The thing speaks for itself

Before I came to law school, I watched a movie called "Paper Chase," which is an extremely frightening rendition of life at Harvard Law. In it, students exemplified the pitfalls that can come from outlining, study groups, the Socratic Method, and other intrinsic aspects of law school.

To be honest, I wasn't sure that a study group was for me. I typically study hard on my own, and usually I understand the subject matter well enough to not need the input of others. This was the case in undergrad, high school, and (I'm sure) everything before it.

However, in law school, I have found that study groups are an extremely valuable tool. Not only do you actually learn, but you take advantage of stress relief while you're at it. So far, meeting with my group has been fun and productive - we go through hypotheticals from our casebooks and debate the different lines of reasoning that one could use for each case.

For example, an entire debate was sprung from me flinging a dirty piece of paper off of my chair and onto the floor. Does the dirty piece of paper constitute a case of res ipsa loquitor ("the thing speaks for itself"), and if so, who is liable - DePaul or its cafeteria? With regard to respondeat superior (the boss's liability), is the cafeteria an apparent agent of DePaul? Am I contributorily negligent for throwing the paper on the floor in the first place?

These are the types of debates we have, and they are great fun. My favorite part of my study group has been the cameraderie we have built together, in our interests, humor, knowledge, and frustrations with regard to the whole situation of law school. We're all going through it together, and we're there to help each other.

And I need the help more than ever...