From Bagging Kit Kats to Being a Human Lawyer

At the foodbank, after we donned our hairnets and latex gloves, we stood around tables in groups of four to six and rebagged mounds and mounds of Kit Kats into small bags and closed them with twist ties. I think the KitKats were rejected -- anybody remember that Apprentice where they tried to make candy bars and had to throw them away if they weren't perfect? 67 of us did this for two hours. That is a LOT of Kit Kats. When I first arrived, I started at a table with a professor and some other students. Later I found out he was the Dean of the Law School, and I was frankly impressed that he was attending the event. I do wonder why the other 83 students did not attend.

After the food bank project, we reconvened at the Law School and the lawyer enculturation began. (I'm not sure if that's a word). Basically, from the beginning, they talked about how special we were, how there were 1000 applications and we were the ones that were picked. Then we did a lot of bureaucratic stuff and checked out the student organizations.

In the afternoon we watched "To Kill a Mockingbird" and three of the law professors shared their thoughts about the importance of it. I was really moved by the movie and their brief talks, so I will share a few of their points. This is just my interpretation of some of what they said:

*Atticus Finch is a hero because he is a decent person who stands up for his values, not because he is a good lawyer.
*The production of this movie, in 1962, was very much about current affairs, even though it referred to events in the 1930s.
*The primary flaws in the United States law system are the laws related to race.
*At the end of the movie, when Atticus decides to let the law go, so that Boo can go free, he chooses to be human instead of a lawyer.
*We were humans before entering law school, and we need to make sure that we keep hold of our humanity as we become lawyers.
*We will very often find ourselves in conflict between making the human choice and making the lawyer choice.

Which makes me think about how I ask kids to think about conflict in the classroom. It really is much of the same thing. The law will, at times, be in conflict of what I think is right. By being aware of this conflict and keeping this balance at the front of my consciousness, I will be a better lawyer and a better person. I think maybe some of this needs to settle a little more, as it doesn't quite say what I'm thinking.

Tomorrow we learn how to use a Law Library, which apparently is a lot more complicated than your everyday library.