When I grow up, I wanna be a debtor

We are so very close to the end here.  The babe's last final is today, and I have one more next Friday - pass/fail, though, so I'm feeling pretty relaxed about it.

As we spend our final days in law school, there's much talk of jobs - who has one, who doesn't, who has decided to forgo legal employment entirely.  I feel very very lucky to have a legal job for the coming year (even if I don't know the actual date I will begin), but so many of my friends do not have jobs and are struggling with the fact that everything after the bar seems to be a complete unknown.

When the law school rankings came out last week, the babe and I were shocked by the employment numbers.  With the financial meltdown and rampant layoffs and deferred hiring and law firm closings of last year, we were shocked to see such high employment numbers.  Something just seems...off.  I don't know how the numbers are crunched, but I'm skeptical.

I was glad to read this article about two students who are creating a non-profit organization - and website - to address the lack of detailed, reliable employment information for legal students.  I think what they're doing is so incredibly important.  For most students, law school involves a huge amount of debt.  In the past, many students have gone into law school under the assumption that they would leave with a "good-paying" job that would help them pay off that debt.  Students choosing to enter law school now need to understand what their real chances are of finding employment and what types of employment are available and probable out there.  Hopefully these numbers will help encourage more students to think carefully about the financial decision that they're making.

The recommendation that I see so often for students to go to the best school that they can get into isn't always the smart financial choice, particularly in a job market where there may not be a salary after graduation to pay off all that debt.  Sometimes the smarter choice is to go to a lower-ranked school where they can get a scholarship, or go part-time and work, or it might even be to decide that law school actually isn't the best choice in the end.

I'm excited to see some people addressing the issue, and I'm hopeful for this new crop of would-be lawyers.

Good Times in Public Defense

Favorite quotes from today's research:

The government's evidence showed that on September 9, 1980, Brooks and three companions, Gilliam, Edmunson, and Mackenheimer engaged in an early morning indulgence in drugs and sex. - Brooks v. U.S., 536 A.2d 1091, 1092 (D.C.
1988)*

Sure beats early morning research.

Not really if you read the rest of the case, though.

Fourth, Butler argues that the trial court's exclusion of his explanation of why he struck Queen (namely, because Queen opened his eyes after being ordered to keep them shut) distorted his admission that he struck Queen because it left the jury with the impression that he was the sort of person who would attack someone else without reason. - Butler v. U.S., 614 A.2d 875, 883
(D.C. 1992)

Phew. Glad we cleared that one up.

And finally,

A party may not attempt to manufacture evidence by creating an impression in the minds of the jurors through questions that imply the existence of facts.
- Ali v. U.S., 520 A.2d 306, 313 (D.C. 1987).

Hmm...Clearly forgotten by the judge during yesterday's closing statements.

*Anyone who comments on my citations will get hit.

And then you have to finally decide

Read a lot, finish the quilt that I started 5 years ago, do lots of yoga, start running again regularly, work out in the gym, cook scrumptious meals, blog more, keep in touch with friends better, practice the piano, maybe even do some writing.

These are all things that I thought were going to happen this summer - this time of respite from law school. So far, I was really off.

The relaxed 9-5:30 that I was working last summer looks more like 9-7:00 this summer, which is not bad. And I've even gotten off early a few times. It's not the work. It's the socializing.

I am socializing like crazy. I'm working at a firm this summer, but I've got a fellowship through them, which basically means that I'm working one half of the summer for a public defender office and one half of the summer at the firm. It also means that I have to work a little harder to get face time at the firm. So, I'm trying to balance the public defender work time with firm socializing time. I'm trying to make it back for lunches. I'm going to happy hours, joined the softball team, going to random networking things. I'm exhausted every night.

There's been no yoga, no running, no crafting, no writing. Blogging has been incredibly limited, as have reading, cooking, practicing the piano, and keeping up with friends.

To some extent it's about choices. I choose to sit on the couch for an hour or so in the evenings when I can with the babe, share work stories, and watch an episode of something good. I guess that's time that I could spend doing other things. I've never been good at picking and choosing. I remember a high school conversation with my dad where I told him that I wanted to be first chair of the flutes in band. He said I certainly could be if I made that my priority. But I also wanted to be on the academic bowl and in the beta club. And I wanted to make all As. And I wanted to hang out with my boyfriend and be in the youth choir at church.* And I wanted to keep taking piano lessons.

I wonder if I'll ever figure this part of life out. If I'll ever learn to be content with the things that are in my everyday life and not focused on the things that aren't.

*Yes, I was a nerdy goody twoshoes.

First Things First

Orientation today at The Big Firm.

I won't be back for five weeks. I've got a public interest fellowship, so I start a new job for the second time in two days tomorrow as I head to the public interest organization. I'm sure working there will great, but I have to admit that the first day of a new job isn't my favorite experience.

Highlight of today's first day:

I'm at lunch with three other summers and our four mentors. We're talking bar trips. One of the mentors describes her six week trip around the world. She took it last year before she started working at The Big Firm. The progression of countries sounds oddly familiar to me.

"Did you do that trip with a friend from Our Law School?"

"Yes."

..."Does she have a blog?"

"Yes."

I was right. It was a blogger that I'd read before starting law school and then some after starting. Small world.

I'm Thinking Hank Azaria (as in The Birdcage)

Two lesbian females in search of Manservant to perform following activities:

1. Make breakfast/brunch of veggie-filled egg scrambles, french toast, pancakes, coffee, etc and serve two said females in bed, particularly on weekend mornings.
2. Turn off lights when said females got into bed without remembering to turn them off.
3. Check whether front door is locked when said females are in bed and can't remember.
4. Carry said females on back when they are tired after a long walk/hike/day at the beach.
5. Act as jumping hug receiver from said females when something exciting happens.
6. Additional duties assigned during finals on an as-needed basis.
7. Light housework, including unpacking groceries, washing dishes, killing bugs.

Possibility of sperm donation to be discussed at a later date.

Salary negotiable.

Coming down the pipelines

I thought that I was going to come out of this unscathed. My BigLaw firm seemed to be holding its own. But I got the call this morning that the summer program has been shortened from 11 weeks to 9 weeks. It's a blow of course, but I'm aware that I'm lucky to have a summer job, and it's a good one.

I found out a few weeks ago that I received a public interest fellowship as part of a program that the firm provides, which means that I will be spending part of my summer at an amazing public interest organization (that I'm super pumped about!) and part of my summer with the firm.

What it means now is that I will be spending 5 weeks at the public interest organization and only 4 weeks at the firm. It makes me a bit nervous for the possibility of an offer, but after speaking with someone from recruiting, I know that I'm just going to have to be really committed to doing excellent work and making a good showing (which was, of course, my plan anyway).

Oh Happy Day

I GOT AN OFFER!

It's a firm that I like, and they have a lot of gay people, and they do a lot of pro bono. It's just good all around.

Although thank goodness the attorney extended the offer before this part of the conversation occurred:

The Attorney: Everyone was very impressed with you.
Me: (Gushing) Oh, I loved everyone I met with.......Well, I didn't LOVE them. I mean, that would be weird. Ha ha.....Um, I really enjoyed meeting everyone.
The Attorney: (silently pondering whether this was a good choice)

Aha! They're stuck with me! :)

In other news:

The Phillies are in the World Series! The Babe is soooooo happy!

B and P had their interview in Ecuador, and they were approved. There was a minor paperwork glitch, so some things are going to have to be sent back and forth, but within about a week, they should be heading to the US!

Callbacks and Ecuador

Sometimes my posts on here make me feel like I'm bipolar.

Happy post. Sad post. Funny post. Depressed post.

Maybe that's just the nature of law school.

I feel worn out today - tired and like maybe I could cry at any moment for no reason. (Note to self - writing "I could cry at any moment for no reason" makes it worse. Don't do that again.)

I had my 4th callback with BigLaw today. So that's all the callbacks. 2 rejections already. The 3rd one is still out there, but my chances are pretty small considering the number of slots they still have open and the number of offers still in the balance. The interviews today seemed to go fine, but now I'm jaded and disgruntled, so who knows? Everyone's at the end of their callback schedules, so they've already made lots of offers.

I feel like I need to shake myself and say, "hey, snap out of it!" I'll let you know how that goes.

In other news:

My dear friend B and her husband P (an Ecuadorian citizen) are meeting with the US consulate tomorrow in Ecuador, and hopefully that will go well and they'll be able to enter the US soon together! And never have to be apart again. Send good thoughts that way!

A Real Education

In honor of labor day, I thought I'd take a little walk down memory lane to look at some of my old jobs and what they've taught me. And here they are.

• Clothing store cashier - Getting a discount at the place you work is really dangerous
• Psychiatrist's receptionist - Being conscientious is a really good plan, especially when you have no skills.
• Chain restaurant server - Politeness is a virtue. Separately, and shockingly, men really will grab the ass of a waitress.
• Personal assistant - Organizing an unorganized person's life/work is a job for people with incredible patience and stamina. I am not one of those people.
• Bagel cafe server - Who you work with makes all the difference. Also, some people think that there is butter-flavored cream cheese.
• Chain restaurant server, again - Restaurants are like high school. Everyone is dating or has dated everyone else. And by dated, I mean slept with. And they look on the random summer folks with suspicion.
• Horse feeder - Hay is prickly and hurts your hands. Horses don't like it when you oversleep and don't go to the barn to feed them.
• Dog walker - I cry when a dog bites me.
• Organic pet food store cashier - I really enjoy organizing chew toys into aesthetically-pleasing displays.
• Gym front desk attendant - Smiling at people when you're tired and cranky at 5:00 in the morning actually DOES make you feel better. In addition, there are people who are waiting outside of gyms before 5:00 am because they care that much about working out. I'm not passing judgment - just putting it out there.
• Teaching assistant - Acting like a loon in front of college freshman is incredibly fun.
• Art class model - Being still and holding a pose for hours (even 1 hour) is really, really challenging and can seem meditative or torturous - sometimes in the span of 5 minutes.
• Telemarketer - Sometimes the best thing you can do for a job is to quit. Immediately.
• Outdoor gear store attendant - Sales are not my thing, but I am really good at making sure that all of the hangers on a rack are exactly one inch away from each other. Quality skill.
• Chain restaurant server, for the last time - Some people will just never be good at waiting tables. It's good to accept your weaknesses.
• Personal fitness trainer - Working in a gym makes people think that they can say whatever they want about your body (i.e. "Have you lost weight? About 5 more pounds, and you'll look good."). Most of the time people just want to work with someone they like.
• Personal assistant to a restauranteur - Sometimes work autonomy is a bad thing. In addition, see telemarketing. (Personal record - quit after 7 days)
• Gym administrator - The person on the other end of the line when someone calls to complain about a bill usually has no idea what happened and has no control over it. Also, what seems like how a billing system would work is almost always not how it works. See telemarketing.
• Legal assistant - You never know when or how really important people will come into your life, and good work friends are invaluable, especially when they're your boss.
• Pottery painting store attendant - Children with shoes that turn into roller skates should not be allowed into stores with lots of ceramics - even if it's a store for children. Also, 3 years old is really too young to enjoy a pottery painting birthday party.
• Standardized test teacher - Teaching someone else's curriculum is boring and kind of annoying, but it's near impossible to worry about anything else in your life while you're standing in front of a classroom.

That's a lot of jobs. I forgot about some of those - maybe on purpose. And I've had two internships since I started law school. I hope all that learning does me some good!

Happy Labor Day!