Conflicts of Law

So, I was riding the elevator up to the library with some 3L's a few nights ago. One of 'em espied my Conflicts of Law casebook, turned to me, and said, "so, you're gonna be a Chancellor, huh?" (A Chancellor is someone who has one of the top 16 GPAs in his class of 400 or so.) If I had my wits about me, I woulda said something like, "I think I'm already mathematically eliminated from contention." (Instead, I kinda just laughed and issued a generic denial.)

The point of this anecdote, however, is not to give myself a virtual do-over. Rather, it's to impress upon y'all the reputation that Conflicts has among the law school. It's reputed to be the most challenging course--my peers cringe when I mention that I'm taking it--and, what's worse, only the best and brightest take it, generally. (Is that because the best and brightest like to challenge themselves academically? Well, maybe, but it's also an essential course for someone looking to land a judicial clerkship after graduation. I'll let you decide for yourself whether your typical law student is extrinsically or intrinsically motivated.)


Now, before we go any further, let me stress that I am neither the best nor the brightest. I'm not looking for a clerkship, either. I took the course because (1) I didn't believe the hype, (2) the material seemed interesting, and (3) I like the professor (had him for Civil Procedure).


Okay, so why bring this up? Cuz we just got into the meat of the course and I'm gonna use this blog as a means for studying. I figure that if I can translate the lectures and cases into something that you (an intelligent reader, no doubt, but one who likely has little training in the law) can comprehend, I'll learn the material more thoroughly and flesh out my own misunderstandings, etc, along the way.

Please note that I cannot warrant that my understanding of the material is accurate. This is a relatively unvarnished look at a 2L's attempt to grasp some very confusing concepts, that's all.