You Know What Makes Studying for the Bar Exam Easier? LOUD BANGING IN THE LIBRARY.

The first day of the bar exam is about 13 days away. THIRTEEN DAYS. The number thirteen is just evil (especially for those with triskaidekaphobia), but pairing that number with the term “bar exam” makes it that much worse. You’re probably on edge. Your Facebook statuses are bordering on homicidal. You’re so pissed off at the pen-clicking guy in the library that you’re contemplating slicing his throat with the worst notecard paper-cut ever.

I know that we’re not supposed to panic, but some people are panicking, and rightly so. The powers that be at the University of Minnesota Law School are not making it pleasant for recent graduates to study for the bar exam at the school’s law library. Apparently, there’s a lot of banging going on between the stacks, and not of the variety you’d brag to your friends about….

A recent graduate of Minnesota Law who is currently studying for the bar exam sent us this tip:

I and about a dozen of my colleagues are (attempting) to use the law library to study for the bar. This is proving difficult because the school has scheduled the month of July as the most opportune time to install new fire alarms in the law library, an activity that involves about 10 construction workers, concrete drilling, and hammering — all within 20 feet of people trying to cram MBE subjects into their skulls.

Now, I know what you must be thinking, and it’s probably along the lines of “quit your bitching and complain to the administration.” Well, they did. And this is what supposedly happened:

About 8 of us emailed the building’s facilities manager, Linda Lokensgard, yesterday complaining and asking her to please, for the love of god, knock it off until after the bar. We were all pretty clear that we know that these building upgrades needed to be done, but could you please delay for a bit. Her responses were essentially as follows:

1) Go to another library to study for the bar exam.
2) Schedule your bar exam study around the times when the workers aren’t here (afternoons and evenings only).

Their attitude seems to be: “You’re not paying us ungodly amounts of tuition anymore, so… f**k off.”

Because this is like my nine millionth time studying to take the bar exam, I’m about ready to stab myself in the eye with a No. 2 pencil, so I can only imagine what the poor souls at Minnesota Law are going through. I really, really feel for these people, because a similar situation happened to me during my first go at the bar exam.

My law school thought the most opportune time to do roof construction was during the BAR/BRI mock MBE. I completely lost my sh*t and had to leave during the middle of it, because even earplugs couldn’t drown out the noise.

And you all know how that wise decision turned out for me in the end. Ba-dum ching!

If you want some proof about what’s going on at Minnesota Law, here’s a little sample for you:

I guess this is just more evidence of the University of Minnesota’s commitment to its students. They already paid their dues as cash cows for the school, and now they get to suffer the consequences.

So, what happens when these people complain and nothing is done? What happens when these people are basically told to, well, go f**k themselves? What happens is that the school gets publicly shamed on Above the Law. These people are trying to study for the most important test of their lives — and how they do on it will affect Minnesota Law’s U.S. News ranking.

SO SHUT UP THE HELL UP, AND STOP ALL THE BANGING!

And to those of you who are trying to cram at the University of Minnesota School of Law, we sincerely wish you the best of luck, especially considering these crappy circumstances. Try to hang in there and stay positive.

Earlier: Previous ATL coverage of the University of Minnesota Law School

View the original article here

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Legal Analysis: Civil Law is Easier than Common Law

There are two legal traditions that work as foundations to all-out administration of any country in the world; these legal traditions are; civil law and common law traditions. This is one of the reasons why each country's legal education as well as any sort of administration are not the same and also one of the reasons why we cannot reach our abstract aspiration: "the world law." This article will reveal which tradition is easier in term of education and enforcement.

Civil law is easier than common law in both, terms of learning and enforcement, but why?

From the very outset, civil law tradition is a "writing tradition." Writing means every law or any nationwide effective administrative rule are written down and followed by printing in hard copies (books, journals, periodicals or other media publication) and even the fastest facilities: the internet. Writing makes the learners, the fellow citizens as well as the law enforcement officials easy, because they are able to find the law anytime and anywhere (library, bookstore, newsstand home library, etc) with or without the help from the expert in the field; in contrast, I do not think this ease applies to the common law countries. Above all, civil law is not as complicated like the common law where law or decision is flexible in accordance with the case.

One of the instinctive eases of civil law is that even the person whose brain is totally white with law or any social systematic complication can understand and it is much easier for serious law students who make to clarify or deeply understand and surprisingly, for the law enforcement officials.

The fact that civil law is a written tradition does facilitate me as a law student as well as others, because most of the times I do not need the expert in the fields to explain me every encountering difficulties; everything is literally and clearly written down in the books.

Furthermore, civil law also facilitates judge in making the decision, because he or she must follow a very stern system which are already stipulated in the books. Not just the judge, all the three institution (legislative, executive and judiciary) and the fellow citizens can easily follow what stipulated in the books; this would dramatically ease the conflicts of institutional and private interests.

The case that everything is written down in the civil law traditions, reveals me that it is easier from students from common law countries to study or practice laws in civil law countries, but it is extremely hard for civil law learners or lawyers to study or practice laws in the common law traditions, because civil law is easier to learn than the common law.

This article does not intend to underestimate common law tradition or promote the image of civil law tradition, but just, based on the author's opinion, to reveal the truth as well as other reasons why each country in one region, continent or different region and continent are still, in term of social administration, are different or very different.

I have been living in Cambodia, a civil law country, for more than twenty years, this would make me very accustomed to this system (civil law tradition), but I strongly feel that my supporting sentiment is right. What do you think? May be I am wrong, because I am not deeply familiar with the common law tradition, if it is so, let the argument begin!

Lay Vicheka is a translator for the most celebrated translation agency in the Kingdom of Cambodia, Pyramid Translation Co.Ltd.. He is now hoding other two professions: freelance writer for Search Newspaper; focusing on social issues and students' issues and Media Liaison Officer for Asia's first free on-line IELTS consultation website. Lay Vicheka is the expert author for ezine and prolific article contributor to other websites around the world such as articlecity, 365articles, spiderden, talesofasia, etc (Just google him). He is also a volunteer Cambodian-newspapers columnist (Rasmey Kampuchea and Kampuchea Thmey). Lay Vicheka has great experience in law and politics, as he used to be legal and English-language assistant to a Cambodian member of parliament, migration experience (home-based business) and in writing. He is also member of a New York-based research company. Posting address: 221H Street 93, Tuol Sangke quarter, Russey Keo district, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Tel: 855 11 268 445, vichekalay@yahoo.com

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