Chris D'Abreau, 2L

My name is Chris D’Abreau. I majored in Sociology and minored in Communication at Western Washington University. I grew up a “military brat” and have lived in roughly nine states and two countries. Before I began law school, I was a snowboard enthusiast working on Mt. Baker and I currently enjoy board sports every season of the year. I am looking forward to discovering exactly where my legal education will lead me and exploring the rest of world.

November 2011

I recently sat on a couple panels to discuss a fellowship I participated in last year to current 1Ls and the law school experience to prospective students. The panel for the current students was great and it gave me a chance to reflect on my experience working in a law firm this summer. Similarly, the panel for prospective students gave me a chance to reflect on my first year of law school, although I don't think I would like to relive it any time soon.

December writing would not be sincere without mentioning finals. In fact, there is really no point in talking about anything else.  Life is consumed by studying and will continue to be until we cross the finish line. I spent most of the Thanksgiving holiday with a book in front of me. But at least the semester end is near.

It is important to do SOMETHING besides studying for finals. Personally, I will play guitar for at least 30 minutes a day to clear my head, watch football (or basketball now that college hoops started), or go out on Friday/Saturday night with friends.

One class is over! I had my final for Legal Writing II, which was an oral argument. Fifteen minutes, three judges, and lots of questions. Public speaking is the fun part of law school so it's something to look forward to (you don't get to do it too often).

As soon as finals are finished, I will begin applications for summer externships and tying up loose ends before I leave the country to study abroad.

October 2011

Just finished my first law school oral argument. Not perfect but it could have been worse. You have to love being interrupted by the judge (your professor), having to stop your train of thought, and answer whatever question they throw at you. Not to mention they judge how well you transition back to the unrelated point they interrupted you from discussing. Great, right!?

I am involved with the Dispute Resolution Board and we are hosting our first in-house competition of the year (the Client Counseling Competition). My primary role was to connect with members of the legal community to judge our competition. It was, A LOT of work. I don't know if you are used to managing 400 e-mails, but I wasn't. There are plenty of organizations to be involved with around here. My advice would be to make sure you know how large a time commitment each activity is and try not to over commit.

Lastly, I will be a proxy for the October 1 LSAT at Seattle U. Good luck everyone!

September 2011

Back to the law school grind, again. I've been told not to take Legal Writing II, Constitutional Law, and Evidence all at once, so I listened to that advice. Instead, I chose to take two of the classes mentioned and the maximum credits you are allowed to take! It was still a pretty bad idea and I dropped a two-credit class after attending the first week.

Word to the wise- watch out for two credit classes. Sometimes the workload is heavier then that of a four credit class. I am sticking with taking four classes at a time and no more.

Putting law school aside, this summer has really shaped up into something beautiful.  I have spent every weekend outside doing something fun. I spent Labor Day weekend out at The Gorge and did not bring a single book with me! See, law school can be fun.