{ prima facie } the Temple Law newspaper

A Look at the Candidates’ Law School Experiences

By Kristin J. Jones

Right now the media only talks about how charismatic John, Hillary, and “Barry” are, but did they play solitaire during class and hang out at the Draught Horse in law school like the rest of us? Here is your chance to see how you stack up against the presidential candidates, back when they were students.

The Gunner

According to Carl Bernstein’s book “A Woman in Charge,” Hillary realized in tenth grade that she wasn’t the smartest kid in the class. No, she would never get to Yale Law School without working harder than everyone else. So, work she did.

In law school, she was a member of a law journal, volunteered at legal services, and worked as a research assistant for a professor. Yet, she definitely did not graduate Yale Law School with honors: actually, it took her four years to graduate. There is probably an explanation as to why it took so long, but I’m going to assume she spent a few too many sleepless nights with Bill during their hot law school romance.

The Superstar

Barack Obama was the first black president of Harvard Law Review and graduated magna cum laude. Yet, it does not appear that he did much else – while Hillary was trying to rid the world of inequality, Barack was chillin’ with his buddies and enjoying the local Cambridge bars.

The Slacker

Okay, so he is admittedly not really a “slacker” but I feel justified in labeling him as such since he is the only presidential candidate who didn’t go to law school. I can only imagine that he said, “Despite being a POW for 5 years, I don’t think I can handle the torture of a room full of 1Ls and a prof. who loves the Socratic method.”

The political candidates really were just like us in law school: they “studied,” participated in law journals, and worked for professors as research assistants. But really, they distinguished themselves as politicians soon after law school.

Immediately after law school, Hillary Clinton participated in Bill Clinton’s House of Representatives campaign. Barack Obama worked with underprivileged citizens of Chicago to enforce housing and voting rights, but took ten years after law school before he started in the Senate. John McCain was a war hero within five years of graduating from the Naval Academy.

So don’t fret! YOU COULD BE A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE! The real hard work doesn’t start until after you graduate.