Basically, we are freaks of nature

So... I don't want to jinx us... but C and I are in a position to buy a house this summer. I've alluded to the house hunt in prior entries, I think. It's a tedious, frustrating, heart-wrenching, exciting and terrible process. Ever since finals ended, we've been on the hunt (well mostly C - he's very good at trolling the listings for potential properties). FINALLY found a place in our price range, in a neighborhood that we like, that wasn't a slummy shack (we saw several of these during the hunting process).

Again, don't want to jinx anything, but my fingers are crossed. We have offered, they have countered (with different provisions - we agree on the price), and now we have sent our counter-counter. I think the waiting part is the worst. I can mentally prepare myself for either getting the house or losing the house, but I can't stand being suspended in this limbo where any of fifty things could happen...

On top of that, C is out of town working on a satellite that was just launched - he'll be gone for another three weeks or so (I don't want to count down the days until it's July). Consequently, all the paperwork has to be signed, then faxed, then signed, then faxed (then send an email notification to the realtor)... much more difficult this way. I'll try to blog more about it once it gets closer...

I do wonder, though: how many law students buy houses during law school? Probably not very many. With the massive amounts of debt and the dearth of free time, it's probably too overwhelming for most law students to purchase property during school (many of my fellow students moved back in with their parents so they don't have to pay rent).

C and I have always been a little bit ahead of the curve - we were engaged during our last year of college while most people our age were living out their final glory days of senior year. We were married a little more than a year after that when most of our fellow graduates were still trying to figure out the "real" world (though to be honest, we were doing that as well). Now, while most of our friends are still focused on their education and careers (already not the norm for people our age), we're in a position to buy property on our own. I'm not sure if this is a function of our individual personalities or whether we have combined to create a new type of two-headed precocious aberration... but whatever it is, it works for us. We do always like to have a million things going on at once...

Hopefully this house purchase works out well (fingers crossed, breath held)... ... ...

50% interned

Slow day today at work... the legal secretary who sits near me isn't here today (I don't have my own office; the other intern and I have desks in a large open space near the entrance). Also, one of the attorneys (unfortunately the one who gives us the most work) is out as well. I suppose that's what happens during the summer... but it means a lighter work load for us. Honestly, I would prefer to have more work and would prefer to be busier - it makes the day go by more quickly and it makes me feel more useful and productive.

The work I'm doing still mostly consists of legal research and writing. At this point I am halfway through the internship and so far I have written several memos, I have ghostwritten two letters, and I have worked on a few motions (one of which was submitted my first week here). I have also attended several city meetings and have been in court for several hearings and one jury selection. This seems to be a pretty accurate distribution of how the attorneys for the city spend their days (the ones on the civil side).

I am enjoying my time here, but I am looking forward to next summer. After taking Evidence as a 2L I can be certified, which means that I'll be allowed to be in court and actually do things. Next summer I think I'll be applying for clerkships and certified internships - mostly criminal jobs. At this point in my law school career, I have found criminal law to be the most interesting and to be the doctrinal area in which I perform the best. I also think I might try for an internship or externship during the fall or spring of my 3L year, but that's thinking pretty far ahead. Mostly, I like the fact that I have a plan. I do very well with plans.

On that note, I've been trying to schedule a time to visit home before the next semester starts. It's tough to plan around my schedule (end of this job, start of the school year - only a few weeks free in between) and C's (currently in DC, needs to pick another rotation/more permanent job once he returns) and my parents' schedule (they are planning to travel out of state during some of my free weeks). Lots to juggle.

BUT the good news... my baby brother (who will be 21 very shortly) is coming to visit! I've been in CA for two years and this will be my first brother-visit. It's very tough having a family so spread out (brothers are both on the east coast, I'm on the west coast, in-laws and parents are in the middle). He'll be out here for a long weekend at the end of July and I'm pretty pumped! Can't wait to show off my home-away-from-home!

K

Summer, continued

Summer weekends are the best! I love not having homework (though a small masochistic part of me does miss it...). In order to get credit for my internship I have to do weekly "guided reflections" = kind of a pain but my only real take-home assignments for the next two months!

Work is still going well - still doing research and writing, still learning a lot about the ins and outs of everyday government law jobs. No real changes on that front.

C and I have been researching real estate lately - we're considering buying a house out here in CA (or maybe a condo). It's been very frustrating, though, because the CA market is still pretty over-priced (compared to the cost of property at home). Even tougher, C is about to leave town on work for a month, which will really stall our house-hunting plans. I'm not really excited about the prospect of searching on my own, and I definitely don't think I'd be comfortable putting an offer on a property that C didn't see/like as well. However, we're in a bit of a jam because our lease agreement ends in August... basically it's tough being an "adult" and I still don't feel like we're old enough or mature enough to be making these types of decisions!

Anyway, lots to consider this summer, not the least of which is a choice of career. Based on my experiences in the public sector so far, I intend to research govt jobs and possibly appellate law... jobs focused on research/writing. Definitely one path to consider.

K

Government externship, pros and cons

Last week I discovered one definite perk of government work: our office takes off every other Friday! Thus yesterday was the first glorious day of my glorious three-day weekend. Excellent. 

Besides the surprise three-day weekends, the job is actually going very well. Because I haven't had Evidence yet, I cannot be a certified intern, which means that I can't have any responsibilities in court (bummer: all the cool jobs are only available for certified interns). However, the city attorneys are extremely overworked which means they have plenty of research to pawn off on the interns - I've only been in the office for a week and I've already been given two large research projects and have written my first motion that was submitted to the court on Wednesday!

The work is challenging but I am learning a lot very quickly. This job has confirmed my love of legal research and writing - many of my fellow law students find it tedious and a necessary evil, but I really do enjoy it. I also get lots of on-the-job advice from the attorneys who are usually happy to talk about their jobs, career path, law school stories, etc. Quite a few of the attorneys are alumni of my law school, and almost all of them had started out as interns when they were in law school as well. (one of my goals for the summer is to maintain a good rapport with the attorneys in the event that I decide I want to apply to work for the city some day...).

As far as I can tell, the largest drawback for government law jobs is the money - attorneys make SO much more in private practice, working for the larger law firms. However, most of the attorneys I work with have multiple children, so they enjoy the hours and relative flexibility that the government job affords them (not so with a large law firm that would require 85-95 hour weeks). 

ALSO, I really enjoy the people I've been working with. I'm not sure if it's just this specific office or this combination of people... everyone is so nice and so helpful. By my second day at the office, everyone knew me as the city attorney's intern and greeted me by name. The legal secretaries went out of their way to show me around the building and answer my questions (even the mundane ones I was a little embarrassed to ask, like where the bathrooms were or where people tended to go for lunch).

Sorry, this entry has not been organized well. I should have structured it before I started writing - oh well. Welcome to the inside of my brain...

K