Amusing Moments

I think because reading cases can be a bit bland, contracts professors and the authors of casebooks like to throw in curveballs...just to make sure you're still paying attention.
In a footnote on p 277 of Making and Doing Deals: Contracts in Context second edition by Epstein, D.; Markell, B.; and Ponoroff, L.(and yes, I know its cited wrong but all the relevant information is there and I'm not bluebooking this sucker),
it says:

The comparison of consideratio to Elvis is in a footnote: "consideration is to contract law as Elvis is to rock and roll -- the King. Revisionists have questioned Elvis's greatness. They have wrestled with on disturbing issue: if Elvis is so great, how come he is buried in his own back yard -- like a hamster." James D. Gordon, III, A Dialogue About the Doctrine of Consideration, 75 CORNELL L. REV. 987 n.3 (1990)

See? Contract law isn't always about cows!

Also a couple weeks ago in Civil Procedure we had a darling case about NJ and Delaware.
Apparently New Jersey and Delaware are fighting like brats because NJ wants to let huge oil tankers up the Delaware river effectively closing the river off for a couple days at a time due to safety restrictions. As Delaware owns a stake in the river in a half-moon shape where the oil tanker dock would extend into, they want no part in it. So we're paying taxes so that the Supreme Court of the United States can tell these two states to "share like big boys and play nice."
We really are the most litigious country in the world.

Just DON'T Do It

Okay, so law school is supposed to be this impressive experience.
"Oooh, you got into law school? That's amazing. Congratulations."
Of course, the only people you ever hear that statement from are people older than 40.

At this moment in time, there are more lawyers than ever before in this country. America has turned into one of the most litigious countries in the world. Of course, this necessitates that there be lawyers for all of this action. Well, as long as I'm not being lied to by all the statistics and business information, apparently there are even MORE lawyers or soon-to-be lawyers in this country than America even needs.
Ah the magic of a middle class wit: kids, time, and money on their hands.
So, they say, let's send our kid to law school. That'll make something out of them.
Thankfully there are a lot of people every year who drop out of law school.

I was aware that these people were dropping out due to stress or pressure but have to admit that it never really sunk in.
3 weeks into this endeavor I can honestly say it has sunken in. I spend 14-16 hours a day at this school toiling through the readings and whatnot else.
At this school some of the teachers have decided to be "nice" and give us feedback before taking a final exam which would normally be worth 100% of your grade. Here, some teachers will give you midterms, and not just 1 per class, but multiple.
You could look at this as a positive measure, sure. More feedback, less weight on the final. Or, you could see it differently: more work added to an already strenuous workload with new outlining required for classes you normally wouldn't start outlining til mid-year, new anxieties, and the inability to sleep for any substantial length of time due to an overtaxing workload.

Of course, why do we do this to ourselves? Is it the money? The degree that opens up most avenues of of job prospects so one is qualified for almost any job?
This is a question whose answer seems to elude me. Because at this moment, given the preponderance of lawyer jokes in this world, the propensity towards spitting when most of society utters the word "lawyer", the current lack of jobs for new attorneys and the abundance of movies and tv shows all denigrating the legal profession, it's seeming pretty worthless.

So really, if you're considering law school in any fashion, just stop now. I'm only in week 3 and I can tell you it's long, hard, ruthless, and offers no guarantees as to employment or even that you'll have friends when you graduate.

Have a nice week.