I really like living inside the Beltway. Interesting things seem to be happening all over.
My boss sent me to a two day meeting put on by the State Department. It was an informal workgroup meeting where treaty negotiators discussed the status of various international treaties. In attendance were also law professors, ALI drafters, UCC drafters, experts in various legal fields, and other veteran legal practitioners. I was the only law student. I took notes. And wonder of wonders, I UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS GOING ON!!!! I really should thank my professors. The first year curriculum has an aspect of hazing to it, that you do it because you do it, and I've met lots of people who say that they never use anything they learned. But I found it all useful at this meeting. From civil procedure were discussions on personal jurisdiction, forum, and choice of law. From contracts, particularly with respect to a discussion on ecommerce, the basic fundamentals of contract law (e.g., offer and acceptance). In a segment on family law I remembered a case we read from Constitutional Law (Michael H. v. Gerald D.). Property and torts also came up, as did admiralty law (which I came to know by virtue of the writing competition which covered it).
It was fascinating and an incredibly educational experience just being there. I learned a ton about particular legal areas (like maritime law, family law, space law) and it was a crash course in international treaty process and European Union law. I'll be well-prepared for my classes next year.
I mostly sat there quietly taking notes, but during one of the last segments on an ecommerce treaty I raised my hand to make some comments. I may be new to the law thing, but the Internet I know a lot about.
Date also changed. Was posted 5/24.