The Wonderful Feeling of “Done”

I finished my law review Note.

After a semester of what turned out to be considerable enjoyment working on the project, I wrapped it up (for the most part) yesterday.

I finished the first draft of the completed Note, which included all five sections (Introduction, Background, Analysis, Contribution, and Conclusion) before Christmas. I sent copies of it to several folks who were kind enough to offer to review it for me and mark up my draft with their suggestions, comments, and ideas.

I received their marked-up copies and set to work yesterday making the revisions they suggested, and working with their ideas on how to make it a better overall finished product.

And I did it. I finished!

I turn in this finished version on Monday, the 9th (which is also the first day of classes of my last semester of law school!). The law review editors will vote on the acceptability (not publishability) of the Note later that week. Then, on January 23, I will receive comment/evaluation sheets from the editors on my Note, and will have a chance to do any last-minute revisions or changes before handing it in for publishability-voting purposes on February 5.

I know you’re intrigued.

The point of all this? Is that I did it! First year, I didn’t want to do law review. At all. And I am so very glad that I waited until this year to do it. It gave me a chance to find a subject (complex federal litigation strategies, of all things) that intrigued me and seemed “kinda fun” to me, which made the research and writing process more of an exercise of my perpetual curiousity and urge to know more, and less of a chore or burden.

Mums always says stuff works out like it’s supposed to, and regardless of the outcome of the vote (though I hope the eventual outcome is publishability, don’t get me wrong), I think having wound up on law review this year was exactly the right way to go. I have really enjoyed the process. And I never would have guessed I’d be saying that!

Also… special thanks (whether or not they read this is questionable, but the sentiment is still there) goes out to: Mandy Shell, Jeremy Butler, Katie Peterson, and Professor Dooley, for their kind offers to read and review my note, and their thoughtful, careful suggestions and edits.

As I told Professor Dooley in a recent email, I discovered that having great minds reviewing my work really helped make my job of improving my work much easier. I can see why “experts” say it’s good to surround yourself with really intelligent and challenging people; it was from their reviews, questions, ideas and comments that I think many sparks of inspiration ignited for me.

I’m done! Hoo-RAH!

[Now, everyone make sure you send me positive thoughts around February 5 or so, when voting on publishability takes place, okay?]

Labels: all about me, law school