Student Diary: Jonathan Lee, 2L
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Student Diary: Jonathan Lee, 2L |
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As I sit here writing this entry, I reflect upon my experiences of the past year. The cliché does hold true, time flies when you’re having fun. The two years here in law school have definitely gone by faster than I had expected. I still remember when I first arrived for summer criminal law and felt lost in a sea of new faces, new experiences, and a new sense of respect for the things that we were learning. Reminiscing through the past has got me thinking about the future. I am definitely looking forward to this summer when I will have the privilege of working at the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Obviously, I will have to make it through the yearly gauntlet that is finals but I try to not dwell on the not so much fun things in life.
Interning at the prosecuting attorney’s office, I will be able to work with youth in the juvenile division and help them get their lives back on track while gaining practical and court experience. That’s one of the great things that I have noticed about school. I, along with many of my friends have been fortunate enough to not only get the opportunity to work at different places this summer, but also it being our top choice among a great list of workplaces. For now, I have started my training at work and I am very excited to start full time. The start of summer although signaling a momentary reprieve from all the studying, also signals another milestone, the graduation of another class.
I have met some wonderful people here, many are fast becoming lifelong friends and like graduation at any other school, it can be a sad and joyous event. It is sad, as you know you won’t be passing them in the halls every morning any longer and there won’t me those 1am study session runs to Starbucks. Then you realize though, unlike the other times where you see friends graduate, you’re not going to lose them to other lives or other more important things. Those people who were just your classmates only a month ago are now your colleagues. Seattle might be a city but it’s a small town. It is always amazing for me to this day as the school celebrates its 35th anniversary to see alums from 30 years ago talking about how they have kept in touch with their classmates through the years and even have sparred with one and another in the courtroom. Law school for me has not been a beginning or an end, but a side note to our lives where we pick up a trade while having some fun. Back to hw for now and no I am not jaded yet at the profession.
Wow… I am halfway through. It’s “over the hump” as most people like to call it. At this point right now I still cannot believe that I have passed the half way mark. It still seems like yesterday that I started criminal law with Professor Bond during the summer. Comparably though, although I have had to work harder this year than last, it seems as if school becomes more enjoyable as time passes. Now, with the opportunity to pick and choose the classes that I would like to take, I find that I am enjoying school more and more and also getting a better grasp of the connection between the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and real life.
Although I was worried in the beginning that I would forget why I came to law school to begin with, I find that at this halfway point I still have not lost sight of the reasons that motivated me to come to law school. I wanted to come in to help others in the community using my knowledge with the law. I have and will be able to accomplish that through my time at the Housing Justice Project and also through my time at the Prosecutor’s office this summer.
Right now, it has been a wonderful winter thus far. Although school has kept me busy with studies and my extracurricular activities, I have found time to enjoy things that I enjoyed before coming to law school like snowboarding. It has been a fun winter bouncing around mountains throughout Washington and Canada. For all students though, I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping a well rounded and balanced life. As important as school is, one cannot get tunnel vision and be consumed by it to the point of forgetting the really important things in life.
As I wrap this up to go finish my studies and prep for a moot court competition, I am sitting at the sidebar with the sun shining in my face, and I remember something that Ferris once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
As I am currently typing, the Fall semester of my second year is nearing an end. As school goes, the adage that “time flies” applies here as much as anywhere else. Not only that, but the saying that during the first year they scare you to death, the second year they work you to death and the third year they bore you to death has so far come true. As difficult as it has been, it has in no way been a bad experience. Conversely, it has been one of the most fulfilling and exciting times in my law school experience.
In addition to continuing to volunteer at the Housing Justice Project, and administering an in-house Moot Court competition, I have had the pleasure of engaging in other extra/co-curricular activities that have allowed me to apply the wealth of knowledge that I am gaining daily in class. Recently, my partner and I took a trip up to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for a regional negotiation competition. (For all you scratching your heads, on a map, follow the eastern border of Montana go straight up into Canada and you won’t miss it.) It’s pretty much one of the few cities in North America where an engine block heater comes standard with each car. It was a great adventure nonetheless and we had a great time representing the school there. As part of the yearly tradition that is as predictable as fireworks on the 4th of July, I participated in the OCI (On Campus Interview) process. For those of you whom have heard of it, you know it’s a job hunt nothing like scoring that first sweet job mowing your neighbor’s lawn or getting that paper route. It’s more like a marathon, you need stamina, foresight, preparation, and a dash of luck to survive. No worries though for those who need help in the job hunting skills department. The Center for Professional Development (Career Advisors) does a great job at showing you how to work a room at a networking event, writing an effective cover letter, connecting you with enthusiastic alums, and most importantly landing that first real summer job by acing the interviews.
In my spare time, I competed in the client counseling and mediation competitions. Yes there is this thing called class that I have not forgotten. Like the 800 pound bull in a china shop it is definitely not forgotten. This semester I am taking constitutional law, professional responsibility, legal writing II, lawyers as problem solvers and post conviction relief. The work is difficult, but no one ever said that law school was going to be easy. What I am learning though, is interesting and I am excited for the coming semester. Although my poor DAWGS lost this past Saturday in the Apple Cup to the school that shall remain nameless, it was a great game that wasn’t decided until the last minute. Like the semester, time flies and I must say goodbye for now, as I must do some homework. Good luck on the law school apps if you haven’t finished them already.
So school has started again and like always, the first week seemed like a month and the past three weeks have just flown on by. To recap this past summer, I spent my time taking classes, volunteering, and traveling. In my efforts to get a little ahead and make life easier during the 2L grind, I took evidence with Judge Morgan. It is a semester’s worth of information crammed into 10 weeks but with that being my only class, it’s much easier to juggle than five classes. Additionally I volunteered at the King County Bar Association’s Housing Justice Project. It is a non-profit sponsored by the bar association run totally by volunteers. As a legal intern, I assisted attorneys in representing low income client in landlord-tenant issues. Yes, your landlord really isn’t the only horrible one out there. Finally, I traveled to Japan, Thailand, and China during the summer. As fun as it might sound, I just have on piece of advice when comes to traveling to Thailand, bring as much mosquito repellant as you possibly can. Spending the initial part of your summer in a Hong Kong hospital with dengue fever is not necessarily the most fun you can have. Especially when you get dumped in geriatrics.
As far as this semester, everything has been quite exciting albeit very busy. Professors are diving right into the course material now, instead of slowly wetting our feet. But hey, no one ever said that law school was going to be an easy experience right? On top of the copious amounts of reading, I have the pleasure of participating in the cattle call that is OCI’s and administering a Moot Court competition. So before I get further behind in my reading I must bid you adieu and will update ya’ll soon on what’s new.