Lessons from 1L

      I'm struggling with writer's block because I've been reading opinions, case after case of some of the most remarkable writing available in America. The form is different, more clinical, more classic, but rooted in the art of the persuasive essay. Organization brings rationale to life, where a judge must reach a delicate balance between an explanation of facts and why a proposed holding should come forth from them. I'm far from understanding the full breadth of knowledge needed to write with force, clarity, and stature like the authors I interact with in law school. To say something worthy of an audience is difficult, and this goal is something I strive towards in all of my pursuits, academic and otherwise. When I bring pen to paper, I hope that my thoughts yield insight, but I often fall short of achieving anything more than self reflection. I want to make people think, I want to inspire, but I need to continue clarifying my ideas and my public persona. The overlap between inspiration and entertainment in delivery and content is important, and in these areas I'm on the right track, but I need another piece to the puzzle, a more developed logos, that threads through every pore of my work, not just the general picture. 

      A theme of the law school curriculum is learning to distill the important details from a sea of information, a skill often labeled as synthesis. Legal writing is a feat I have yet to master, and it is perhaps the most difficult task I've encountered so far as a student. However, painting helps me practice synthesis in a more relaxed environment. In painting, I've used a rudimentary synthesis to narrow down elements of cartoon faces that most often repeat in my work into four distinct characters. Like trial lawyers who must decide how much of the facts to tell a jury, an artist often aims to express succinct, impactful ideas without overwhelming her audience. She can begin by fleshing out many avenues of relevance, then through careful review and refinement, assess which elements express the emotions or ideas she attempts to convey. Writers, too, engage in a sort of synthesis process when practicing storytelling. When synthesis guides the creation of content, a receiver (judge, jury, or general audience alike) fills in the gaps with common sense, experience, and projections. Content in this way mirrors the expectations of its audience, bringing forth a reaction from a state of existing dormancy. 

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     Artists entertain, and the interpretive exchange between creator and audience is one of fruitful enjoyment. What, then, occurs when a legislator writes a law that governs the nation's activities? The interpretation of law has economic, spiritual, and even discriminatory consequences on those who live under the law's regime. If lawyers are the foot soldiers who advance a view of law through adversarial exchange, judges declare the prevailing understanding of a statute, drawing on case law, theory, canons of construction, and hard-earned experience to come to a conclusion. 

      Now that I've survived my first semester of law school and have surpassed a fight-or-flight approach to reading cases, I see the moments of genius enshrined in the endless words with more appreciation. I hope to harness the craftmanship so essential to legal opinions, the words from which we follow the golden thread of law to better navigate the labyrinth of human experience.