So why did I chose to go to law school in recent years? Some was personal-concern over my career, and the state of affairs in the US and the world. And some was business-I thought I had already learned a lot about the law as a result of being an expert witness and going through the litigation process multiple times. This would potentially give me a head-start in furthering my education. I didn’t want an MBA so this was a good alternative.
I took a sample law school multiple choice test and did ok without having any formal legal training, other than a business law class years ago. After my mother died and I had a son I decided to take the plunge as the next chapter in my busy life. I underestimated some of the workload but eventually made it to the homestretch, and then took the Bar exam.
There have been several skills that I have honed-reading/writing, analytical thinking, looking at both sides of disputes, how to issue spot etc. I believe it will help my credibility as an expert to also be a JD/Attorney.
Do I need to know rule against perpetuities or reciprocal negative easement? Probably not after the Bar exam. But I did get the highest score in Contracts and in Property-so I must have understood something!
What have I learned? First I took contracts/torts and criminal law and assorted introductory research/law classes. I learned the components of contracts, remedies for broken agreements and the like. I learned about things like oral contracts and damages. We learned about negligence and intentional torts, about crimes against the person and property.
I learned Wills & Trusts for the first time, and what ethical considerations/disclosures/conflict of interests and various relationships that occur in Professional Responsibility. Likewise I passed the MPRE and Moral Character determination. In Community Property we discussed marital assets and in Business I expanded my knowledge of proxies, agency and the like.
In Civil Procedure I learned how lawsuits are supposed to proceed, with jurisdiction, discovery, pleadings etc. And in Constitutional law we learned state vs federal and the branches and individual rights. Finally, in Evidence topics such as relevance, hearsay and objections were covered.
I look forward to how all of this knowledge will help me in analyzing cases in the future.
