Guest Post - J.Huynh - The Day We Drank In Contracts...

Ms. Huynh is a first year law student at the University of Oregon. She is bright, brilliant, beautiful and has an apparent gift for telling a story.

I stumbled across her posting on Facebook while attempting to procrastinate (at which, as it turns out, I was successful). Having been posted on Facebook, I believe this too great a story to leave it on the networking website. It deserves a place of respect. I like to think this a respectful way to honor great writing and a great story.

Read on:

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Posted 3:46PM Pacific Time on Facebook -

This note will disappear by the beginning of my 2L year- assuming I make it that far... you'll understand my reasoning as you read on.

Before I begin recounting the details of the most glorious day in law school, you will need some background information to contextualize my morning.

As a first year law student, I am enrolled in a basic contracts course. Contracts thus far has been a topsy turvy roller coaster of bargains, offers, consideration, unconscionability, breach, promisors, promisees, and more. The material is dense. The concepts are intricate. The class is "interesting".

My professor is James Mooney, who has been at the Oregon's law school for the last 35 years. He is a tall, skinny bean pole whose mostly bald head has a half circle of hair that lines the back of his head. But as many have pointed out, his diamond studded earing on his left hear makes him look at least a decade younger and exponentially cooler. He wears tight, tapered jeans and keeps his elbows near his body at all times.

Mooney is brilliantly aggressive in his questioning and interrogation of his students. He's merciless, sarcastic, and enjoys victimizing his young contract 1Ls. After he grilled me, I cried. Seriously. Sort of.

Mooney is a quintessential badass with the respect of his colleagues and love from all of his students.

That's enough background for you to understand my GLORIOUS morning of drinking in contracts...

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Mooney comes in and ditches the common routine of the 4 minutes of small talk engaging the class. Odd. He jumps right into Lawrence v. Fox, the landmark case for third party beneficiaries. Blah, blah, he's listing the facts of the case of a loan and three hundred dollars... and then SUDDENLY, a few recognizable 2L students walk in. They are in black suits, black sunglasses, and they have walkie talkies. They start closing every students laptop. I quickly closed mine before they could slam it like they have my fellow students. They slam my books. They start trickling in and offering us donuts (maplebars to be exact).... and then here's where the cases of beer start to pile in.

All of a sudden about 100 people fill our class- many of them dressed in black with sunglasses. Sprinkled among the men and women in black.. the deans of the law school and other revered members of faculty.

They HANDCUFF Mooney. A row of students with black hats that look like the popes start flowing in... like a cult. They have the Farnsworth casebook in their hands. They chant, "Mooney, Mooney, Mooney," as they bang casebooks against their heads.

I had no idea what the fuck was going on. But its ok. I had a beer and a donut.

I soon learned that this was the "98th Annual Mooney Roast"..... the secret tradition at the U of O of partying, laughing, and begging Prof. Mooney to retire. I won't go into the details of each skit, poem, or act... but I will summarize by saying...

I've never seen a defendant "on trial" for being a difficult, ruthless teacher.

I've never sang in a room about "crying and grades dying" (with nearly 200 people in perfect unison) to my professor to the tune of Don McLean's "American Pie".

I've never had two beers and two donuts in class in my 18 years of education.

I've never seen a party dedicated to asking a guy to retire.

I've never seen so many people appreciate one man.

And I've never felt so happy in law school....

...Until today.

Here's to you, Professor Mooney.

Even though we did it in class, here's another hip-hip-hooray!!!

Now, back to my reading.