Helen of Mod T
This week is random acts of kindness week, and inspired by this ATL post, I want to give a shout out to our transfers. First, you guys abandoned your friends, classmates, professors, etc. at your prior law schools to move to this concrete bunker. I would too if my future professional prospects improved that dramatically, but still...it's a sacrifice worth recognizing.
Second, there were some debates in comments about which class is hottest. In any such debate, I dare anyone to get facebooks from two different years and then to compare members of the same class. E.g., take this year's and last year's facebooks and compare the Class of 2008. You will see why I'm giving props to the transfers. With that said, there's still plenty to gripe about re transfers.
Edit: Moving this to the top because, well, I'm not in a "legal" mood, so I want to eclipse Tom's post.
Second, there were some debates in comments about which class is hottest. In any such debate, I dare anyone to get facebooks from two different years and then to compare members of the same class. E.g., take this year's and last year's facebooks and compare the Class of 2008. You will see why I'm giving props to the transfers. With that said, there's still plenty to gripe about re transfers.
Edit: Moving this to the top because, well, I'm not in a "legal" mood, so I want to eclipse Tom's post.
posted by Armen Adzhemyan at 11:36 PM
18 Comments:
Are you talking about just the women or both sexes at Boalt? I like reading this blog and all, but this is just fucking depressing to go to a school where someone who seems to be with it insists on putting down Boalt's female population at least once a year. By YOU of all people.
The comments at the ATL post are downright mean - I wish that you wouldn't implicitly endorse degrading specific people by linking to it. I wish that Boalties can remain above this sort of crap.
What else would you like to gripe about transfers?
Are you that threatened by those who are more attractive and intelligent than you?
Actually, those are 2 very good reaons to be threatened. Anyhow, thanks for the "props" Armen. Like a hot new girl who just moved to the "OC", we enjoy all the attention and we will continue to do what we do...
I agree with the above commenter (and not just in reference to the original post). I really like the people at Boalt--I think 95% of people here are incredibly nice and easy to get along with. But then I read people's comments or hear things and it makes me think that I'm wrong, that people here really are as shallow as all the people at my undergrad institution. Did anyone ever actually consider that, I don't know, it's just flat out mean and inconsiderate to constantly insult people's looks? We already have the media to make us feel bad, so I don't think we need law school, too (law school should only make me feel bad about my intelligence).
11:43 here, clarifying something..."above commenter" doesn't refer to 11:42 a.m. It refers to the first commenter (apparently all we posted within a minute of each other). 11:42 a.m. just made me hate transfers and understand what else Armen has to gripe about.
I guess this is also "have an emotional break down week." I'm still trying to figure out how this is insulting to Boalties...maybe the facebook comment? It was just meant to be silly in light of Lat's comment that Third Tier law schools have attractive people. That's all. But then you get gems like:
"Are you that threatened by those who are more attractive and intelligent than you?"
Yeah I'm really threatened by someone whose long shot was Loyola. Let's just say my knees don't buckle at the upcoming standardized tests we face. Dickhead.
That ATL post is downright mean-spirited. It seems as though it was originally posted in a "look how nice I am" kind of way, but the responses are disgusting. Those are real people whose looks are being carefully analyzed and often ripped to shreds. How insulting to those poor people.
Alright I should be clear that I didn't read the comments and don't intend to. But I'm not at all surprised. This happened our first year where someone posted a pic from a Boalt event at one of those law school DBs...ugh. So, I apologize if it seemed like I was endorsing the comments there. Again, it was just meant to be lighthearted.
It's a highly rational move to transfer to Boalt from a lower-tiered or ranked law school. By going to a top school, a student immediately has tremendous access to a variety of six-figure salaried firm jobs. Also, the student can network with a student body that, on average, is more likely to occupy positions of power in the private and public sector.
On top of that, transfer students get to enjoy the easiest years of Boalt - 2L and 3L years - which, on many levels are so much chiller and easier than Boalt's tough 1L year, from the perspective of grades, competitive atmosphere, etc.. So it makes a lot of sense for transfers to jump ship from their school of origin and join Boalt mid-stream.
11:42 here. Armen, I didnt mean to come off so insensitive. I am a 2L transfer and I have actually banged a couple 3L Boalt Hall-natives. Not bad at all.
In response to E Dub’s earlier comment about the legal consequences of this, I had the same thought. I haven’t done much research on this and I don’t plan on doing more, but it seems to me that there may be a right to privacy claim here
New York Civil Rights Law §50 provides: “a person, firm or corporation that uses for advertising purposes, or for the purposes of trade, the name, portrait or picture of any living person without having first obtained the written consent of such person, or if a minor or his or her parent or guardian is guilty of a misdemeanor.” (this happened in New York, right?) As E Dub points out this appears to be for commercial purposes, and chances are the law students didn’t approve of the use of the photos.
New York courts have held the right of any living person to enjoin the use of name, portrait or picture for advertising or trade purposes unless written consent so to do is first obtained to be absolute. Paulsen v. Personality Posters, Inc., 59 Misc. 2d 444 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1968)
ATL could try to make an argument that this was newsworthy, in the public interest, etc. but that seems like a stretch.
I think that a right to publicity claim would be less applicable, because unlike Ahhnold, these New York law students don’t seem to be pursuing or protecting a property right in their likeness in order to make money and, as a result, the ATL post isn’t costing them much. Um, see Lerman v. Flynt Distributing Co., 745 F.2d 123, 134 (2nd Cir. 1984)
I wasn’t in a bobble-head mod, though, so if there is someone who knows more about this than I do, please weigh in or whatever.
From a non-legal standpoint, I’m not sure I understand the ATL post or the comments on it. Some of those who commented found the law students attractive, while others didn’t (and expressed it in a rather unkind manner). To me, they just look like a bunch of law students in suits – nothing more and nothing less. The whole thing seems pretty unnecessary. But, here I am posting about it…
Why are people so mean to the transfers? I am not a transfer, but from what I can tell, they're good people. And they very well could have been in any one of our places for 1L year. Can those of us who were lucky enough to get in the first time (the operative word, for most I think, is 'lucky', seeing as the acceptance rate at Boalt is something like 10%) stop acting (or blogging) with such a sense of superiority? It's embarassing!
David Lat is a sad person. That does not justify his taking it out on other people, however. It is really disgusting seeing the glee with which he celebrated Sullivan & Cromwell countersuing against an associate who accused them of sexual harrassment. He said something to the effect of "it is going to be fun to watch S&C tear him limb for limb." The vicious things he says about Marsha Berzon are also disgusting. The incident related in the post Judge Kozinski complained about is utterly unremarkable. Judge Berzon's daughter spilled a cup of coffee on an airplane. Big deal. Since she's a liberal judge, however, she and her family get held up to ridicule by Mr. Lat, who was VP of the Federalist Society at his law school.
The incident with the comments on the appearances of the NYLS students shows that Mr. Lat's nasty approach resonates with a certain corner of the profession (primarily bitter law students and New York law firm associates from what I can tell). It's pretty sad but I like to think most of the awful comments are by only a few people.
I can only take the complaints about certain classes at Boalt having unattractive women as a joke. And I'm pretty sure Armen is not talking about the men.
The class "hotness" comparisions are really funny actually. We're in law school, of course the people are ugly! Hasn't anyone ever seen Legally Blonde: "Law school is for people who are boring, ugly, and stupid."
This is in jest, of course. Sort of.
"Boring, ugly, and SERIOUS" I mean.
Thanks for the shout out Armen.
Please people, be nice to transfers. We're a part of your student body now. Most people are nice, but some of you are stuck up jerks.
few things in life are certain. among them?
* One who has wireless in a boring class will surf the Internet.
* One who has hearty coffee early in the morning will have an 11 a.m. BM.
* The Bar Exam will suck.
* Transfers will keep coming to Boalt, in droves. Our numbers went up from 35 in '05-'06 to 45 in '06-'07.
As to 2:28 p.m.'s comment, I'm a transfer and I'm perfectly happy with how I've been treated by Boalties. I feel lucky to have transferred and am really glad to be here. I'm also hella happy to be graduating in 81 days, twelve hours, and fifty minutes....
I know you guys will laugh at me (or pity me), but the populace at Boalt is far more attractive than the school from which I transferred. ... Crazy, huh?
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