I got an email this morning from the records office at Golden Gate, apologizing for a misprint in the list of Witkin Award recipients. Apparently, someone else was listed as having received the Witkin for Real Property, when it actually went to me. Also, he informed me that I received the CALI in Intellectual Property. I replied that I was not aware of the misprint, as I am 5000 miles away from that particular list, but thanked him for letting me know.
Which got me to thinking, how important are these awards? I understand that some might think me arrogant for asking the question, because I did get them, and so by way of public discourse, I might be seen as gloating over it. However, I am truly wondering, does it matter? Do employers care whether I receive an academic award? What about two? Is a Witkin better than a CALI? Some schools give CALI awards to the student who earns the highest grade in a class, and others give it to the student who earns the second highest grade. Golden Gate does the latter, and awards Witkin awards to the student who earns the highest grade. Is getting the highest grade markedly better than getting an “ordinary” A?
If you were selecting an associate to work with, would you rather work with the attorney who knew the most about a particular discipline of law, or would you rather work with the attorney who knew the material well, but also was a pleasure to work with? I suppose the resumé addresses the former issue and the interview addresses the latter. Personally, I would rather work with the attorney who knows the law and knows people as well. Which brings us back to the question, does an academic award communicate knowledge, or an ability to communicate knowledge? And in either case, of what import is this?
Good job