I’m oriented
Today I went through orientation at school. I was concerned it would be more touring of buildings and the like, but in fact it was a day spent in the oddly ornate
Moot Court Room at CWSL (click for larger version)
Moot Court Room of the main classroom building, listening to various speakers talk about what to expect as 1Ls and how studying at CWSL is different than many law schools. I think the fact they started off by handing us spiffy CWSL book bags with a planner and pen inside was a nice touch, and there were breakfast yummies to get the blood sugar up before the events began.
We heard from the Dean, the Asst. Dean of Admissions, and then my favorite professor (at least personally, as I’ve not had class with him yet) William Lynch, who is just a couple of years younger than Dad, I think, and a Southie from Boston. He told us stories about his law school experience at Boston College Law in 1953, and how miserable it was (he got called on the first day and when he mentioned the professor who did this, he paused and added “May he rot in hell”–good for a big laugh from us students). He then let us know that while the Socratic method is used at CWSL, it is done so with kindness and “love”–that is, that students will not be humiliated à la Paper Chase. We’re expected to do the work, of course, and always be prepared to respond in class, but the attitude at CWSL is very different from other schools.
We then heard from the Student Bar Association president and another professor who spoke about the Creative Problem Solving sub-specialty offered, then the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs who explained the curve system (ick) an how it is interpreted at CWSL and how they handled students in academic difficulty (lots of extra help first, eventual dismissal).
The Assistant Dean of Student and Diversity Services spoke briefly, followed by the Assistant Dean of Career Services (he was hilarious) who emphasized that they will be working one-on-one with each student starting after November 1st. Making sure we each find our own niche in the law is very important to them, he emphasized.
Finally, we heard a keynote lecture from the Honorable Judith Haller, CA Court of Appeals Justice and alumna of the class of 1975. She gave a lovely talk about ethics and civility in the law and then she administered our Student Oath, which also emphasized similar points (”I pledge to maintain high ethical standards of conduct and to promote the values of tolerance, respect and civility…”).
Then they fed us lunch and we played Human Bingo to get to know our section-mates and also got the chance to ask some 3Ls for the inside scoop.
A packed 5 hours of orienting.
Tomorrow I have my first day of Intro to Legal Studies. My homework is done. I guess I’m as ready as I’ll get.