The 1L Experience!

Man… after a few weeks off from blogging (as sporadic as it was for the last few weeks, it will be similar in the coming months), I was ready to jump right into the saddle and manage both blogging and school. Two weeks ago at orientation, I realized I’d be screwed on that one. Let me back track… about 3 weeks before school started, my Law School suggested that we spend the rest of our summer enjoying life with the implication that we would be going through hell during our 1L year. [emphasis]Yup, best advice is to wish your loved ones well right now ‘cause you sure as fuck aint gonna be seeing ‘em…[/emphasis] that’s what the letter should have said. So, I roll into orientation and from the moment I sat down to the moment we were finally dismissed on Friday, the undertone from the faculty and the outright admission from our guest speakers was that of prepare to have no balance your first semester and slowly regain it your second. Clearly I’m starting to understand what they mean.

In my week under the gun, I’ve read more than I think possible, survived an earthquake, survived a hurricane and then helped clear out waterlogged basements and driveways, and have yet had found the opportunity to go out and enjoy a beer with friends. Yes, the Virginia Aftershock made its way to where I am and we got hit by some rain and wind from a storm that they called Irene. I’m also not sure if I’m ahead or behind in my reading, but that’s the Hurricane’s fault.

In my first week of class, I’ve learned that Civil Procedure is not civil at all and that it’s all about the rules. In fact, the rules that I thought I knew made no sense at all too! In fact, the best part about it is that my professor looks like Charlie from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I finally came to appreciate the finer points of pastries and how enjoyable torts can be, even if it means I’m learning about the fine art of ambulance chasing through negligence, both the intentional and unintentional kinds. Contracts, I’ve learned, is all about the facts and how sensitively you decide to pay attention to them. It’s a bit of an emo approach, but I don’t really give one hot who ha ha about how you slice it.

Enough of the amusement though. I have to be honest; the thing I realize most is that this is all about time management. It’s not a 40 hour job, but more of a condensation of 2 years of working as an Investment Banking Analyst. The hours improve as you get further down the road, but they still suck and are rather lengthy. Getting staffed on multiple deals and wearing multiple hats is something I know, but this is a much harder challenge than expected. The time management involved for Law School is the biggest thing I can stress trying to learn and understand. There are only 24 hours in a day, of which I’m out of commission for at least 5 of them, not counting the commute and time spent in class. To all you 2Ls, 3Ls and JDs, how do you/did you manage your time? To all you current 1Ls, care to share your secrets on time management?