Comment Response

I am going to try to periodically respond to comments left on this blog. I have not done so yet because I do not receive them very frequently, but I want to continue to do this monthly or bimonthly.

Comment 1:
Bella Vita said...
"Congratulations Bro, that's got to be an incredible feeling!" in response to my post Greatest Feeling in the World.

Thanks man, it is! Keep me posted on your achievements too.

Comment 2:
Aaron said...
"Hey Spencer - thanks for following. I recommend @accesstojustice and @kbladow as well. Very frequent updates and great info. Are you @jd2b?" in response to my post Who I Follow on Twitter.

Thanks for the recommendations, I have followed both and I am encouraging all my readers to do the same.

I am NOT @jd2b! I have also discovered that there is a JD2B website, which I am also not a part of!

My Twitter is @Spencerm1. I will offer that I am not a Pro User of Twitter! I update about once a day, sometimes less. It is primarily a personal account as well. I do post about fun things I have recently done, my job, the last song I beat on Guitar Hero (so in August none of these will happen anymore). I also write about the books I have been reading and share good internet links.

Well, there you have it, my first two comments, responded to. Cheers guys!

Auto-Tune the News

Breaking news. The fifth Auto-Tune the News is up.

The Choice - Part 3 "Why UB?"

(The Choice is an ongoing section where I will be examining my decision to attend the University of Baltimore.)

I have meandered around slightly on this topic, and I feel it is time for me to actually talk about what drew me to the University of Baltimore.

I initially applied due to the location. I have lived in Baltimore for the past 6 years, and absolutely adore the city. I am well established here, and besides, the only two law schools in Maryland are within a mile of each other right in Baltimore City.

Secondly, I had heard great things about the school. Everyone I talked to about it knew someone who was either in the program or had completed the program, and all they could say is "He/She loved it!"

Additionally, according to my LSAT/UGPA numbers, it was a school that I was highly likely to be accepted to.

Once my acceptances came around, I had a few options. The University of Baltimore was, by far, the most affordable. Public school tuition at in-state rates, combined with the highly affordable housing options made Baltimore the financial no-brainer. My Twitter contacts (click here) agree.

I also attended the accepted students day, and when Dean Closius spoke, I was further encouraged. He addressed head on the school's short comings and took any question from students or parents attending.

Still, I think the final decision came down to two things: The Location and The Price. I really liked the University of Miami, but the housing discussed by current students and the school ran at least double the price of my current apartment. I also considered Hofstra, but even with a large scholarship the tuition was rather high. Drexel appealed to me, but I was a bit put off by the accreditation situation, and again, even with a large scholarship it was more expensive. Finally, Baltimore is home to my current social network, my past professional network (including mental health, social work, restaurant and security fields) and my small but hopefully burgeoning legal network.

Now, having made my choice, I am highly satisfied and cannot wait for school to start!

For all you current (or former) students, how did you decide which school to attend?

Auto-Tune the News

Hello all.

This post will be almost strictly fun.

Since there is such a strong connection between law and politics, I thought that this would be a relevant topic.

These videos are posted on a YouTube account belonging to Michael Gregory. Michael Gregory is a pretty interesting person, one of those people who is not only amazingly musically talented, but also has the humor and presence of mind to use it in new and interesting ways. Search YouTube and you will find him performing Acapella raps at open mic night, auditioning for American Idol, and using his Auto-Tuner on the news.

These videos are many things. First of all, they are hilarious. Secondly, they are pure genius. The writing combines random humor with a nice caricature of mainstream hip hop, some biting news commentary, and the occasional highly subtle, but deftly crafted, satire. The production values are extremely high, which makes the fuzzy green screen cutouts a sort of self-aware joke. I could go on and on, but that is not the focus of this blog. Instead, enjoy a nice study break, on me.

For more, I recommend checking out Michael Gregory's YouTube account here, as well as each of the individual video pages. The descriptions contain the lyrics, information about the cast of characters, and other tidbits. Click here for a playlist of all in order.

Law School Social

One of my first official law school experiences was a baseball game and happy hour this weekend. Our law school was able to secure two free tickets for every incoming student at the Orioles game against the Braves. Awesome, right? Also, prior to the game there was a happy hour at a nearby bar for some drinks and food.

I was a little nervous about attending this event, knowing no one, but luckily all first year students also received those awesome Baltimore Law shirts, so I was hoping we would all be wearing one.

I got held up at work, but did get to some of the happy hour. I was clearly in the minority of those who decided to actually wear their shirts, but it was a great event to meet some of my soon to be classmates.

One thing I did discover is that everyone has a different expectation of their first year. Some are already in a panic about the amount of work. Some are already working on "Before You Start Law School" textbooks and courses. Some are concerned about how often they will be able to go out during the week.

I was also surprised by the varying age range and experience levels of those attending. Many were right out of college, quite a few had some full time work experience, and there were a few older students. I think I am in the minority of students who did not work at a law firm prior to enrollment. I am hopeful that this will not be a setback. Personally, I think my work experience has actually prepared me more for law school than anything else I have done up to this point.

Although the game did not go well (O's lost, pretty badly), a free ticket is something I will never turn down. I also enjoyed the chance to meet some of my future classmates. Finally, if nothing else, I am now really excited to start school soon.

Lawyer Stigma?

Let's start with a joke:

You are in a room with (some serial terrorist) bin Laden, Milosevic, and a lawyer. You have a gun with two bullets. Who do you shoot?

The Lawyer twice, just to be sure.

There is a fairly strong stigma in popular culture against lawyers and the legal profession. Even Law and Order tends to portray the lawyers in a poor light, with the defendants always "Lawyering Up" to avoid talking to the detectives.

Congress and healthcare officials blast the legal field for rising healthcare costs due to malpractice insurance. I once read (on a blog, so veracity is not guaranteed) that there are only two full-time midwives in all of Texas, since that state has a generous statute of limitations for malpractice suits of birthing errors.

Even in the movie "Four Christmases," Vince Vaughn's character is a lawyer living in the city, who visits his father and two brothers who live with their wives and kids in one small house in a very rural area. At one point, the father makes a comment about "Mr. Big Lawyer with his Fancy Cars and Toys" not being in touch with his family.

Let's be logical for a minute. On Law and Order, why is a defendant hiring a lawyer seen as an obstacle? It is because the lawyer is there to protect the defendant's rights to be free from questioning they may not understand. No one ever criticizes the detective for threatening a defendant, yelling in their face, or bending the truth to elicit a confession.

People criticize lawyers for healthcare costs, but then become enraged when a doctor cannot take the time to correctly write in a chart and a patient dies. If you get on a roller coaster and something tragic happens, no one has a problem with a lawsuit. Then again, most of the time it isn't the amusement parks fault. Why not place a cap on medical malpractice suits? Simple, who can look someone in the eye and say, "I know you spent over $100,000 on your education, and I know you have worked hard for several years, but even though someone else was careless and you can never work again, you can only have this much money. Oh, but the guy or gal who was careless and caused this, yeah they can go on making money."

I think I am wondering, because I know who I am myself. I wasn't raised with a silver spoon in my mouth, my parents lived in a town with a good public school system, and co-signed $160,000 worth of student loans, but trust me, I worked pretty hard to get where I am. I don't think I am a greedy person, in fact my fancy, expensive degree earns me less than $30,000 a year. And I generally work 50-60 hours a week, taking care of acutely ill adults. I have to put miles on my car, take verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, assist in toileting and other hygiene tasks. And now I am staring at three years of hard work, three more years living in a blue light neighborhood, three more years of debts. When I get out, will I automatically become hated by most of the world?

Any lawyers or law students out there, have you run into this?

LSAT Prep - Reading

I have already covered alternative approaches to traditional studying for the logic games, and I thought I would add something for the reading comprehension section.

In discussions with my peers, I have noticed a strikingly large group that does very poorly on reading comprehension. To compound this, experts tend to agree that reading comprehension is the hardest part to study for, in that your score the first time is going to be pretty close to your score the final time. You are either good at reading for information, or you are not. Perhaps more accurately, you are good at it, or you do not have the time required to improve significantly.

So, you want to improve, what to do? I suggest reading. Lots. This is how I got good at it, simply reading all the time. Sometimes cheap and easy stuff, sometimes difficult novels or texts. I always have at least two or three books I am reading at all times. One is usually an easy Stephen King or John Grisham bestseller type, very easy and relaxing. One is a piece of difficult fiction, a world classic or good piece of history. This is something to struggle a bit with, but still it is a story. Then, occasionally I pick up a technical manual or textbook of some sort. This I think is good for the highly technical writing on the LSAT. A lot of times I go for things that are relevant to my background (like the latest manual on new Psych drugs!). One final thing I do: Always keep one book on hand. That way, if I am waiting for an appointment, I can whip it out and read two pages.

More important, however, I would like to share a resource with you. Give Me Something To Read has links for good articles from around the internet. They are frequently high level (such as the Economist, the New Yorker) which most LSAT books tell you are the same level as the LSAT. They articles range from one page to several, so most are about the length of an LSAT reading sample. They are also interesting and range in topics, although I will admit the editor likes articles about newspapers and journalism.

If you want to get some practice reading in, try these for a bit. If you want to share some other resources or tips, leave a comment!