, took the Oakes case to the Supreme Court of Canada shortly after he graduated from Western Law. Oakes was one of the first cases to interpret the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Geoff is now the Regional Crown Attorney here in London. |
I don’t have a record of what graduates of the WBLC have done. I can tell you that many of them work at top firms in Toronto. The clinic was only founded six years ago so even the earliest graduates are still in the beginning of their legal careers. |
| 9. How long has your clinic been around? |
CLS is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. It was founded by Western Law students who wanted to do legal work for low income persons in the community. The law school declined to give them space, so they planned to open up a “storefront” clinic. The Law Society of Upper Canada stepped in, and the law school allowed them to work out of the law school. We were considered pretty radical back then! Now all Ontario (and most Canadian) law schools have clinics. |
It was founded in 2004. |
| 10. What skills does your clinic develop in their volunteers? |
We develop a number of skills in our students:
- Litigation skills (criminal and civil) such as arguing motions, cross-examination, examination-in-chief, and court etiquette
- Research and writing legal memos and opinion letters
- Client interviewing skills
- File management skills
- Drafting pleadings, factums, and other legal documents
- Working collaboratively
- Mediation skills
- Negotiation skills
|
WBLC gives students a chance to get a very similar experience to working in a business law firm. Students develop all the skills that one would take from that experience. I would say beyond the simple academic benefit of solving business law problems, students learn how to be professionals and to work in a professional environment. |
| 11. What makes your clinic unique compared to the other clincs? |
CLS differs in a number of ways from the Business Clinic and Pro Bono. Each clinic has a different role. Pro Bono students work in groups to provide legal information to non-profit organizations under the supervision of a member of the private bar. The organizations identify an issue of concern, and ask Pro Bono to research it for them. Pro Bono Students do not represent clients in the legal sense, nor do they appear in court. As part of a group they will work on one or two projects during the school year. The Business Law Clinic (I am not terribly familiar with what they are doing), as I understand it, helps new businesses with legal issues under the supervision of members of the private bar. The last I heard (2-3 years ago) they were handling around 10 files at any given time, and students worked in teams. At CLS, we have 250-300 files on the go at any given time. During the course of a year, we will work on 900+ files. A CLS caseworker has responsibility for his/her files under the supervision of one of the CLS lawyers. They meet regularly with the lawyer to discuss file strategy and file developments, so there is close contact between student and lawyer. CLS handles work for low income persons in the community; clients must meet an income test in order to qualify. Our funding comes mainly from Legal Aid Ontario and the University Students’ Council. Our clients come from both the UWO campus and from the general London community. We handle cases in the following areas of law:
- Criminal law
- Civil cases that are tried in Small Claims Court
- Landlord and tenant law
- Wills and powers of attorney
- Mediation (through the Dispute Resolution Centre, which is part of CLS)
- Immigration (for on-campus persons only)
- Academic appeals and student discipline matters at Western and Fanshawe
- Public legal education and outreach
- We have a pilot project on the go with intellectual property issues (copyrights, trademarks, patents) in cooperation with Profs. Wilkinson and Perry.
CLS is the only place in Western Law where you get an opportunity to appear in a real courtroom, in front of a real judge, on behalf of a real client. Our students have the satisfaction of knowing they are helping people who have nowhere else to turn for help. Make no mistake; it’s a lot of work. But it’s the best hands-on litigation experience in law school. |
WBLC is the only clinic at Western which will allow students to gain experience in business law. There are many WBLC students who volunteer at other clinics and organizations at Western. If you did feel you had to make a choice, WBLC would be the right place for anyone with a strong interest in business law. |
So there you have it, a fairly detailed head-to-head comparison. I hope that helps you come to a decision about which clinic you’re interested in. Let me know in the comments which clinic you think sounds better or which one you think is more prestigious. Also, let me know if you think there’s anything I should add or if there’s something missing.
Posted: August 18th, 2010 | Author: Justin W. Anisman | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Stella Awards |
The Stella Awards for those who don’t know (God knows I never heard of them before today) are named after, according to StellaAwards.com, Stella Lieback who in 1992 at the age of 79 spilled McDonalds’ coffee onto her lap and successfully sued McDonalds for $2.9 million dollars in damages. The Stella Awards, then, have been awarded to any ridiculous and superfluous law suits or other outlandish misuse of the tort system.
Recently I was emailed a chain letter which purported several cases deserving of Stella Awards and to be honest I mostly agreed until a little research convinced me that these cases were nothing but fabrication. Outrageous, Sick, Shocking
So I figured why not turn this into a little game. Can you figure out which of the following “Stella Awards” are true and which are fabricated?
- In November, Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new 32 foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home, having joined the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the Winnie left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the handbook that he could not actually do this. He was awarded $1,750,000 plus a new Winnebago.
(highlight to the right of the arrow for the) Answer: –> Fake
- Kenmore Inc., the makers of Dorothy Johnson’s microwave, were found not liable for the death of Mrs. Johnson’s poodle after she gave it a bath and attempted to dry it by putting the poor creature in her microwave for, “just a few minutes, on low,” The case was quickly dismissed.
Answer: –> Fake
- Roy L. Pearson Jr. a 57-year-old Administrative Law Judge from Washington DC claimed that a dry cleaner lost a pair of his pants, so he sued the mom-and-pop business for $65,462,500. Representing himself, Judge Pearson cried in court over the loss of his pants, whining that there certainly isn’t a more compelling case in the District archives. But the Superior Court judge wasn’t moved: he called the case “vexatious litigation”, scolded Judge Pearson for his “bad faith”, and awarded damages to the dry cleaners. Since he was fired recently from his career, Pearson hasn’t take no for an answer: and is still appealing the decision to this day.
Answer: –> True
- Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas, was awarded $780,000 by a jury after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running amok inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving tyke was Ms. Robertson’s son.
Answer: –> Fake
- Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Penn., was exiting a house he finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up because the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He couldn’t re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation, so Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for eight days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found, and a large bag of dry dog food. Dickson sued the homeowners insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of half a million dollars and change.
Answer: –> Fake
- A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania $113,500 after she slipped on a spilled soft drink and broke her coccyx. The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson threw it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.
Answer: –> Fake
- Utah prison inmate Robert Paul Rice, serving 1-15 years on multiple felonies, sued the Utah Department of Corrections claiming the prison was not letting him practice his religion: “Druidic Vampire”. Rice claimed that to do that, he must be allowed sexual access to a “vampress”. In addition, the prison isn’t supplying his specific “vampiric dietary needs” namely Blood. Records show that Rice registered as a Catholic when he was imprisoned in 2000. “Without any question we do not have conjugal visits in Utah,” said a prison spokesman when the suit was thrown out. This has to be said: Prison Sucks Mwahahaha.
Answer: –> True
- In 1992, Stella, then 79, spilled a cup of McDonald’s coffee onto her lap, burning herself. A New Mexico jury awarded her $2.9 million in damages.
Answer: –> True
Type your score into the comments section and let everyone know how you did!
