Love Thursday
April 9, 2008 by bipolarlawyercook
Teaching, originally uploaded by BipolarLawyerCook.
Every year, schedule permitting, I judge the same mock trials in which I took part as a civil clinic student at Boston University School of Law. I learned more about lawyering and human nature in that year-long class than in any other course I took in law school. In many ways, what I’ve learned since then has only been refinement upon the basics I was taught, way back then. It’s a joy to be able to give back, by sharing the knowledge I’ve gained, resting solidly on the foundation provided to me by the clinic.
This picture was taken last night as I was reading the students’ pre-trial motions in limine and redacted exhibits the night before the trial. And, not coincidentally, as I was planning how to be the meanest judge they’ll ever have the “pleasure” of appearing before.
Better me than a real judge, though, no? Better to learn before it means something to their bottom line, and their client’s. The luxury of being able to learn? Incredible. The joy of being able to teach? Even moreso. Every year I feel like I’ve been even meaner than the year before, and every year, the faculty keep asking me back. I guess I’m doing something right, which is wonderful, because I feel like I learn something every year I do it. Every year, one of the students has a novel approach to the same two fact patterns, or has an interesting way of arguing the same evidentiary argument. Sometimes, they’ve just got a nice way of arguing or examining, or a nice set of postures, poses, and vocal intonations. It’s the least I can do.
You can find links to others’ Love Thursday submissions here, at Shutter Sisters.
It’s wonderful to have work that you love to do! Have fun!
Loving your work is key!!
rewarding stuff is so much better than most anything else
sounds cool-you meanie
rewarding stuff is so much better than most anything else
love ya!
sounds cool-you meanie
It sounds like fun.
I’m glad you give back
it sounds very rewarding. Using your skills to help others develop theirs. I always learn from my students when I teach too!
Good for you! Good for them! Maybe I’ll have some professional writers come work with my class next year. Wanna come to San Antonio for a few days? (We’ll wait until it’s cold in Boston.)
Eww! When I get out of law school, I can assure you I will NOT be coming back to help others suffer the same fate of becoming a lawyer that I’ve suffered!!!
How wonderful to be able to give back and have passion for what you do!
I think that sounds like SO MUCH FUN! When I was a child advocate, I participated in mock poverty simulations, and it was always so fun, but also so enlightening to see how different people react to the same situations. I wasn’t a mean judge, but I WAS a thief
Hey, when did you graduate BU Law? My college roommate went to BU Law in 1994 to 1997.
Ahhh… I see that the teacher gets as much from this as the students. What a good experience. And you’re right…be mean. You’re not doing them any favors for when they face a real judge and when real $$’s are on the line.
Ah, the love of litigation! I popped over via Professor J’s blog to see what your blog was about! I found it interesting to see the similarities between your activities and educational background and mine. My class’ final exam is on Tuesday & I’ll be marking again too! You are not alone!
When I was in high school someone set up a mock trial and one of my classes went to watch. I think it was actual practicing lawyers, since the nearest law school is over 2 hours away. I’m sure they re-tried some famous case, but I can’t remember what. It was really neat. I learned a lot about sitting on a jury, as we were stuck in a very tight space without ability to move for hours. I got called for jury duty last fall, and since I was horribly manic there was no question about whether I could do it, but I hated that because I would like to someday, and I know I really can’t probably because if I don’t get dumped for being mentally ill I don’t have the attention span.
It’s also fun to be mean sometimes :). We had finals in one class in grad school where actors played sick patients and were evaluated for therapy by the students. I was a patient one semester. One girl came in and was somewhat rude and invasive and I wrote that in my comments. The preceptor didn’t like it, but it was true and I bet she was more careful after that.
And it’s always fun to get to be the teacher. It seems that for me at least I was a student so very long that switching roles is STILL hard, even as I approach 8 years of experience.