The 1L has Risen

In the second semester of each law school year the legal community begins to refer to students as "rising" for the coming year.  So, I have been a "rising 2L" for a few months now.  Organizations encourage rising 2L's and rising 3L's to apply for positions on their executive boards, to take part in writing competitions, and to participate in conferences.  

In my own pursuits I applied to be a member of the national Law Students for Reproductive Justice board, and while I was not selected, I have been invited to speak at their national institute in July in Pennsylvania on chapter development.  It's an exciting opportunity for me personally and the Wisconsin LSRJ Chapter!   Of course nothing comes without complications and there is a loss in this gain in that it conflicts with the only truly important event on my summer calendar. 

On the same thread of thought, I have switched employment for the summer.  I will now be interning with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.  I had contacted them late in 2008 about potential internship opportunities, however, it was only in late April that they let me know they had something available.  Thankfully I was able to transfer the funding I had been granted through the University to this new position.  The work I will do with PPAWI fits directly into my goals of putting my law degree to use to further access to health care, particularly for women and children.  PPAWI has not decided which projects I will work on this summer, however, everything we discussed relates directly to access to health resources, comprehensive education, and health care reform in the larger sense.  I feel blessed to have this opportunity come along, and intend to utilize it for all it is worth.

I am currently in the midst of working on my Law Review application.  Exams ended on Friday last week and after taking a few days to enjoy time with friends and recuperate from exams, I am back to the books.  We have two weeks to complete our applications, so it is not a completely mad rush to the finish line.  Next week I am also going to start taking a one-credit Professional Responsibility course during the 3-week intercession.  It's just like the block plan all over again -- we only got 1 credit for all those classes, too!  I met the faculty teaching the course during a panel on women and the law, and am looking forward to getting to know her better through this course.  PR is a requirement for graduation and the bar, so I wanted to get it done with sooner than later.  

Amongst all of this I also continue to look for opportunities on campus to reduce my debt (though graduate assistant type positions).  I had an interview last week for one position, but wasn't selected.  My application is in for a third position, and I have two pending opportunities into which I am making inquiries.  I am not willing to apply to any and every position which comes along, but only to those where my specialized skills are well-matched to what they seek.  Law school is challenging enough without trying to learn an entirely separate set of skills to do along with it.  Unfortunately, the economy has increased the demand for these types of positions and there seem to be on average 100 applications for any position posted.  

At the end of it all, though, my first year of law school has ended.  For all of you who have heard about the horrors of law school, don't believe it.  Yes, I think law school is painful for a good percentage of the students enduring it.  However, for those of us who had made very conscious choices to be there, it was much more enjoyable.  I loved it all and am very glad I made the decision to come.