ndmckinney|net

I can’t believe I’ve only been in Rotterdam for a week now. If feels like so much longer. Things have significantly improved for me since I came here last week. I am comfortable working my way around the city now. I know where to get good groceries. I have people with whom I can talk and explore the city.

What is disappointing is that my classes don’t start for another two weeks. In fact, one of my courses, History of International Law, does not start for three weeks. There are a few courses in the law school that will start next week, but mine do not. I’m not alone in this; most of my classmates don’t have class until 12 February. We’re trying to work out what to do…

I’m getting ready to head out to Erasmus today for my first day of orientation. We only have to stay a half day today. Take that, UB Law!

Tuesday, students at the University of Baltimore School of Law begin their spring semester. While I will be on campus, I will not be in class.

Hooray!

My life (read: my paper) would be easier if we didn’t have the Due Process Clause. Of course, if we didn’t then I’d be complaining about how we don’t have due process of law.

I’m over half way through my law school experience. This time next year, I’ll have my J.D. and begin preparing for the bar exam. It’s too early to think about the bar, but I can think about a few other things that I’ve learned so far:

• The UCC isn’t that hard to learn, except for Articles 1-9.
• The majority of people I know go to law school for one of four reasons: chicks, money, power, or chicks.
• Divorce lawyers are definitely only in it for the money.
• Lawyers teaching each other ethics is a bit like children making their own dinner the day after Halloween.
• If a judge says he’s using a “sliding scale test”, what he means to say is that he has no idea what he’s doing and is just making up an answer he likes.
• International law is international, but it sure isn’t law.
• First year law students sure like to whine about how hard they’ve got it.

I think next semester should be an interesting experience. European law schools are quite different from American law schools. More importantly, I’m looking forward to getting out of Baltimore for a while.

I received my MPRE results today, and I’ve scored well enough to practice law in any state. This will be useful when I leave Maryland, which does not require any ethical examination prior to becoming admitted to the bar.

My friend Brandon does point out that the passing score is so low that the real purpose for the exam is unclear.

I find a lot of funny yet obvious legal statements through my studies. I suppose this is the proper forum for this sort of thing. Todays OLSD:

“Buyer has two primary obligations in a sale contract under CISG: to pay the price, and to take delivery of the goods. The former duty is the more important of the two.”

Ralph Folsom et al., International Business Transactions § 1.17 (2001), discussing the obligations of a buyer under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.

Maybe it’s not that funny. I’m tired from studying, so everything is funny. Everything except Ziggy comics.

My team lost after our first day of competition. At the beginning of the day, there were 20 teams; at the end of the day, there were 8. We won one of our three arguments. I’m still bitter about the first one, but that’s in the past now. I had a good time overall, but I’m glad to not be hearing about the fictitious Kingdom of Acropora or Republic of DeLand ever again.

Back to the real world.