Here's a message I got from a reader:
I'm writing to thank you for your contribution to the legal blogosphere because it was the primary influence that positively affected my most recent grades. While I can't prove causation, I feel comfortable with the assertion that your blog was a big help. As such, I view your blog as a great legal educational tool in addition to its entertainment value.Use these numbers for comparison, your mileage may vary, but, hey, if it worked for Mr. Levin, I'm delighted to hear it.I'm currently a 3L. I started reading your blog (daily, sometimes 3 times a day) at the beginning of last summer or maybe in the spring of my 2L year. Over several months of reading entries on the Volokh Conspiracy, I began to acquire significantly better analytical skills. I noticed it in my day-to-day conversations among friends and in my school work.
I'd performed well in my first two years, but I didn't really understand what it meant to write a good law school exam. This last semester, I went into my examines with the confidence that I was going to write 'A' exams (and I did for the most part). My confidence and the knowledge supporting it was, in large part, a product of reading your blog.
The Volokh Conspiracy provides great examples of law school test writing. Frequently, the posts on your blog involve the application of law to facts. Of course, such law-to-fact application can be found in lots of places. But your blog is superior; it does a great job of law-to-fact application with a large variety of legal issues and a large variety of fact patterns. In addition to the wide variety of laws and facts, your posters tend to write more clearly, economically, and persuasively than other blogs, long form law review articles, or cases.
Additionally, the comments section of your blog is often filled with insightful critiques of the posts, which further enhances my analytical skills.
Some of my improvement was the natural product of working hard in law school. But a large part of it was my daily dose of The Volokh Conspiracy.
Thank you for your time. Please continue the good work.
Sincerely,
Adam Levin
I'd also add that, given the very wide open commenting policy, the ratio of legitimate comments to junk is quite impressive.
Frankly, this blog is a must-read for law students.
I know some of ya are libertarians suckin me away from what I thought were natural Republican party loyalties. Seemingly what I thought was Republican now seems more [ Libby ]{can't help this}
As educators you've certainly expanded beyond your institutions.
Chuck Norris reads and memorizes this blog
And then I began reading the Volokh Conspiracy. Slowly, day by day, things changed. My intellectual powers sharpened. My legal insight grew deeper. I became more handsome. My girlfriend withdrew her restraining order. Most importantly, my grades improved.
Some of this may be the natural by-product of sheer fantasy and schizophrenia, or the 20 dollars I've received for this post.
But I know... I just know... that the cumulative hours I've spent avoiding my law school work and tuning out the professor in class while reading this blog made essential contributions.
Thanks Volokh Conspiracy!
I also second the notion that the VC is a magnet for articulate and smart comments and discussion. I think this is in large part because of the way the material is presented, filtering out some of the average idiotic commenters that plague the internet.
Fourth tier baby!
Instead, I spent my time watching Gump Worsley tending goal for the Montreal Canadiens. Gump holds the NHL record for most career losses by a goaltender, but only because he played for the lowly New York Rangers for a decade. With Montreal, he won four Stanley Cups and two Vezina trophies. He was afraid of flying, but not of facing pucks flying at him at 100 miles per hour without a mask. He was a little man, but had a huge heart and played 21 seasons at the top level, until he was 45. Well done, Gump. The Gumper died on Friday. May he rest in peace.