Barbri/Rigos/Tesdahl

How to choose a bar prep course? Here are a few thoughts on what I observed the last few weeks of Barbri v. Rigos. I hope others will add their comments and corrections, too. (I think Tesdahl is great too, by the way -- I have a neighbor who did it a few years ago -- but I don't know anyone who used it recently.)

Overall, my conclusion was that I wished I'd done Rigos. I think you can pass with either course. But the Rigos method seemed less stress inducing. I heard from both Barbri and Rigos studets who noticed the difference. Plus, Rigos sent encouraging, pump-em-up type messages in the day before the bar and held a party afterward. Not that you should base your decision on the availability of alcohol afterward, but it seems emblematic of the attitude.

• Both courses consist generally of listening to lectures, outlining and taking practice exams.
• Lectures are by SU or UW professors, by local specialists or (for Barbri) a couple of people who go around the country giving specialized lectures. Hard to guess which course had better lecturers -- they both seemed to have some great ones (Rigos has Donaldson, Barbri has Calandrillo) and some not-so-great ones.
• Rigos focuses a lot on outlining. Students are recommended to spend about five hours a day outlining, and three hours taking practice exams.
• Rigos is heavy on mnemonic devices. Barbri has few mnemonics other than the ones you've heard already (OCEAN, etc).
• Barbri focuses more on taking practice exams. Barbri recommends two hours a day outlining, and then practice exams until you collapse from exhaustion. (It's only been a few days since the bar and I've already forgotten the daily study schedule, how awesome is that?)
• Rigos had 26 graded essays, Barbri had 21. Barbri's feedback was handwritten, Rigos came through email. Lots of good feedback either way.
• Both programs have practice questions that are actual bar questions released by the bar association in past years, and include a sample passing answer, also released by the bar. Barbri also includes a "model answer" for the first 4-6 essay questions of each type. Rigos does not. The model answers are a mixed blessing. They include almost every point you could think of to address in the question. This is good if you want to learn to be thorough, and we all want to pass, so we all want to be thorough, right? However, it also can be discouraging if you didn't get all the points, or drive you absolutely nuts if you're trying to drive yourself to learn everything. As an example, I took a practice question on a subject I'd studied pretty thoroughly, and compared my answer to the model answer, and felt like a complete failure because I'd missed half the points. Then I compared my answer to the sample passing answer and felt like a law savant.
• Both curricula have you turn in sample essays periodically to be graded. The schedules are different, but I couldn't say which is better.
• With either program, the real key is figuring out how you memorize the best. (Not learn. Memorize.) That might be flashcards, speaking aloud, repeated test-taking, rote repetition... you pretty much have to figure that out on your own.

What else, y'all?

Summer job prep

The law librarians are hosting a program called "Bridging the Legal Research Gap." It's a four-hour program intended to help law students succeed at their summer jobs. I attended after 1L year and found it helpful. Some things I knew, but some I didn't, and there were some practical ideas I found really useful. There are sessions at SU and UW. They are free, though you need to register. If it's after your job starts, some employers will happily give you the afternoon off so you can attend.
The UW session is:
Tuesday, June 24, 200812:45 - 5pm,University of Washington School of Law
For more info and to register:
http://lib.law.washington.edu/btg/2008/register.htm
Oh, um, snacks are provided. Not that that should influence you.

Bar exam info

Just a reminder for 3Ls: Bar exam applications must be postmarked by April 23. The application and other info are here: http://www.wsba.org/lawyers/licensing/bar_exam_app_info.htm

Falknor

The Falknor Moot Court competition is kind of a cool way to get two non-graded credits. You're entitled to earn up to six of those credits while you're in law school. For Falknor, you sign up with a partner, you write a brief on an assigned topic (there are two questions, so you and your partner each address one), and then participate in oral arguments. You have to do at least two rounds.
For me, it was a good way to get experience doing oral arguments since my schedule precludes me from taking trial ad. Plus, having the two extra credits freed up some time later in my schedule. I signed up because I saw a couple of student-parents do it the year before. Email me (kremerl@) if you want to know more about it.

Hello winter

Welcome back! PALS is gearing up for our Childhaven clothing/toy/food/diaper drive (we really need a shorter name) and some other things. We’ll schedule our quarterly meeting later, but meanwhile, here’s an update on what’s coming up. Please email kremerl... or stasiu... if there’s anything you can or want to help out on.

* The Graduate and Professional Student Senate will be lobbying in Olympia for more money for childcare for student-parents. If you are interested in testifying, meeting a legislator, writing a letter or anything else, please email kremerl...
* The Childhaven drive will be during the week that includes Valentine’s Day. Laura Arras and Christine Porter will be running it. We’ll need volunteers to help man the table and take things to Childhaven. Stay tuned for more info. Meanwhile, please start setting aside things that would be good donations for Childhaven: new and used toys and clothes that are in good condition, plus new diapers and nonperishable food.
* We’d like to have a panel discussion this quarter called Maybe Baby, on whether it’s a good idea to have a baby during law school. Email kremerl... if you're interested in working on it.
* Several groups would like to partner with us on an adoption panel. Lisa Goldoftas will be PALS’s point person on this. Let us know if you’d like to be involved too.
* Elections! According to our bylaws, we are out of office at the end of this quarter and the new presidents take over during spring quarter. Start thinking about whether you want to be a PALS officer for 2008-9.
* Babies! There will be a ton of new babies this quarter. The Remote Learning Room will be busy. If you use it irregularly, you may be surprised. Please try to keep it clean and be conscious of the room’s other users.
* Advocacy: Let us know if there’s anything PALS can do to help out with the administration or building management. We’re happy to throw our weight around for you.

Stasiu and Lisa

Law School Stress talk

Adjunct professor Andy Benjamin spoke at lunch today at a meeting sponsored by Nontraditional Law Students. I was enlisted to take notes, and I took pretty thorough ones, so if you would like a copy, email me at kremerl@.... Here are some highlights.

Benjamin is a pretty thorough critic of the law school pedagogy. "We create cynical, angry, hostile folk," he said. Law school undermines professionalism and health, he said, because it:
* negates healthy values such as intimacy and community
* promotes unhealthy values, such as valuing external rewards, status and comparative worth
* substitutes competition and anxiety for healthy motivation such as personal enjoyment and values-based effort
* Habituates students to frustration of fundamental needs, such as health routines, self esteem, relatedness, authenticity and security.

Solutions:
Address health and social issues:
* solid sleep, eating, exercising patterns
* Social support
* Knowledge of signal emotional states – result in activation of wellness behaviors
* Balance struck in all areas of life
* Any two of four conditions above absent, seek assistance from Sandra, SBA, Mentors
Minimize unnecessary excessive stress:
* Eliminate habitual overwork
* Abandon zero-sum competitive “need to win” paradigm, which creates perception of failure for any previously successful students
* Build skills at collaboration and legal counseling.

I know some people are interested in this: Benjamin repeated the observation that he has been criticized for making in orientation sessions: single women tend to be the most negatively affected by law school. Women in relationships tend to survive law school's stresses better. "Romantic involvements are protective," he said. "I’m not joking. Please start dating."

Here are symptoms of depression to look out for:
* mixture of anxiety, depression and hostility
* thoughts of killing self
* feeling so unhappy that you cannot shake it
* dissatisfied or bored with most aspects of life
* nicotine use (the most efficient anti-dysphoric on the legal market)
* disruptive sleep – never feeling sufficiently rested (early waking, inability to fall asleep)
* increased social isolation
* limiting normal exercise patterns

If you have more than two of these for more than a couple of weeks, he said, get counseling.

The session covered more ground, including many very specific questions from students. Also, all these lists came from his powerpoint, which had cites for studies that were the sources of the info. If you want the notes or the powerpoint, email me.

More on Outlining

Lisa asked me to describe my outlining system. Here is what I try to do every quarter:

I take notes in the book before class, writing out any questions in the margin. During class, I take notes on my laptop, using a new Word document for each week. At the end of the week, I print out those notes, read them over, and organize them into outline form. This takes me a LONG time.

Near the end of the quarter (maybe a week before classes end), I go through my longer outline and condense it to a 10-20 page outline. I try to make sure that I understand each key concept as I condense the outline. Like Lisa, I also try to create a short, 2-page outline to take into the exam with me.

Ideally, I finish all of this outlining a week before exams start so that I have the rest of the time to do practice exams. Before my 1L fall exams, I spent so much time on my outlines that I didn't have time to take practice exams, and that was a HUGE mistake. I think it is more important to take lots of practice exams and go over the answers with other classmates than it is to have the perfect outline.

I had Schnapper, Wolcher, and O'Neill during my first quarter -- if anyone wants to see my outlines for those professors, email me at porterc@u.wash

Also, I think Professor Kaltsounis's outlines are the best I've ever seen, and she has great advice about studying for exams. If you couldn't make her outlining session, at least ask if you can take a look at her outlines sometime.

Outlining

Ok so I missed the big "how to outline" shindig this week -- was it any good? 1Ls, if you want outlines from your PALS pals, let us know (email me, kremerl@, or put a comment here) what class you need an outline for. We might not have had the same teacher as you, but it's often helpful to see how other people did it.

Everyone's outline is different. I have a friend who isn't happy unless she has a 70-page, single-spaced outline to take into an exam. I do best when I've managed to condense my outline down to about 15 pages, and also have a two-page version along with me. One friend of mine made an enormous color-coded civil procedure outline with charts and graphs and boxes and lord knows what else.

So, here's my process. (I'll try to get some other 2Ls and 3Ls to describe their system here (any volunteers?)) In 1L year, I would read the material in advance and take notes in outline format, using the structure of the casebook. Then I'd take copious notes during class. Toward the end of the quarter I'd combine my handwritten notes and my outline. Which took forever.

Now my system, if things are going well, is this: At the beginning of the week, I quickly create an outline of the material we'll be covering. Before class, I read that day's material, writing notes into the book if I think I'm going to be called on. During class, I type notes into my outline. At the end of the quarter, as I'm preparing for the exam, I usually can just tighten up the outline I've already created, and find the spots where I'm confused and clarify them. Then my main occupation is synthesizing the info so I can create my 2-page version.

Structuring the outline can be tricky. Usually I just use the structure of the casebook itself, which can be very helpful in orienting myself when I'm feeling lost. But for some professors (see Schnapper) it's more helpful to create the outline based on the syllabus. For other professors it can be a combination of both.

Exam prep

If you haven't yet seen Prof. Aronson's lecture on "How to Prepare for and Take Law School Exams," don't miss it. It'll be 3:30-5:30 p.m. Nov. 13 in room 138. This is what I would call a babysitter worthy event. Or, you could probably watch it from the RLR if necessary.

Also the Career Center is having a workshop on resumes and cover letters at 12:30 Nov. 7 in room 133. It's as good a place to eat your lunch as anywhere else.

The Ben tree

Ben's memorial on Friday was lovely and his wife is just amazing. She spoke beautifully. Oliver, their son, is 11 months old and just starting to walk.
The tree planted in Ben's memory is a cedar. It is at the bottom of the stairs by room 138, at the far end of the building. Or if you were to go down the exterior stairs by the cafe, it's on the left side of the path just as you go past the end of the building.
PALS is planning to work on collecting money for the scholarship fund that has been created for Oliver. Look for opportunities to contribute in the future. We'll probably have an envelope at Fall Festival.

Memorial planned for Ben Athay

PALS lost a great friend and board member this summer when 2L Ben Athay died. Ben's friend Mike Peters has worked with the law school to schedule a memorial service for Ben. It will be 4-5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, in room 138. I don't know if Alison and Oliver (Ben's 9-month-old son) will come, but I hope so. Please come if you can.

The school will plant a memorial tree in Ben's honor. I'm sure we'll find out more details about it at the service. The PALS board also has been talking about doing something in Ben's honor, in tune with his joy at being a father and a student. We'll keep you posted.

The press release about Ben and the memorial service are posted here:
http://www.law.washington.edu/News/Articles/Default.aspx?YR=2007&ID=AthayMemorial

Law school Q&A

Q. Is it safe to keep my computer in my locker?
A. Glad you asked. NO! You might be better off if your locker is in one of the secure rooms, but if it’s in a hallway, ha. If it makes you feel better, our crowbar-bearing friends seem to only care about computers. When my locker was broken into, my Top Ramen, Kleenex and BLS worksheets were undisturbed.

Q. Um, where do I eat lunch?
A. 540 students / about 30 seats in the café = not enough seats. There’s a lounge in the library but it’s a hike and you can’t get too loud there. You can eat in the library study rooms but that’s not exactly social. You can make a rush for the nice leather chairs on the upper floors. Enjoy the patio while you can. Then try to get on law review or PacRim, their offices are NICE. Sorry, Shidler.

Q. This is such a posh building… why are there wooden benches in the lobby?
A. My guess is when the dean brings donors to visit, three wooden benches looks better than the previous arrangement: several leather couches continually occupied by, er, socially disadvantaged folks from the Ave. Which is what happened for the first year and a half the building was open, until they gave up and moved the couches upstairs.

Q. Well now that you mention it, what about those guys in the library?
A. Donors can’t see them there.

Q. And while we're talking about creepy things, why does it smell like something died in the first floor ladies room?
A. Sorry about the potty humor, but this one's legit. It's some bizarre permanent building smell. What's really cool is when the state Supreme Court or 9th circuit is in session here, that's probably the loo the women justices use. Yeah! Way to make an impression!

Q. Can I ask 2L and 3L friends for their outlines?
A. Yes! Don’t be shy.

Q. Wait a minute, why should I share notes and outlines? Aren’t we graded on a curve? Isn’t this a competition?
A. Well sure, you’re not likely to be in law school if you’re not competitive, somewhere in your bones. But the true competition – for jobs after graduation – isn’t here at the UW, it’s across town.

Q. Is law school a good time to have babies?
A. Aw c’mon, we’re biased. This is PALS. We love the babies. Bring us more babies.

Ben Athay

Ben Athay, a loving father and law student, died of a brain hemorrhage on Friday, Aug. 31. His funeral was Friday in Corvallis.

It's hard to accept the death of someone who was so vibrant and had great plans for his life. I met Ben at the 1L family picnic before school last year. His gorgeous wife Alison was pregnant, and Ben was excited both about fatherhood and about starting law school. Alison gave birth in the middle of his first year, and Ben was thrilled with little Oliver. He must have had some long nights, but when I saw Ben he was always cheerful and eager to stop to chat. I ran into him toward the end of the year and asked him to be a board member of PALS and he instantly agreed. At PALS, Ben was thoughtful and funny. He asked that PALS try to be more available to students on a regular basis, because he tended to hear from the group only once or twice a quarter. He felt parents need more support. We created this blog partly to respond to Ben's request for a more frequent, visible form of support for parents. We'll be looking for other ways to respond to his request throughout the year.

PALS sent a bouquet of roses to Ben's funeral. We are looking for other ways to honor Ben and help Alison tell Oliver about his father. Please add your thoughts and suggestions as comments below.

Lisa

Fall events

Hey 1Ls! Come meet your fellow student-parents (and prospective student-parents) at some upcoming events. A lot of us have found that the key to having a happy first year is having classmates who are student/parents to talk to, get advice from, and commiserate with. So here are some opportunities to meet those other student-parents.

1L Family Picnic: Sept. 9, Ravenna Park near the U-District (more details later). The goal of this picnic is for 1Ls to get to know their classmates who have kids or are thinking of having kids. It's a nice complement to all the beer-oriented get-togethers going on this time of year. 2Ls and 3Ls, please come and share advice and show off how much your kids have grown.
--> please add a comment if you're planning to come, and watch for further updates regarding the time, and a link to a map with directions.

Orientation: 2Ls and 3Ls, let me know if you're going to be on campus Sept. 19 and could staff the PALS table for the organizations fair, 3-5 p.m.

Fall Festival: Thursday, Oct. 25. That's right, a Thursday. Heh heh.

Congrats Amanda and Christine!

Congratulations to Pals co-vice-presidents Amanda Carmany-Rampey and Christine Porter! Amanda wrote on to Law Review and Christine wrote on to Shidler. Nice work!

p.s. Please let me know if I've missed any other parents on the journals or MCHB.