Land of Opportunity

Having my own office is somewhat exciting, and I rather like just following my own rules. I know that, in the long run, I'd never really be satisfied working for another person anyway. That being said, at this point in my life, and especially with the economy the way it is, I'd much rather have a steady paycheck. The thing is, my chosen field is small and, sadly, one where the government is the single largest employer. With counties all over the state in the grip of cutbacks, I have thus far been unable to secure full-time employment in Criminal Defense work.

Accordingly, I have today started to apply to such jobs out of state where the absence of local bar admission is not a total prohibition to employment, provided the candidate agrees to secure a license as soon as possible. Thus far I have limited my applications to the western states, such as Nevada. I don't really care to leave California, but if I do, I'd rather go to Arizona or Washington than say Montana. Unfortunately, though somewhat predictably, most of these kinds of jobs are in the dismal states.

Ebb and Flow

It never rains but it pours. When I was in trial, and without time to accept other work, I had to decline a number of potential cases. Now that my trial is done and I have all this free time, there's nothing to do.

All I've done this week is write a contract, revise an NDA, and give a nickel's worth of free advice on landlord-tenant law. Thursday is another volunteer session, this time at the bankruptcy clinic in Oakland, which however good it may be for karma, does little to help the balance book. I did pick up another translation editing assignment. Better than nothing, but not much.

I think I need to marry rich.

Sadie Hawkins

Jury selection began in my case today. I thought it would have taken only one day, but we're going to be back at it tomorrow. Of the first twelve, four will be excused for cause, meaning we'll need to seat their replacements, voir dire them, and potentially obtain more "volunteers" from the galley.

I think jury selection is the closest I'll ever come to understanding what Sadie Hawkins dances are like for women. Sixty people are called into the galley. I look at them and form snap judgements regarding their prospective suitability. Then twelve are called into the jury boxes to answer questions. The first series of queries are generic, then each side gets to ask specific questions.

Technically speaking, the attorneys are allowed to ask questions only to determine the legal suitability of a juror. But really, they are used to pry into a person's soul, to determine in the span of two minutes the reach and depth of their passions and prejudices.

Interestingly enough (at least to me) is the fact that jurors seem to take the questions very seriously. You don't really hear people espouse views that they think will get them off the hook, even if in other ways it's obvious that they'd like to be excused.

The courtroom works a kind of magic on the people inside. They seem to understand the enormity of the circumstances, and it ennobles them above their parochial concerns. It really is a sight to see, and I say that as no friend to my fellow man.

The Undiscovered County

I am off to Bakersfield, a city which is, to put it nicely, in the middle of nowhere. After interviews at both the District Attorney's and Public Defender's officies, I'll be back.

Vermin Count: +1

Yes, I confess it so, I am now an attorney. I pray those of you who know me shall continue to despise me for other, more deserving inadequacies than my choosen profession.

The Long Wait

Done.

Now begins the long wait.

Nothing more to say about it until November.

Showtime!

The bar exam starts in a couple of hours. Hopefully I can get through the three days of testing without incident.

See you on the other side.

Crunch Time

Two weeks until the bar exam. Fun.

That was no gentleman, that was a doctor

Today I received my Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University. Although I was unaware of it, apparently this degree entitles me to the appellation of "doctor". Personally, this sounds suspiciously like a case of lawyers simply pumping their own stats, but who am I to stand in the way of protocol?

Peers of the land

Today we finished selecting a jury in the matter of the People v. Roger Ramirez. It took several days; longer, in fact, than expected thanks to an incident that rendered the jail into lock down for most of Wednesday afternoon. What this incident was I never knew, but with the jail under lockdown the defendant couldn't be transported to the courthouse (which, as it happens, is right next door and actually connected via a series of tunnels). But eventually Mr. Ramirez was able to come, much to everyone's relief. Well, except his I suppose.

Selecting a jury is an interesting procedure. You start with an unknown mob of people and, through questions and observation try to ascertain which people would be most receptive to your particular assertions. Sometimes it's easy; you don't want people who hate dogs to be on a jury involving a dog attack. But more often, it's a bizarre amalgamation of stereotypes and amature psychology.

For my own part, I mainly sat at the defense table and scribbled notes. My supervisor wanted me to keep my own list of jurors that I thought we should keep, and those I thought we should keep. Happily, our lists ended up being fairly similar, and he even kicked the people who'd met my reject list but weren't on his. Of course, part of his receptiveness to my suggestion was the fact that we had twenty pre-emptory challenges.

Pre-emptory challenges are bascially vetos on prospective jurors. Twenty is a lot, and there was almost no way that we'd have used them all, so my boss lost nothing by sending a few challenges my way. Still, I'd like to think my decisions were based on cause, at least insofar as cause exists in this esoteric proces.

Mondays and Murderers

On Monday I start my first trial, the People of the state of California v. Roger Ramirez. To be sure, I'm not an attorney, simply just an intern. Still, it will be my first experience with the judicial system, aside form an errant ticket or two, and though I won't be making an appearence on behalf of Mr. Ramirez, I will be at the defense table and I'll be helping with just about every aspect of the trial, including jury selection. All in all, it should be pretty interesting. At least, insofar as work goes.

The only downside is that I have to buy a suit. I have an old one, from when I was a kid, but it not only doesn't fit, but I haven't exactly exhibit particularly dilligent efforts in its care. I actually like suits quite a bit, though I expect their allure will diminish in proportion to how often I wear (and spill stuff on) them.

Totem Poles, Slave Labor, and Murder

Well, I now have a job. A non-paying job. When you add that to school - a school I have to pay to attend - the combination is an unholy amalgamation of my most horrid nightmares. Never since the spiny ridges of an overgrown lizard appeared in the waves of Tokyo Bay has an Asian man beheld his fate with such unabashed terror. Somehow, in a conspiracy of cruel dimensions, my two greatest enemies - work and school - are now united against my remaining free time.

Earlier today I met with Ed Nino, an attorney with the Santa Clara Public Defender's office. After a brief, almost prefunctory conversation, I was awarded an internship. He works in the homicide division, so that means I do too now. I'm not really sure what my duties will entail, but hopefully it should be interesting. If not, the least it could do would be to stay simple.

But I'm not holding out much hope of that either.

It's back to school time

Again. Damnit. Tomorrow I start my third year of law school. Unforunately, because I was part-time my first year, I might have to have a fourth year too. We'll see. For now, it's enough to know that I have to go through all this crap again starting in 23 hours and 22 minutes.

Ah, Summer

June. The beginning of summer for students all across this great land. Everywhere young people throw off the shackles of scholastic endeavors for more worldly concerns. Like getting drunk and sleeping in until 3pm. Unfortunately, I will not be one of them. For me, there is no relief. School is as inescapable as mortality itself, and the summer session, to which I have been forsworn, is soon to begin.

The Light at the Roadstop in the middle of the Tunnel

Finals time, year two, Santa Clara University School of Law. No more fun than all those other finals, but at least I can start to see the end.

Damn

School starts back today.

Damn.

On the other side

Well, done with all my stupid finals. I actually had only four finals, though I had five classes, as one of them required a paper instead of a test. Although it is always somewhat difficult to judge such things, I think I did well enough. There was nothing in any of the tests that left me completely clueless, so I know at least that I didn't completely bomb.

It remains to be seen whether or not my performance will prove merely adequate or if it should rise to the dignity appropriate with my more optimistic expectations, but at the very least it appears to be an issue between these two alternatives. Nothing to do now but wait and see.

Wish me luck.

Finals, Fall 2004

Well, it's Final's period at SCU. From now until December 16, nothing but studying. No movies, not TV, no computer games.

No problem.

Dark Horizons

Well, classes end the day before Thanksgiving, leaving only a few weeks before the beginning of final examinations. This is traditionally a period of great activity for me, as I struggle to make up for the semester I blew playing computer games. To a certain extent, I always feel as though I should have learned my lesson, but the reality is that I need pressure in order to get down to business. I am not a particularly disciplined person, and I find schedules, at least those justified by nothing other than a sense of regimentation, difficult to adhere to. In the absence of urgent and dire consequences, I will typically put off work to the next day. Indeed, most days my school work involves deciding which materials from previous weeks can be put off further, and which require immediate attention.

Still, this process awkward and inefficient though it may be, as seen me through an undergraduate education and a year of law school, so at least it isn't a total failure. Hopefully, I'll skid past another semester.

Scholastic Subversion

As I add this entry to my blog, I am in the middle of my Constitutional Law class. On the one hand, I feel like I should be paying attention to the lecture. After all, I've paid a lot of money to be here, and they (by they, I mean the administration) seem to feel that it's important that everyone take this class. However, the lectures themselves come right out of the textbook. If you've done your reading, there's nothing new to be heard, except the incompetence of your classmates.

There is a maxim in life that the majority of people are stupid. Unfortunately, the ratio of blithering idiots to smart people is barely more favorable in law school than found in the general public. To be sure, it is somewhat better, and to the extent that it is not, there is at least the thin veneer of education, but overall the average student here is a moron. Most of the questions reveal either the inability to read the casebook, or at least the inability to understand it. Classes like Con Law, lectures that simply follow and describe the readings, are a waste of time, hence the blogging.

Now there are classes that do not fit the Con Law mold. I have Evidence later, and that is an interactive and engaging class, where you actually have to go so far as to apply the readings. Even Evidence, however, is not really so much difficult as involved, and proper preperation is all that is really required. Many people believe that law school must be very hard. It is not. Boring, costly, and filled to a surprising degree with scut work, but not particularly difficult. Law school is no more, or less, than the most expensive trade school in the world.