Month: September 2017

Book Briefs

Let me be totally frank, I know that you feel case briefing sucks the big one.

It’s time-consuming, frustrating to type or write out, and you wish you could be doing anything else. Right?

Well, I hate to break it to ya, but briefing is a must. Anyone who says they don’t do it, but they still get by in class is *probably* lying. There’s just too much damn information in law texts for someone – without an eidetic memory – to claim they know. Furthermore, being able to recall the case information, is not the same skill as being able to apply the rule of law from said case to another hypo.

To recap, briefing is time-consuming. I understand. But you can make it easier on yourself by working smarter…not harder.

Brief INSIDE your book! No professor is going to say you can’t bring your book to class. [However, you may have some professors that deny you the use of technology in class – which means briefing in your ebook could be a problem).
Since you can bring your giant text to class, you may as well make it useful!

All you need is a set of highlighters, a pen (or two) of your choice, and your casebook!

I recently purchased a set of Sharpie highlighters, and have immediately fallen for them. They don’t smear, even after highlighting a freshly printed document. [You may not care about smudging, but I do]. I also like that these highlighters have a chiseled tip, and are about the width of a line in the text. Perfect highlighting, nearly every time!

1. Make sure you pick at least 4 colors to use in your cases. I say this because using the same highlighter for all parts of your case defeats the purpose of you learning this method. You simply cannot use the same 1 or 2 colors for every piece of your brief; that would be asinine.

These sharpies are my new favorite study find. I found the 4 pack on Amazon, but came across the 8 pack (pictured below) at Office Depot. I recommend the larger pack, simply because the extra color options are perfect for case briefs!

2. Designate a color for each part of your case brief.

Yellow = Issue
Orange = Facts
Green = Reasoning
Blue = Procedural Posture
Neon Pink = Holding
The extra pastel pink & purple are mainly used for argument identification, or particularly interesting opinions from dissenting judges.

I highlight each case in the same manner, and the repetition of colors (when cold-called in class) makes things much easier to find within the case itself. This method also works particularly well when paired with book tabs. I enjoy flipping through a text, and adding pieces of information to my outlines for each class.

At first this method may frustrate you – especially if this is your first time to organize your casebook. I recommend trying it for a few cases before deciding to give up on book briefing with the color-coded sections.

You need to find what works best for you!

Between highlighting and writing in the margins, my grasp of case law continues to improve. This method is, by far, my favorite.

Hope this helps you.
Happy studying!

Tags #LawSchool, #timesaver, case brief, Class Prep, highlighter method, how to brief a case

Reviews

CBD Provisions

I was informed that Pimento Cheese is a Texas tradition.
As a life-long Texan, this was news to me.

A friend of mine wanted to meet for lunch at CBD Provisions, because she loves their food. I was thrilled to be close enough to snatch some coffee from Weekend. #Sold

I reserved a table for 12pm, via OpenTable and met a few friends there for lunch. Overall, I’m not as big a fan of CBD as my bestie is. I will admit their tomato soup is tasty – but it doesn’t hold a candle to Breadwinners’ recipe.

I did try the pimento cheese toast. I’m not quite sure why “toast + spread” has such a strong presence in Dallas restaurants, but I think it’s stupid. Paying $10 for 3 pieces of toast and 2 tablespoons of topping is ludicrous. The greens on the toast at CBD were wilted because of the excess dressing, and the toast was hard enough to knock a tooth out.

The Chef’s attempt at a shrimp cocktail was not horrible, but also not good. Sugar played a huge role in this appetizer, and it shouldn’t have been present at all. The beau liked this dish, but I think the chips allowed it to be edible. So far, I was not impressed. I held out hope until the main dishes came.

The carrot + avocado salad was surprisingly boring. The carrots were not prepared, aside from being tossed in dressing, and blanketed with cilantro. The chicken was perfectly grilled, but added nothing to the dish. In addition, the avocado mustard combination worked well – but I wish there’d been more than the dollop I received. Had I not ordered the chicken, I would have ended up with 3 large carrots + a spoonful of avocado crema. This dish was simply not memorable.

Melissa ordered the tomato bisque & pimento grilled cheese. She was absolutely in love with her lunch. The soup was creamy and flavorful, the sandwich was a bit too greasy (for my taste). The beau ordered the Steak Frites, and enjoyed his dish immensely. Since they didn’t mess up the steak, we may find ourselves back at CBD again, but I may wait until they’ve updated their menu. For a restaurant inside the Joule, I had high expectations. Sadly, those marks were not met.

What are your thoughts on overpriced toast, and salads that are just carrots + avocado?

Tags #DallasEats, @CBDProvisions, DallasCBD, restaurants in dallas

Advice Law School

Vodka & Comfort Zones

Walking into a networking event – where you plan to know less than 2 people – is terrifying. As a law student, networking events include our future employers, partners, and colleagues – which means first impressions count.
While clerking for a Probate Judge last Spring, he said to me ” Sarah, don’t ever be the attorney that thinks they know everything. Be the attorney that makes it your business to know what other attorneys don’t!”
As a 1L, he was basically Yoda speaking in riddles.

As a 2L – I can kind of see his point.

Although I am still learning the law, and its intricacies, it’s important to remember that youth in (or out) of a courtroom does not equate to ignorance. Many times I find myself speaking to attorneys, asking them about their experiences; pulling knowledge from them and the mistakes they experienced, in order to learn from them.

I highly recommend you NETWORK! Put yourself out there. Don’t know how? Here are a few simple steps:

Dress like a BOSS, even if you are low [wo]man on the totem pole. Why? It will get you noticed! I wore a killer dress-suit to an event this week and this happened:

While at a networking event, I was approached numerous times by attorneys wanting to know what I taught at UNT Dallas College of Law.My response was always – “Oh, I’m not a professor. I’m a 2L.”

Response: “Seriously? You dress so professionally. Do you always wear a dress suit to events like this?”

Me: “Well, yes. Dean Harris told me I can dress how want when I get a job.”

Attorney – “Amen to THAT! Tell her she’s teaching y’all well!”

2. Grab a drink.

- Alcohol is served at many attorney networking events – But You are NOT obligated to partake! Don’t feel that others will judge you if you don’t ask for dry martini, or a glass of the bar’s finest cabaret. There’s nothing wrong with drinking water!
- Be comfortable, drink what you want to.
- On that note though – don’t over indulge. Attorneys don’t want to feel like babysitters because the law student couldn’t be responsible. Trust me. You do not want to be the student who gets called in by the Dean to discuss “proper behaviour among the Bar.” #Embarrassing

3. Don’t be afraid to approach groups of people.

Groups of 3 are the easiest to enter, because only one person is speaking and you can slide right into the conversation. Introduce yourself to one of the person not speaking, and then wait until the speaker halts.
This may seem hard, but sometimes the person you introduced yourself to will branch off from the group and strike up a conversation with YOU!
When approaching a group of TWO, make sure to quickly apologize, and then enter into the conversation –
- “Sorry, I’d like to jump in here, if you don’t mind.”
- “Excuse me, mind if I chat with you both?”

4. Keep Extra Business Cards On You

I absolutely LOVE the cards I purchased from MOO.COM
Don’t be afraid to step outside of the box with your cards, either.
Elle Woods would approve my cards. They’re attention-getters, because the cards are textured, and are printed with raised gold-foil; every attorney I’ve handed one to comments on the quality of them!

Do your best to have fun, speak about your experiences, and make quality connections! It’s important to be able to email at least two people after every event, and make sure those connections last! It’s your responsibility to reach out to those established attorneys and judges. Let me know you’re genuinely interested in their work, and explain what you hope to learn from them.

Questions for you –

What challenges do you experience in networking situations?
Which tips do you use to giver yourself an edge?

Have a great week!

Tags making contacts, mentor growth, networking, public speaking

Advice

Paying Rent

Solving problems with a creative edge happens to be my forte. Blame my flair and off-the-cuff tendencies on Destination Imagination. I am a [really] proud alum, and honestly use the skills I learned with DI every single day.

Enter the problem: making money while attending college. It’s harder than it sounds, because so many positions try to pay students in “experience.” Since free advice doesn’t pay the rent, I do my best to avoid working for free. That said, I decided to get creative and looked into job opportunities that were just a bit outside the norm.

Law school teaches you how to think like a lawyer. The funny thing is that lawyers need to be creatively diverse thinkers capable of drafting ideas faster than I can suck down my morning macchiato. I truly enjoy law school. My first year was great [but the grades could have been better]. I’m two weeks into 2L, and was realizing how much happier I feel. Classes are going well, and my assignments have been completed days before they’re due. I took a moment to ponder why I felt so wonderful...and then it hit me.

My financial situation doesn’t feel quite so soul-crushing as it was last year. If you’re reading this, then the likelihood is you understand the complications of paying your way through an education. There’s really only 3 options — scholarships + savings, loans, or your family pays your bills. I don’t know many students in the last group; honestly – I only know 3 people who made it through their undergraduate degrees debt-free (lucky ducks!). I am not in the debt-free category. In fact, by the time I’m done with law school, I’ll be the proud owner of 3 degrees’ worth of education loans. [Woo! Right?!]

I try not to think too much about how I’ve practically signed away my first-born to make it through school. Instead, I stay productive. Through my 10 years of higher-education, I maintained a steady stream of jobs. At one point in my undergrad years, I held 4 consecutive positions and worked about 60 hours per week – all while taking a 16 hour course load!

I am considerably more relaxed now though, because I gained valuable experiences over the years. Was it easy? Hell no. But, it’s certainly been a great ride. Plus, I get to say I know how to [insert random job here].

If you’re looking to make some decent money, while working through flexible hours, consider these options. I have personally worked every single one of these positions over the years – currently working at 3 of these – and my resume is chock-full of great experiences. Trust me when I say – hard work pays off!

Respite Care Provider
- Respite care networks offer opportunities to work with special needs clients and their families. One of my absolute favorite jobs was working for a family who wanted me to take their son to a movie and the park, on a weekly basis. $15/hr. to hang out with a great kid, watch Disney or Dreamworks movies, and have my lunch paid for was EPIC.
Pharmacy Technician
- As a Biology major considering the Med-School route, I felt this was a great option for me. Getting the license was not difficult, and it is required to earn the higher pay. This position paid well, $13/hr, and I learned to hone my communication skills! Check out the licensure requirements in Texas!
Tutor (or Teacher)
- I taught High School students for 3 years – and I loved it! Before teaching, I tutored through most of my undergraduate years. At $35/hr, this was by far the most lucrative position I held before earning my Bachelor’s degree. Working with a private tutoring agency is key! The agency will vet your clients, and that keeps you safe when tutoring in people’s homes.
Dog Walker
- Working for Wag! has been fun, and earns me an average of $30/hr. I have the opportunity to opt-in for walks between classes, or when I take study breaks. There’s no requirement to meet a set number of walks per week, which is great! This makes for some good pocket monies. #SideHustle
Personal Chef
- There are many people who need meal prep services! Take advantage of your cooking skills and put them to use! I currently work for a family that enjoy my own culinary creations. Since I stress-bake, this is such a great position! Depending on your expertise, you could potentially earn $50/hr!
Law Clerk or Intern
- There are plenty of law firms interested in hiring law students to help with their case load. Reach out to local attorneys, or check with your career services team. Many positions pay around $15/hr, and are willing to work around your class schedule!
Blogger
- There are some fantastic bloggers out there who manage to pay the bills while working remotely. Awesome, right?! One of my faves happens to be Taralynn. She blogs about her travels, fitness experiences, and foodie finds! Maybe you can start your own blog and live off ad monies…I’m just throwing out ideas here.
Library Assistant (Work Study Position)
- On top of making $12/hr, I get to study while working in a library! This position is one of my faves. Work-study positions are (in my opinion) some of the best jobs on campus! Meet people + study + get paid.