You Can Find Just About Anything on Craigslist

Check out this listing we found on Craigslist while we were looking for some furnishings for our new place. Free couch saturated in cat urine! You have to pick it up yourself but you better get it soon because Juno the cat is just going to keep peeing on it.

Deposit on New Apartment

It was an exciting weekend for us. First my girlfriend got accepted into SU Law School, then we put a deposit down to reserve this condo. It's a new condo, but we're renting it. Not sure if that makes it a condo or an apartment. Either way we're excited to move into it. These were meant to be sold but with the economy being as it is, the property owners decided to go with renting it. The picture above is from a different unit but the finishes are all the same in our unit. The place also has a view of the Ballard Locks & Puget Sound. We will be moving at the end of April. The place is in north Fremont (south of the zoo & west of Wallingford).

A Commercial That Makes Me Laugh

LW Tip #7 Here's What Not To Do

I'm back from spring break. Didn't get as much done as I'd hoped. But I'm back with the weekly tip on Legal Writing. This week I've got a great example of how not to write. This is from Kingston v Preston - a contracts case from the Court of King's Bench (England) 1773.

It was an action of debt, for nonperformance of convenants contained in certain articles of agreement between the plaintiff and the defendant. The declaration stated; - That, by articles made the 24th of March 1770, the plaintiff, for the considerations therein-after mentioned, convenanted, with the defendant, to serve him for one year and a quarter ensuing, as a covenant-servant, in his trade of a silk-mercer at $200 a year, and in consideration of the premises, the defendant convenanted, that at the end of the year and a quarter, he would give up his business of a mercer to the plaintiff, and a nephew of the defendant, or some other person to be nominated by the defendant, and give up to them his stock in trade, at a fair valuation; and that between the young traders, deeds of partnership should be executed for 14 years, and, from and immediately after the execution of the said deeds, the defendant would permit the said young traders to carry on the said business in the defendant's house.

That's just the first two sentences in the opinion. (I double checked - the spelling and punctuation above is exactly as it appears in my case book.) The opinion keeps going with no new paragraphs and more sentences like the second one above. Ugh. I had to read this four or five times before I figured out what was going on.

Spring Break!

Not exactly partying it up though. I'm working on a memo, doing a research assignment for a local attorney, applying for summer jobs and looking for a new place to live. I'm also following the Huskies' post-season run. Go Dawgs!!!

Hopefully I'll have some more posts later this week, once I get some of these things done!

LW Tip #6 Paragraph Coherence

If you're struggling with coherence and unity within a paragraph trying using familiar organizational patterns:

• Cause --> Effect
• Problem --> Solution
• Chronological Order
• Rule Laid Out --> Rule Applied
• Holding --> Rationale
• Arguments --> Counterarguments
• Create Reader Expectations --> Fulfill them

Also helpful in establishing coherent paragraphs:

• Repetition of Key Terms
• Dovetail Sentences (begin by referencing previous sentence)
• Parallelism (use similar sentence structure to link ideas together)
  

Barristers' Ball Q & A

Barristers' Ball is rapidly approaching! Saturday April 4 is the day.

From the head of the Barristers' Ball Committee (my comments in italics):

Here are some FAQs that may be helpful for you to know. More importantly, please relay this information to other students who have questions about Barrister’s Ball. Thanks so much!


1. What time does this event start and end?
Barristers’ ball starts at 8 PM. Awards will be given out by President Justin Farmer at 8:30. Dancing will start at 9 PM to 12:30 AM.

2. What is the awards ceremony, and what are the awards for?
The awards ceremony is a chance for the President to recognize students, faculty, and staff. There are three categories that students can vote on: Faculty Member of the Year, Staff Member of the Year, and Student Organization of the Year. When a student purchases a ticket, please encourage them to vote!

3. What is included in the price of the ticket?
The price of a ticket includes heavy appetizers, two drink tickets, dancing, and a lot of fun! After the two tickets have been “spent,” students may purchase drinks from the bar. Average price for a drink is around $7.00. (In addition to the two drink tickets, I believe you also get a ticket for a glass of champagne.)

4. What is the price for a hotel room, and how do I book a room?
The price for a hotel room is $109, which is deeply discounted from the normal rate of $305 per night. If a student is interested in making a reservation, the student should call 206.340.0340 and say that they are with the group “Seattle University Law.”

5. Why is there a DJ list on the ticket table?
The DJ list is a fun way to ensure that students will hear music that they actually like. When a student purchases a ticket, please invite them to choose a song that they like and highlight it on the DJ list.

6. Is there going to be a photo booth like last year?
Most likely, yes. The committee is currently is in the process of procuring a photo booth for this event. More information will be available soon.

7. What should I wear to this event?
This is a formal event. As with any Seattle formal event, styles and level of sophistication will vary. This event has jokingly been referred to as “Prom for Law School.” With that in mind, dress would most likely be somewhere between prom and a nice wedding. (For what it's worth, I've heard that the Barristers' Ball isn't usually quite as formal as prom - but I've never been to one before.)

CPD - Center for Professional Development

I stopped by the Center for Professional Development today in advance of tomorrow's Small Firms Fair. I got some general tips and a little makeover for my resume. I'm not sure what my plans are for this summer. I'm trying to keep my options open and see what works out. I'm considering taking more classes over the summer. The counselor I spoke to today said if I end up taking classes I should try to bolster my resume with something in addition such as Pro Bono work.

LW Tip #5 Show Don't Tell

I recall learning this lesson in high school English classes. It's not always easy to figure out how to apply lessons like these to legal writing, but this applies with particular force to the statement of fact portion. It is better to show your readers what happened and let them draw their own conclusions rather than telling conclusions. For instance Steven Stark, sites an appellate brief trying to establish the insanity of a client that begins "On the morning of the burglaries in question, my client tried to eat a live cat for breakfast." This is preferable to thee alternative starting with expert opinions stating that the client is insane. The illustrative description allows the readers to see and understand the story better than the conclusions of the experts could.