Photo by Randy
The banquet is sort of a fundraiser for the Law Review, so lots of Houston law firms and attorneys pay lots of money to purchase a table at the event. The law firm I'll be working for this summer invited us to sit at their table, so we enjoyed having dinner with some of their attorneys and some friends of mine from Law Review.
Photo by Randy
Photo by Randy
Photo by Randy
Remember that huge paper I wrote for Law Review a couple months ago (I wrote about it here)? Well, there were awards at the banquet for the best papers (Best Paper on Health Law, Best Paper on Complex Litigation, Best Paper on Texas Law, etc.). I'm a good writer, and my editors had positive things to say about my rough drafts, so I figured I had a decent chance at winning one of the awards, but I was so pleasantly surprised when I won the "Best Overall Paper" award! Out of all the papers, they chose mine! I was just so happy. I spent so much time and effort writing it, and it's on a legal issue that I feel pretty passionate about, and it just feels really good to get some recognition for everything I put into that paper. I have to admit though - the best part of the award is the $1000 cash prize that came with it!
As I was thanking the representatives from the law firm that sponsored the Best Overall Paper award, I heard my name called again, this time for the "Best 2L Editor" award. Honestly, I was absolutely shocked. All year I've been frustrated with my editing work because I can never seem to make it as perfect as I want, but apparently I had the best editing skills of everyone? My first thought when I won it was "oh my gosh... you mean I could've been putting in way less time and effort all year, and I still would've been measuring up just fine?!?!" All this time I thought I was doing "just okay" work. Haha. Oh, but guess what - the Best 2L Editor award came with $500! So basically, we now have $1500 to spend on whatever we want! Any ideas?
After the banquet, we had an after-party at a bar without all the attorneys and law firms and fancy people, so we got to just hang out and relax with a bunch of my Law Review friends. It was nice to get one last fun night squeezed in before the studying and stress of finals begins.
That's not all though... on Friday, I found out my paper is going to be published next year in the Houston Law Review! I'm actually going to be a published author. How fun is that? It turns out I'm actually kind of good at this whole law school thing. :)
Oh, and on top of everything else, I got to bring a centerpiece home from the banquet, and it's been sitting on my kitchen island and brightening my day ever since.
Photo by Randy
As I was thanking the representatives from the law firm that sponsored the Best Overall Paper award, I heard my name called again, this time for the "Best 2L Editor" award. Honestly, I was absolutely shocked. All year I've been frustrated with my editing work because I can never seem to make it as perfect as I want, but apparently I had the best editing skills of everyone? My first thought when I won it was "oh my gosh... you mean I could've been putting in way less time and effort all year, and I still would've been measuring up just fine?!?!" All this time I thought I was doing "just okay" work. Haha. Oh, but guess what - the Best 2L Editor award came with $500! So basically, we now have $1500 to spend on whatever we want! Any ideas?
Photo by Randy
After the banquet, we had an after-party at a bar without all the attorneys and law firms and fancy people, so we got to just hang out and relax with a bunch of my Law Review friends. It was nice to get one last fun night squeezed in before the studying and stress of finals begins.
That's not all though... on Friday, I found out my paper is going to be published next year in the Houston Law Review! I'm actually going to be a published author. How fun is that? It turns out I'm actually kind of good at this whole law school thing. :)
Oh, and on top of everything else, I got to bring a centerpiece home from the banquet, and it's been sitting on my kitchen island and brightening my day ever since.
Now if I could just get my act together and start studying for finals, I'd be doing really great at law school! If I fail all my classes, I'm going to blame it on all the time I spent writing that award-winning paper. ;o)
congratulations, katie! that's awesome!!
ReplyDeletei vote you use that extra cash for -
a.) a vacation that y'all could surely use, ha ha
b.) new furniture for the craft room/master bedroom or new clothes for that fancy lawyer job!
Yeah... we may get started on the craft room and master bedroom a little earlier than planned. :) We're also considering hiring someone to extend the patio in the backyard... we'll see!
DeleteAnd we do have a vacation planned at the end of the summer (funded by my summer paychecks!). I am SO looking forward to it!
Hey! I just wanted to thank you for updating with law school stuff every once in a while :) I start in the fall and it's nice to have an idea of what I'm getting into!
ReplyDeleteHey Ally!
DeleteI just want to remind you to really enjoy your summer... it's going to be crazy once you start in the fall (being a 1L is really challenging), so make sure you relax and spend time with family and friends (and do NOT worry about reading any "suggested books" they tell you about or anything!). Please e-mail me if you have any questions or anything!