Grand Rapids Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Shameless plea for nestie magic!
You lovely ladies have become one of my exam traditions (ahem, superstitions) along with a kiss for luck from L via text, and a doppio espresso from sbux. Please send along today any good vibes, thoughts, prayers, whatever that you can spare for my property midterm this morning. Thank you in advance!
Re: Shameless plea for nestie magic!
(((((((ooohhhmm)))))))) ((((((((oooohhhmm)))))))))
***spiritfingers****
Thank you!
It's over now
Just out of curiosity, have you touched on the Klooster opinion in this class? It's a taxing issue. Or is that totally not what this class is about?
Not at all. We have talked about several Michigan cases though, our prof likes to include MI-specific stuff in course materials. I just skimmed that opinion very quickly and there are a lot of familiar things--conveyance, present and future interests, etc., but the MCLA citations are not for sections that we covered. MI also has a unique interpretation on joint tenancy, which seems to come up in that case.
I was just curious.
It was a big deal and I've spent a fair amount of time with it (and it still confuses me!). I was just working on a PowerPoint that included a section about this case. It made me think of you and your midterm.
Just the tiny bit of skimming I did seemed like it was very confusing. Anything to do with tax is, I think. And Property is so esoteric, too. What the hell is seisin anyway?
I also thought of you in Contracts last week. We were discussing insurance policies and how they are drafted/litigated.
To uncap or not to uncap? That is the question.
It's complicated. Bottom-line: people need to hire lawyers. 
Oh, insurance lit. See McCormick for the fun I've had there.
I totally agree--more people need to hire lawyers. But really, it's pretty terrifying because all I seem to be learning is how very much I don't know. And the impression I get is that law school teaches you nothing useful for practice, then you take the bar which also teaches you nothing useful for practice, so you spend the first five years trying to figure out to practice the law, legally.
The saddest thing about learning how to do legal research is that I want to actually look up all of the stuff that interests me, but I don't have time!
Law school teaches you how to think like a lawyer and it gives you the tools to find answers. So, if you're practicing and someone comes to you and says, "Help! I have a cottage that was passed on to me by my dad in a joint-tenancy, and now he died and the city is trying to uncap the taxes and I'm going to go broke and lose the cottage at their new tax rate!" - you will know how to do a little research and find out what the deal is.
You can't be expected to memorize all case law.
Honestly, I think the fact that you realize the limitations of your degree will make you a much better lawyers. I know some new grads (like my brother, for one), who think they know everything now that they passed the Bar. And they don't. And their egos are getting in the way of opportunities that could help them further develop.
My last year in college, we had a speaker in one of my classes who told us all that we don't know anything about PR (which is what my major was). I took that to heart, and I think that's really great advice for a new grad at any level and in any occupation. No one graduates knowing everything they need to know. You learn on the job. Surround yourself by smart and experienced people, watch closely, and ask questions.
That got kind of long. My point is that while you won't have the intricacies of every single law memorized, you'll have all of the tools to figure cases out as they come up. (In my humble opinion, anyway.)
That is fantastic advice and echoes what my civ pro prof told a group of us at lunch last semester.
And I loved your translation of the case. I expect you would kick ass at law school.
Oh the egos. How they start to grow in 1L... It's hard work trying to keep mine in check. My biggest issue is getting uber competitive. I already had that in me coming in, but after yesterday, I discovered that I kind of like taking exams (I'm such a weirdo). I was so adrenaline rushing yesterday morning before the exam. I *almost* played jock jams and eye of the tiger on my drive to campus.
I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't survive a week in law school.
I won't speak any further about lawyer egos. They're a major challenge to me for a whole host of reasons both at work and outside of it.
And Jock Jams? HILARIOUS!!! Let's get ready to rummmmbbbblllle!
Yep, that's the one and only Jock Jams. I think some of my classmates were thoroughly intimidated by the level of energy I had that morning. Did I mention that sometimes I dress up in professional clothing for class simply to be intimidating?
It's so hilarious to set off the whispering...
That was also the moment when I thought...I could probably handle a significant amount of courtroom time (which has been a fear of mine). While it's definitely scary, I do get a real rush out of the "performance" component know that I would learn to prepare through the fear.
I've been informed not to take it as a compliment when people tell me that.
This really speaks to me, Kasa. I'm learning a lot of counseling theory and flash card worthy points, but I get nervous about application. Am I going to be able to handle a case when I'm sitting down with a client in front of me? Thanks for posting this.
DP: jock jams! Love it.
Um... did I say that at some point?
Keep your ego in check and be nice to the staff, and litigators aren't so bad.
I just stay the ** away when they're preparing for trial!
Really, I did mean it as a compliment, though! I think you'll be able to handle the courtroom stresses with grace.
Glad to be of help.
I don't think you've ever said it. Actually a retired attorney told me that when she was hired by her firm they called her a "born litigator" and she at first thought it was a compliment. She's since had her doubts.
I think my prior work experience would be especially helpful in "being nice to staff" and even now I understand that they can often be gatekeepers. I also suspect that they are the most helpful, kind, interesting people that work at a firm.
That is funny about avoiding them like the plague during trial prep.
And thanks! I'm looking forward to my "first taste" this spring when we have oral argument for our appellate briefs [or pelican briefs as my mom called it yesterday].
Hehe... pandering.
Pelican briefs = hilarious!
That doesn't make it false! I totally meant it.
Yeah, pelican brief is saving me. It's totally taken all of the sting out of how much grief that thing is causing me. On April 3, I might like to feed it to a pelican.