Unlimited free Westlaw and Lexis access. William Rehnquist was apparently stoned on Placidyl during his first ten years on the Supreme Court. As graduation approaches, I think I know how the man felt.

I'm not hardcore enough to have paid for my last semester with Lexis Rewards points. But my Westlaw/Lexis monthly use must have a street value of several thousand dollars.

I took UCLA's Advanced Legal Research course last semester, and now I know all the magical things Westlaw & Lexis can do. (Best: property searches on your professors.) While the class was supposed to make my searching more economical, instead it's only increased my minimum daily dosage.

While I like to think I don't have a problem, I found myself thinking of ways I could notionally continue working for a professor after graduation just to keep my Westlaw & Lexis turned on. That's a little sad. Well actually, a lot sad.

Advanced Legal Research. As mentioned above. This is a UCLA law class offered by the library staff. (2Ls & 3Ls: you may still be able to get in this semester.) Pound for pound, this is probably the most useful course I took at UCLA. Note: not most interesting. Not most fun class sessions. Not most taxing. But most useful.

See, here's the thing. Apparently, doing legal work professionally requires a lot of, you know, legal research. If you think you learned that in your 1L lawyering skills class, think again. With full disrespect to the lawyering skills program, they don't teach you shit about research. (Whoops! A little negativity snuck in there)

If you'd asked me four months ago why you'd choose to research in Witkin vs. CalJur, or ALR vs. Wright & Miller, I'd say "what the hell are you talking about". I now recognize that former version of me as an ignorant slob. Thanks to the library staff, I have mad research skillz that are already helping me pull down some major coin.

Internet access during class. All UCLA classrooms have internet ports. During 1L year, the internet was turned on unless professors asked for it to be turned off. During 2L year, the policy was converted to opt-in (internet turned off unless professors asked for it to be on).

This year, Big Brother has given up — all the internet ports are on, all the time. Even professors who say "Internet is forbidden in class!" leave the ports on. I don't know if this is due to some failure of technological infrastructure or deliberate policy choice by the school (to what end?) In any case, a rare victory for student life. I actually don't plug in that often, but when I do, I feel like it's implicitly condoned. And that's a good feeling.

My incredibly slack schedule. I don't mind having a lot to do but I prefer to be able to do my work during whatever part of the day I feel like it. Regimentation is dreary. I remember having to show up five days a week for 14 class sessions 1L year. And it sucked.

As an upperclassman, you don't have to go to class Fridays, and last year I even got down to a 3-day schedule. But this semester, I have class only two days a week (Tues and Thurs) and only in the afternoon. If you're wondering how that feels: incredibly goddamn good is how it feels. It's a good thing I'll never have to get re-acclimated to going to school on consecutive days. I'm not sure I could.

Seminar / workshop classes. When I find out people have not taken seminars, I want to say "dude! Are you on Placidyl or something?" One meeting a week. Three credits. No exam. No grading curve. What's not to like?

My seminar last semester only met like six times, and the prof brought cookies every week. This semester, my workshop class apparently has a catered appetizer buffet every two weeks. Do you get this in Crim Pro? Do you get this in Real Estate Finance? No and no.

But, I really should thank those of you who shun the seminars & workshops, because without your help, I wouldn't have been able to grab two this semester, which was a critical step in the whole 2-day plan. Did I mention my workshop includes a free dinner at A.O.C.? That's in addition to the buffets.

11 Jan 07