Category Archives: Tulane

Just Another Day in the U.S.A.

Today I was called on in Contracts. During this, my first summons, I ended up on the hook for three different but related cases which focused on the question of whether an offer had been made (versus just implied) for the purpose of determining whether a contract could be enforced. Exciting? …maybe not as viewed from the eyes of a “reasonable person,” but when you are on the spot in front of your classmates the urge to perform emerges. I didn’t have all the answers, but I had the ideas and fact patterns down pretty well.

This, however, is not a self-congratulatory post; rather, I hope to extrapolate from my humble experience today to those challenges faced by Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee. While I do not expect Gov. Palin or any other one person to have all the answers regarding how to solve our our country’s ills, I do expect those in positions of power, such as herself, to be able to articulate the basic ideas and fact patterns that lay before us.

A good, I dare say competent, leader knows how to take complex issues and give people an in as to their exploration; that is, the process of distillation helps us understand both what is and what one aspires to do about it. In this regard, Gov. Palin is a complete failure. Not only is she unable to tackle questions that she ought to be able to anticipate, but she also fails to lay out a convincing rationale for her own beliefs.

Perhaps I ought not be surprised, given the fact that Palin has been chosen for the express purpose of pandering to the faith-based community. But to that community, I ask, in what do you intend to place your faith? Since the Bible or a “value” can not serve as our leader we are forced to place our trust in humans, whose fallibility is guaranteed. Obama and Biden are fallible, as are McCain and Palin.

A rabbi who recently gave a lunchtime talk to a group of Jewish students here threw out an interesting point: the interpretation of the word of God by his messengers has itself become an ongoing continuation of that word. While one could argue that such a formula was probably fomenting in the mind of the Unabomber, the basic principle is sound; our being is not static and we must strive to make sense of what we are given from all sources.

After three weeks of legal studies I can say that much of what constitutes this human element in our system of justice can be found in decisions of merit as rendered by judges and juries. The Rules (of which there are many) help guide us in reaching just and equitable conclusions; we who chose are asked to find connections, discern intent and apply facts to that for which we ultimately have no guidance. This process, which occurs both with and without volition, a billion (or 700 billion) times a day, forms the lexicon from which new paradigms are promulgated when the times so demand. We are but the random ball rolling from the table; like the enigmatic neutrino, our rare moments of connection prove our very existence…

Governor Palin, who once struck me as a ballsy fighter, has proven herself to be yet another American who seeks to restrict rather than broaden this fundamental lexicon. As evidenced by current events that, if taken to their logical conclusion, may well precipitate the collapse of our society, the last thing we currently need is to narrow our already myopic focus. I do not elevate Obama and Biden to any sort of mythic status; the Democratic ticket’s humility, as opposed to the folksy opprobrium of its opponents, is emblematic of its embrace of the evolving word. In a world that appears to be getting the better of us (literally,) it’s right time we embrace the both.

Brief Update

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I have been spending the past few days in Athens, GA with my friend Josh. I left town on Saturday, at which points the roads were still clear. Those who left on Sunday, however, ended up sitting in gridlock for hours. It’s been a bit disconcerting having to do this the 2nd week of classes, but considering how bad things could have been, we were all very lucky this time around. Tulane did not sustain any major damage and classes are slated to resume next Monday. I find this a bit strange to say, but I am actually looking forward to getting back to school! Law school is a strange beast, and finding some sort of rhythm regarding work/study habits is key. So, let’s hope for no more drama, at least for a while!

T-minus 4

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Next Monday I officially start law school. Orientation has been both interesting and a drag, all in all, to be expected. Today we had a very insightful session organized by the career development office (CDO,) which will no doubt play a large role in my next three years here. A highlight of today’s presentation was a panel discussion by four Tulane Law alumna from various fields. The two most interesting panelists were Andrew deKlerk, an admiralty law specialist of South African origin, and Jim Letten, the United States Attorney for Eastern Louisiana. deKlerk made clear that for admiralty law, New Orleans was the best place to practice and that the Tulane name had the highest international cachet. Letten, who was instrumental in convicting the former Governor of Louisiana on corruption charges, reminded us of our new status as professionals and the effort we’d have to make to get ahead. Letten’s advice largely hinged on the fact that unlike 30 or so years ago, competition for good legal positions is much more intense, and that merely getting by is no longer enough. His talk was inspiring and helped re-kindle some passions that I’d lost sight of in this hectic time of transition.

And hectic it has been. I don’t think I have done as much socializing and mingling in the past two years as I’ve done in these last few days. For those of you who know me (wait, who the hell else is reading this anyway,) “chit-chat” is not my forte. I tend to jump right to a critical analysis of the situation at hand, which can be a bit off-putting. That said, I have come across some very interesting people, many of whom have traveled extensively and some of whom have had other careers before winding up here. While I’m still a little exasperated by the cliques that are starting to form, I have come to realize that it is just human nature and I am no great exception to any of it. What I do take from this, though, is that it will be healthy for me to maintain interests outside of law school (a sentiment echoed by many of today’s speakers.) I’m not sure what that will be yet seeing that I don’t really know non-law school people and I’m so focused on getting my bearings at school.

What I can say I’m psyched about is the fact that I have received my student ID which means that I can now access the gym. Working out has always been a way for me to focus and calm myself, and I’m sure that I’ll be able to establish a routine shortly.

But the fact remains that I am way out of my comfort zone and feeling a bit vulnerable. A sincere thanks to those who have reminded me that I am my own harshest critic, and what may make me feel weird is often what others find attractive. Wish me continued luck, especially with the ***tload of reading that is soon to be upon me.

Thoughts Thus Far

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I’ve been in New Orleans for roughly a week and it has been quite a time. First, the basics. I am living with two other first year students in a small house about a mile and a half from campus. I have my own room and bathroom, and the house has a front porch and backyard. As far as quality of accommodations are concerned, they are really great.

For the past few nights I’ve been more or less going out to various bars/houses and meeting my classmates. Though many of them are from the South, (TX is especially heavily represented,) I’ve met people from as far away as Africa. No doubt we know how to have a good time, judging in part by the amount of liquor consumed. Although this has been fun, I’m getting tired of not really having an academic task. My other concern is that since our class is so small, it will be like high school all over again. Indeed, a party being hosted by upperclassmen later this week explicitly references law school as akin to high school. So let’s talk about my version of high school.

For me high school was a confusing time; I was coming to grips with my sexuality, dealing with a difficult family situation and trying to figure out how in the world I fit in to it all. I don’t look back at HS in horror as do some; I was involved with many satisfying projects and had some good friends. But I was never quite home in high school. So when the high school references start flying, my hackles rise.

I am not a crazy, outgoing and loquacious guy, and no one has ever accused me of being “easy going.” I am often painfully serious, brutally sarcastic, a tad obsessive, and frankly, an introvert. I may be more White than Mingola. Now don’t get me wrong… a night in the Quarter or at a local dive could lead to temporary attitude adjustments. But at this stage in my life, I have become more comfortable with the fact that I will always be a bit apart, and that, perhaps, I seek to impose such a condition upon myself. This has worked pretty well for me, so long as I don’t take it too far, and I hope that it will continue to do so.

By constantly striving to be more open and better articulate my desires, I will no doubt come across kindred spirits, as I have before around the globe. Time, however, works in mysterious ways, and I have only recently realized that my control over such matters in minimal if not insignificant. Though this attitude may not land me a spot at the “cool table” (to continue the HS analogy,) I feel that it will serve me well. So if you are looking for something to drink to during these sad and bloody days, how about one for our own awakenings, even if our waking lives are but a dream.

New Orleans Visit

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Tulane Law School, the institution I’ll be attending next year, will reimburse prospective students up to $300.00 to come down for a visit during 3 scheduled visiting days. After a good deal of Expedia searching, I was able to secure a plane ticket from Boston to New Orleans for exactly said amount, all fees included. The catch was that I’d have to fly down on Thursday and come back Monday. Since I’ve been pretty good about my vacation days (think just a few for emergency mid-week ski trips,) I could spare to take a few days off of work.

To make the most of my time there I decided to stay with a few different current students; this way, I figured, I’d get some insight into how law students really live. Through the wonders of Facebook I was able to contact some students, mostly 1 and 2Ls. On this front the support was tremendous. I lined up three hosts and another guide.

After being met at the airport (funny aside, my bag was delivered later that night by Continental thus freeing me from lugging it around that night,) my first guide and I headed directly to a bar review. For those of you unfamiliar with law school lingo, a bar review is pretty much just an occasion for a student group to sponsor food and booze at a local dive. That evening’s bar review was sponsored by the Lambda Law group and the Women in Law group. After some time chatting with current and prospective students, my host and I left for some dinner. Later that night I made it over to the place I’d stay Thurs and Fri night and after hanging with the roommates hit the sack.

The following day, Friday, was when all the official law school stuff happened. My second host and I took the St. Charles Ave. streetcar to campus and then parted ways. During the day I meet a bunch of current and perspective students, sat in on a class, toured the library and ate a good lunch with faculty members. All in all Tulane organized a solid program.

After the program ended, of the guys I met during the day’s events and I went for a drink at a nearby student watering hole. We decided to be roommates and discussed housing options. Early in the evening a group of students involved with environmental law were staging a play so we decided to check it out. It was surprisingly good, if a tad polemical; the audience seemed to be mostly other law students, and the refreshments (beer and sandwiches) certainly helped buoy everyone’s spirits. Following this play we made our way back to my second host’s place and then joined him at a phat (I know, I never say that,) party at a revolving bar overlooking the city.

On Saturday, my task was to check out the housing available around campus. My potential roommate and I got together and meandered around the neighborhood, calling numbers on for rent signs and poking around a bit. He had to leave that afternoon, so we parted ways. I eventually made it over to my third host’s place, and after a delicious sushi dinner, took an early night (little did I know that I was halfway to being sunburnt to a crisp.)

On Sunday I continued to apartment hunt, and although some promising leads were followed, the perfect place didn’t materialize. That evening I connected with my fourth host and we went with a friend of his to the Bywater to hear a law student playing with his band. The place was very cool; it looked like a ramshackle dump from the outside, but on the inside there was a great vibe. They sold wine out front and then you’d take it back to the rear courtyard where a local restaurant had set up a portable kitchen. The offerings, ranging from duck to collared greens, were being sold as part of a fundraiser, and I learned that each week a different city eatery was featured. All in all it was very cool.

Then before I knew it it was Monday morning. I flew my sunburnt self to Boston and then I was back in Maine. The bottom line is that I feel much more relaxed about this transition I’ll make in August. In addition to knowing a few current students, I got a very positive impression of everything surrounding the school and its inhabitants.

Thanks to everyone who helped me get this far. I hope this next chapter in my life is as exciting, if not more, than those that have come before.