Law Review, Reviewed.

Ah, the joys of Law Review. I’m still glad I joined and believe (hope) it will help me. Here’s my unvarnished opinion of the experience so far:

The Good: Law Review members get invited to the most exclusive attorney-student mixers available. A few weeks ago, I shook hands with senior partners at Porter & Hedges and shared wine with litigators at Fulbright & Jaworski.

The Bad: Since that time I have been spent most waking hours (plus several sleeping hours) laboring on the grunt work of cite checking. A law professor writes an article and submits it for publication. The article is divided and assigned to various members. We take it and verify every footnote in a thorough, tedious procedure involving copy machines, highlighters, and trips to off-campus libraries. “Hello, does your library have Minutes of the Board of Directors’ Meeting for Angus MacPhearson’s Bagpipe Factory on February 31, 1977?”

The Ugly: People who think I’m a snob should spend 10 minutes among the new inductees of Law Review. The majority are cock-sure full-timers who have never experienced the joys of wage slavery. They lounge around the LR office and bemoan their opportunities: “I just got back from interviewing with V&E,” a student sniffs. “That’s four interviews today! I need a happy hour.” Their admission to Law Review validates their elevated sense of self-worth, and they seem to truly believe that an average of arbitrarily assigned grades quantitatively proves their superiority. I generally avoid them.

The Interviews: Some of the firms are interviewing candidates for summer clerkships. Most of the firms are interested in the 2006 graduates (full-timers) but some of us part-timers have managed to squeak in a few spots. The interviews are 20 minute meet & greets. Firms interview as many as 40 candidates in a day, and then they’ll take back maybe 6-8. Nationwide. Questions are as varied as the interviewers, of course. Some people have been confronted with questions like “Aren’t you just using us for the experience to try to go somewhere else?” while others are tossed doozies like “What’s your favorite movie?” Can you imagine the stress of wondering how to answer that? Whether or not you get the coveted summer clerkship depends on how you answer. What do you say? Does an answer like Citizen Kane make you stodgy or erudite? Does Caddyshack make you lighthearted or juvenile? Time’s up! Answer now! I have my second interview in 40 minutes. Wish me luck!