My name is Rob Mount and I’m a 3L. I grew up in suburban New Jersey and my formative years were spent in a town called Montville, where I still return to when not doing law-related things. After high school, I matriculated to a small Pennsylvania school by the name of Susquehanna University....
Well, it's nearly the end of July which means it's almost August with means school is around the corner. I guess at some point I'll have to sit down and reflect upon my experiences and ponder the fact that I've essentially been in college for seven consecutive years. Now's not that time. Right now I want to talk to you about "Umbrella Etiquette". It's been raining a bit in New Jersey, though it only seems like it's raining whenever I leave to go get lunch, but this has obviously caused me to use an umbrella to protect myself against the elements.
So, I have this small blue umbrella that I bought from the law book store which covers the area around me and does a pretty decent job of keeping me dry. But what happens when you only have one small umbrella and your supervisor is without one? What about crowded streets with an open umbrella? When do you pull down your umbrella, before or after entering a building, and then do you leave it in the hall or fold it back up?
These are all important questions when you find yourself in as much rain as I have. And especially when you're as curious about lunch as I am. Most of my watery walking occurs when I leave the courthouse for lunch and try to find somewhere to eat. And, since I eat around the same time as everyone else, the umbrella etiquette during my quest for nourishment is actually a pretty important deal. You never know when a judge or your supervisor or someone is watching how you handle you rain deflector.
Now, truth be told you just need to be courteous. Always give it up to someone higher on the social ladder than you. And always give it up to someone lower. Take yourself out of the food chain; just be a decent person. Who cares if you get wet? Just don't get anyone else wet. This is pretty much how I've been doing it. Unfortunately, it hasn't helped me get lunch yet.
The majority of my lunch hour is used deciding where and what to eat. My life is infinitely easier when one of my supervisors suggests a place or asks me to eat in the office. At least then 50% of my battle is done and I need to do is pick what I'm going to eat. Whoever has actually read this far might be bored by now, but what you have for lunch is important; it can really make your day worthwhile. Lawyering, being a student, living life, isn't always going to pleasant. You may have been the smartest out of your friends, but now you may struggle a bit. The days of reading might drag you down. The exams, the this, the that, it can all take its toll on you. Find something everyday to enjoy about your day. I'm lucky enough that I really like where I'm working and who I'm working with. I'm lucky they give me real assignments and I've gotten to argue, write, research, and pretty much get a taste of everything that being a lawyer entails. But, if you're not this fortunate, find something to be excited about every day. During my lethargic, or dragging days, I look forward to lunch. The possibility of eating something that will improve everything. I skip breakfast sometimes just so I can better enjoy my lunch.
This sounds ridiculous, but after not eating half the day and then feasting, everything just looks better.
I use nice lunches as an incentive to do things I don't want to do, like review the MPRE information. I should have taken it last summer, when I took Professional Responsibility, but I held off because I had to go to Florida to watch my brother walk for his masters. And then I didn't take it in November because who knows why. I've pretty much just been putting it off, and now I have to bite the bullet. C'est la vi. We all (except for 4 states, and additional 2 that have grade requirements) have to take it, so I might as well just get it over with. It is easier to study with a food incentive though, or any incentive I suppose.
I guess I should be trying to impart words of wisdom rather than just narrating my own life, but I don't seem to have the "zing" today.
Well, at least it's not raining.