Category Archives: Law School

Retreat Behind Us

Posted on October 11, 2003 by Michael Froomkin

I survived the retreat. Based on this experience, so far I think neither my fears nor Eric Muller's enthusiasm were justified, as we didn't really do anything except brainstorming. If, however, there is meaningful followthrough on a few of the more substantial ideas brainstormed, then I'll have to admit that Eric was right.

Continue reading →

Posted in Law School | Comments Off on Retreat Behind Us

Full-Scale Retreat

Posted on October 10, 2003 by Michael Froomkin

Day One of the Retreat went better, on the whole, than I had feared.

Unlike the icky retreat Daniel Drezner recalls, we didn't have “bad pizza, bad flourescent lighting, and bad pontificating”—or at least very little of the latter. Nor did we have Prof. Bainbridge “Bad coffee, bad food, uncomfortable folding chairs, bad PowerPoint” that he says probably “cut at least two millenia off [his] stint in Purgatory.” In fact, we had no PowerPoint at all. The meeting was held in a lovely resort (not hard to find in Miami), and had good food plus a lovely view of the resort's pool and the ocean beyond it. There was an absolutely gorgeous sunset. We even got them to turn off the horrible Muzak that comes standard in the conference room.
And at dinner I learned that my collegue Alan Swan has an operatic-quality voice and is a fairly serious singer.

Continue reading →

Posted in Law School | Comments Off on Full-Scale Retreat

Retreat In Order To Better Advance

Posted on October 7, 2003 by Michael Froomkin

We are about to undergo a “Retreat” next weekend to discuss fundamental issues about the law school's future direction and advancement. This worries me.

I've only ever been on a workplace “Retreat” once before, and that one was badly organized—or rather it was not organized at all, and it ended in disaster. This one at least has a written agenda and professional, trained facilitators, who understand the academic legal environment. So there's some reason to hope that this one might not be a disaster. Nevertheless, I'd be very interested in any advice any Retreat survivors could point me to about what to do or not do, to hope for, or to fear.

I take it, for example, that I should not wear my demotivator t-shirt to the meeting, nor propose to decorate the meeting room with a suitable poster or two.

Continue reading →

Posted in Law School, U.Miami | 1 Comment