Meet The Law Girls

Well, guys, it has been about three months since we started this endeavor with sharing our life and law school experiences with you. Today, we take a little bit of time to give a more in-depth introduction of ourselves to you! So you know exactly who The Law Girls are.

Law Girl with Pearls

I am a 2L at SMU Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas.

I was born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida.  I received my Bachelors in Business Administration in Accounting with a minor in International Studies from Southern Methodist University.

Originally, I thought that I was going to be a CPA and work as a tax accountant in one of the Big Four Accounting firms.  What changed my mind was my accounting internship during the second semester of my senior year of undergrad.  I had applied to law school with the intention of giving myself multiple options when I graduated, but it quickly became my first choice path.  I truly enjoyed the accounting work, but what I fell in love with was the puzzle of the law.

1L year was quite an adventure, that is for sure.  It was the first time that I wrote papers since my sophomore year of college.  The adjustment curve was definitely there for me.  The great part of it all was that my school had so many resources to accelerate my writing skills and help me get back in the rhythm of preparing research papers.  I cannot tell you how much time I spent with my TA going over techniques.  I still have such a passion for tax and international relations.  When I begin to practice, I want to work in the area of international tax law.  I want to work in an advisory corporate setting.

I am a new cat mom.  I just adopted two cats named Lucy and Ethel.  They are super cute and super talkative!

Blue Jay Law Girl

I am a 2L at Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska.

I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. I have a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with emphasis in Professional Chemistry and a minor in Physics from the University of Nevada Reno.

My plan was to go into Forensic Science but after the State of Nevada announced that they were trying to implement a law that would change the way the state operated their sex offender registry, I changed my plans and decided on law school. I took the LSAT on three months of preparation. I went from the decision to go to law school to my first acceptance in just about 8 months.

I have two cats, Mommas and Mooch! I am also a die-hard fan of the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians and the Vegas Golden Knights.

My 1L year wasn't exactly ideal. As most of you know, I've mentioned quite a few times about this injury I suffered. Well, six days before 1L Orientation, I was packing the rest of my belongings to move from Reno, Nevada to Omaha and, when attempting to lift a desk, my knee buckled - and popped - and down I went. Turns out, I had a trimalleolar fracture of my ankle (basically, broken in three places, one of the worst you could do) as well as a dislocated and broken kneecap, a torn medial patellofemoral ligament, and I tore all the cartilage out from underneath my kneecap. I had surgery for two plates and nine screws in the ankle, moved to Omaha, and had open knee surgery the Friday before Labor Day - right after Torts lecture - and was back in class for my 8a Property lecture the Tuesday after Labor Day. I spent 16 weeks not being able to drive - and in a walking boot - and 8 weeks not being able to put weight on my leg. I survived 1L with a 2.16 GPA after both fall and spring semesters. When we tell you that you can do anything, we mean it! You can do anything and you will make it through, no matter how bad it seems.

After law school, I plan on going into criminal defense even though I'm not sure 1) where I'm taking the Bar or 2) if I'm going to go into solo practice or be a public defender.

Now you know a bit more about us than what you see when you click our bios! Never forget, we are here for you and if there's ever anything you have questions on, just ask!! We're all in this together!

In the words of Tigger, ta ta for now!

Advice from the Nebraska Supreme Court

I will be the first to tell you, spring semester was intense. Especially during the last month prior to finals. However, in the middle of everything - way back in the first week of April -  I was lucky to have one of the coolest experiences of my young law school career. The Nebraska Supreme Court held a session of oral arguments in our Gross Appellate Courtroom at Creighton University School of Law. Granted, as a 1L my attendance was required by our Legal Research & Writing professors, it was something I was certainly glad to have been a part of.

Luckily, the court allowed us to have pen and paper available in the courtroom and I was going to write this whole long post about every case that was argued before I decided...you don't want to hear all that.

But, what I do bring to you...is the advice of the Justices that I gathered from the after argument Q&A session.

The Nebraska Supreme Court

The Court is made up of seven justices. However, due to the death of one justice - and the unexpected resignation of another - the Court only had five sitting justices, a district court judge and judge from the Court of Appeals.

The Court was composed of the following justices during the arguments I saw:

Chief Justice Michael Heavican

Justice Stephanie Stacy

Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman

Justice William Cassel

Justice Jeffrey Funke

They were joined by district court judge Stefanie Martinez, from the 2nd Judicial District and judge Francie Riedmann from the Court of Appeals, 3rd Judicial District.

Q&A Session

Questions were asked of the justices by the Creighton School of Law, Class of 2020. The questions, and their answers - to the best of my note taking ability - are here below.

Q: Is more weight given to the written briefs that are submitted, or to the oral argument?

A: Justice Miller-Lerman: "Everything.

A: Justice Cassel: "You can't have an oral argument bring new matters that aren't mentioned in the brief."
A: Justice Funke: "Briefs are important as they are always reviews, but oral argument expands on that."
A: Justice Stacy: "We do re-listen to arguments [arguments are recorded] to confirm our approach to the case."

Q: What are the next steps for the Court after oral argument?

A: Justice Cassel: "We talk about the case. The judge who will author the opinion, the author judge, is assigned by the court clerk and the writing imposes a discipline that is integral to the decision process. It requires careful thought."

A: Justice Funke: "I need to see the opinion written. I may or may not be on board."

Q: Does Nebraska exercise de novo review?

A: Justice Funke: "We do for juvenile cases, domestic cases and for abuse of discretion."

A: Justice Cassel: "Everyone on the court uses heading for standards of review and the standard is usually controlling."

Q: Is it a pet peeve when someone does not give a direct answer to a question?

A: Justice Miller-Lerman: "It is never a trivial question and the judge is confused."
A: Justice Cassel: "There was a lawyer yesterday where I asked, 'So the answer is yes?'"

A: Justice Stacy: "Just answer the question!"

Q: Do you have a preference in regards to the presentation?

A: Justice Stacy: "Sometimes lawyers tell too much, thinking we haven't read the brief. But, persuasion starts with high points. A roadmap helps for the queue of questions; what is most persuasive?"

A: Chief Justice Heavican: "It is important when arguing that you know it is your opportunity to discuss what is most important in your case."

Q: How do you prepare for oral arguments? If you had an extra hour in the day, what would you do with it?

A: Justice Miller-Lerman: " Go to bed earlier. Read briefs for strength and give the research to the law clerks."
A: Chief Justice Heavican: "Key cases that are cited will be reviewed."
A: Justice Cassel: "Read as much of the record as is appropriate."

A: Justice Funke: "I read the record, pleadings by attorneys and transcripts. Were the questions and affirmative defenses framed correctly. There are two types of law clerks: career clerks and term clerks. Career clerks stay with a particular judge for a long period of time while term clerks are usually fresh out of law school, they just passed the bar. For Nebraska, term clerks for the Supreme Court clerk for two years"

A: Justice Stacy: "Author judge prepares the bench brief to help the other justices be well informed."

Overall, it was a very interesting perspective to have. I encourage all of our readers to check your local court calendars - Supreme Court or Court of Appeals - and see when they hold oral arguments and check them out if you can! It is definitely an experience in and of itself that is completely different from being in trial courts or even in school competitions.

Hopefully, these answers help you see how the Justices on one state Supreme Court see their job.

Stay classy everyone!

~BlueJayLawGirl