This post is dedicated to our family's dear Tara, who left our Earth in peace yesterday.  She went lame on both ends–back first, then front.  The likely cause of her troubles, at age 12, was degenerative myelopathy.  But it's hard to tell since that's apparently a disease of exclusion.  No matter.  Gratefully, she was not in any perceptible pain.  And that strong tail of hers did still wag, right up to the very end.

As fate would have it, on the way to the veterinary hospital yesterday, the car in front of us had a sticker on the back bearing the words that became the title for this post: "Wag More; Bark Less."  It looked like a faded version of the picture included below.

With classes beginning today and Tara's incessant tail wagging still very much on my mind, I found myself wondering whether this bumper-sticker philosophy is good counsel for law students.  My general conclusion?  Yes, this mantra can be usefully embraced by law students.

My thoughts on this are simple.  Finding the joy in law and learning law is what motivates us to stay on task and keeps us happy in our journey as lawyers.  So, in this new beginning–a new semester–I urge students to find and share the joy in their law school journey.  As a business lawyer and business law professor, I am passionate about what I do and teach.  Apparently, it shows.  I am often called out for wagging my tail.  I truly enjoy seeing my students wag theirs a bit as they strive to meet their (and my) learning objectives in the courses I teach.

This is not to say that there will not be barking–or that barking is not sometimes desirable or necessary to the task.  It is.  It may be important for lawyers and law students to loudly object, stridently argue, or otherwise attract attention.  I just advise picking those battles wisely and choosing words and tone carefully.

Barking can even be joyful.  There's clearly room for that kind of barking in a productive, engaged program of legal education.  For example, law students should broadcast their accomplishments and sing the praises of others at appropriate times and with suitable, tailored content and the proper ethos.

As this posts, I already have been in the classroom again.  There were at least a few tails wagging in my Business Associations class this morning.  That was good to see.  There was no barking (except from me–about the need to follow instructions and communicate more effectively).  Now, it's time to think about creating some joy in Corporate Finance this afternoon . . . .

Three cheers for the new semester!