William & Mary Alumni

Brittney Pescatore just graduated from the College of William and Mary where she double majored in English and government. Check back often to read her always evolving and interesting thoughts. Subscribe to her RSS feed

Current Blog | 2007 Archives

A Common Cause

BY BRITTNEY PESCATORE '07

June 12, 2008

This summer seems to be about gaining focus. At my internship, I'm working in the area of media law and my long-standing interest in the First Amendment is growing even stronger. This past weekend I headed to the ACLU membership conference in D.C. to represent the law school chapter. I heard from speakers on a variety of issues that really matter to me. Almost everyone who addressed the conference was a lawyer, a journalist, or both.

Tomorrow I need to decide whether to pay my deposit for journalism school. I'm still mulling the decision over, but over the past few weeks I've realized that, despite my ambivalence about whether law or journalism is the right route for me, the choice I've set up for myself is the right choice. I don't know yet whether my role is meant to be exercising First Amendment rights or protecting them, but it's clear that when it comes to making a difference in the world on the issues I care most about, either one of these professions provides a way to do it.

Check back every other week for new installments of Brittney's thoughts on her post-William and Mary life and times.

Identity Crisis, Again

BY BRITTNEY PESCATORE '07

May 29, 2008

Now that the writing competition is over, I am completely finished with my 1L year and if I've learned anything, it's to appreciate those moments when you don't have any cases to read or outlines to create. I'm trying to savor this week the best I can; I don't start my internship until Monday. So far, I've spent my time sleeping in, cooking elaborate meals (translation: meals that require more than the microwave) and even going to the gym again. I still waste plenty of time obsessively refreshing the web site where my grades will eventually appear, despite knowing that it will probably be another month before they're all in. For the most part, however, I'm living a law-free week.

I just got back from the Pulitzer Prizes award ceremony, which is held annually at Columbia. A friend got an invite and took me along. The whole experience was very exciting but I couldn't help but leave the event questioning my direction in life. I just completed my first year at law school, but as I take one step closer to earning my J.D., I worry that I'm taking more steps away from my journalistic ambitions.

Enjoying my free time this week, I've finally gotten the chance to leisurely read whole newspapers and magazines. I also spent some time looking into legal internships for the fall, only to find myself clicking through media and journalism opportunities instead. Just when I thought I had decided that I'd made the right decision in coming to law school and pursuing a legal career, I'm beginning to question it all. I really am interested in everything I learned this year and I really do think that being a lawyer can be a very rewarding career choice for me. But they don't usually give out Pulitzer Prizes to lawyers.

No Escape

BY BRITTNEY PESCATORE '07

May 14, 2008

When I walked out of my Con Law exam yesterday, I was absolutely giddy -- not because I thought I'd done particularly well, but because it was all over, One-L year officially behind me.

There's still the writing competition for snagging a spot on Law Review, but I have a full three months before I have to even pick up a case book again. Despite the temporary freedom I now face, I can't stop thinking about law. When loud shouting from the street kept me from enjoying my mid-afternoon nap yesterday, I wondered if my landlord was violating an Implied Covenant of Quiet Enjoyment.

On my bus ride home this morning, I carefully looked at the fine print on the back of my Greyhound ticket, wondering if I could discover any unconscionable contract clauses. At dinner with my family tonight, I somehow ended up going on a rant against mandatory minimums in criminal sentencing. I think the impetus was a joke about my sister being on crack. (She's not really on crack though, she insists I clarify).

I never expected to be able to escape the study of law for a whole summer, especially considering the fact I have a legal internship. I'm learning more and more that I may never be able to avoid thinking about legal issues on a daily basis. Fortunately, there is absolutely no reason I should have to step foot in a library for the next 100 days.