Spring 2011

I am a chunky monkey.  In case you’re confused, I have a long list of ways to describe different levels of larger-than-“normal” body types. It ranges from thick to chunky to BIG, etc. Recently, I reached a weight that I will not publicly disclose, and it became a wake-up call to the toll law school was taking on my body, and subsequently my emotional and mental states. The last two years of law school made me fat and old, and I let it.

Law school is a stressful time in our lives. If you’re anything like me, this means erratic hours, lack of sleep, and little to no time to cook or clean. For the first two years, I was lucky to have more than one meal on most days. Even then it was rarely, if ever, healthy. As we entered into a new calendar year (and the last year of my academic legal career), I vowed to be healthier. I believed I would have the time to be better to myself because I was moving from full-time to part-time status. Progress has been touch and go. Even with less time dedicated to the classroom, my schedule seems to fill itself, and some days old habits rear their ugly head and I think about how easy it would be to stop by Del Taco before heading onto Highway 163. I have spent the last few months working very hard to not cave into what’s supposed to be easier, and being in this new building has made a healthier lifestyle a little easier.

When this school first pitched Fit Gym, I complained – a lot. I already had a gym membership that cost half what the school was paying and was available nationally. I didn’t see the point in having a membership to a posh gym downtown when 24 Hour Fitness was only a few blocks away at Horton Plaza. In all honesty, I don’t remember the last time I used my 24 Hour Fitness membership, and having Fit only a few steps away from campus has made life a lot easier. I get to the gym Monday through Friday, fitting in cardio and weight training between classes and other obligations. With hindsight being what it is, kudos to the administration for putting it together.

Another feature the school provided that has made transitioning into a healthier lifestyle easier is the refrigerators. I didn’t eat during the day because I didn’t bring food, and by the time I left I was in no mood to cook. My refrigerator at home was a barren wasteland. Having refrigerators on campus to keep food has been immensely helpful this semester. I keep thinking back to the days of the Old Town building, and I realized that my personal care was the same as the care for the old building. Things were breaking down, out of place, and I ignored them. Some bad habits still carry over, though. Every meeting still has pizza. It may not be Papa John’s or Pizza Hut, opting for meetings at Basic instead, but it is still pizza. It’s tough to avoid.

The point of all of this is to highlight what we let ourselves get away with in law school because of the stress. It is kind of like the freshman fifteen in undergrad. For us slightly older students, the stress adds more weight to us, and the fatigue makes it less likely that we will treat ourselves properly. Not only in eating right or exercising, but also in getting out and doing things that make us happy. The focus of health for law students is usually the attention paid to alcohol and substance abuse within our profession and I think it is because we get to a point of no longer having the energy to do what we love. I love food and with my recent changes in my lifestyle, I cook a lot. I initially began this change to lose weight and be thin, but the more I go through it the less I care about the physical results because I see myself becoming a happier person. 

I applied to be the 1L Manifesto writer in 2008. I felt like the column would be reminiscent of Carrie Bradshaw’s column in Sex and the City, except without the sex.  However, if I wanted I could write about any topic, so usually I did.  From test freak outs to attempting to try out for the Charger Girls cheerleading squad, I loved that column.

I wrote the first 2L Manifesto column last year, although due to the increase in my comfort level, my articles were often deemed to “racy” or “inappropriate” and remain on my computer hard drive. (BTW – ask me about my Sundance and Pizza Nazi articles, they are amazing!)

Naturally, when running for SBA VP as a 3L, I knew that I could finally have some control over the paper. I had planned all along to write a “3L Manifesto” but, because of limited time, I have only been able to focus on putting it together… until now.

I cannot believe that I am graduating law school. I’m only 24 and I will have a “J.D.” after my name. So now, while I worry about my $300,000 debt just as much as teenage boys dream about female anatomy, knowing that I’m about to graduate law school is the (small) silver lining. Sure, I won’t be able to afford a Lamborghini as fast as I would like, but that is not going to stop me from getting one eventually. (Purple, Convertible).

On top of the crushing debt, the biggest hurdle is the bar exam. Piece of cake – literally. I am likely to get really fat from eating desserts, I may be unrecognizable come August when I turn 25. This is okay! I’m the first person in my family to go to college and the first out of 15 cousins on one side to attend law school (possibly any graduate institution). Further, I come from a group of “large” Italians, so I’ll fit right in with my cake tummy. Luckily, our membership at FIT sustains us through bar study and so hopefully, I will just maintain my weight. If you see me in the gym between May and July, I recommend you just don’t even say anything to me, unless you have a Babycake cupcake in your hand.

After all that, I have to wait until November to find out that I passed, (I better, I’m not giving myself any other option). Then, I’ll be an “Esq.” Now, when I watch Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, hearing “Bill S. Preston, Esq.” say his name will mean so much more to me (and be even funnier).

So for my last manifesto ever -- Sayonara! 

We all remember being in elementary school, anxiously waiting the few precious months with no school, no responsibilities. We’d sleep until noon, swim all day, eat popsicles and play in the sun. So now that we’re supposed to be responsible adults our days certainly can’t be filled with pure fun, games, and relaxation. Right?

Right. It’s time to buckle down and begin, or continue, to lay the groundwork for what you plan on doing with your career. Not all students have job opportunities lined up and the job market is competitive. Don’t worry if you won’t be working in the legal field this summer, there are many other opportunities for law students.

A great place to start is with Thomas Jefferson alumni. TJSL’s Career Services or Alumni Relations offices can help you set up informational interviews with alumni doing the kind of work you’re interested in.  Stuck on what exactly to ask the alum? Symplicity has an online networking handout with great tips.

Take a trip to the courthouse, any courthouse will do. Stop by the information desk to find out which courtrooms have trials in session and introduce yourself to the bailiff when you enter. The judge may make time to speak to you on a break so remember to dress professionally. Numerous 1L legal writing classes recently visited appellate courtrooms for a chance to sit in on oral arguments. “It was cool seeing how one on one the appellate court was between the judges and the attorneys,” said 1L Richelle Menezes.  “We got to experience how it was more about how well, or sometimes not so well, the attorney could present their argument.” The Career Services office also offers self-assessment exercises to help students determine their strengths and interests. See them for information and advice on these assessments.

San Diego County Bar Association has numerous groups which offer a lot of networking opportunities.  If you join as a student member you can attend bar association events, join a committee, or even get a mentor. You can also offer to write an article for a legal magazine or newsletter, something often published by bar associations.  These associations also have sports leagues that offer you an opportunity to get to know attorney’s in a relaxed setting. 

Volunteer as much as you can.  Having volunteer experience, no matter what the setting, looks great on a resume. Nonprofits that provide legal services are a great place to start. The Career Services office offers Work Study and Volunteer Opportunities handouts that can give students good ideas for volunteering.

With all the extra time off, read as much as you can. It’s often said that reading more translates into being a better public speaker. Furthermore there are a lot of books that can help you gain some insight into the legal profession. For more information about different practice areas, insight into what a typical day as an attorney is like, and the skills needed for and advice getting into a particular area, pick up The Official Guide to Legal Specialties by Lisa Abrams. Another good read for law students is Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams by Kimm Alayne Walton.

Study abroad. TJSL offers two study abroad programs. Students can travel to Hangzhou, China or Nice, France; some even participate in both programs and travel to both countries. Professor Susan Tiefenbrun, Director of the Center for Global Legal Studies is the head of both programs and holds numerous informational sessions on the programs. The programs are filling quickly so interested students should inquire and apply soon.

It’s important, however, to remember to take some time and eat a Popsicle outside, swim in a pool,  and have a margarita. You can fill your days with great resume boosters and be productive right along with the best of them. But when it comes down to it, we all still need to indulge the elementary school kid inside of us just itching for summer break! 

Over the past 10 years, research scientists have made illuminating discoveries about the geography of the typical criminal mind. Recently in one such study, scientists observed a group of 21 people, all of whom were characterized as having “antisocial personality disorder,” a condition often found in criminals. People with the disorder are described as those who “may often violate the law and the rights of others," and "typically have no regard for right and wrong.” When compared with a control group of individuals who did not have a personality disorder, brain scans of the antisocial group showed on average, an 18% and 9% reduction in the volume of two particular frontal brain lobes.

Though intriguing, this is not a ground-breaking discovery. In 2009, another study compared the brain scans of 27 psychopaths, people who have severe antisocial personality disorder, to the brain scans of 32 control individuals who did not exhibit psychopathic tendencies. [In 1980, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM III) changed the term psychopath to “antisocial personality disorder,” but essentially the terms characterize the same behavior; an abnormal lack of empathy, extreme egocentricity, irresponsible and impulsive conduct and an ability to appear outwardly normal.] The study revealed that the individuals with severe antisocial behavior had deformations in their amygdala, the part of the brain linked to motivation and emotions such as fear and pleasure. The psychopaths showed an average of 18% volume reduction and dramatic thinning of the cortex.

In 2005, Adrian Raine Ph.D, former professor of psychology at the University of Southern California and current chair of the Department of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, conducted a study that compared the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) data of a sampling of 52 individuals that yielded similar results. Raine and his coworkers used five Los Angeles area temporary employment agencies to seek out subjects for the study. In order to determine whether the subjects demonstrated any psychopathic tendencies, and if so, to what degree, they administered various tests including the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised, Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV Mental Disorders (SCID I), and SCID Axis II Personality Disorders (SCID II). Guaranteeing confidentiality, the researchers also sought to compile information about the criminal history of each subject by way of interviews and criminal records searches. Eventually the researchers ended up with a group of 52 individuals. 13 of the 52 demonstrated high psychopathy scores and had been determined to have escaped detection for their crimes, while 16 had high psychopathy scores and had been convicted for their criminal acts. The remaining 23 served as control subjects. The MRI data indicated that volume of prefrontal matter, a region of the brain involved in judgment, planning, and decision making, was on average 22% less in unsuccessful psychopaths than in the control subjects. The prefrontal cortex of psychopaths who had avoided criminal detection was slightly smaller than those who had been detected but the difference was not nearly as significant.

The studies can be characterized as improving understanding of criminal behavior but their increased presence in scientific publications raises the question, “how should we use this information?” The results pose serious questions, the answers of which transcend mere issues of predicting and minimizing criminal behavior. If we can in fact, identify, study and predict criminal behavior, how should we integrate this information into our foundational beliefs surrounding the application of guilt and conviction? Criminal law has taught us that in order to be guilty of some particularly heinous crimes, the requisite mens rea is intent. For inherently dangerous crimes, especially those that demonstrate intent and premeditation, we as a society punish people who in theory, were aware of the gravity of their actions, but committed the crimes regardless. However, these studies indicate that certain individuals with predisposition for criminal behavior have reduced capacity for judgment and decision making. Is it appropriate to convict these individuals when we know they may not have the capacity to make the intentional decisions we accuse them of making?

The ALI Penal Code dictates that a person is not responsible for their criminal conduct if at the time of such conduct as a result of mental disease or defect he lacks the substantial capacity either to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct, or to conform their conduct to the requirement of the law. A strong argument can be made that this definition is on point in describing a psychopath and their behavior. In one illustrative case, a convicted murderer struck a plea bargain in which the sentence for killing his wife was reduced to only 11 years based on brain scans that revealed a large cyst that was thought to compromise his cognitive abilities. "Imaging was used to reduce his culpability, to reduce his responsibility," said Raine. "Yet is that not a slippery slope to Armageddon where there's no responsibility in society?"

However, if we are hesitant to convict those who do not understand the gravity of their actions, how do we protect an innocent society from the danger their behavior poses? As future law makers and advocates, these studies pose endless ethical questions and the dilemma is anything but new. Consider Cesare Lombroso, a man who was convinced that physical anomalies and physiognomy could lead to predictions about criminal behavior. He supposed that people were simply born criminals. His theories of criminology were echoed by Hitler as a basis for genocide. It is crucial that we tread carefully when applying the results of these studies.