Well, I am almost half way done with this semester (not inlcuding reading week and two weeks of finals). I am doing a lot of writing for my two seminar classes, Adv. Legal Writing and Adv. Entertainment Law. I have my first major assingments due for both in two weeks, including a 20 - 30 page article for entertainment.
I am writing about the musician Tom Waits and his suits involving the right or Publicity. The right of publicity is a property right that protects an individual from unwanted use of her likeness, voice, name, identity and more depending on the jurisdiction and relevant state statute. Tom Waits doesn't do commercials, but lots of companies want his music to promote their product. So, Tom Waits sues them when they use his voice or an impersonator of his voice in a commercial. My argument is that he should not be able to do this, because he is not the only artist to sing with a gravelly voice. Wait's voice is a sound-a-like to many artists voices, including Howling Wolf, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, and Capt. Beefheart. Pop culture has a short memory, however. Tom Waits is the modern equivalent of an amalgamation of these artists, and so his voice is "unique". More on this as it develops.
Otherwise, I am doing well and just trying to keep up. The 1Ls are a constant reminder that I have it a lot better than I did; the feeling is like a glass of water in the desert.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
New Place, New Year
I am finally all moved on to the new place and it is great! I hung out at the pool all day yesterday. My room is pizza shaped which makes for a layout challenge. We finally got our hot water turned on and I am excited for my first hot shower in 5 days!
School starts Wednesday. I am taking business associations, constitutional law, music industry contracts, advanced entertainment law and hopefully advanced legal writing, if I get in (I am still on the waitlist). I am excited to get to school and meet all the new 1ls!
School starts Wednesday. I am taking business associations, constitutional law, music industry contracts, advanced entertainment law and hopefully advanced legal writing, if I get in (I am still on the waitlist). I am excited to get to school and meet all the new 1ls!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Summer Vactation Sea Change
Finals are finally done! It was nice to only have two this semester. I think I did pretty well so that is exciting.
Finals over, its time for vacation and a few changes. On Tuesday, I am flying to Seattle. I'll be there until Saturday, then I am heading to Vancouver until Thursday. From there I will fly to Lollapalooza in Chicago! My friend Adam is going too. We are outdoor concert veterans: we have been to 5 or 6 together. Gonna be great.
That's it for the vacation. Now on to the change. I am moving to a really nice apartment complex on Sunset & Vine. It will be a two bedroom/two bath, at about the same price I am paying now. The complex has a pool and a gym and it is in a much nicer and hipper neighborhood: Hollywood!
Finals over, its time for vacation and a few changes. On Tuesday, I am flying to Seattle. I'll be there until Saturday, then I am heading to Vancouver until Thursday. From there I will fly to Lollapalooza in Chicago! My friend Adam is going too. We are outdoor concert veterans: we have been to 5 or 6 together. Gonna be great.
That's it for the vacation. Now on to the change. I am moving to a really nice apartment complex on Sunset & Vine. It will be a two bedroom/two bath, at about the same price I am paying now. The complex has a pool and a gym and it is in a much nicer and hipper neighborhood: Hollywood!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Books on the Shelf
Only a few days until my vacation. One thing Mom always made sure I had on a summer vacation was a big stack of books, and I have pretty much continued the habit of doing my heaviest reading during the summer. Here are my planned books:
That should pretty much do it, because I only have month off. Reviews of these to come!
- Neuromancer by William Gibson
- All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald S. Passman
- The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber
- Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook by Bob Baker
That should pretty much do it, because I only have month off. Reviews of these to come!
Monday, July 13, 2009
SLO but Steady Wins the Race...
I was in San Luis Obispo (SLO) this weekend for my DJing gig at Rachel's wedding. It went pretty well. I think people had a good time and my music selection (along with the bride's) made for a fun atmosphere. I was also responsible for keeping the wedding running on time and for MCing. The former was more difficult than the latter, but we didn't get too far off schedule.
My law school finals are in one week from today, so I am hunkering down and trying to get my study on. Unfortunately, finals coincide with what seems to be the nicest weather of the year to date, making it all the more diffcult to spend my days inside. I only have one more week, and with only two classes to study for, amounting to 1/3 of my ususal course load, this week should not be too harsh on my already summer oriented mind.
Wish me luck!
My law school finals are in one week from today, so I am hunkering down and trying to get my study on. Unfortunately, finals coincide with what seems to be the nicest weather of the year to date, making it all the more diffcult to spend my days inside. I only have one more week, and with only two classes to study for, amounting to 1/3 of my ususal course load, this week should not be too harsh on my already summer oriented mind.
Wish me luck!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Summer Dreams Ripped At The Seams, But Oh, Those Summer Nights...
I just made a blog post last week about the state of summer classes at Southwestern Law School, but I am realizing to day that summer session is beginning to wind down! My finals in Defamation and Entertainment Law are on Monday, July 20th and Tuesday, July 21st, respectively. That means that as of the time of this post, I have about two weeks left of summer session! It is so short compared to a full semester. Then I will have about a month off before fall begins again.
So here are some things that are going on this week:
The public affairs office has me stuffing envelopes (a lot) and one of my organizations, Public Interest Law Committee, also needs envelope stuffing. Public Interest is sending out letters requesting donations and support for public interest law week in the fall. I realized stuffing letter after letter that the next logical step was having to lick all the adhesive strips on something like 2000 letters. Remembering George Costanza's late fiance, I asked a coworker if we had to lick all the envelopes, and thankfully she said no. Apparently a machine can do that. Good thing I am not an UNPAID intern, or I would probably be that machine. I imagine some Rube-Goldbergian contraption with a bunch of tongues.
I am DJing my friend Rachel's wedding this weekend. I am looking forward to busting out some of the skills I used on Rainy Dawg Radio back at the University of Washington. It should be a good time. I am making a few different playlists to pull from depending on crowd reactions (if any). If you need a DJ and are on a budget, call me. Will spin for food.
So here are some things that are going on this week:
The public affairs office has me stuffing envelopes (a lot) and one of my organizations, Public Interest Law Committee, also needs envelope stuffing. Public Interest is sending out letters requesting donations and support for public interest law week in the fall. I realized stuffing letter after letter that the next logical step was having to lick all the adhesive strips on something like 2000 letters. Remembering George Costanza's late fiance, I asked a coworker if we had to lick all the envelopes, and thankfully she said no. Apparently a machine can do that. Good thing I am not an UNPAID intern, or I would probably be that machine. I imagine some Rube-Goldbergian contraption with a bunch of tongues.
I am DJing my friend Rachel's wedding this weekend. I am looking forward to busting out some of the skills I used on Rainy Dawg Radio back at the University of Washington. It should be a good time. I am making a few different playlists to pull from depending on crowd reactions (if any). If you need a DJ and are on a budget, call me. Will spin for food.
Monday, June 29, 2009
How to Use Twitter and Not Waste Your Time Pt. II
1. Use the "search" to find people seeking services you or your business provides. If you provide catering or dj services, for example, search wedding, party, event, etc. If you are a lawyer, brainstorm some keywords relating to your practice area and do a similar search. Then use @_____ to reply to posts you find.
2. When people tweet, listen. If you picked the right people to follow, you should be able to click on any link posted to your twitter homepage by those you follow and find something that interests you. If someone you followed consistently leads you astray, feel free to not follow them anymore. Furthermore, don't feel obligated to follow someone that is following you. The point of twitter is to filter out unwanted information, and boost the signal of wanted information.
3. Check out this blog post for a great collection of articles on twitter. http://www.alnyethelawyerguy.com/al_nye_the_lawyer_guy/2009/06/35-valuable-articles-for-lawyers-to-read-about-twitter.html
Good Luck!!!
2. When people tweet, listen. If you picked the right people to follow, you should be able to click on any link posted to your twitter homepage by those you follow and find something that interests you. If someone you followed consistently leads you astray, feel free to not follow them anymore. Furthermore, don't feel obligated to follow someone that is following you. The point of twitter is to filter out unwanted information, and boost the signal of wanted information.
3. Check out this blog post for a great collection of articles on twitter. http://www.alnyethelawyerguy.com/al_nye_the_lawyer_guy/2009/06/35-valuable-articles-for-lawyers-to-read-about-twitter.html
Good Luck!!!
Summer Time and the Law School Is Easy...
This summer I am taking two classes: Entertainment Law and Defamation Privacy and Publicity. Entertainment Law is a very general overview of the business and legal side of the entertainment industry, focusing on such topics as talent contracts. Defamation, on the other hand, is a very focused class on a specific species of tort that balances individual's personal rights with constitutionally protected free speech.
It is great to finally take classes that represent my career interests specifically. While all of law school is a rhizome of overlapping and intertwining subject matter, it feels good to get a little specialization, and to apply what I have learned in other classes ( like contracts and torts) to the area of law I hope to break into in two years.
Southwestern itself is a strange atmosphere during the summer, reminding me of the lazy summer days and casual classes of the summer session of undergrad. It is a nostalgic, if ephemeral, feeling.
It is great to finally take classes that represent my career interests specifically. While all of law school is a rhizome of overlapping and intertwining subject matter, it feels good to get a little specialization, and to apply what I have learned in other classes ( like contracts and torts) to the area of law I hope to break into in two years.
Southwestern itself is a strange atmosphere during the summer, reminding me of the lazy summer days and casual classes of the summer session of undergrad. It is a nostalgic, if ephemeral, feeling.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Judges Say the Darndest Things...
Judges sometimes have a penchant for the dramatic. And sometimes they seem to be a little bit angry. But I suppose this is with good reason, they are supposed to be very wise, and they often have a way with words. Here are some of my favorite Judge quotes and phrases, typically recorded in real cases thus far:
"Braggadocio of a Badass"
"Plaintiff's counsel, apparently laboring under the impression that I am not dealing with a full deck and that my knowledge of diversity requirements is about equal to that of a low-grade moron..." -Judge Lord
"...I can hardly expect any more from a counsel whose familiarity with Title 28 U.S.C. 1332 could be no more than a friendly wave from a distance visible only through a powerful telescope." -Judge Lord
The court has, "no obligation to lead counsel through a jurisdictional paint-by-numbers scheme."
"Braggadocio of a Badass"
"Plaintiff's counsel, apparently laboring under the impression that I am not dealing with a full deck and that my knowledge of diversity requirements is about equal to that of a low-grade moron..." -Judge Lord
"...I can hardly expect any more from a counsel whose familiarity with Title 28 U.S.C. 1332 could be no more than a friendly wave from a distance visible only through a powerful telescope." -Judge Lord
The court has, "no obligation to lead counsel through a jurisdictional paint-by-numbers scheme."
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
How to Use Twitter and Not Waste Your Time Pt. 1
Twitter is the best new form of personal marketing available. I often get strange looks from friends and acquaintances when I say this, but it is true. Here is how I believe best used for non-trivial purposes:
1. Follow people who have meaningful and pertinent things to say. If you are sports fan, follow the players you like, the sports writers who have interesting blogs and the teams you are a fan of. If you are a lawyer, search for other lawyers in your practice area or that are local. Try searches related to you practice area to see what people are saying about it and "tweet" about current topics or topics that are missing.
2. Be a person who people want to follow. How to do this? Make meaningful and pertinent posts. I always try to include a link to an interesting article in my "tweets", so that there is always more content per tweet than the 140 characters.
3. Know and use the lingo. Use hash marks (#____) and re-tweets (RT @username) to generate buzz about what you are saying. The # symbol before a keyword create posts that term to sites like http://twitter.com/hashtags , http://www.hashtweeps.com/ and http://www.tweetscan.com/ . Re-tweeting is like amplifying another person's signal, sending the original person's tweet to all your followers. If you like someone's tweet, it is good twitter etiquette to retweet it with "RT @username" before the post. More on that here: http://bloggingbits.com/the-art-and-science-of-retweeting-for-twitteraholics/
To be continued....
1. Follow people who have meaningful and pertinent things to say. If you are sports fan, follow the players you like, the sports writers who have interesting blogs and the teams you are a fan of. If you are a lawyer, search for other lawyers in your practice area or that are local. Try searches related to you practice area to see what people are saying about it and "tweet" about current topics or topics that are missing.
2. Be a person who people want to follow. How to do this? Make meaningful and pertinent posts. I always try to include a link to an interesting article in my "tweets", so that there is always more content per tweet than the 140 characters.
3. Know and use the lingo. Use hash marks (#____) and re-tweets (RT @username) to generate buzz about what you are saying. The # symbol before a keyword create posts that term to sites like http://twitter.com/hashtags , http://www.hashtweeps.com/ and http://www.tweetscan.com/ . Re-tweeting is like amplifying another person's signal, sending the original person's tweet to all your followers. If you like someone's tweet, it is good twitter etiquette to retweet it with "RT @username" before the post. More on that here: http://bloggingbits.com/the-art-and-science-of-retweeting-for-twitteraholics/
To be continued....
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Extracurriculars
Well it's been a few months. Sorry.
I am volunteering with this program called Teen Court as of late. It is an alternative to Juvenile detention for young law breakers, offering them a chance to keep their record clean. Before a judge and a jury of their peers, they have to explain various aspects of the crime the committed, their current activities, what they hope to accomplish if they don't get their act together, etc. I help with jury instruction, but it is really not necessary; these kids know their stuff. It is truly amazing to watch theses judges at work. They are not individuals with whom to mess. Tomorrow, we have about 100 kids coming from Dorsey High School to see how we live. Dorsey is a legal magnet school, so hopefully we either scare these kids into choosing a different career path or sharpen their resolve. We can't all be lawyers, after all.
I am now a member of the National Lawyers Guild. It is a Critical Theory Bar Association; basically it is CHID for grown up lawyers. Mumia Abu-Jamal is a Vice President of the organization, if that is any indication of the type of crowd.
Mumia is a black panther convicted of murdering a police officer and is currently serving a life sentence (I believe he was or is sentenced to death, however). It was one of those case similar to the Hurricane (with whom I've spoken), where no one really saw what happened, and an "angry" black man was there to get blamed. Its also a case of racism inherent in the legal system, with various court officials showing evidence of racial bias (This is an understatement which I meant to be sarcastic. A court stenographer filed an affidavit stating that he over heard one of the judges sitting on the appeal state that he would like to help "fry the n****r"). Rage Against The Machine is one of his big proponents.
Needless to say I am excited to go to the first NLG networking event.
I am also thinking about volunteering next door with the Heart of Los Angeles Youth Program. It is a question of when I will find the time however. I need to get on that. A 1L does not have much time to do anything, let alone non-law school things.
I am volunteering with this program called Teen Court as of late. It is an alternative to Juvenile detention for young law breakers, offering them a chance to keep their record clean. Before a judge and a jury of their peers, they have to explain various aspects of the crime the committed, their current activities, what they hope to accomplish if they don't get their act together, etc. I help with jury instruction, but it is really not necessary; these kids know their stuff. It is truly amazing to watch theses judges at work. They are not individuals with whom to mess. Tomorrow, we have about 100 kids coming from Dorsey High School to see how we live. Dorsey is a legal magnet school, so hopefully we either scare these kids into choosing a different career path or sharpen their resolve. We can't all be lawyers, after all.
I am now a member of the National Lawyers Guild. It is a Critical Theory Bar Association; basically it is CHID for grown up lawyers. Mumia Abu-Jamal is a Vice President of the organization, if that is any indication of the type of crowd.
Mumia is a black panther convicted of murdering a police officer and is currently serving a life sentence (I believe he was or is sentenced to death, however). It was one of those case similar to the Hurricane (with whom I've spoken), where no one really saw what happened, and an "angry" black man was there to get blamed. Its also a case of racism inherent in the legal system, with various court officials showing evidence of racial bias (This is an understatement which I meant to be sarcastic. A court stenographer filed an affidavit stating that he over heard one of the judges sitting on the appeal state that he would like to help "fry the n****r"). Rage Against The Machine is one of his big proponents.
Needless to say I am excited to go to the first NLG networking event.
I am also thinking about volunteering next door with the Heart of Los Angeles Youth Program. It is a question of when I will find the time however. I need to get on that. A 1L does not have much time to do anything, let alone non-law school things.
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