How fast four years have gone

I’m on my train into the city this morning as per my normal routine and my thoughts are quite simple: “Stay awake.” As I work on a complaint that I don’t really understand the how to write, I do what most would do in my position: plug in the headphones and crank up iTunes.

And I start to rock out to Doobie Brother’s Black Water.

But then I notice the girl sitting next to me. Highlighter in hand. The frantic scouring of pages in a binder. A slight tremor as the pages are quickly turned one to the next. I look closer at the subject of her concentration and I see words that are familiar. ‘Adverse possession’ ‘Fee simple’ ‘Fertile octogenarian” [Ok, I didn’t see the last one…I just like way it sounds]. This is a first year law student. Cramming. I stop rocking out and attempt to be a black hole sitting immediately to the right. On pulling into the city as the whole train starts to prepare for the world outside, I ask. Sure enough, a 1L at my father’s legal Alma Mater and its her first ever law school final today.

I remember back to that first set of finals. I remember not knowing what it was going to be like. I can say quite simply that despite getting about 100 minutes of sleep last night and having to deal with several hands-on clients today, I wouldn’t want to be back in her shoes.

This is the long-winded way of saying to those of you who come here and are in law school, looking exams in the eye, good luck.