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February 09, 2006

Clearing the decks: Blonde Jokes, PDs, and statementizing

The semester is kicking into higher gear these days so I haven't had time to post. Instead, here's a list of things that have been occupying my snippets of free time recently.

  1. Just joking: Have you seen the best blonde joke ever?
  2. The more the merrier: Defending those People is a new blog by a public defender in southeast Florida.
  3. Bite your toungue! Advice for young public defenders: “please count to ten and inform your supervisor before you send a letter to the county sheriff like this one (pdf file).”
  4. Organizing the troops: Montana isn't he only state to recently make moves toward a statewide public defender system—NY may be moving that way, too.
  5. Organizing the troops II: The piece above links to this great editorial by David Feige explaining why public defender systems are preferable to relying on more ad-hoc assigned-counsel systems for representing indigent criminal defendants.
  6. Credit where it's due? In law school blogging, 3L Epiphany appears to be the first blawg for law school credit. “This semester I will demonstrate how a law student blog can be an ideal tool for 1) conducting significant research projects, 2) exhibiting marketable skills in an untraditional way, and 3) providing a beneficial service to the larger legal community.” Sounds ambitious, doesn't it? And it sounds like a number of law student blogs that already exist except that its author has been able to convince someone to give him credit for his playtime. Hmm.
  7. This would be funny if it weren't true: “It has come to my attention that some people are using the ”word“ STATEMENTIZE as though it were a real word.”
  8. Advice to legal interns: Even if you were “poor white trash and [were] once attracted to bling,” never challenge your supervisor's parking prowess. Never.
  9. I'm stoopid: What does this t-shirt mean?


Posted February 9, 2006 02:25 PM | lists


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HAHA! Took me a minute, but I get it.

Posted by: Law-Rah at February 9, 2006 03:21 PM

It's not playtime, it's a lot of work. And if other law students are doing this (not just blogging, but demonstrating the uses of a blog as a research, communication, and networking tool), they should pursue credit for it.
I really appreciate the link. - 3L Epiphany

Posted by: 3L Epiphany at February 10, 2006 11:45 AM

It's not playtime, it's a lot of work. And if other law students are doing this (not just blogging, but demonstrating the uses of a blog as a research, communication, and networking tool), they should pursue credit for it.
I really appreciate the link. - 3L Epiphany

Posted by: 3L Epiphany at February 10, 2006 11:45 AM

Ok, but I'm guessing that part of the reason you wanted to do this for credit is that these two credits are going to be among the two most enjoyable credits you've earned at law school. And there's nothing wrong with that. Earning credit need not be drudgery.

Here's a question for: Can a law student who is "just blogging" also be demonstrating the uses of a blog as a research, communication, and networking tool? My experience has been that the answer is "yes." I've done lots of research via the blog, made lots of connections, and gained valuable professional opportunities and experience because of those connections. I even wrote an article about the general utility of blogs to law students about two years ago. I originally wrote that piece as a stronger argument for blogs as research, communication, and networking tools for law students, but the editors were afraid it would send the wrong message to suggest that blogs would solve every law student problem. I think they were being overly cautious, but whatever.

My point is this: I think it's great that you're getting credit for what you're doing. I wish I had thought of it. A blog about law student/legal blogging is a great idea. An excellent idea. I wish I had thought of <i>that</i>, too. However, we don't need any more demonstrations that a blog can be a research, communication, and networking tool. We know that already. Aim higher.  

Oh, and two other things: I'd like to see a blogroll and have you seen Blawg Wisdom?  

Posted by: ambimb at February 10, 2006 12:17 PM

Excellent points, all. You're right. (And I didn't mean to sound like I was taking offense.) I'm standing on a lot of people's shoulders. What I'd like to do is wake up some interest in law students who don't realize what a blog can offer them. Some don't even know what a blog is yet.

Thanks for pointing me to your article. Would you mind if I either link to the original ABA location, or link here and you can post it or whatever? Normally I would just assume that the answer's "yes," but since you intended the original article to be bolder I realize you might not want it to be cited.

Here's a better idea. I could link here and mention the article on 3L Epiphany, and you could make the article available, and then make the points you would have liked to have made in the original. You could also write something as a retrospective, i.e. "Here's what I said in the article that I still stand by, here's what has changed." I don't know if there's any copyright problems related to the ABA if you do that.

Sorry for the long comment. Next time I'll just email you directly.

And yes, this is by far the most enjoyable 2 credits I have ever made. More work than I thought, though.

I love your blog. I was reading it before this indep study began.

- 3L Epiphany

Posted by: 3L Epiphany at February 10, 2006 02:38 PM

One more thing. I'll look at Blawg Wisdom, and I don't know yet about a blogroll. I've collected so many, and I'm not sure I have the time to go through them all and start picking which ones should be on my roll. Even lawyer blogs can be of varying quality.
Best regards,
3L Epiphany

Posted by: 3L Epiphany at February 10, 2006 02:42 PM

3L: No worries. Please feel free to link to the ABA article itself. One of the great things about the web (and blogs) is that you can link to whatever you want -- no permission required. If it's online and linkable, it's fair game, right? Besides, it's not like the editing changed the gist of what I wanted to say; it was more a question of tone. And I was happy w/the way it turned out in the end. I only mentioned the editors' concerns b/c they seemed relevant to the goals of your own project.

I've thought about doing some sort of follow-up to that piece and perhaps I will. If I do, I'll drop you a note so you can link to it.

Posted by: ambimb at February 10, 2006 04:22 PM

He, that is the best blonde joke ever. And the best brunette joke too cause I clicked on BOTH of the links to the joke when it wouldn't 'come up'

Posted by: notguilty at February 11, 2006 06:27 AM

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