Rest in Peace Teddy

During college, the Bruin Democrats used to have an annual party celebrating Ted Kennedy's birthday. While the club used any excuse it could to have a party, it was telling that we recognized Ted Kennedy.

Although Kennedy was "only" a senator and had his own flaws, he embodied the liberal ideals and sense of public service. He showed that you do not have to be President of the United States to make a tremendous impact in national policy. As one of the fiercest advocates for civil rights, immigration reform, healthcare, and so many other issues, he showed that even the most privileged individuals have an obligation to be a voice for the people who did not have one.

He was what every young idealistic college democrat wanted to be. College republicans had Reagan, but the Kennedys were ours. While JFK and Bobby were symbols of progressivism, Teddy had the burden to carry their torch. He actually made it happen.

I looked back on my blog from college and saw the many ways he influenced my own "political developement." I remember watching him speak at the 2004 DNC Convention, meeting him at a fundraiser I helped organize for him in Beverly Hills, and even applying to be one of his Senate interns. I remember quoting him in 2005, after a personally stressful political day: "The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die."

Thanks for everything Teddy.

Courthouse Chaos

One of the things that I like the most about my job is the courthouse. It is so full of energy, interesting characters, and stories.

I love coming off the metro and seeing the African American woman with neon blue eye shadow, black pantyhose, and white socks sitting at the same bench every morning. I love seeing the lawyers wheeling large boxes of files--the younger lawyers wearing crisp suits, the older ones with disheveled hair (they all have crazy hair) sporting suits probably older than me.

I love walking into the atrium of the courthouse and seeing the assignment board, like the ticker at a train station, telling everyone where to go. People dragging their heels to the juror check-in. Parties nervously walking to courtrooms for hearings. It is kind of crazy that every day, I go to work at a place where people's lives can change in an instant. Win or lose hundreds, if not millions of dollars. Go free or to jail for life. Win or lose custody of a child.

Every morning I walk in amongst the hustle and bustle and leave when the only people left are the other law clerks and security guards. While that means it has been a long day, it makes me feel like I have seen or been part of so much activity.

Never a dull day.

So . . . what exactly do you do?

I thought once I graduated law school, I would no longer have to explain to people what I do. It is still a fair question, however, since I am trying to figure that out for myself. As I have been receiving many similar questions about the next chapter in my life, and because I am still exhausted from training, here is an abbreviated FAQ.

Q: What are you doing?
A: I will be working as a judicial law clerk for a civil judge in Washington, DC.

Q: Civil? So no criminal stuff?
A: My judge handles primarily civil matters--which covers everything from slip and fall accidents to business disputes to complex property issues (I thought I would never see a foreclosure or record deed problem after the bar, how wrong I was). However, as I have learned this week, I also get to dabble in criminal law because my judge just came off of that calendar. So I see things like prison correspondence, parole violations, and conviction appeals.

Q: So is this a real job? Are you working for free again?
A: Even though a clerkship is only one year long, it is a "real job" with a pay check, benefits, a office (with a door!), etc.

Q: What does a clerk do?
A: Since I am a clerk for a trial level judge, I help manage his ~300 cases. That means preparing the judge for his trials (ie: preparing jury instructions), pre-trial conferences, status hearings, etc. I make sure that when he is up on the bench, he knows everything that is going on because I have either discussed the issue with him beforehand or prepared the file and a summary. Additionally, since each civil judge has usually ~100 pending motions at any given time (ie: motions requesting more time, motions to dismiss the case), I work with the judge to rule on motions, write out the order, add it to the docket, and file it with the court. It is my job to make sure that all the orders from the judge are perfect, hence the courtoon at the bottom.

Q: How many hours a week does that add up to? Are you going to be a hermit again like you were over the summer?
A: The outgoing clerk said that when she started the civil calendar, she was working from 9am to 6-8pm, depending on the day. Yes, more than many jobs but also less than many other legal jobs. And 1) the days go by quickly when you are working on such a variety of interesting things, 2) it feels great to go home and not have work looming over you like when you are studying for the bar. So yeah, I probably will not be able to do lunch or many happy hours my first few weeks, but I will be a lot more free than the past three years, especially weekends.

Q: How is your judge?
A: Obviously I would not trash-talk him on my blog if I did a problem with him. Luckily, I do not. He is great. Really funny, very smart, and wants my opinion on issues-especially when I disagree with him. Plus, he loves Vietnamese food and California.

Q: What are you going to do after the year is up?
A: I do not even want to think about applying for jobs again, but hopefully I will be a practicing attorney in California. We will see how the job market is.

First Day

First Day Of School Kindergarten, Minnesota 1989

First Day of Work, Washington, DC 2009

Pants Party

Instead of being nervous before my first day of work, I was more amazed to find, after rearranging my closet today, that I have accumulated 13 pairs of dress pants and 10 pencil skirts after many years of externing/interning.