Oh, happy day! I finished my memo today. Well...almost. I still need to read through it one more time, print it and turn it in, but that is as good as finished! Let me just tell you how sweet it is to have this project done. When I first got my syllabus for Legal Writing and Research, November 4th burned itself into my mind. Not because, it was election day, but because for me to get to November 5th, I was going to have to get this hellacious memo written. Why so tough you ask especially for someone like me that has a writing background? Because legal writing goes against anything I have ever learned before. It is unbelievable restrictive and technical. You know me if it is not perfect I can't handle it. Well, I am widely embracing the fact that right now, until I understand the process better, perfection and I are going to be at odds.
So...this memo process started about two and a half weeks ago when Professor Mazur-Hart emailed out our fact pattern for the assignment. Ultimately, I had to research whether a restaurant and bar owner had a duty to protect a customer from being shot by an armed robber if the incident was not foreseeable and if the owner and his employee had an independent duty to comply with the robber's demands while the robbery was in progress in an effort to protect the customer. So, that information in hand...I headed to the library. That is where this whole process started to go horribly wrong!
Amidst the stacks and stacks of digests, ALR's, restatements.....I became very dazed and confused. For some reason the process of legal research is so all encompassing and overwhelming for me that what should have taken 5 hours took me 2 1/2 days! Yeah...seriously, painful! Not until someone came and walked me step by step through the process did I understand it enough to forge forward. Thank goodness of people who are generous with their time and no question is a dumb question. These days I seem to be filled with LOTS of questions!!!
So after days of wading through research, I finally compiled sufficient cases to begin the writing process. Another roadblock! I get so lost in the minutia of the cases, I discount them as being applicable when they are highly applicable. I can't begin to tell you how many hours I spent reading and re-reading and organizing and re-organizing and walking away with no progress...being no closer to completing the 15 page requirement.
Apparently, I need massive pressure and LOTS of prayer to get things accomplished this weekend. Friday, I spent until 11:30p working on it and walked away with about 3 usable pages. Saturday I worked on it for 9 hours with a total 8 roughly written pages. Sunday, after embarrassingly meeting with a teaching assistant (embarrassed because I was so far behind in my opinion!) and after tons of prayer from family and friends I was able to knock out a chunk of the writing and this evening I finished. Of course I could spend days revising and adjusting, but I am so thankful I have something to turn in I am satisfied with.
Ultimately, no matter how much work this project was and no matter what grade I get (as long as I don't have to rewrite!), this project has been a huge success. I have made advances in my ability to do legal writing. I have a better understanding of how to research. I am learning how to be ok with ok and not beat myself up over having nothing less than a masterpiece. Most of all...at no point during these 2 1/2 very, very trying weeks was I trying to hatch an escape plan! I'd say that is progress!
Now on to bigger mountains!!! FINALS!!!!
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