I could DEFINITELY get used to this

I am already enamored with the atmosphere here at St. Mary's. Those of you who know me know that I am not the most outgoing or extroverted person; I am quite the contrary, in fact. However, I resolved early to reach out of my comfort zone and make some friends and get to know some people at law school, and even before classes commence I can boast significant success.

Orientation on Thursday was great. I was introduced to the 250 or so (not counting evening programers) people with whom I will share intimately the foreseeable future and they are all really cool. We all shared the mutual apprehension of undertaking what, for most of us, will be the hardest and most rigorous trial we have faced to date. Then on Thursday night, we were all invited to a posh restaurant in downtown San Antonio for a "free hors d'œuvre, open bar, business-casual dress gala" where we could meet each other, St. Mary's faculty, as well as many local area attorneys. It was put on by the Student Bar Association and they did a magnificent job; it was a lot of fun. It also helps that the vast majority of 1Ls live right around the same area in the medical center vicinity. It's convenient to hang out after class and just as convenient to hang out during the weekends.

I want to share with you some valuable nuggets of wisdom that I learned throughout the weekend. After all, one of the purported goals of this blog is to demystify the law school experience to those who are not already sifting deep through the fog. First of all, a C+ in law school is NOT A BAD GRADE. In fact, at St. Mary's in particular, the first-year curve is a C+. The 2008-09 Student Handbook even explicitly states that "In all first-year courses, other than Legal Research & Writing, no fewer than 10% and no more than 20% of the grades must be C-'s, D's, or F's. No less than 10% and no more than 20% of the grades must be A's, A-'s, or B+'s." Therefore, somewhere between 80% and 90% of the entire first-year class will get grades between those stated above. Brutal. St. Mary's did have a novel take on a law school saying that I learned from my Dad, though:

In law school, the A students make law professors, the B students make judges, and the C students make money. I doubt that will soften the blow much, though, should I come face-to-face with a C+ in early 2009.

Secondly, my introduction into the legal community and by extension my career as a lawyer has already begun. I am a lawyer. A lawyer-in-training, yes, but a lawyer nonetheless. And as such, my reputation follows me around wherever I go. Those scorned in law school do not forget once they shed the epidermis of these hallowed halls. I am going to help people as best I can and try as hard as I can.

Finally, I learned that law is primarily a self-taught trade. The professors at law school are not there to teach you the law. They are there to teach you how to teach yourself the law. This explanation goes a long way toward explaining why law students tend to disappear off the face of the earth for 3 years before cracking the Bar and going into practice.

So tomorrow it begins. What I've dreamed of doing for so many years has finally come to fruition. I'll see you on the other side.