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Criminal procedure, one of my favourite subjects I will be taking this semester.

#lawblr #studyblr #new lawblr #new studyblr #studying #studies #criminal law #criminal procedure #law school

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Law firms are costly, obsolete business models, and lawyers don’t know how to manage anything. And because my managers are poor, when I become a more senior attorney, I won’t know how to manage anything.

I have written 25-30 pages of highly technical, substantive memos this week alone. I’ll have 40 by tomorrow.

After four weeks of this, I’ve gotten ZERO feedback on anything. Nada. No comments. Nothing. I was told never to expect any.

Do firms realize how costly it is to not give feedback to junior attorneys? I have no idea I’m doing. Every mistake I make costs money for a senior attorney to correct–at a cost of $50-100 per 6 minutes. If I keep making one same mistake, however simple, every time I write a memo, for months on end, that’ll end up costing clients thousands of dollars more than if someone said the first time “instead of this, do that.” Likewise, even if I were told, “this is great, do this again,” the confidence in knowing what I did was right will allow me to save time (and clients’ money) in the future because I can reaffirm the skills I have and complete work faster knowing it’s right the first time instead of second guessing myself.

This isn’t just about me wanting to know how I did to reduce my own anxiety. My services cost $500 an hour as a FIRST YEAR associate. If feedback on previous memos I wrote would have helped me write my memo yesterday in 14 hours instead of 15, that saves the client $500. All it takes is a few hours of work to save thousands of dollars.

Law firms wonder why clients hate their fee structures but don’t have the self awareness to realize that their culture of poor management costs them money.

Law firms or other business models that manage their people better–by understanding that they employ PEOPLE–are going to take down biglaw.

And this isn’t just me in my firm. This is a pattern of attorneys across ALL firms I’m familiar with, judges chambers, and other businesses. (Interestingly, government attorneys were GREAT at giving me feedback and criticism.) Attorneys just don’t know how to manage people as a culture and it’s absurd.

If I’m four weeks in and I can see this, I really don’t have faith in attorneys’ leadership abilities at all.

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depression tips™

shower. not a bath, a shower. use water as hot or cold as u like. u dont even need to wash. just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. sit on the floor if you gotta.

moisturize everything. use whatever lotion u like. unscented? dollar store lotion? fancy ass 48 hour lotion that makes u smell like a field of wildflowers? use whatever you want, and use it all over. 

put on clean, comfortable clothes. 

put on ur favorite underwear. cute black lacy panties? those ridiculous boxers u bought last christmas with candy cane hearts on the butt? put em on.

drink cold water. use ice. if u want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.

clean something. doesn’t have to be anything big. organize one drawer of ur desk. wash five dirty dishes. do a load of laundry. scrub the bathroom sink. 

blast music. listen to something upbeat and dancey and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.

make food. don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. take the time and make food. even if it’s ramen. add something special to it, like a hard boiled egg or some veggies. prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something. 

make something. write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. even if you don’t think you’re good at it.

go outside. take a walk. sit in the grass. look at the clouds. smell flowers. put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.

call someone. call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. talk to a stranger on the street. have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. if you can’t, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. even if you don’t say much, listen to them.

cuddle your pets if you have them/can cuddle them. take pictures of them. talk to them. tell them how u feel, about your favorite movie, a new game coming out.

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What is Law? (Baby don’t hurt me…) If you repost give credit, please :)

This is an infographic on the opinions of three authors on the nature of Law.

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Sarah Weddington was 27 when she argued Roe v. Wade  — the youngest person ever to win in the Supreme Court. Today is the 45th anniversary of the landmark case that legalized abortion in the U.S. Young people have the power to change the world. 

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Sometimes I wish God gave me the confidence of a white boy in law school planning on going into corporate litigation, but then I realize God wouldn’t have wanted me to be an asshole. 

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what if I wasn’t tired all the time imagine the possibilities

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revision methods that actually work // studygram: alimastudies

1. Memory mind map 

Personally, this is the most effective one for me. All you need is a blank piece of paper. Pick a sub-topic that you are doing e.g in biology a topic could be immune system and the sub-topic could be antibodies and antigens. If you want you can create some questions for each sub-topic and on your blank piece of paper, using questions as a guide, write everything you know about that sub-topic without your notes. After get your notes out and check and correct with a different colour pen. Watch this video to get a better understanding

2. Flashcards

I recommend you use written flashcards, unless you have vocab or definitions in which case digital ones like quizlet is fine. You should have questions on one side and your answers on another - i’ve heard people say the answer shouldn’t be long but i find that the more detailed it is the higher marks you score in the exam - of course summarise don’t just copy from a textbook or there is no point in doing this. When you test yourself try to do something else other than reading, for example write the answer down and then check and correct.

3. Spaced intervals

No point cramming for an exam. Yes it might have got you an A* in GCSE or other lower level exams but it’s certainly not going to get you an A* for a-levels or other higher exams. Space your learning out and if you can try and revise everyday, even if somedays are just for half an hour, DO IT! It will help you in the long term. Don’t revise one subject/unit for a whole day, space it out. For example don’t revise like this: AABBCC, revise like this instead: ABCBCA or something along those lines.

4. Mind maps

My favourite revision source!!! For some reason in an exam ( i only use mind maps for essay based subjects) i can remember where i put each point on my mind map which helps me write my essays and retrieve my information more in the long term! Don’t make it boring by trying to be ‘minimal’ - ADD COLOUR !!! But to stay within limits, too many colours can make it look overwhelming and confusing !

5. Teaching someone else

Either teach your younger siblings or pretend you are teaching to an imaginary class - while it may seem crazy it works, trust me. Use a whiteboard to help you illustrate your ideas! This method will help you identify any gaps in your knowledge and you’ll truly see if you know something well enough to explain it. If you cannot explain it to a six year old then you truly have not got the grasp of it, as Albert Einstein says!

6. past papers

Honestly, this should be the last thing for your revision, unless you have not left enough time to revise all the content and you are running out of time then past papers should be the first thing you do. Do these properly, don’t do it just to see what gaps you have in your knowledge- genuinely do it as if it is a real exam. This will help you see how well you can apply the content you have memorised for an exam. It will also get you familiar with the mark scheme which will help you get as close as full marks !!!

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10 tips to increase your motivation for study

Motivation is one of the biggest issues for students and it is always great to find a few things that can keep you feeling inspired. Here are my top ten ideas:

start small - set yourself a challenge to work for five to ten minutes. Yes, just five minutes can be enough to get started! If you can get through that five minutes, you will start breaking down that feeling of disinterest and begin to get more into working. A fantastic application that will keep you from using your phone and on a time limit of between 10 minutes and two hours is Forest! However, here are some free alternatives.

plan tomorrow today - I find planning my day - or at least writing down a couple of tasks - before bed is extremely beneficial. In the morning I wake up with intent and get see my main priorities. They don’t have to full-fledged plans or written nicely in my planner but even just small reminders on a post-it note are enough for me to feel more organised.

give yourself a bit of structure - as mentioned, having a plan is a great way to start the day. You might use a planner, a bullet journal or a free printable from me to organise! Set yourself up with 3 key things to finish or do during the day. Give yourself a goal and a reward upon completion. Put time limits on tasks and use a schedule to stay on track.

utilise a studygram/studyblr - basically, the communities on Tumblr and Instagram act as amazing accountability partners! I am constantly motivated by my blog and being able to share my day to day life on Instagram or Snapchat. I definitely have become incredibly motivated and disciplined because of these two communities. If you’re thinking about starting a studyblr, read this. If you’re thinking about starting a studygram, read this. If you already have either, here is how you can use it to further motivate yourself!

set up an inspiring workplace - dedicating a space to work, and only work, is a great way to build a mindset of motivation which kicks in when you sit down. This Pinterest board has loads of inspiration for setups and organisation! You can also add a cute plant, a bright study lamp and some motivational printables for added encouragement!

externalise your short and long-term goals - by making a verbal or written commitment to your goals, you are much more likely to take steps to follow them through. You might want to have a really productive week catching up on all your work, improve your GPA or pass your semester with flying colours. At the start of each week think of the ways you can put your goals into actions. Then at the end of the week reflect on how you did. Track your progress and keep up your motivation by seeing things get a step closer each time!

listen to some music - putting on my favourite songs always put me in a better mindset and feeling more positive. Before a study session or during a break, I will sometimes put on a few songs I’m loving and take a moment to refocus.

don’t force it - if you’re feeling unmotivated to study, try doing something else for a short amount of time. Avoid things that could distract you like browsing Facebook or Instagram. Instead, try tidying your bedroom, organising your upcoming week, read a chapter of a book, or get a drink of water. Alternatively, make an action plan for what you need to do with your next few tasks. That way you’re still making progress with your work but aren’t sitting feeling too unmotivated to actually study.

find some inspiration - there is no shortage of amazing people with incredible stories of success! Podcasts such as The Daily Boost, The Tony Robbins Podcast and The School of Greatness are great examples. Ted Talks are often incredibly insightful and motivating! Search for quotes or stories from your favourite people!

change your mindset - one of the biggest challenges in motivation is adjusting your own perspective. For instance, instead of thinking “I am terrible at this” think “How can I learn this differently to really understand?”. “I made a mistake” think “What can I take away from making this mistake?”. “It isn’t perfect” think “These perfectionist tendencies are only making this more difficult, I can be content with my work”. Having a more positive outcome to each situation should help boost your confidence and motivation!

I hope these few tips are useful and help improve your motivation! If it helps, I would love to hear about it :-)

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Rant about College Culture

I’m in my second year now at a university in Virginia, and I gotta say, many aspects of college culture really bother me.

~All Nighters~

I’m so sick of people glorifying all nighters or staying up late working on things. It doesn’t make you a good student if you forgo sleep or other necessities to get work done. Honestly, if you’re losing sleep for school work, you’re doing it wrong. If you find yourself needing to literally stay up an extra 8+ hours to do something because its due the next day, you should really reevaluate your time management skills. Staying up late or pulling an all nighter is not something to be proud of, and we need to stop treating it like it is.

~Social Media~

It’s not necessarily a college issue, but social media can be hella negative in the college environment, for two main reasons. First, people constantly compare themselves to how they see their friends in social media. That’s problematic, considering that the personas we display on social media are often caricatures of our real selves, comparing oneself to what one sees on social media is unrealistic and detrimental. Second, social media is a HUGE time waster. I had my boyfriend change my Facebook password so I could no longer log on and legit, it has been so good for my productivity and my mood. I can’t tell you how often I walk through the library and see like half the computers with Facebook open. Social media isn’t inherently a bad thing, it’s great for keeping up with people and events, but it’s so very easily misused.

~Caffeine~

I’ll be the first to admit, I drink too much caffeine. Soda, coffee, energy drinks, the works. It’s a habit I’m in the process of breaking (one coffee a day, soda only on weekends, no energy drinks, with the goal of cutting it completely by the end of next semester), but I still want to acknowledge it. Excessive amounts of caffeine are not good for you!! A cup of coffee or a soda a day isn’t going to kill you, but chugging Monsters or double shots on the regular is bad for your body. If you find yourself tired and needing caffeine to accomplish things, you should probably reevaluate your sleep and rest schedule and see how you can get the rest your body needs.

~Finals~

This one ties elements of the others together and then some. It’s finals time right now, and I gotta say, I’m stressed by proxy. People try to out-stress each other and out-complain each other and it’s wearing. Our library is open 24 hours during finals and plenty of people are camping out for the next week and a half. So many people cram (WHICH IS DEFINITIVELY INEFFECTIVE) and attempt to make up for a semester of mediocre work with a couple days of non-stop “studying”. I say “studying” because I work in the library, so I get to watch people, and so much of the time “studying” becomes Facebook, complaining with the people you’re working with, checking your phone every 30 seconds, and so on. It’s just not effective. Doing well during finals really needs work all semester, especially in the weeks leading up to finals. You’re shortchanging yourself when you engage in these negative finals behaviors. 

~Summary~

Excess stress is not good! You need to take care of your body! You need to plan your time well! You need to study all semester, not just during finals! If you feel called out by any of my complaints and maybe feel motivated to change some of your habits, shoot me a message or an ask and I can do my best to help!

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7 Ways to organize your laptop because we can always be a little more organized on our devices (including myself). 

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lessons i have learned so far! (back to school mistakes)

-be realistic with how much time you need. that whole stack of papers won’t get into your brain in two afternoons.

-you can study for two tests at a time!!

-you need more time for some subjects, and less for others

-don’t study all of them the same

-change the method if you’re not acing that test with an A

-sleep. really. for god’s sake

-it’s okay to fail! just don’t let it get to you and lead you to some more failing

-taking pictures of textbooks will save your back a lot of work

-bullet journaling actually works for you and is your best friend

-ask your teachers sometimes, even the dumb questions

-don’t risk studying with friends if the test is near, only if you’re studying really in advance. basically, just value your time and think about how to distribute it, it really gets smaller

-thomas frank is also your friend

-MIND!! MAPS!!

-excuses. all of them. stop that.

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reblog if you’re a studyblr

DOING A MASSIVE FOLLOWING SPREE !!

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(21-01-2018) Hi everyone! I am Gonzalo and I just decided to start a studyblr. I am a fourth year law student form Chile and right now I am on vacation, but that doesnt mean I should stop doing what I like. In this picture I am just copying my Civil Code trying to improve my handwritting because it really sucks -besides, it helps me memorize some important articles, considering the fact that civil law is my weakest area-.

I will be posting stuff like this, including law related pics and general studying tips. Follow me on my path to the grade exam!

#new studyblr #new study blog #studyblr #study blog #studying #lawblr #new lawblr #onmydesk #civil law #handwritting #continental law