3L Year Boring???

If 3L year is suppose to "bore you to death," then we are bucking the trend. In the same right, most of the 3Ls I know are ready to graduate, but we are not bored. There are mixed emotions for the 3Ls this semester; are there still classes I'd like to learn more about, sure, but am I ready to graduate and start bar prep, you bet. I think that holds true for most of my classmates. Graduating is nearing and the light at the end of tunnel continues to get brighter.

My 4 classes are going well, and each has their own dynamic. Land Use Control is interesting because we spend time discussing current events around Des Moines and the class gets us beyond the case book and out into the community exploring issues.

For Administrative Law I have a professor who brings the subject to life through his real life practice in front of administrative officials. The fact that agencies do so much of the rule making in today's regulatory climate makes it all the more important to understand the issue.

Media law is interesting because it is a subject that is totally new to me. I've never spent time studying broadcasting and legal issues associated with the broadcast spectrum, so the class is opening up a variety of new subjects to me.

I'm also working on my independent study class and researching for my paper on the concepts of exactions and real estate development. My paper is an analysis on recent case law involving exactions, and I'm beginning to develop the paper.

The semester is off to a great start and I'm looking forward to finishing strong!!

Scottsdale Vacation

Last week I was in Scottsdale, Arizona for a long weekend getaway. It was a terrific chance to get out of town for a few days and relax!! It was a great trip!!! I spent some time visiting friends, golfing and watching the Phoenix Open. A buddy of mine and I took off and we dropped in on some friends in Scottsdale.

On Thursday we played golf and met some great folks on the golf course and then made our way to the Birds Nest. Thursday night the Goo Goo Dolls performed at the Birds Nest and it was a great party. Thousands of folks packed the arena for the concert. On Friday we watched some great golf on the 16th hole which is dubbed "stadium golf," because the hole is walled in with stands. It is chaos in the hole and the fans go wild for the golf. On Saturday and Sunday we spent more time watching different players compete for over $1,000,000.



The Phoenix Open is like no other event on the planet. The fans go crazy for great golf, and the tournament set a new all time record, on Saturday over 178,000 fans were on the course to watch the game and take in the festivities!! What an experience!!!

The reason I had the chance to visit Scottsdale starts during my junior year at Drake. I had the chance to meet a member of the Drake Board of Trustees who was a Drake Alumni and active with leadership programs on campus. Over the last couple of years I've built a friendship with him and have made a couple of trips down to learn more about his business and work in Scottsdale. Him and his wife have become great friends and I look forward to the chance to connect with them when they are in town or when I'm in Scottsdale. He has been a great mentor of mine and visiting Scottsdale is always a great experience!! These are the long term relationships that students can foster with alumni.

The weather was amazing, 75 degrees and sunny, and the golf was absolutely amazing!! I got to see some great golf stars play. Here's a mocked up video by some of the golfers we got to watch.



There's always a show at the Phoenix Open

Triple Over Time Bulldogs

What a great night to be a bulldog!! The men's basketball team took on Wichita State last night at the Knapp Center. The crowd nearly filled the stands to watch Drake take on a difficult opponent.

At the end of regulation time the scores were tied, and they remained that way after the 1st and 2nd overtime periods. During the 3rd overtime, the Bulldogs pulled ahead and knocked out Wichita State. The Knapp Center was rocking as fans stood for all 3 overtime periods and students charged the court to celebrate the Bulldog victory!!

It was a great night to be a Bulldog fan!!! The guys played great together and the night ended with Drake winning 93-86. Here are some news articles about the game!!

Wichita St at Drake Basketball

What a night for Simons and his running mates

First Week of Classes

The first week of classes is complete...sort of. I had 3 classes this week, but 2 of them canceled because the professor was ill. So last week was a nice way to ease in to classes and this week I get a do over for the first week of classes. Next week will really be the official start of the semester for me and we really get in to classes.

It was great to be back and see everyone on campus and catch up with a lot of friends!!! And the first week wouldn't be complete without a "First Day Photo~~

New Year's Eve

Ringing in 2012 was a blast this year!!! New Year's Eve is one of those Holidays that sometimes doesn't live up to expectations, and sometimes it sets the bar pretty high for the year. This year I had 2 parties to attend. One party was a group of friends from law school and the other was a group of friends from college. It was great to get to ring in the holiday with such great friends. This New Year's Eve was one of the best!!

I was able to make both parties, see everyone and get to count down the seconds until 2012. Both parties had a light and fun mood, hosted at homes around Des Moines. It's also a time of year when people begin thinking about 2012 so I got to hear a great deal of resolutions and hopes for 2012. We shared in enthusiasm for 2012 and had a great time!!!

Entering the Final Semester

Break is nearing an end, this will be the final week. Then I will begin the final semester of law school, and my final semester at Drake University (as a student). Lately I have been answering the same questions pretty often. It's high time that I share with you a few thoughts on my final semester and my plans for after graduation.

I'm pretty excited to be entering my finals semester of law school. I'm taking 4 classes. Land Use Control, Administrative Law, Mass Media Law and an indpendent study class on current issues effecting real estate development. My independent study class requires a 25 page paper, which I am still developing exactly what I will write about. There are also a great deal of experiences I'm looking forward to. There is still much to do. Besides passing my classes, we'll have our 100 day party, Supreme Court Day, applications for the bar, finals and graduation.

I will graduate from Drake Law in May and then begin bar preparation. The preparation for the bar exam lasts about 7 weeks and then in late July, I'll take the actual bar exam. The actual exam takes about 3 days and is a combination of essay and multiple choice questions. Today the exam can be taken on computer.

After the bar exam, I have accepted a position as a Marketing Representative with R&R Realty Group here in West Des Moines, Iowa. I have worked at R&R Realty Group for about 3 years now, and I am very excited to be able to go to work for them this summer. I could not be more excited to start this next chapter of my life. I have the pleasure of working with a group of high achieving, high energy individuals who make going to work everyday a blast.

I won't be practicing law full time in the traditional sense as many of my friends will be doing. However, I know from experience that a law degree is multi-dimensional and I'll be able to put my law degree to good use in whatever path life leads me on.

Cheers!!