Well, I'm inching closer and closer to being a 3L (a third-year law student)! With only 3 weeks left at the firm (which I will miss a lot more than I expected), I just signed up for my fall classes. Assuming I get the schedule I want, I will be taking Corporations, Trusts & Estates and the Domestic Violence Clinic. Also, I will not have class on Thursday or Friday - wohoo! Here's why I chose to take these classes:

First of all, with two quarters left to my academic career in law school, I have 27 credits left to fulfill. The above schedule comes to 13 credits, so I will have 14 left to complete in the spring - pretty do-able. Next, Corporations is not only on the Bar exam, but has also been recommended to me by a variety of people - regardless of what sort of law you practice, corporations are an integral part of how our society is structured, so its important to learn how they run. Or so I hear.

Next, Trusts & Estates. It's another Bar subject. Also, it just seems to me like one of those things lawyers should know. There are certain subjects lawyers get asked for advice on fairly regularly, and I hear that trusts, wills and estates are among the most common.

Finally, the Clinic. Prior to my last co-op, I didn't really "get" the clinics thing. My feeling was "classes are for classes, co-op is for experiential learning"....and never the two shall meet. However, after my trial experience at the Federal Defender, I realized how desperately I needed more experiences that would challenge and reaffirm my love for helping clients, the thrill of being in court and my own faith in my abilities. I'm hoping the Clinic will give me more experiences like that.

One of the projects I'm working on this summer is an annual pro bono event organized by the Anti Defamation League(ADL). Every summer the ADL organizes summer associates in law firms around the country to research and report back on current civil rights issues. Our memo, for instance, is a survey of hate crimes legislation in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. We have been working on the project independently for a number of weeks, and soon we will get together with students at other law firms and all present our findings. Here is the press release from 2007 (I couldn't find one for 2008). So far it’s been a good chance to see how pro bono efforts are handled at the firm, an occasion to brush up on my legislative research skills, and a long overdue education on hate crimes laws in the New England area.

In other news, here are some of the interesting, law-related items I've read this week:

Another interesting article from the Washington Post, written by a law professor at Georgetown.

A bizarre story from the New York Times on a man who pretended to be a federal agent...for months.

A more local legal dispute/(over Legal Sea Food advertisements on the MBTA).

Have a great week!

There are so many skills useful to the practice of law that you don't learn in law school -and socializing is one of them. Lawyers are not known for being a social and fun-loving bunch, and many of my friends bemoan the semi-required networking events you start to encounter in law school. However, I often enjoy them, and have found that there are lots of ways to meet people in your field of practice and make valuable connections, regardless of your interests.

This summer, I have had the pleasure of attending a variety of events - some, sponsored by the Boston Bar Association (BBA), are panel discussions composed of lawyers from different firms and organizations, speaking on issues such as representing clients on death row, and the role of politics in the practice of law. Others are events like the Lawyers Have a Heart run (check out our team photo below! I ducked out before my appearance in a headband could be memorialized in print), or the Corporate Challenge, where firms round up groups of eager summers and associates to raise money for charity events. Finally, there are the more classic, and decedent, social events. Last night, for instance, a group of us went to the Justice Is Sweet event. Hosted by the BBA, this annual event is a fundraiser in the form of a dessert and wine buffet. There were, yes, chocolate fountains in which to dip strawberries and marshmallows. Pretty ridiculous! And delicious.

Even though these events sound silly, or indulgent, they actually are a great opportunity to meet other people in your field, to raise money for good causes. It’s a chance to spend time with your co-workers in a lower stress situation, and to see the people that you may spend the next few decades encountering in court! Obviously you don’t have to be best friends with everyone who just happens to be a lawyer, but having cordial relationships with those who will be your work community is a great bonus and makes an often stressful career that much more enjoyable.

Summer is underway here in Boston, although you would never know it based on the weather. It’s unseasonably cool, but maybe I'm overly sensitive because I'm still missing Puerto Rico. Regardless of the climate, one thing I can't complain about, however, is the view from my office in the Federal Reserve Bank Building. It's pretty awesome working downtown, seeing a new part of the city, and being among the bustling business people. Although I took the opportunity to get out of Boston for my first two co-ops (first to California, and next to PR), it's great to be in the city for a change. First of all, it’s given me a chance to explore as a non-student, to get beyond the Northeastern campus that I sometimes get trapped in. Also it’s great because, since I switched rotations, I get to see my friends even though they are in school while I work. Additionally, it has been nice to make professional connections in a place where so many people are NUSL alums, know the professors, and don't need the 10 minute explanation I have gotten used to giving on our co-op and grading system!

I have just started the application process to state and federal clerkships for real, and it’s amazing to think where I might end up. So far I have applied to positions in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California, Florida, Oregon, Washington....and more! It’s hard not knowing for sure where I will be a year from now, but traveling for co-op has made me realize that I am more flexible than I would have thought.

P.S. - I just read this amazing article in the Washington Post that, to me, is a powerful reminder of the disparities in sentencing, the abject failure of the "war on drugs" and the reality that prison solves almost none of our society's problems. If you get a chance,
please read it.

Once again I'm starting a new co-op. It's amazing, no matter how many times I start a new job or experience, I never cease to get nervous beforehand. I guess it's human nature or...at least my nature!

I am in my first week of my third co-op, working as a Summer Associate at a mid-sized firm here in Boston. And once again I find myself learning about things I never thought I would come across - in this case, white collar criminal defense. The firm focuses on litigation, which is a big part of why I chose to go there, and I'm excited to expand my litigation experience to both state and federal court, as well as civil and criminal matters. We'll see how it goes!

Within the next week, I will officially be in my third year of law school. I can hardly believe it.

Transitions are always a bit hard for me - the last week of co-op I sort of lose my focus, start looking to where I am headed next, and generally feel a little "in between." With about a week left here in Puerto Rico and at the Federal Defenders, I am wrapping up some minor projects, saying good-bye to friends, and wondering when I will be back next. I head back to Boston next week and have a little time off before starting my summer co-op on the 2nd of June. Even though being out of school for six months sounds a little crazy to me, in reality it doesn't feel weird at all, since my co-ops are guaranteed to be different from each other, and I have already learned so much at the Defenders. This summer I will be at a mid-sized firm (25 attorneys) that does both civil and criminal litigation. I haven't worked at a firm before, so I'm excited to see what the "culture" is like, how they divvy up work, the case load of the attorneys, etc.

In addition to my upcoming co-op, I'm excited to be back in Boston. Co-op is good for helping you appreciate what you have back home - I'm thrilled to get back to my law school friends, a city I know and love, and an apartment filled with my stuff! The hard part is leaving behind cases that are still in the works, co-workers I'm used to seeing every day, new friends who I don't know when I will see again, and an island I've come to love. What's neat though, is that the closest friend I made on my first co-op in California, is here visiting me in Puerto Rico now. Proof that even brief friendships, made cross-country, can last. Pretty neat.

I can't lie, I'm still a little exhausted from the trial last week. So this week's posting is going to be sort of a cop-out. Here are some of the articles floating around the legal "blogosphere" that I find interesting. I never thought I would read about law in my free time, but once it's your career....it sort of seeps in everywhere. Enjoy and have a great week!

An article about recent allegations of discrimination on the basis of pregnancy amongst big law associates. My dad does employment discrimination law so this is a field that has interested me for a long time: http://abovethelaw.com/2008/05/proving_the_pregnancy_discrimi.php

On that note, here is my dad's blog! He focuses on employment and labor law in the Ninth Circuit, with a particular focus on Alaska, where he has practiced since the '70's: http://www.akemplaw.com/wiki/

An article about having a practitioner as law school dean (as opposed to an "academic," not that they are mututally exclusive): http://legalblogwatch.typepad.com/legal_blog_watch/2008/05/can-a-practitio.html

And a lawyer proving that creativity can be part of legal practice: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/05/08/creative-lawyers-an-oxymoron-not-in-james-coopers-world/?mod=WSJBlog

In addition to the above referenced WSJ Law Blog, the "legal tabloid" Above the Law, and the roundup Legal Blog Watch, some of my other favorite law blogs are the Appellate Law and Practice Blog, http://appellate.typepad.com/, and the Volokh Conspiracy, http://volokh.com/.

Wednesday around 4pm the jury came back with a decision. They found both defendants guilty of the charges against them. Since federal court is conducted in English here, while the defendants had earphones through which they could hear a translation of the verdict, their family members did not realize what was going on until the U.S. Marshalls came forward with the handcuffs. Then they started to wail. We took everything that was in the pockets of our client (they have to be empty to go into custody) and sat with our client's mother as he was led away and she sobbed. Then we walked her to her car where she turned to us and asked "Is that it?"

That’s it. Her son is now a federal prisoner, in the custody of the government. He will be sentenced in August and faces decades in prison.

It is impossible to convey the intensity of the trial experience. I learned more in those three days about criminal law, about my abilities as a lawyer, and, honestly, about people than I have in all of law school. It was an experience I will literally never forget.

For the first time in my life, I am waiting while the jury deliberates on a case I have been working on for weeks. We have been in trial since Monday and today the jury was sent to determine their verdict. I cannot tell you how nervous I am.

I thought it would be easier to "read" the jury somehow - that I could look at their faces and chart their reaction to the trial, the evidence, the witnesses, our clients. But it's been impossible. I have no idea if they have been persuaded by our arguments or by the government's. No idea - even though I watched them go through the process of jury selection - how they feel about the crime our client is charged with, or how they feel about the trial process. It seems incredible that twelve people ever agree on such complex legal issues and complicated facts. And yet across the country, every day, hundreds of people are involved in this trial process. "A jury of your peers" is a real and living thing....and jury duty, despite all the jokes about it and people dying to get out of it, is a significant task.

And now all I can do is wait.

Not much to report...but in a good way! I'm busy preparing for two trials that start next week (when it rains, it pours) and still loving learning about criminal law. In the last 24 hours I have written my first proposed jury instructions, and my first Rule 29 Motion for Judgment of Acquittal. Wow. These last weeks have had me grappling with sentencing (I don't think the courts have figured it out either yet, honestly), refreshing myself on Crawford and hearsay (luckily I had Evidence with a great professor, Judge Borenstein...not to mention Criminal Law with one of NUSL's favorites and finest, Prof. Givelber! If you come to NUSL, you should definitely try to take classes with both.), and parsing apart the word "knowingly." Oh, and of course I'm still making weekly trips to the beach. So, no complaints from me. In fact, I am so thrilled here, I have decided to apply for some clerkships with judges in Puerto Rico. As always with clerkships, it’s a long shot, but I thought I would give it a try. Wish me luck!