tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35278562011-04-21T19:41:58.010-04:00The Canadian Law School BlogFighting the fight against a lack of information on Canadian Law Schools.Law Studenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14422145582886148687noreply@blogger.comBlogger1231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1113163119984770762005-04-10T13:11:00.000-04:002007-06-21T11:49:45.668-04:00The sun is shining, the birds are chirping......and I have the pleasure of watching it all from my living room window. I've thought about taking my books outside, but decided against it because I doubt I'll get much done. So the plan is to take a good break sometime during the day and go get some ice cream. Anybody want to join me?So I didn't answer one question that someone posted... and that isSetunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1111384465155529632005-03-20T23:11:00.000-05:002005-03-21T00:54:25.156-05:00Class...Thanks for the comments.My favourite class is Constitutional Law. It didn't start out that way. It was a bit difficult for me to catch up on everything - a lot of people already knew the background history, which makes it a bit easier to keep up with the pace of the class - and this prof just motors through the material. The reason why I started to like it were the two Labour Law Moots Setunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1108245516371191102005-02-12T15:21:00.000-05:002005-02-12T16:58:36.373-05:00STINT @ BENNETT JONESUWO Law has a student internship (STINT) program targeted mainly at first years. The idea is to match a 1L up with a lawyer in the city and area of specialization of choice for a day. Of course, not all 1L's get their top picks so we are told to give two or three different choices for practice areas. I chose corporate law and litigation and was matched up with Bennett Jones Setunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1107472526100537252005-02-03T17:01:00.000-05:002005-02-03T18:15:26.100-05:00JANUARY TERM
Western Law pioneered the January Term in 1999, I believe (which Ottawa later copied - largely because Dean Bruce Feldthusen is an Alum and also former Professor of Western Law). The January Term at Western Law is a specialised semester that features the "active learning" component of Western Law's curriculum - students take one specialised course in this semester while regular Setunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1105506893262187322005-01-11T22:54:00.000-05:002005-01-12T00:17:47.710-05:00HEEEEEEEERE'S... ah never mind, that's lame...
So, I'm back... from exams, from the break and from Law Games. All, in a word, fun.
Seriously, exams were fun. I'm not being cocky because I know I was riding the B-curve. I actually just enjoyed writing the exams. I realised after first semester that I enjoy law school - every single bit of it, even exams! (Hmm, have I said the word 'exams' enough?Setunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1102571042095934072004-12-08T23:22:00.000-05:002004-12-09T00:44:02.096-05:00Cherniak Cup
This is a trial advocacy competition, and I would have to say is the most fun out of all of them. Again, as with all the previous competitions, a case is argued with teams of two opposing each other. A hypotheitical case is given and the object of the exercise is to present your case based on witness testimony. Each side brings their own witness (a friend who is nice enough to give Setunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1101323941454696892004-11-24T13:47:00.000-05:002004-11-24T21:21:07.370-05:00Sam, I won't be posting any pictures because all the ones I have are of nights of drunken debauchery. I also have pictures of my girlfriend but I think she would get quite upset with me, even though it would make this site a whole lot prettier. But posting pictures is a good idea and I will try to remember to take my camera around to the law school and its events as much as I can so that I can Setunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1100582715188424842004-11-15T23:41:00.000-05:002004-11-16T00:27:23.236-05:00THE COMPETITIONS
First allow me to thank those that sent in comments. Observer, thank you very much for the grammar correction.
I've heard mixed things from people in the big firms concerning extra-curriculars. Some say, as Observer does, that marks are all important and to focus on nothing else. Some say that participation in competitions is a very good thing and will help in securing Setunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1100060361230861192004-11-09T23:15:00.000-05:002007-06-21T11:45:16.382-04:00A word about law school competitions...These things are great fun. So far I've participated in every competition that I was allowed to sign up for and I can tell you that I've learned a lot. I haven't advanced past the first round yet, but I've learned a lot...and that's the important thing! So I keep telling myself.So far, I've participated in: the Torys Negotiation Competition; the BLG Labour Setunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1099290847577962572004-10-31T19:35:00.000-05:002007-06-21T11:44:09.917-04:00In the beginning...It's been over 2 months and I'm well into the school year.Pre-OrientationEzboard (http://p210.ezboard.com/bcanadianlawschools) helped me to find some people who accepted Western's offer of admission. I had the privliege of meeting ll1000, north79, teejax, sexfiendgirl and ll1000's roommate (also a law school student) 2 nights before law school started (Tuesday, September 7th, Setunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1090864083595722752004-07-26T13:41:00.000-04:002007-06-21T11:41:15.348-04:00Woah Nelly!I just wanted to throw up a quick update post, and say congratulations on the great new layout. Puts my lowly blogging skills to shame.In any case, articling is going well so far. I must say that I am enjoying it far more than I had been led to believe I would. To steal from Gorbachev, the rumours of my misfortune were somewhat inaccurate. A few late nights to be sure, but nothing Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-108502521510109182004-05-19T23:49:00.000-04:002004-05-19T23:54:02.750-04:00The last batch of grades
I got my last batch of grades on Friday. For those keeping score at home it was an 82 in Globalization and law, 83 in Economics and Law and 84 in International law and Ethics. A nice upswing late in the game to bring me home. That leaves my overall average at 77 (okay, rounded up from a 76 and lots of change but that still counts) which is a strong above average grade.
Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1083008913177882552004-04-26T15:40:00.000-04:002007-06-21T11:38:26.688-04:00Passing the TorchWith the last paper handed in and the move back to Calgary (technically Okotoks for those from Southern Alberta) completed it is time to pass on the blogging torch. I will still continue to post here from time to time through the summer and maybe later into articling (so many forms to fill out...) but to fill in the gaps we are going to be adding another blogger on here.In the Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1082667219991997922004-04-22T16:46:00.000-04:002004-04-22T16:57:40.873-04:00A very fitting end...
As one of my very few last days of being a law student came to a close, (my last paper is handed in, really I'm all done) I got the chance to partake in a truly amazing experience. For those who are not so unfortunate as to receive local BC news, you may not have known, but Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama and Shirin Ebadi were all present at UBC this past week for a Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1082322111311619782004-04-18T16:47:00.000-04:002004-04-18T17:06:06.090-04:00Miscellania
As I am sure many of you have realized, this blog has become a way for me to spend some of my spare time doing something relatively constructive and hopefully useful to somebody else. Some Yale law ph.d. students and their friends also have a blog entitled Jajdejo. The goal of their blog is clearly not so much to inform as to entertain, but in that goal it clearly reaches its Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1081888320128129662004-04-13T16:25:00.000-04:002004-04-13T16:35:58.390-04:00Whatcha Doing?
Since I don't really have any more exciting news to tell after getting my articling position, I figured I would post an update on what I am working on. First, I have one more paper to write for Law and Economics. My topic is a defence of the regulatory takings rule in NAFTA Chapter 11 based on public choice analysis. It's a bit tricky to fit in 10 pages, but I'll cut back on Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1081408577316088342004-04-08T03:14:00.000-04:002004-04-08T03:19:59.450-04:00Oh, and one more thing...
I put up another poll. It's another one just for fun, but the last response was good so I made another, quintessentially Canadian poll.
Despite the Flames performance tonight (I blame Niemenen) I still think they have a shot!Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1081408464698529762004-04-08T02:02:00.000-04:002004-04-08T03:18:06.856-04:00Thanks for the Karma
Apparently my interview on Monday went well as the firm offered me a job today. Needless to say, I accepted and will start articling at some point this summer. I am very excited because I was really impressed with the firm and the people I met. It is also a HUGE load off my mind as I try and finish my last paper and get ready to move back to Calgary.
I am glad that it looksBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1081279797219673532004-04-06T15:06:00.000-04:002004-04-06T15:33:37.200-04:00The Royal Canadian Brown Shirts
Driving back from Calgary I had a small taste of what it might be like to live in a police state. Along 1000 kilometres of highway we saw no less than 13 police cars, 8 of which had pulled people over. Now, maybe it was an exceptionally bad day for speeding, but the roads were clear and dry and there was probably not that much risk to be associated with a little Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1080847711082049832004-04-01T14:15:00.000-05:002004-04-01T14:32:04.763-05:00A Future Tort's Case
Watching the news while working on papers this morning I saw what can only end up being a classic tort's case. Southern Living has recalled it's April issue of it's magazine for health and safety reasons. The problem is a recipe for biscuits that causes boiling water and grease to explode from the pot and catch fire on the burner. CBC Newsworld (sorry, can't find a link to Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1080509791949180342004-03-28T16:29:00.000-05:002004-03-28T16:40:00.013-05:00Interesting News Piece
CBC Sunday had an interesting piece today on the illegality of the assination of Sheik Yassin by Israel. The debate was whether or not those actions constitute a breach of international humanitarian law. The prof from Osgoode, although he may have had an argument, seemed to just launch into a completely anti-Israel screed. Of course, Rivkin isn't exactly known for his Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1080174901467757122004-03-24T19:29:00.000-05:002004-03-24T19:38:24.450-05:00A New Link, A New Poll, A New Community Keeps on Growing
I have recently added a new link to the site here. The website is Law school admissions by the numbers. This site is very impressive if you want to know what your chances are of getting into a Canadian law school based soley on the numbers. I was interested in it mostly to check out if I would have gotten into other law schools. I only Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1079942011677728832004-03-22T02:46:00.000-05:002004-03-22T02:56:50.856-05:00Just How Important Are Grades
Those who have not yet had the pleasure to have graced the halls of law school may not take kindly to my suggestion that grades are the most important factor in getting a job. Leaving aside the empirical evidence, let me give you some anecdotal evidence.
In all my interviews all the lawyers interviewing had a kind of briefing binder with your transcripts, resume Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1079808284493836222004-03-20T13:34:00.000-05:002004-04-02T01:50:19.936-05:00Ahh, The Trike Race
The Trike Race at UBC is certainly one of the greatest (I would say the greatest, but having never attended another law school I feel underqualified to say) law school tradition in Canada. Nothing can quite compare to the drunken debauchery that surrounds future leaders of our country riding tricycles and chugging beer.
Hesitatingly, I include this link to the Law Eagles Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1079636273196028762004-03-18T13:57:00.000-05:002004-03-18T14:01:08.500-05:00Time is on my side
Now that I am in third year that is. Here is a response to a question about how much free time you will find in law school.
In first year free time in law school is pretty sporadic, and really depends on the kind of person you are. There are some law students who read each case, each textbook chapter, write their own cans and do what I would call "The Full Monty" of work. If Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1079338177031713172004-03-15T03:09:00.000-05:002004-03-15T03:12:47.590-05:00When it Rains it Pours
Maybe I am just procrastinating here, but there is just so much to write about.
First things first, I have some comments/e-mails to respond to.
To R-My undergrad was a double major in economics and political science focussing on international relations and international trade. Graduated with distinction from Calgary. For the most part, not much use in law school. Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1078987474351601672004-03-11T01:44:00.000-05:002004-03-11T01:47:39.246-05:00Everywhere I Turn, Theres the Man
Or at least he popped up twice today. The first time was during a student general review of possible curriculum changes. After 3 years of law school I like to feel like I have a few ideas about curriculum review. I didn't really say much but I was happy to hear that at least a couple of my pet peeves are still being thrown out. (Namely kill perspectives and let Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1078903450053226422004-03-10T02:24:00.000-05:002004-03-10T02:27:21.856-05:00Oh Big Bert
Although it doesn't specifically relate to law school per se, I am going to take this post to comment about the Todd Bertuzzi incident here. I would put a link to a bunch of news stories, but if you haven't heard about it, you wouldn't be interested enough to read the stories.
The issue that I want to focus on is the idea that this is a criminal assault in some way. Noteworthy is theBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1078508392661253982004-03-05T12:39:00.000-05:002004-03-05T12:42:52.936-05:00New Feature Alert
I have also added a very cool new feature called a Guest Map (look to the left). Please put your mark on there so we can all see the diverse locations law students or law students to be come from in Canada and abroad. Thanks to Ollie for the idea and also a warning that there will be some pop-ups, but they aren't that bad.Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1078507448186395242004-03-05T12:24:00.000-05:002004-03-05T12:27:10.403-05:00Work Study
I a kind of FYI way I thought some people might be interested in what it is that a work study research assistant might do in a law school, as that is what I have been doing since the end of September. My supervisor is a prof focussing on international law and human rights.
The first thing that I did for him was update the materials for his class. The class was on ethics and Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1078425790433343032004-03-04T13:43:00.000-05:002004-03-04T13:46:06.593-05:00Who Wants to Be a Blogger?
Some people may have noticed some changes to the site have been made. In particular there is a new hit counter at the bottom of the page that unfortunately has started over again at zero, and I have no idea how many previous visitor's there were but I know it was over 10,000 or so.
The other change was that I have added a new comments mode directly below each post. Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1078349173655063062004-03-03T16:26:00.000-05:002004-03-03T16:29:08.890-05:00Really Enjoyable Classes
The two classes that I am taking right now are probably the two most interesting classes that I have taken in all of law school. The classes are Ethical Problems in International Law and The Regulatory Impact of Globalization. The first deals with what kind of ethical criteria states or individuals should use in dealing with particular problems of international relationsBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1078079230320955922004-02-29T13:27:00.000-05:002004-02-29T13:30:01.390-05:00To Be Young Again
This weekend my brother and 3 of his friends drove to Whistler for the weekend. It was a really sad occassion because they were spreading the ashes of one of his childhood friends who died in a cliff diving accident in Australia. Regardless, he was able to pack up three of his friends, drive to Whistler from Lethbridge on a Friday and be back by Sunday night. They stayed at my Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1077817327985728282004-02-26T12:42:00.000-05:002004-02-26T12:44:54.840-05:00JD v. LLB Redux
Some of you may remember way back in the day (Thursday, October 10, 2002) I noted that UBC was looking into going the way of the JD. That plan never really materialized and never really caught hold of the public imagination here. My position has generally been not favourable to this idea for mostly emotional reasons (we don't need the Amercian degree and neither do we need U of Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1077601118708701392004-02-24T00:38:00.000-05:002004-02-24T00:41:22.293-05:00First Semester Post Mortem
Just when I think I am getting caught up in posting, ma petite soeur arrives for a visit completely suspending all computer related activities. We had fun, but Science World needs to do a little work on the whole Richard Scarry exhibit. It wasn't all that busy, for BusyTown.
Okay, so last semester was my laziest semester of law school. Surprise, surprise my marks Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1077058732666617112004-02-17T17:58:00.000-05:002004-02-17T18:01:27.670-05:00The End of a Moot Part II
So after weeks of practice, on Wednesday evening we checked into a hotel in Vancouver. Yes, UBC is in Vancouver and yes we still stayed in a hotel. The Jessup has these somewhat strict rules about maintaining anonymity and it would be difficult to stay anonymous if we were the only team not staying in the hotel. That night there was a little reception. We met a few teamsBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1076960605768374892004-02-16T14:43:00.000-05:002004-02-16T14:45:59.686-05:00The End of a Moot
As many of my readers out there have noted, I haven't posted in a really long time. I am sorry about that but there were reasons. The first is that I didn't really have much anything interesting to say for a while. The second was that I was really busy. So I'll try and give a catch up on what's been going down, but it may take a couple of posts.
For this post I'll focus on Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1067377768564662482003-10-28T16:49:00.000-05:002003-10-28T16:49:35.153-05:00The Test of Patience and Endurance
In my ongoing quest to secure employment upon graduation, I wrote the Foreign Service Exam this weekend to become a Foreign Service Officer. A diplomat as it were. This was not a fun experience. The exam is actually three exams. The Graduate Recruitment Test, the Written Communication Proficiency Test and the Situational Judgment Test. Registration for the Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1065558225346269982003-10-07T16:23:00.000-04:002003-10-07T16:23:45.253-04:00Hey, Sorry I didn't Write last week...
Nothing worse than having to make that call to the parents or wife or whatever. And I guess I'm making it here. Sorry everyone.
What is going on you may ask. Well a few things. I finally got the archive problem fixed so all you new readers should be checking those out. Thanks very much to the people at Blogger for helping me out with that. I will also add Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1063391629968987242003-09-12T14:33:00.000-04:002003-09-12T14:33:49.893-04:00Damn Internet
So I have as of yet been unable to fix the problem with the archives.
On a non technically related note, I am back in school. The moot problem just came out and it looks great. My classes are good so far, and I have a two page paper due on Monday already for Econ and Law. The rest of my summer went fine but no job yet which is not an uncommon ailment around school. Hope school Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1059673120983246992003-07-31T13:38:00.000-04:002003-07-31T13:38:40.840-04:00Err, Houston, we have a problem
There has been something wacky going down with the archives. My efforts to date to fix the problem has only resulted in my removing all archives from the site. If you are new to the site, please hang tight, I will get them put back up soon. If you are an accustomed visitor, I hope to have them back up soon for your reference. I also hope I can post more soon. Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1058377257880662772003-07-16T13:40:00.000-04:002003-07-28T13:22:15.950-04:00Vite, le professeur est ici!
As I write this I am learning the difference in French pronunciation between six (think seece) and suce (sooze). Very fun. There are a lot of very youn people here who are interested in law school and ask me a lot of questions. There is also a guy here who is in the same year as me at UNB and he will be working in North Battleford next year. The program is good and Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-1057251558248374102003-07-03T12:59:00.000-04:002003-07-03T12:59:18.016-04:00Summer Update
Hey all, hope you are all getting a little sunshine. I have just finished registering for my first 18 credits for my last year of law school. So far I am enrolled in Evidence (required), Commercial Transactions, Economic Analysis of Law (I've been waiting for a course like this for 2 Years!), Tax Policy (my required seminar) and Competition Policy. I got into everything that I Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-959535682003-06-23T14:16:00.000-04:002003-06-23T14:16:19.570-04:00No Soup For You!
Or at least that's what it feels like having not made a match in articling week. Neither did 60 other students, and only a hundred did get matches so that is a very high percentage and a lot of students who didn't get articles, confirming what I have been told by a bunch of the recruiting lawyers that it was very competitive out there. Needless to say, this really sucks. I will Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-950916772003-05-30T14:49:00.000-04:002003-05-30T14:49:03.200-04:00Here Comes Articling Week
It looks like my final tally for interviews sits at 5. Not as many places as I had hoped would want to interview me, but hopefully enough to get a job out of it. Scheduling the interviews was kind of tough actually. The "recommended" time to allow for an interview is 2 hours. You would think then that there would be some kind of harmony in the timing of the interviews. Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-947475822003-05-22T14:11:00.000-04:002003-05-22T14:11:15.676-04:00The Waiting Game Begins Again
With all my applications for articling positions sent out, 9 in total, I am yet again in full fledged waiting mode. My fate rests once more in the hands of others. I have so far scheduled two interviews and I hope there is more to come. With my new grades faxed in to the firms still considering, there is nothing else I can really do but wait...
And then after the Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-943991352003-05-15T13:02:00.000-04:002003-05-15T13:02:48.063-04:00Do Good Things Come in Threes Too?
So grades go up this morning and being the diligent law student that I am I roll out of bed to check them. Although unlike first year where I got up at 7am exactly when they were posted, I waited until I actually wanted to get out of bed at 9 am. On goes the computer and whaddayaknow. I didn't totally blow it. In fact, this set of exams was my highest overall Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-943729362003-05-15T01:33:00.000-04:002003-05-15T01:33:39.133-04:00Here's hoping the Good News is Only Starting Early
Returning home from work yesterday, there was a message from my old international law professor asking if I was still interested in joining her Jessup moot team. Since it was too late for reasonable people to be making phone calls, I waited on it for a day before calling and saying yes, I was definitely interested and I was very excited to get inBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-940116662003-05-08T16:54:00.000-04:002003-05-08T16:54:34.880-04:00What Should I do with my life?
Inevitably, when you are applying for articling positions you will be asking yourself this question, and so am I at this very juncture. Writing cover letters trying to provide something unique to firms that are largely similar makes for an interesting examination of this issue. Why do I want to work for Firm X over Firm Y? Does one have a better reputation, nicer Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-932652672003-04-25T18:11:00.000-04:002003-04-25T18:11:37.243-04:00Abebedadebadeep, That's All Folks!
At least, if Porky Pig could talk, I think that's what it would look like. No, I'm not going to stop posting, I find it far to therapeutic. I am just done with this year. 20 days until my grades come back. Reflections on the year...It was a long one. Getting all hyped for job stuff in September and then dealing with that for the next 5 months really made the Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-925217362003-04-13T03:33:00.000-04:002003-04-13T03:33:54.250-04:00Now that my Brain has returned to Normal
A word to the wise, three exams, three days gives you a major head ache. In any case, the exams went ok. Not great, I can already think back onto somethings that I didn't nail just right, but hopefully I did good enough. Some other news though, I have a job interview on Monday. My fingers are firmly crossed already. Two more exams to go, hopefully I'll Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-919355642003-04-03T15:48:00.000-05:002003-04-03T15:48:17.996-05:00It's Gettin' Hot in Herrree (or was that last summer?)
I only say that because I needed a not so clever title, and this morining in my last Charter class it was smokin hot. That room has been smokin hot all semester come to think of it. And I still wore a sweater every day because it was miserable in the morning. 3 months and I never learned that, but supposedly I will be able to understand the Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-916615322003-03-30T14:45:00.000-05:002003-03-30T14:45:00.060-05:00It's a Brand New Dean
Congratulations to our new dean designate at UBC, Prof. Mary Anne Bobinski. Prof. Bobinski is currently the director of the Health Policy Research Centre at the University of Houston. I think that it will be good for the law school to get a dean who is a) not a Canadian and who can bring a more international perspective to legal education and b) who is an outside candidate Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-913635252003-03-25T14:56:00.000-05:002003-03-25T14:59:10.000-05:00The End of a Fine Run
The Law Eagles suffered their first defeat since September last night, succumbing in the semi-finals of the league playoffs. It was a great year, but it is a still a bitter victory. I will definitely miss the third year guys who are moving on, but hopefully some of them will come out and play some alumni hockey with us.
And for those of you playing our home game, check Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-912940672003-03-24T14:03:00.000-05:002003-03-24T14:03:48.186-05:00What Law Students Do for Fun
Friday was the notorious UBC Law Trike Race. Like any good law school tradition, it involves ridiculous costumes, totally useless skills and drinking. The trike race dates back at least to the early 1970s, if not earlier. It involves students putting together teams of four who chug a beer, literally race a tricycle down the street and pass of to the next teamate who Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-910777732003-03-20T15:14:00.000-05:002003-03-20T15:14:39.590-05:00There's Bombs over Baghdad
For some reason all this war stuff has got that funny Outkast song stuck in my head, so that is the title of today's entry and no better reason. I must say that recent events have made it very interesting to be taking international law. We got to spend all of last class debating whether American action in the gulf can be justified under the Security Council ResolutionsBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-909411792003-03-18T14:45:00.000-05:002003-03-18T14:45:34.733-05:00Whoa, that was a long time
What can I say, I had lots of stuff to do in the last week or so. There is also some news. My EU grade finally came back, with a completely unremarkable and totally predictable 75. That makes my first semester marks 75, 75, 75, 73. I don't know what it says about evaluation methods that where there is a discrete possibility of variation of one percent and a potential Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-904289572003-03-09T20:56:00.000-05:002003-03-09T20:59:09.000-05:00Some Interesting Stuff
A hardy thanks to the staff at the Canadian Law Schools site where they have added a link to my blog. Slowly but surely, more and more info on Canadian law schools is creeping on to the web. Also note this website that I found to a satirical web site called In Dissent. I found myself lauging outloud as I read some of these pieces, in particular the diary of someone going Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-901449052003-03-04T20:00:00.000-05:002003-03-04T20:00:24.873-05:00Somebody Stop that Drumming!
First of all, don't you all get spoiled with me updating every day, but I just could not in good mind read any more arbitration papers without posting the events of today.
Most of you will probably not have heard that the TA's at UBC are currently on strike. The strike had been causing some inconveniences (like making me late for Federalism because the bus wouldn'tBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-900983592003-03-04T01:38:00.000-05:002003-03-04T01:38:12.030-05:00Some New Developments
An interesting editorial in the Globe and Mail indicates that the steep rise in U of T's tuition has not affected access based on some statistics. The trend seems good, but whether it can hold up as the tuition continues to rise is still not a given.
Also a high school student sent me an e-mail asking me what high school classes he needed to get into law school. I am sureBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-899292332003-02-28T19:12:00.000-05:002003-02-28T19:12:54.170-05:00An Interesting Week
This week has been a little interesting. Important stuff first, the Law Eagles won a game with only 7 skaters and a defenceman in goal to extend our undefeated streak to 16 big games. On the less important side, I still haven't received a grade in EU Law. I think the prof is calculating our grades by giving us a grade between 70 and 79 and determining where in that range Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-896738842003-02-24T18:39:00.000-05:002003-02-24T18:39:36.140-05:00Back from the Brink...err Break
So reality has slowly dawned this morning and I am back at the school grind, starting to get wound up for the big final exam rush one more time. Reading break was very nice and a good relaxation day. What has really impressed me though is an increase in the number of people who are reading this site and seem to be finding it helpful, or if not they are sending me Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-891071332003-02-14T14:41:00.000-05:002003-02-14T14:41:35.976-05:00A Promising New Site
I found this site while trolling around the Canadian Law School web community. Looks promising. I am also adding a link to my website. Happy reading break everyone!Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-889288822003-02-11T15:12:00.000-05:002003-02-11T15:12:40.770-05:00News and Views
Just a couple of things to take note of. The University of Manitoba has recently decided to increase tuition by 91% over 3 years to keep up with the trend of almost every other school in Canada. Nothing really unexpected or outrageous here but take note prospective students, you are entering a very different world than the one that existed two or maybe even a year ago. There is a Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-883850392003-02-01T13:18:00.000-05:002003-02-01T13:19:18.000-05:00Poll Results and New Poll
The results from the tuition poll showed that we are a fairly reasonable bunch with 36% thinking tuition should be between $2,000 and $5,000 and another 36% thinking it should be between $5,000 and $10,000. It seems like tuition may settle out in the higher end of that range in most schools across Canada with a few notables going well over that and a few more being justBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-882805752003-01-30T13:50:00.000-05:002003-01-30T13:50:04.220-05:00Some Thoughts on the Importance of Locale
After finishing my paper on state immunity and the enforcement of arbitral awards (which was interesting but translations of French jurisprudence is bloody hard to find) I was reflecting on the fact that there are a lot of things that profs just can't teach. My international arbitration class is one, its taught by a practitioner who actually participates Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-879714792003-01-24T14:44:00.000-05:002003-02-14T14:44:52.000-05:00What a Crappy Week
That about sums it up. Starting last Friday when I got my grades back which were decidedly mediocre (Corps 75, Tax 75, Nat Res 73 ugh) to Monday when I didn't get a job in Calgary to the rest of the week that I spent hunting english translations of French Cour de Cassation cases for my international arbitration paper I just haven't been having much fun lately. Even hockey was Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-870459432003-01-07T00:41:00.000-05:002003-01-07T00:41:56.166-05:00It's Still Before Xmas Right?
Sorry about that all, but packing and shopping and the last of my takehome exam caught up with me. In any case, it went down like this. Corps was fine. The questions were predictable except one thing. We spent 4 or 5 classes (two weeks worth of class) going over a comparison of the BC Companies Act and its replacement Bill 49. This is a pretty big chunk of class timeBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-860005772002-12-14T14:52:00.000-05:002002-12-14T14:52:33.976-05:00Done Exams and an Answer to a question
So my exams are done, just working on a paper. I promise a full post mortem before I leave for Xmas. In the meantime, I had a question from somebody on transferring and on Vancouver in general, I just thought I'd share the response with everyone.
As for your question about how I like UBC, I think it is pretty good. There are some downsides (like an aging Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-854693232002-12-04T01:31:00.000-05:002002-12-04T01:31:29.400-05:00Yeah, It's Exams. Could you Guess?
What can I say, we are in full scale exam mode. I promise I will post a full scale exams and papers and what not post-mortem. In the meantime, expect updates to be few and far between. A couple of notes though:
The Law Eagles won the intramural ice hocey league Tier I championship. Go us!
My natural resources take home exam requires research? No just readings Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-848447742002-11-20T20:30:00.000-05:002002-11-20T20:30:31.286-05:00Projects, Papers, Exams Oh My!
Sorry for taking so long to update. I had a project due on Monday that was occupying an obscene amount of my time. Anyone got any questions on the Three Gorges Dam in China, here's your man. In any case, things are getting a little wacky around here as people get a bit stressed out with school and all.
There is one thing that may make the next few months Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-842691092002-11-09T02:32:00.000-05:002002-11-09T02:32:47.590-05:00A New Site
I have added a link on my site to Canadian Law News. It is not specifically related to students but I figure if you are going into law school you have to be at least a little interested in this stuff. In other news, I imagine there are a lot of happy and probably just as many not so happy law students in Toronto this weekend. Toronto firms did their second year summer hires today and Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-840314062002-11-04T19:35:00.000-05:002002-11-04T19:36:01.000-05:00Toronto Interview Week
Good luck out there to any students doing interviews in Toronto this week. For those of you who are not in law school or are not in the big law loop this week is interviews for anyone seeking a summer job in Toronto. I must say I can't decide which is better, the long Calgary wait or having to fly out to Toronto for one or two interviews, on your own dime. In any case, I Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-837413002002-10-29T18:48:00.000-05:002002-10-29T18:48:46.176-05:00Back
After a brief visit to Calgary, I am back in Lotus Land. As mentioned, I met with Blakes and Bennett Jones while I was away. I must say that this did give me a little more insight into the way firms are a little different. Blakes had me meet with an associate to have a little chat and then an articling student showed me around the office and introduced me to a few other people. The office Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-834307452002-10-23T19:37:00.000-04:002002-10-23T19:38:10.000-04:00Applicant Numbers Up
Word around is that the number of applicants to UBC is up somewhere from 25-40%. Bad news if you are looking to get into law school because more applications means higher qualifications for getting into law school. (Unless of course you fit into the discretionary or aboriginal category in which case your path is as easy as always). I have only random anecdotal evidence that Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-832045862002-10-19T02:17:00.000-04:002002-10-19T02:18:10.000-04:00Technical Difficulties
That's what I have been having with the service I use to set up this site. It is usually pretty good, but has been a bit shaky lately. In any case there isn't much new to report. The biggest thing happening around here is the minor furor over the budget of the Law Students Association. One of the executive has tried to resign over it, but the President wouldn't accept her Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-828107302002-10-10T17:48:00.000-04:002002-10-10T17:49:54.000-04:00The JD v. LLB debate
Currently there is a curriculum review here at UBC law. Inevitably this will contain some discussion on the continuing debate of whether UBC, and by extension other Canadian law schools, should issue the LLB degree upon completion of law school, or the JD degree. This debate has largely been heightened by the U of T's decision to offer the option to students to receive a JD Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-824869692002-10-03T18:27:00.000-04:002002-10-03T18:27:26.153-04:00Nothing Much New
There isn't really anything much new to report these days. Our first rugby game is this Sunday and we lost our first hockey game on Tuesday 4-3. We should have won, what can I say.
Other than that, the only issue swirling these days is what to do with classes while the entire second year class takes days off for interviews with Vancouver firms. Some faculty apparently think Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-822414632002-09-28T14:18:00.000-04:002002-09-28T14:18:05.090-04:00Let the Waiting Game Begin
For all of you who thought that waiting to get into law school was bad, get ready for this. I finished my on-campus interviews with the Calgary law firms I would like to work with yesterday. I will find out if I get a job Jan. 21. Isn't that a bit ridiculous. The one advantage I have is that at least I know for certain when I will find out if I get a job. It is still aBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-820862812002-09-25T04:42:00.000-04:002002-09-25T04:42:48.963-04:00The Regional Nature of Law Schools in Canada
If there is one thing that has changed from when I was applying to law school to now that I am approaching half way done, it is the importance of the region of your law school. When I was applying I must have spent too much time following the American model where all of those top law firms could place students in any city in Canada. There are real Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-819569602002-09-22T14:20:00.000-04:002002-09-22T14:20:46.420-04:00Job Frustration
Sorry to have taken so long to update, but there is a good reason which I will explain to you right now because it is also an important lesson about law school and life (I think). As you all read earlier I had submitted my resumes to the Career Development officer at UBC here for applications to 5 Calgary firms. I was thinking that this was all fine and good. Until last Thursday Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-814960742002-09-12T02:37:00.000-04:002002-09-12T02:37:22.633-04:00Updates
Another half a week of class down. I have now been to all of my classes after attending Natural Resources on Monday. This class seems like it will be really good. The prof is breaking it down into a number of case studies and using them to teach the material and then there are also group projects we have to do on one of four major subject areas for a big part of our grade. Should be fun. Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-812940412002-09-07T19:47:00.000-04:002002-09-07T19:47:31.746-04:00Let the Drinking Season begin
UBC's annual salmon BBQ was this Friday. Unfortunately I was unable to fully partake in the beverages myself because I had to work later, but it was still pretty fun.
On another unrelated note, it seems that there have been some problems with some of the current batch of third years getting their articles lined up. I don't know if this is because the class is weak,Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-812278022002-09-06T04:03:00.000-04:002002-09-06T04:03:41.176-04:00Resumes are in, for now
The first round of resume's are in. I finally ended up applying to Bennett Jones, Macleod Dixon, McCarthy Tetrault, Burnet, Duckworth and Palmer and Blake Cassels Graydon. I will find out which firms are interested in interviews on the 17th. Here's keeping my fingers crossed until then. In the mean time I have to decide which other firms I want to apply to, figure out whenBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-811311682002-09-04T03:47:00.000-04:002002-09-04T03:47:56.606-04:00First Day Back
So, it has begun again. My first class was International Commercial Disputes which is largely focussed on arbitration of disputes between companies located in different countries. The prof seems very cool. I also have a legal buddy which I guess is pretty cool. I haven't met her yet but I hope I can help her.
In other news, I just recently had a couple of questions about first Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-809860832002-09-01T03:42:00.000-04:002002-09-01T03:42:24.000-04:00Sooo Bored
Right now I've just been preparing resumes and jazz for the upcoming job season. The firms I'm looking at applying at so far are Bennet Jones, Blake Cassels and Graydon, McCarthy Tetrault, Macleod Dixon, Burnet Duckworth and Palmer and Fraser Milner Casgrain. This list may grow and all of these firms except Fraser Milner are doing on campus interviews (OCIs for short).
On a totally Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-806663172002-08-24T17:42:00.000-04:002002-08-24T17:42:25.550-04:00Tuition Now or Tuition Later
CTV is reporting that McGill is considering a new scheme to maintain lower tuition. The plan would involve law students agreeing to forfeit a portion of their future earnings to the law school in return for lower tuition. Sounds a lot like income pro rated student loans, but it could be an option for the future. Check out the new poll to let you opinion be known. Or Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-805760752002-08-22T13:30:00.000-04:002002-08-22T13:30:15.713-04:00Jobs
The deadline for applying for Toronto and Calgary summer jobs at firms doing on campus interviews is September 5 with interviews on September 27. There are a host of firms from both Calgary and Toronto doing on campus interviews at UBC and when the list gets closer to finalized I will let you all know because what firms are interested in students from your school should be an important Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-803071962002-08-16T01:21:00.000-04:002002-08-16T01:23:07.000-04:00An interesting piece from Slate
This is an article from Slate. I thought it was pretty good. My take is that the people the author describes exist. I ignored them and I did OK. The description of grades is bang on. All in all, some good advice. If anyone has read the Alan Dershowitz book Letters to a Young Lawyer I would also be interested in your thoughts. Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-802463512002-08-14T17:09:00.000-04:002002-08-14T17:09:01.750-04:00LSAT vs. GPA Heavy Schools
Recent conversations have indicated that not all students are aware that each school weighs your LSAT and GPA differently. Below is the list of how each school weights the LSAT vs. GPA.
UVic: 70% GPA/30% LSAT
UBC: 50% GPA/50% LSAT
U of A: Doesn't say on the website here? Anyone know?
U of C: Website says no formal weighting.
U of S: Doesn't say anything. What a Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-802191742002-08-14T01:28:00.000-04:002002-08-14T01:28:13.630-04:00Change in schedule
Anybody hoping to gain great insight in the ways of Administrative Law will be sad to note that I have switched out of it in favour of Natural Resources Law. I originally wanted to take this class and I was casually checking out if any spots had opened up and, voila, there it was, so I switched. I figure if I'm going to work in Calgary, I should know something about Oil and GasBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-800613822002-08-10T04:28:00.000-04:002002-08-10T04:28:32.000-04:00The wait is on...
Well, I'm sure you guys are just like me. A little less than a month to the beginning of school again, and its time to get antsy. The summer job(s) are getting a little tedious. The listless times in between work and sleep seem to hold less and less joy and the anticipation of another year of challenging school seems to get greater every day.
I have also started preparing Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-798523872002-08-05T13:37:00.000-04:002002-08-05T13:37:59.293-04:00Concerns about Bias
I recently received an e-mail questioning my placement of UBC as a top Canadian law school. The e-mail claims:
I have nowhere found UBC ever being ranked as a top school,
and, in fact, all the research i have done has pointed to the idea
that UBC is one of the poorer law schools in the country, although
better than most American law schools. I have looked particularily
Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-795633492002-07-29T16:43:00.000-04:002002-07-29T16:43:04.336-04:00A Question About Laptops
I recently received a question about laptops and their usefulness in law school. Below is my response, but if anyone out there is a law student and has used one please post a comment because I am coming from an observer position only on this.
Laptops, good question. In terms of prevalence I noticed a definite upswing in use throughout the year. At the start there was Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-795189952002-07-28T16:17:00.000-04:002002-07-28T16:17:18.410-04:00New Poll and Results
So I've put a new poll up. Please vote again, if for nothing else my own personal interest. If you think I should have included an answer that isn't there, let me know and I will add it, within reason. The results from the last poll were 1 vote each for U of C, U of A, U of S, U of M and U of T, 2 votes for Western, 3 votes for UBC, 4 votes for Queen's and 3 undecideds. I'm Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-794868642002-07-27T17:42:00.000-04:002002-07-27T17:42:57.000-04:00I'm Back, and to hell with Registration
Sorry to be gone for so long, but the weather in Calgary was great. On return it was time to finish off registering for up to the maximum credits for the year. Officially we weren't supposed to be able to register until 7 am on the 23rd so you can imagine my surprise when I was "just testing" and managed to register for the vast majority of my classes late Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-790096832002-07-16T03:12:00.000-04:002002-07-16T03:12:45.500-04:00For What it's Worth
I recently received some questions from a potential Canadian Law student. I have posted my answers here for information for those looking for the same stuff and for comments from those with an opinion. I figure the best way to dissipate the effect of bad advice is to have somebody else open up with their own advice. So send me an e-mail or some comments on what I have writtenBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-789117862002-07-13T16:15:00.000-04:002002-07-13T16:15:20.140-04:00And their off...
Well, the first day of registration for up to 18 out of the 34 or so credits you take in second year. One of the classes I wanted (Federalism with Prof. Elliott) was close to getting full after the 3rd years registered so I knew I would have to get in right at 7 am and hope for the best. So, bright and early I logged on, signed on every 30 seconds until 7 am when it actually letBrentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-788097402002-07-11T02:56:00.000-04:002002-07-11T02:56:22.796-04:00Canadian Diversity Reigns Supreme
I must say that I was very impressed to find law students (or within 2 months of being so) had visited my site from U of S and U of M. (Which I have since learned is the appropriate abbreviation the University of Manitoba) I hope these individuals get in touch with me about how they find their law schools. These are two of the law schools that almost no Brentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527856.post-786961702002-07-08T15:01:00.000-04:002002-07-08T15:01:40.000-04:00Summer Doldrums
It's a slow time these days for news on law schools. Anyways, I have updated the poll below, thanks to everyone who voted the first time around. Seems the largest body of my viewers are going into first year this year. Good luck to you guys. One thing students entering first year may want to look into is what kind of schedule you are going to have. Browsing through the law schoolBrentnoreply@blogger.com