Sowande, 2L

Yes. It's Friday.

I spent today's lunch at a Families Advocating Compassionate Treatment (FACT task force meeting. FACT is forming a task force to build a treatment facility in Santa Barbara for dually diagnosed individuals (mental health and co-occurring substance-use disorders). Many have severe psychological issues (e.g., bi-polar disorders and schizophrenia), and their challenges are compounded by drug addiction and being caught in the revolving door of the criminal justice system, with very little hope for any sort of rehabilitation.

There were numerous parallels between their activities, and my law office's first-year project. For example, one of the purposes of today's meeting was to bring community stakeholders to the table, including prosecutors, law enforcement, public defenders, families, and the general public, in order to hash out and discuss the various ways of going about reaching their end goals.

I didn't say much because I was on my lunch break, and I was sort of the new/visiting kid on the block--but they are engaged in the same discussions that my law office had when we were developing strategy for our project (a state-wide Restorative Justice Diversionary Program/Youth Tribunal for at-risk youth in Massachusetts). The people present at today's meeting included concerned family members, members of the local legal community, local law enforcement, and a local university professor.

While my law office's project has gone quite far, and continues to have impact on the development of state legislation, I believe that if this organization continues to forge ahead with the involvement of at least the stakeholders who were present today, they should do well.

Bon weekend!

Posted by Sowande at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been raining off and on for almost 24 hours. I've been blamed by several people for bringing this weather from the east coast...

"Condemned to the use of words, we can never expect mathematical certainty from our language." - Justice Thurgood Marshall said it right. Grayned v. City of Rockford, 408 U.S. 104 (1972). I'd provide the page number but it's better if you find it yourself. That case is chock-full of literary confection.

This morning I got to work excited to sit in on a hearing for which I'd done a lot of significant writing, research and preparation. The work was intense, and dealt with a lot of issues with which I was very unfamiliar. Also, the emotional charge of bankruptcy is almost ever-present but what's particularly difficult and even ironic about the work is that the lure of adhering too closely to the black-letters is powerful. Translating the arguments of individual human beings, who fear losing their homes, cars, or whatever, into something that makes sense within the Federal Bankruptcy Code requires more than a dry sensibility because the average human being just doesn't speak the language of the Federal Bankruptcy Code.

Years ago, I dreamt that I would some day translate between Japanese-speaking and English-speaking record executives. Or between French and Japanese, I don't know, pie makers. But what I am doing now is beautiful because what I do all day is translate. Translate between a pro per party and the Court. Translate between state and federal law. Dive deeply into a phrase contained within environmental law, and translate that into bankruptcy law. Haha, I feel like a gameshow host, "all this and more..."

I definitely don't do it alone. I've had a lot of excellent conversations, help, comments, support and suggestions from the Judge to the US Marshalls. I've been experiencing a lot of deja vu, and from what I recall it means that I am on the right path--or it's too late and I need to "deja vu" my behind to bed.

On a heavier note, I saw the new Michael Moore movie this evening with my mom. It's an interesting perspective and an interesting start. I'll just say that it was a little peculiar to sit in a Santa Barbara boutique theater, watching a film about wealth and capitalism in the United States. *grin*

Posted by Sowande at 1:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

***LSSC NEWS FLASH***

I just got an email from my LSSC Law Office 12 Faculty Mentor, Prof. Susan Maze-Rothstein, and portions of our Restorative Justice Youth Diversionary project are being incorporated into proposed legislation which will be heard tomorrow by the Massachusetts State Senate Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. Law Office 12--and you know this.

//end LSSC News Flash

This weekend was the 23rd Annual Avocado Festival. The festival is held in Carpinteria, CA, which is actually where I grew up. (Bullhead CIty has only been home for the last 2.5-3 years.) Carpinteria is one of the main producers of avocados, and is about 15 miles or so south of Santa Barbara, CA. It's a small, sleepy California beach town where everyone knows each other, and where avocados are grown like whoah. I saw some REALLY old friends from elementary school and days spent at the beach.

The first time I volunteered for the festival was with my entire family, my mom, dad, older brother, older sister, and younger brother--in 1986. We all worked in the Pepsi booth together and had a great time. This year, my mom and I volunteered and had a great time selling event merchandise.

Enjoy the photos.

Posted by Sowande at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)