New Haven is beautiful in the spring.  The first few days of truly amazing weather are upon us here, and it reminds me of all the fun things there are to do in and around town. More... Last weekend was YLS Prom (officially known as the Yale Law School Public Interest Formal—the event raises money for a YLS organization that provides grants for public interest law projects after graduation.).
I know what you are thinking. More... Between clinics, classes and the occasional night out at Anchor Bar, who has time to venture out of New Haven? More... Secretary of Homeland Defense Security Michael Chertoff came to speak at the law school on Monday, April 7, 2008.  We protested him with vigor, holding signs and chanting after he was finishing speaking, but he didn't seem to mind.
More... The Law School provides us with a one week break during March that students spend in a variety of ways. More... After years of trying to guess whether “A” or “C” would get me to the next problem on the Scantron form, I was excited at the prospect of law school: a world without multiple choice tests and worrying about No. 2 pencils.  What I didn’t expect, however, was the variety of options available for receiving a grade in my courses at law school.  More... Midway through my first visit to Yale, I was a little exhausted. I’d had the name/home state/undergrad/major conversation one too many times. More... People will tell you YLSers aren’t competitive. People will tell you that walking through the doors of 127 Wall Street will instantly divest you of any desire to step over your classmates and friends on your way to becoming #1 at Yale.

People are liars.

More... One of the greatest components of a Yale Law School education is the opportunity to expand your knowledge base out side of the classroom. More... Many of my friends elsewhere have compared their law school experiences to living on a desert island surrounded by nothing but books, spending the bulk of their days secluded in the library, and gaining a precious few moments of human contact when they venture out for food.  More... Two years ago, when I applied to law school, the admissions process went better than I ever dreamed it would. I was accepted by both Yale and Harvard and suddenly found myself in the not-so-pitiable position of having to choose between two of the most amazing law schools in the country. More... Something that should be highlighted is that there is much more to law school than studying the law.  Hence, some of you are probably wondering what life outside the hallowed halls of Yale Law School is like. More... Before singing the praises of the reference librarians, a description of the first-year journal experience is in order. More... As you may imagine, this primary season has been a hot topic at the Yale Law School. While many professors have attempted to take a decidedly neutral stance, the students are quite another story. More... The first time I walked into a courtroom, my stomach was doing cartwheels. More... I’ve been doing a lot of job interviews lately.  More... I just got back from a recruiting trip on a tropical island. More... There is some cliché about riding bikes, to which the exact phrasing escapes me, but sounds something like: “You’ll never forget how to ride a bike.”  The saying (however it goes) is absolutely, unequivocally correct and it took a year in New Haven for me to come to terms with it.  More... Who would have thought I would become a lawyer this fast?  After just one semester of law school, I am already ‘practicing law’ and ‘meeting with clients’ for cases.  More... So it’s February, and I just finished deciding my summer job plans.  Choosing my summer job was reminiscent of one year ago to when I was making a decision about which law school to attend. More... As a graduating 3L, my only regret is that I didn't take more classes.
More... I am loving my first year of law school.  True, it is supposed to be one of the most difficult; but at YLS the first year experience is something I find myself enjoying more and more as I begin the second semester.  One of the great things about first year at YLS is the ability to choose courses for second term. More... I have heard the critiques - New Haven will never be Yale’s selling point, or even a factor prospective students list on the “Pro” side of the pro/con list they are making to help them decide which law school to attend. More... There’s no other place in the U.S. to practice immigration law quite like the state of Connecticut.  More... Should we practice or study?  Both. More... A few weeks ago, one of the student organizations I joined sent out an e-mail inviting six students to go out to dinner with a professor. I jumped at the chance. More... When I was visiting law schools for the various admit weekends, I noticed one common thread running through every school tour: the amount of time spent on showcasing the law library. More... Yale is the utopia of law schools: a gorgeous gothic building surrounding a lush green courtyard, world-renowned professors, and an extremely relaxed grading policy -- what more could you want? But in my first couple weeks here, I learned that while all that certainly contributes to making Yale a wonderful experience, what truly distinguishes the law school is the faculty. More... This past Monday, our small group professor cancelled our 10 a.m. Contracts class and instead scheduled a trip to New York City. We were to see Judge Calabresi, also a Yale professor, sit on the bench of the Second Circuit Court of appeals in the morning and to eat dinner at the New York home of Henry Hansmann, our small group professor who was organizing the trip. More... I tried to explain to them that the last (and only) time I had gone bowling I was roundly beaten … by a group of children … under the age of 12.  But they weren’t having any of it.  My small group was competing against three other groups in a bowl-off (the technical term, I’m sure), and I was playing. More... I’m finishing up my first semester of law school this week, and I’m pretty shocked how quickly it has passed. Despite Yale’s reputation of being “theoretical,” I feel like in one semester I’ve learned a lot of skills that will help me in my law career. More... Among other things, one aspect of Yale Law that I have found to be different from almost any other law school in America is the lack of a separate 1L legal writing class. Instead of a scheduled class, all of our writing assignments are integrated into other courses throughout the first semester. More... December has always been busy time of year.  The holiday season is in full swing as is Sunday night football. More... With the deadline looming for deciding where to spend the summer, I thought I’d comment on the idiosyncrasies of the Yale 2L job search. More... Due to national rules, job search season for 1Ls kicks off December 1^st. More... Harvard-Yale weekend.  Also known as the weekend I visited the Second Circuit and wrote my first brief … ever. More... I’m in my third year at YLS and I have to say: I wish I had three more years.
More... Alumni Weekend is easily one of my favorite weekends of the year, and one of the annual events that make me love being at YLS so much. More... Go Yale beat Harvard!  I have just experienced my first Harvard-Yale weekend and a glimpse into the all-encompassing bulldog pride that is truly at its height during this weekend.
More... In the midst of get-to-know-you barbeques and hikes as a 1L class, every so often, a 2L would appear on the scene. My first thought was always, “Who is this incredibly impressive person in front of me and how have they gotten to where they are today?” More... I was nervous about my first legal writing assignment.  At YLS, we don’t have a separate legal writing course for 1L students.  Instead, we learn research and writing within one of the four first semester classes – in my case, Constitutional Law. More... After reading this blog, you probably know all the reasons why YLS is such a great place to be. It’s small, full of really sharp people and truly brilliant professors, not competitive, has a strong public interest focus, no grades, yada, yada. At this point in the admissions process, I think I had the brochure memorized. What I didn’t know, but did suspect, is how far the Yale name can carry you when it comes time to find a job. More...

Before I arrived in New Haven, I worried about Yale’s size. I thought a legal metropolis was necessary to create rich communities of varied interests. Over the last two months, I’ve found that Yale has more dynamic niches than I imagined. One of my favorites thus far has been my journal, the Journal of Law & Humanities.

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This past week was “flyback week,” a funny euphemism for Fall Break.  The idea is that 2Ls who are interviewing with law firms can have the week off to fly around the country and interview for summer jobs (which, presumably, lead to permanent positions), while the 1Ls and 3Ls can catch up on our reading.

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I’ve learned a lot of things since I began law school.  I’ve learned many things from traditional classroom lectures, but I’ve learned just as much from my experiences outside of class. 

More... Admittedly, before I began law school, I was decidedly not looking forward to the 1L line-up, so to speak.
More... I came to YLS expecting the school to provide all the intellectual challenges and opportunities I could ever want.  I was definitely not disappointed in the least, but surprised when I found out that I would be getting more than just food for thought. More...

Secret: I came to law school this fall fairly confident that I did not want to practice law. 

More... During most of late August in 2006, my head hurt from the different emotions on my mind.  I became afraid, excited, intrigued and nervous all at once.  To make things worse, I was in a new city, called New Haven – which according to the masses is not a wonderful place to reside.  In short, I was a new student at Yale Law School.
More... On the first day of law school, I nervously walked into my first class, opened my laptop, and prepared to become part of the overwhelmed, anonymous masses. More... As I near the end of my second year, I’m coming to realize that the number of environmental courses offered at Yale hasn’t been as big of a problem as I feared it would be.
  More... Going to court with clinic professor Bob Solomon is like learning to walk. More... Something that I hear all the time from prospective students is that Yale is too “theoretical,” and that if you want to do something “practical,” you would be better off at another school. More... I’ve had the song lyric “Can you hear Darfur calling?” stuck in my head all weekend.  More... Today, I was at school for 6 hours, which with first mention does not seem appealing at all. More... During my first class at Yale Law School, the professor announced triumphantly that we were “off the treadmill.” More... During the admissions process Yale was the last law school from which I heard. More... This past Saturday night, a group of about 20 of us got together to have a barbecue and watch the Final Four basketball games.  More... I am often asked some form of the following: “I know Yale doesn’t have grades. But do you really not have grades? And doesn’t that just mean that you are more competitive in other aspects?” The answers to those questions are yes, we do have grades, and yes, there is competition.
More... At the end of last year, amidst the chaos of the holiday season, combined with the end of classes, I did not realize how special it was to select classes for second semester of your 1L year. More... I’m not going to lie: law school is hard. More... In the middle of second semester, first year, I decided not to pursue an Editor position on the Yale Law Journal. More... Everyone anticipates that some things about law school will be great, and some will be miserable.  More... From my initial search looking at law schools, it became abundantly clear that Yale Law has the reputation of producing legal academics. More... I have to admit that it was a little intimidating to lead a client meeting after officially being a law student for no more than a few months. More... Wednesday mornings are arguably the toughest time of my week because Tuesdays are trivia nights. More...