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As I approach the start of my 3rd week of law school, I reflect on how it compares to my expectations and how I have been managing the workload. Despite being told by everyone how challenging the 1L year of law school is, I still found myself caught off guard by the bombardment of information in my first week, having barely begun classes I already felt behind my peers and the expectations of the class. I took the first weekend to gather myself and catch up with my studies. I remind myself that this is a process that many have gone through and most if not everyone eventually overcomes, and I need to trust the process of law school.

Part of me is exhilarated by the challenge of 1L, never in my academic career have I been confronted with so many new schools of thought. The fact that I get to spend three years learning from some of the smartest students and staff is an experience I am so grateful to have. I acknowledge that I may not understand every concept nor be at the very top of my class, however, I understand my capabilities very well and know that I will perform as best as possible. Now that I am on a consistent schedule with my classes I can finally start getting into the groove of law school and manage it better. I am curious to know how I will feel towards the end of the semester but for now, I am in a good place with a solid state of mind.

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Hey Kian,

I love your attitude. It's so important to remain confident in yourself even in the face of the craziness that is 1L, and to keep sight of all the things we should be grateful for. Don't worry, you'll get into the swing of things soon enough, and it won't feel nearly as overwhelming.

-Xander

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Dear Kian,

I hope you’re well and enjoying your fall break. I just wanted to stop by to note that I haven’t seen your second reflection entry and wanted to give you an opportunity to make one, should you desire. No pressure. Nonetheless, I hope you’re navigating and balancing the joys and woes of law school in ways that align with your goals and series. Your Dean’s Fellows and I are always here to support you and are excited to be in your cheering section along your law school journey. Best, Professor Whetstone

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October Self Reflection

As I reach the halfway point of the first semester of my 1L year, I feel pride in how I have kept myself together throughout this period. I was initially slightly disappointed with my initial grade on my CIA memo, however, after reviewing my mistakes and making edits, I came to accept my abilities and know there is only room for me to grow. I felt similarly with my midterm exam, and it was only after I stopped thinking about my classmates' scores and focused on my personal growth that I could move forward. Comparing my progress to the beginning of the

I knew coming to law school that I would be facing some of the most difficult challenges of my academic life thus far, and was partly excited to test my abilities and see how the experience could change me. During the start of the program, I felt intimidated by my classmates and how sharp and intelligent they were. I struggled with comparing myself to my peers and hoping that I’ll eventually rise above them one way or another. This constant comparison does nothing for me except hurt my confidence and increase my anxiety about my grades. While it does provide me with some motivation to not miss any readings, it impacts my mental health negatively.

Learning to accept the extent of my abilities, and focusing on my strengths and weaknesses is a far healthier way for me to continue growing in law school. The definition of success for me should be based on my abilities and expectations for myself and not on the standard of the rest of the class. With less than two months till exams, I’m confident I’ll put in my best effort and continue thriving personally in law school.

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Dear Kian,

Thanks for sharing and for your transparency. I’m also confident that you’ll put your best foot forward during your final exams. You’re so right; comparing yourself to others will only cause unnecessary anxiety and stress. You have your own race to run. And just because you’ve not done a particular thing yet, doesn’t mean that you won’t eventually get there if it’s necessary for your growth and for your ultimate good. Everyone has a different part to play that’s important, unique, and necessary. Keep up the good work. I’m excited to hear all about the rest of your fall semester triumphs.

Best,

Professor Whetstone

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Reflection Prompt 1 Spring 2025 Response

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Reflection Prompt 1 Spring 2025 Response

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Hey Kian,

Thanks so much for your thoughts. I really appreciated reading about your journey towards discovering your place in the legal profession. As you noted, being a prosecutor involves precarious balancing of interests that implicates the sanctity of our justice system and the maintenance of individual rights at nearly every turn. To do this job properly, prosecutors must be bound to their pursuit of justice above all else. I have no doubt that you would fulfill this role dutifully and effectively. I look forward to hearing how you continue to explore this career option in the future! - Xander

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Since starting law school, I have been facing exposure to many different options for potential career paths. I find it very exciting to meet attorney’s and learn about not just their careers but their personal lives and how they intertwine the two. I ask myself what kind of person works in this field and ponder if I myself am that kind of person. Coming from a family of immigrants, we generally follow a “lay low” rule in our behavior and career choices, the idea of working in law enforcement is not something I would have dreamed of doing as a child. Despite this, I've recently become interested in the work of a prosecutor in a District Attorney Office. Speaking to Deputy DA’s at the National District Attorney Job Fair, painted a clearer picture of the complicated world of the justice system. The push and pull of the prosecution and defense balance the scales of justice to provide a fair system, however, when the balance is broken we are resulted with a greater number of wrongful convictions or frequent exonerations of offenders. A prosecutor plays a critical role in keeping the community safe and limiting the number of wrongful convictions.

As a future attorney I ask myself what role do I play in ensuring the balance of justice in our system? There may be times when an employer asks to commit legal but perhaps inappropriate procedures, especially when working in a prosecutor's office. I asked the attorneys at the job fair how they handle such occasions and was met with the answer that you may have to do things at a job you disagree with, but it is never acceptable to violate your own ethics. Law enforcement’s purpose is to protect the community, not harm it, and there is responsibility that lies with the individuals that make up law enforcement to ensure that the purpose is upheld.

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The most exciting aspect of attending the Van Vleck Moot Court Competition at GW Law was seeing my hard work and studies come to life. Through my Civil Procedure and Fundamentals of Lawyering classes, I have studied the different procedures and decorum in bringing up a case in court. In my freshman year of undergraduate, I had the opportunity to attend a moot court demonstration at another law school. I found it incredibly challenging to keep up with and follow the complicated structure and procedure of the court. I was confused about who the plaintiff was and what they were arguing; I didn’t understand what the judges were trying to take away from their questions, and most importantly, I felt that perhaps the legal field was not right for me if I could not follow a simple moot court. I was excited to attend this current competition with a semester of law school under my belt and am proud to say I understood the arguments of both sides and the entire point of the case. I now know the difference between a mock trial and a moot court and what an appellate court hearing is.

The strict time limit added a layer of structure to the proceedings but also made it challenging to unveil the substance of a claim before the court. The procedural rules are essential; however, in imagining myself on that stage, I couldn’t help but wonder how much the particular performance of the attorney makes the difference. Justice should be based on the merit of the claims, not on the speaking and persuasion skills of the attorney. Each attorney only gets the chance to speak once and answer a question once, which creates an environment where the better attorneys win and not the better case. I understand this makes sense in the context of a moot court competition, but I couldn’t help but wonder how this plays out in the real world.

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Hi Kian,

Thank you for your reflection on Van Vleck. It is an interesting quirk of our system, as you pointed out, that the skill of an oral advocate can tilt a case one way or another even if the facts and law point to a different outcome. In some countries that do not have an adversarial system, this problem is largely non-existent. It is worth it, I think, for you to do a cursory examination of the systems other countries employ and decide if those systems are better. Every system has its flaws, but I would be interested to hear your perspective. Moreover, you'll be heartened to know that most of the time in the real world, the attorneys with the facts and the law on their side win the case. In closer cases, where one side doesn't have a clear advantage in those areas, oral advocacy can make a major difference. Thanks for your observations!- Xander

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I am pleased with my performance during the oral argument and am proud of my progress in public speaking and confidence at the podium. The initial practice exercise in class made me much more confident about the oral argument later in the week. It helped me get the nervous jitters out about going up to the podium and changed the real challenge of the assignment to the actual content of my presentation. On a scale of 1-10, I felt around a 6-7 in terms of preparation. I would have liked to have more substantial answers to the judge's questions, but I was fortunate enough to go towards the end, meaning I was able to use other people as a template for how the judge would ask questions.

Upon going up to the stage, I felt the nervousness leave my body and was prepared to trust my outline and the work I had done prior. I did not expect to feel so restricted on time; during my practice, I could barely break 2 minutes, but in the final presentation, I only made it through half of my argument. Due to the fear of finishing too quickly, I stalled during some key moments to drag out the clock. It's important for me to remember that I will usually take more time on the podium than during practice and should focus on managing it accordingly.

I was very impressed with my classmates' performances and even felt a little nervous seeing how well they performed. I took some key aspects of my classmates' performance such as Nicole's argument on Dana's unreliability as a witness, and Charlsie's usage of the Defendant's full name.

I was so excited about my presentation that I agreed to try out for moot court together with Reema.

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Hi Kian,

Thank you for your thoughts on your oral argument. I am so happy to hear about your progress in terms of nerves. The best way to improve as an oral advocate is to practice as much as possible, so keep up the practice and watch those nerves disappear. You clearly did a great job of taking effective techniques from your classmates and recognizing both your strengths and your weaknesses. This will carry you far moving forward. I am excited that you decided to enter the Moot Court competition and can't wait to see you succeed! Keep up the great work- Xander

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Video portion shared on Google Drive.

Kian Zabihi Case No.33  Katleski v Cazenovia Golf Club, New York State Court of Appeals, March 17th 2025.

The following case presented an issue where the Plaintiff was suing a golf course for creating a negligently designed course that led him to be struck in the head. There was an unreasonable risk of getting struck based on the court's design. The Plaintiff argues that the safety inspection that was conducted when the course was modified should not have been approved. The Plaintiff’s own safety examination showed that the course was indeed unsafe thus there the Plaintiff argued it was a question of fact. This was not a convincing case to the judges who constantly pressed the Plaintiff’s attorney and raised the question of what negative precedent voting in the affirmative may yield. The Defendant’s argument was much stronger in that the industry standards simply require a reasonable effort be made to ensure safety and argued that there is no exact safety regulation that must be adhered to, thus the course's efforts were enough.

I was still highly impressed with the Plaintiff’s attorney’s performance on this challenging issue. She was very well prepared and answered numerous hostile questions with speed and accuracy. The court asked her significantly more questions than the Defendant and still she was prepared for every single one. The Defendant's attorney appeared less prepared and spoke with more uncertainty and “ums”. Despite thinking the Defendant’s attorney won overall, I believe the Plaintiff’s attorney was much stronger and would have been more successful with a better case.

Kian Zabihi No. 36 People v. Kevin Cleveland, New York State Court of Appeals, March 17th 2025.

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Oral Argument Video Observation Reflection Response

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Oral Argument Video Observation Reflection Response

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Dear Kian,

Great job with your tone, poise, pacing, and lighting. All were good striking the right formal tone for the assignment and grabbing the viewer’s attention. Wonderful!

From the sound of it, you learned a lot while watching the attorneys argue. You made good observations about the way the court can hammer a litigant with a series of challenging questions. But you’re right, learning to think well on your feet with a hot bench is important. It definitely takes practice; practice certainly makes progress. I also like that you noticed the court’s concerns regarding the real-life implications of some of counsels’ argument, like the one regarding the safety assessment standard for the golf course case. I know you noted the court seemed confused about whether the issue raised a question of fact; it’s likely the court asked questions to underscore its limited review power in certain cases. But beautiful work here!

Still, moving forward, please be mindful of three things. First, be mindful of your camera positioning. You don’t want to be too close or too far away from the camera. Here, you’re so close that the audience views you almost only from the top of the shoulders up. You want to aim more for a news anchor view of full frontal showing your shoulders and the upper part of your chest. Second, you want to make sure you always wrap up your presentation, making sure to reiterate your major point, and thank your audience for their time. Third, always introduce yourself, even if you think you know the full audience; you never know how far-reaching your presentation might be. But overall, nice work here. Keep up the good work.

Best,

Professor Whetstone

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Reflection #6 Oral Argument Participant and Observer Reflection

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Reflection #6 Oral Argument Participant and Observer Reflection

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Prior to the final oral argument, I felt confident and well prepared, largely thanks to the trial motion oral argument, which pushed me to take preparation more seriously. That earlier experience laid out what to expect from Professor Whetstone and motivated me to put in more practice and research. I was relieved to find that the final argument mirrored the intensity of the trial motion, and I arrived feeling about 4/5 prepared.

While the argument didn’t go perfectly, I believe I performed to the best of my ability. Some questions caught me off guard, but I was able to return to my core points and maintain structure. In hindsight, I could have focused less on fitting in every fact and more on reinforcing the arguments most favorable to my position. At times, I moved on too quickly in order to fit everything in time and may have sacrificed clarity on key issues. On the whole, I would rate my performance around a 3/5.

Reflecting on my experience and observing my classmates, I believe the most important component of a successful oral argument is having a clear roadmap and a consistent theme. Reiterating the main point and keeping the court locked-in on your overall story makes a more lasting impression than squeezing in every detail.

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Hey Kian,

Thanks so much for your reflection on your appellate oral argument experience. I'm so glad to read that you felt confident going into the argument as a result of the practice you got during the trial oral argument. Practice is truly the best way to improve as an oral advocate, so I hope you continue to utilize that strategy moving forward. I also really appreciate how you framed your experience, identifying both where you excelled and areas where you can improve. It's so important to give yourself credit where credit is due, but it is equally important to give yourself an opportunity to grow through identifying areas of weakness. I think you struck that balance well in your reflection.

Best of luck on finals! - Xander

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It’s hard to believe that I’m only two weeks away from finishing my first year of law school. While there are still final exams remaining, I am proud of how far I have come and I am grateful to the people that have helped me get to where I am now. Before deciding to attend law school, I met with many attorneys and law students to explore if this path was right for me. There were so many things they would explain about the law school experience that made little sense to me then but have now become clear to me. For example, I remember being told how law school was the most stressful and difficult time of their lives, only for them to follow up about how they also really enjoyed the process, and it was actually really amazing. Those little paradoxes now make sense to me as I reflect on a year of extreme challenges and dreadful overwhelmingness, but also of an exciting new understanding of the world and a sense of pride in my abilities. None of my prior academic experiences come close to the rigor of law school, and I’m glad to finally be testing the limits of what I am capable of accomplishing.

Question #1:

During the first semester, I was prepared for hard work and hard work I did. I never missed any classes and studied more than at any point in my life. I felt with this level of work, I was bound to succeed above my peers. Evidently I was not the only one working hard and I performed far below many of my classmates on final exams. Disheartened by my 1st semester grades, I felt inadequate about my academic skills. The reflection process, as well as our class lectures about fixed vs. growth mindsets, helped me get my footing back, and I was inspired to continue working hard. Writing out my thoughts in reflection as well as journaling, made me realize that hard work with a purpose is the key to being a great lawyer. This semester, I began attending office hours and participating in class discussions more. Additionally, I started working on my Appellate Brief far earlier than my CRM, and scheduled four writing center appointments compared to just one last semester. I met with my Property tutor every single week of the semester and have generally become more comfortable asking for help. While I'm still yet to take my exams this semester, I feel more confident due to reflecting on my mistakes in the 1st semester and fixing them this semester.

Question #2:

An experience that has significantly shaped my professional identity this semester was my educational trip to the U.S. Southern Border in Laredo, TX with the GW Immigration Law Society. During the program I had the opportunity to visit the old border town (which was a long time dream of mine to see), and tour the private detention centers. We worked with Jessica Cisneros, an attorney at the Texas Immigration Law Council, to set up our tours of two migrant detention facilities owned by a private prison company named CoreCivic. Prior to the trip, I tapered my expectations so as to not enter with any preconceived conclusion, however, I was stunned by the conditions of the facilities and the treatment of the detainees. My previous assumption of what a detention center was was that it was a facility designed for short-term processing with conditions closer to a refugee camp rather than a prison. While the CoreCivic official claimed that detainees stay for only ~20-30 days, the individuals I interviewed informed me that it had been almost a year since they had been apprehended at the border. The more recent trend of the prison population consists of individuals apprehended by ICE for internal deportations.

I spoke for nearly two hours with two Afghan men in Persian/Dari, a language I grew up speaking; and pictured members of my family in this cruel facility. Many of the detention centers exist in legal deserts where legal support is rare because of how remote these facilities are. Just being there for a few hours, I could feel a major difference in each room, with some being very cold. They all are given a single skinny blanket, which I saw and felt in my hands. One of the Afghan detainees told me he shivers through the entire night and sleeps 1 hour every night. I had heard from other detainees that he cries throughout the night. Many of the Muslim detainees were also not able to practice Ramadan this month, claiming that despite alerting the guards, their food was not provided before sunrise, and the post-sunset food was hardly enough to sustain them. I was moved by their continued faith and willingness to practice fasting despite it being clear to me that many of them were malnourished. When I asked the official about accommodations for Ramadan, she looked at me as if it was the first time she had heard what Ramadan was.

One of the things that surprised me the most was the desire of so many of the inmates to simply be deported back to their home countries; asylum processing can be unpredictable, and for many, it's just not worth staying in the facility any longer. Very few of them had court dates and the ones that did have them months in the future. Deportation to nations in which the U.S. does not have diplomatic ties also proves challenging; many of the detainees who had extended stays in the facility were from Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan. According to Ms. Cisneros, many of these individuals are eventually deported to other countries that will then deport them to their home countries. She also stated that a good deal of these "migrants in flux" are now being sent to foreign U.S. prisons such as Guantanamo Bay, Panama, and more recently to prisons in El Salvador.

This experience significantly changed how I view immigration policy and the legal field itself. I had read about poor conditions in the detention centers and family separation, but seeing it first hand has opened my eyes to just how broken the system is. The overflow of the immigration courts means individuals must suffer in a period of uncertainty as they have no idea if they will be granted asylum or deported back to their home countries, where they may potentially face certain death. Immigration law has always been a subject I’ve been exposed to due to my family's history as immigrants from Iran, however, I’ve seldom considered it as a field to work in as an attorney. Despite this, I can’t stop thinking about the words of one of the Afghan detainees named Jume Maroofkheil, who worked for the Afghan government prior to the Taliban takeover, telling me in Dari that "If I return to Afghanistan, the Taliban will kill me in one day, however, here I'm being killed every single day."

Question #3:

Reflections throughout this year have helped me express my thoughts in a clean and organized manner. The lower grading pressure, as well as getting to move away from the stringent legal writing format, allows me to experiment with different styles and voices. Writing precicely what comes into my mind is a great way for me to capture my emotions and thoughts in a fresh and accurate way. Treating these assignments as a chance to let loose and express how I feel (even if it makes less sense) is a great way for me to clear my head and understand myself better. This semester, on top of reflection assignments, I have been practicing with handwritten journaling. This habit has been very beneficial for me and has helped me improve my writer's voice. I truly hope this is a habit I can take with me throughout law school and beyond.

Overall, I have enjoyed FL reflections, especially when the prompt is vague and I’m allowed to write exactly what I’m thinking.

I’ve also included a photo of myself in Laredo, TX with a local activist