Ira, 3L

It seems that every blog I write lately begins with "this is going to be a short one." Or, something along the lines of "uh...crazy busy. No time to describe why." Or that's what hits the tin brain pan whenever I put my fingers to the keys.

I am still banging out this appellate brief, and hope to have it done by the end of today. Nearly one full week left of co-op, then I head--blissfully--back to Boston.

Here is a sampling of what's been in the news and on my mind lately:

Terror suspects indicted in North Carolina, my home state

Obama's continuation of Bush's policy of indefinitely detaining but not trying terror suspects at Gitmo

Palin's emotional, but nonsensical exit speech...and Shatner performing it as poetry

Endorsing Judge Sotomayor

Meanwhile, clerkship applications are ongoing as are concurrent searches for post-grad work. Two days ago, I had a particularly horrific interview experience with my current co-op employer, the Public Defender Service in DC. I think I held my own, but we'll see if I make it to the next round. More on that later...

Posted by Ira at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I recently finished the first draft of a memo that examined the propriety of defense attorneys and prosecutors talking with dismissed jurors, after the verdict has been entered, about the case they just judged. Good times.

Many states, Massachusetts included, severely limits any contact between trial attorneys and jurors, in regards to the case they just tried. DC, as in so many other ways, is different.

Now, I'm attempting to work like mad (attempting being the important qualifier) on an appellate brief. I put down the draft brief for a week or so while I did some trial-related work, but want to turn it out by early next week so I can get some feedback and possibly make a revision or two before the co-op ends.

This weekend I will probably be working on the brief, but have two other important tasks: prepare for a mock opening and cross-examination I'll deliver in my Trial Practice Group (mandatory for interns at PDS, see my earlier blog), and for my first round hiring interview. Public Defender hiring interviews are notoriously intense (even combative), and PDS's hiring process includes three interviews. Luckily, the first round is more of a general "tell us about yourself" interview. Nonetheless, I need to go over my application, my materials--in short, rehearse--because PDS's interviews start Monday.

Wish me the best.

Posted by Ira at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As I sat down to type out this blog, thinking over the past week and a half (apologies for the late entry--I was in Boston, see below), I realized that soon I will have been typing a blog for all three years of law school.

That means I've been in law school for almost three years. And I have only two academic quarters and one co-op left. Wow.

I'm sure a great number of people--if not nearly all--have had the "wow" moment I just had, but the ordinariness of its feeling does not lessen it in the slightest. I was in a much different place a year ago, not to speak of just before starting law school. Back when I had no solid idea of what LSSC means or where I would end up doing my co-ops.

Looking backwards always makes me turn around and look forward. All that empty, excited, hopeful feeling of what lay ahead. A feeling of pioneering into the unknown that is your future. I have that feeling a lot these days as I apply for post-grad jobs and for clerkships. I know I've mentioned much of this before--more or less--in previous blogs, but it cannot be overstated that this is much of what I've done and continue to do this summer. Apply, apply, apply. Focus on where I will be come August of next year. All eyes forward, all hands on deck.

That being said, I did travel to Boston this past weekend and spent the majority of my time focusing on the here and now. Thursday I did meet with a professor or two in my efforts towards gaining a clerkship, and, quite separately, did do some work for the Admissions Office which doubled as advertising myself to potential employers with an internet signal, and did write a cover letter here and there, but the rest of my time (and there was a lot) was spent with my fiancee. We just got a new apartment, with a great balcony overlooking the forest, and we just relaxed our time away. It was wonderful; this morning, before catching a plane back to DC, we had breakfast on the balcony and saw two deer at a far off watering hole.

I have eighteen days left in DC. In that time I have two projects that must be completed asap, clerkship applications to ready for submission, and a couple of job applications to see through. For example, on July 27 I began my interviews (1st of 3) with the Public Defender Service in DC. Conveniently, that's the same day I register for classes. I'll let you know how they go.

More to come...

Posted by Ira at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow. I feel drained. Drained from writing my resume over and over again, in different formats, in different font, in different words carefully chosen to hit the reader's brain-pan in ways that evoke surety and acceptance and interest. To be totally clear, I haven't been simply writing and rewriting my resume. That was certainly a part of it; no, I have been for repeatedly listing out everything academic, professional, or alluring that I have done since 1999. On clerkship applications. On resumes for post-graduate jobs. Cover letters. In conversations and informal interviews. Emails.

Whew. The juggernaut of applying for post-grad jobs and clerkships is similar I think to staring in the mirror. Trying on different outfits you own. Standing in different poses at different angles. Staring in the mirror. Imaging how you look to the person soon to be staring back at you. Except, quite naturally, the mirror is really more of a darkly, tinted window. It reflects, but not fully. And eventually you get tired of looking.

No rest for the wicked, that is for sure.

Oh! Also, the powers that be published course evaluations yesterday. I must say, I am really pleased. The narrative evaluations were not only clear and constructive, but I earned pretty high marks. After quickly folding those into my applications (see above), I am now left to think about the courses I would like to take next quarter.

Of those being offered, here is what I want to take: International Criminal Law, International Law, Professional Responsibility, and Section 1983 Litigation. That's only 11 credit hours, so I may not be able to stop there. I may get independent study credits for another project and thus would clear the present hurdle of taking 12 hours. But I'd also like to take Immigration Law or Family Law. So, perhaps I'll sign up for one of those. My hesitancy in taking five courses, four of them substantive, is the amount of reading and work they'll provide on top of my editorial duties on the Journal and as a legal, research and writing Teaching Assistant to incoming 1Ls. So, we'll see what happens.

In other news, I finally finished the Harry Potter series this past weekend. It was wonderful and sad to finish. Now I'm ready to see the upcoming film, and, now that I am one of the recently indoctrinated, I have started to lie to the ignorant about how the story ends. Mwahaha.

Now I'm pouring my way through The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Next on my list: Kite Runner.

Posted by Ira at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)