Summer “Vacation”

By James Kwak

Tomorrow I am beginning my summer internship (for those who don’t know, I’m a law student between my second and third years). I’m going to be working in death penalty defense.

Sometimes people ask me how I find the time to write this blog. The answer is that being a student at the Yale Law School takes a good deal less time than a real job. (You can, of course, make yourself very busy with clinics, journals, and other activities, but you don’t have to.) But this summer will be like a real job, and I intend to spend the time that I’m not working with my family, which means that I will be cutting way, way back on blogging this summer. I’m guessing that I’ll write about two posts per week, but I would not be too surprised if I don’t even manage that, and there’s a small chance I won’t have time for anything at all.

I expect that I’ll get back to something close to my usual frequency in late August or early September.

Thank you for taking the time to read the blog.

35 thoughts on “Summer “Vacation””

  2. Good on you for setting your priorities. While I will miss your writing, you’ve got your head screwed on right.

    Learn a lot this summer. Your experience will be needed.

    Gary

  3. Good luck, James.

    Two classic film recommendations regarding the wisdom in leaving sentencing to a group and not to an individual.

    First is USA classic “Twelve Angry Men”

    Second, is the Russian film version called “12”.

    Thank God for “pain in the neck” personalities :-)

  4. Good luck, James. Thank you for taking the time to bear witness to the truth. Your contribution has been indispensable, you are an honest broker in a market of lies. I look forward to any return you choose to make, you help to keep hope alive for our deeply troubled republic.

    Sam P.

  5. James –
    You can’t go telling people that studying law at YLS doesn’t necessarily take a lot of time. It’ll blow the value of that piece of paper you get next year. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling people we don’t get real grades. Shhh!
    Good luck with the summer clerkship. Do some good. And keep up the good work on the website. Hurry back.
    Brian Casey
    YLS ’92

  6. How about “The Verdict” with Paul Newman or “To Kill a Mockingbird” with Gregory Peck???

    Actually my favorite scene is when Newman’s character hyperventilates in the bathroom, but that one isn’t so related to law.

    And here Atticus’ speech:

  7. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of time you find to do the things you feel most passionate about.

    Personally I expect we’ll see you writing at least two posts per week as blogger withdrawal sets in.

  9. Thanks for all the valuable insight–and for telling the truth when most of the Wall Street/Washington pundits can’t bring themselves to do so. We need the fearlessness of intellectual bloggers such as you to remind us of what could be.

    Good luck…have fun…and cherish your family time.

    We’ll be awaiting your future insights.

  10. Good luck James.

    I was thinking one day you might work as a lawyer for the the poor who have been scammed by dishonest mortgage brokers. This summer job is even more serious. I much admire your spirit. Best wishes.

  12. This is a shame for us, but sounds like a chance to do something very fulfilling. Best of luck.

  15. I enjoyed your posts, James, and it will be unfortunate that I won’t get to see them more regularly. In any case, I wish you the best.

    Regards,
    GK

  16. Good luck James, you will definitely be missed by this avid Baseline Scenario reader!

  19. Criminal defense work = belly of the beast.

    Capital cases = underbelly of the beast.

  20. Ditto to all of the well expressed good wishes, especially Gary’s point. You’re one of the best.

  21. James, I want to thank you and Simon for this blog! It is always very sad for me when I finish a superb book, and that was the way I felt as 13 Bankers drew to a close. Little did I know that 13 Bankers didn’t end–but continues daily with this blog.

  22. Please be kidding. What do you want me to read at breakfast during summer? Good, old fashioned newspaper? Yeah, right! ;-)

  23. Have a great summer. I’m a lawyer and interned with a number of kids from Harvard and Yale law schools during the summer. It was always amusing to me how little they had to work during law school, while the rest of us knuckleheads at the regular law schools were busting hump.

    I still remember drinking beers with the gang one night, and it came to light that all of the kids from regular law schools knew who Grant Gilmore was and each had read his masterwork, but none of the kids from YLS or HLS even knew the name!

    Hard to get in, easy to get through. (Not dissimilar to the undergrad programs at these schools, one of which I went to.)

    Anyway, hope you choose keep up with public service after graduation; we need the talent there. And, with all the public service support programs the rich law schools have, your classmates don’t have that good of an excuse for flocking to Wall Street firms.

  24. Thanks very much for all the posts, education and insight you have provided James. I have really enjoyed reading baselinescenario. I just wished more people in power had paid attention to you and Simon! Good luck with the internship and school and I hope you have a nice summer. Thanks again, Ian

  25. Nice to see honesty in a lawyer prior to graduation. I heard Yale was a breeze if you can pay the tuition. According to several well known authors Bill Clinton did not actually have to attend any of his third year classes to graduate. Sort of a microcosm of American allocation of power and wealth.

  26. Maybe you can check into a 12-step program and learn to accept those things you cannot change–however, I doubt you will.

  27. Maybe we can all pitch in to keep the blog running over the summer. Nemo, Bond Girl, Russ, Ted K, etc — what do you think?

  28. This sounds like a great suggestion to me. And don’t forget Stats Guy.

  30. Yes, Yale is the bastion of “liberal elitism”. Just ask Robert Bork who was a professor at YLS about 15 years. Bork can tell you all the yuck yuck jokes they made about abortion and how antitrust laws hurt consumers but they just weren’t as probing and insightful as Bork to figure it out. We can’t slip anything by you Georgy.

  31. Excellent idea! People will stop visiting this blog if there’s nothing new to read on a regular basis.

  33. I only lurk here, but I’m compelled to wish you the very best and show much gratitude for the analysis you have provided since the inception of this blog.
    Thank you so much, James.

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