And that’s a wrap on year one.

I can now say I’m a 2L

My first year of law school — and the final two-week block of trial practice — is officially done. It’s been a year of change, growth, and a whole lot of learning.

When I started, I thought I wanted to be a prosecutor. Over the months, I cycled through many versions of “maybe the criminal justice system isn’t for me after all.” But this last class — a mock trial built around the real-life murder of an eight-year-old — reminded me just how fascinating trial advocacy really is.

In a world where AI will increasingly write legal agreements and frameworks, it seems clear to me that trial work — the human side, the live side, the performance of it — will only become more valuable. It’s competitive, fast-paced, theatrical. And my biggest surprise this semester was just how theatrical the courtroom truly is.

I’m glad I did it. Two years to go. For now, I plan to enjoy the summer and make the most of my time with my kids.

My biggest learning? I think I underestimated the life I was living before this — the so-called “retiree” years. I called it drifting. I called it searching. But in hindsight, there was a kind of unstructured freedom to it that had real value — space to think, to evolve, to shed old identities and try new ones on for size.

What I’m realizing now is that purposeful wandering — when balanced with work that demands something of you — is where the magic happens. Full-time drift? You lose your edge. Full-time grind? That’s for the kids. But the space between the two… that’s a real thing. And one I plan to be more intentional about, even as I press forward.

On the broader legal front: I’ll be keeping an eye on some big Supreme Court rulings coming this summer — especially those touching on the unitary executive theory and the scope of presidential power. It does feel like we’re sliding from a balanced three-branch system into a landscape where the executive and judiciary do battle, and the legislative branch becomes increasingly sidelined. Something worth watching.

In the meantime — wishing everyone a great weekend and if you want to read about a strange criminal case, I give you the case of Karen Read, who’s defense will be working over the next month in the second trial (the first ended in a mistrial).