"The Talk"

One of my professors found out that our section had not been given "the talk" yet, and so yesterday she performed that service.

Right now, my classmates are running for student government positions such as "1L representative," "Transfer representative," etc. Posters are up all over the law school, and one student has even draped a tarp from the stairwell with a life sized photo of himself.

In all my classes, I've made a point to sit on the front row and take an active part in the class discussions.

"The talk" related to these things.

You as students need to be careful, my professor said. Your legal career does not begin in three years. It began one month ago when you showed up for orientation.

You will remember some of the people in your 1L class for the rest of your life, she said, whether the memory is a fond one or not. Some of you may also work together for the rest of your professional lives.

She used her own experiences as a 1L to illustrate. One lady in her class was always fighting for seats at the front of the class, always had her hand in the air to ask a question. This lady ran for a position as a 1L representative, and one day went to the front of the class and asked who else was running. When she saw who raised their hands, she turned to her friend and said, "I'm all right."

During the second semester, everyone noticed that this classmate had lost a considerable amount of weight. Our professor heard her say in a conversation, "I don't know why my boyfriend was so upset. I mean, I was just doing a little blow in the bathroom."

Our class sort of gasped and laughed. The professor said this classmate of hers is now a lawyer in a specialized field. But if someone asks the professor for a recommendation of a lawyer in that field,

"Guess whose name I am not saying."

The point is that we are making an impression with our professors and our cohorts, and we don't always get to choose what professor talks about us to a prospective employer.

"The talk" is something I well certainly keep in mind.

Until Next Time,

Nathan Marshburn