Life After Law School

Happy New Year!

Delinda — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:16:17 +0000

I love New Year resolutions. Well, perhaps I should clarify. I love making New Year resolutions. I, like so many others, am terrible at actually following through on them. If you are curious as to what my 2008 resolutions were, click here. For the record, I didn’t accomplish any of them, although two of them would have been incredibly difficult to attempt (if not completely dangerous) while pregnant.

This year, I forgo making a resolution. Other than just survive 2009, I have no goals. None. Zip. Nothing. Just make it through. I guess that is a resolution in and of itself, but I’m not going to call it one. 2008 was a rough year for me and I was happy to see it go.

Josh and I spent New Year’s Eve with Amy and Adam (they were kind enough to drive out from Berkeley to hang with us). We played Trivia Pursuit (80s edition!), made some lovely NYE hats, and counted down the clock with good ole Carson Daley. Then, we all passed out around 12:30. I think our rockstar days are over.

Here’s a photo of Amy and I

And now for me and Josh

ARGH. Photos are still not uploading. This is something I think I need to speak with Curtis as he is my self-designated wordpress consultant. He’s out of the country until Jan 8, but I promise I’ll work on this

Like a holiday letter, but better

Delinda — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:13:26 +0000

Oh, it’s been a long time.

For months my intent was to resume writing, but well, as you know I just didn’t do it. Blog burnout perhaps? Crazy life occurances? Maybe a bit of both. Here’s a brief chronological recap on life post-bar exam:

1) Two weeks after I was sworn into the California Bar, I found myself sitting in a conference room in Northern California interviewing for an entry-level attorney position for a government agency. A job offer was made about a week later and about two weeks after that, Josh and I found ourselves packing up our tiny townhouse.

2) The same week I was offered the job (and accepted) and started the moving process, we found out I was pregnant.

3) It took me about 5 months to get used to the idea of being pregnant. (I firmly believe there is a reason why women are pregnant for 9 months — it’s such a life changing event that you need 9 months to prep for it!)

4) I told my new employer that I was pregnant when I hit the 5 1/2 month mark. I would have waited longer, but the belly was beginning to show. Surprisingly, they were excited. I could even say they were “thrilled.” I buried my head in my hands and practically cried when I told my supervising attorney the news. His response? “This is good news! It’s okay! Do you want some water?” I was shocked as the standard lawyer response to baby news is general distain. Instead, my collegues are currently planning a department wide baby shower. Their positive response truly assisted me in coming to terms that I wouldn’t ”lose” my job my announcing my pregnancy (Not that you can be legally fired for being pregnant, but with the current status of the economy, I feel incredibly lucky for having a job in a public agency rather than a private firm).

5) We’re having a girl. She’s due February 3. We’ve started putting together the nursery, finished our childbirth classes last week, and are trying to save as much money as possible in order for me to take some maternity leave.

Things have been busy around here. But what I find to be most amazing is how different my life is from exactly one year ago. Last December, I was terribly depressed and distraught over bar exam. I couldn’t even wrap Christmas presents (Josh wrapped them all) because I felt I should spend every minute studying my flashcards. And, I was working a terrible seasonal retail job, in addition to my regular 9 to 5 job.

Now, one year later, I’m a lawyer. I have a lawyer-job. I’m living in a new city, hundreds of miles from home. And, I’m pregnant. Approximately, 32 weeks pregnant (8 months) to be exact. Here I am, outside in our backyard:

What a year.

*dang, I don’t know why my photo isn’t showing up. Am I that out of touch? I’ll work on it.

Rioting Chickens

Delinda — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 15:03:56 +0000

The Oath

Delinda — Sat, 31 May 2008 15:35:51 +0000

On Wednesday, May 28, 2008, I was sworn into the California Bar.

Even though my law school puts together a large group swearing-in ceremony for all of its graduates that pass the bar exam, I decided that I couldn’t wait for the group ceremony (which takes place next week). My dad was kind enough (and also a bit eager, I may add) to call Judge Smyth and ask if he would adminster the oath. Judge Smyth agreed, and so Wednesday afternoon my family and I congregated outside his courtroom.

The last time I was at the downtown courthouse, I was participating in a law school moot court competition. Voices echo in its hallways, bouncing off the city’s mass-produced floors.

As we sat there, I started to feel a little nervous. At this point in the process my nerves rattled out of habit, not need as there was nothing to be nervous about. The test was done. All I needed to do was repeat a few sentences. I was one stride away from crossing the finish line.

Judge Smyth quickly appeared and invited us into his chambers. He was kind and we made a few jokes about my nose, surfing, and how it appeared my streak of bad luck was turning. Then, we proceeded with the oath.

Afterwards, there were many photos. I believe our photo taking time took about five times as long as the oath.

Note the somewhat giddy grin:

And my very proud family:

Judge Smyth was very kind to take time on Wednesday to administer my oath. Afterwards he thanked me, telling me it was an honor for him. He wished me the best. It was right then that it all sunk it. I crossed the finish line.

The Nose, part deux

Delinda — Sat, 24 May 2008 17:01:21 +0000

It’s one week later and I’m still floating high when thinking of the bar exam results. Yesterday, I got to answer a question that I had avoided for the past year: “What is your occupation?” It was thrilling to respond with “lawyer.” Granted, the circumstances were not ideal. I was sitting in a medical office, waiting for an ENT specialist to assess my nose. When I met my doctor, his first question was, “What type of law do you practice?” I think he was fishing to see if my answer was med-mal, which it is not.

Beyond that introductory conversation, the rest of our meeting was pretty painful. He examined my nose, my sinus cavity, and my ear canals (the ears because they connected to the sinuses somehow). The doctor determined that the left side of my bridge was off-kilter and that some sort of cartilage panel on the left side had collapsed. Hence, this is why I can’t breathe out of my left nostril. The solution? Performing a “closed reduction.” He used instruments that could easily be mistaken for torture devices out of a horror movie and after 45 minutes, I left the office with a beautiful nose cast.

Yep, I have a nose cast. And, I may still need surgery. We’ll just have to see how the nose is doing once the cast is removed on June 2.

So here I am, drugged up, with my nose cast.

It’s incredibly uncomfortable. It can’t be removed. I just about fell out of the chair when he told me that I couldn’t wash my face with it on. I begged him to allow me to exfoilate it before he put on the cast, but he wouldn’t let me. Instead, he rubbed it down with some alcohol pads. I imagine my little nose pores are incredibly blocked. And of course, since leaving the office there is an unbelievable itch right on the side of my nose.

I can’t believe it

Delinda — Sat, 17 May 2008 04:32:15 +0000

I passed the February 2008 California Bar Examination.

I am still in shock. I was convinced, if you couldn’t tell from my earlier posts, that I would have to re-take the exam. That being said, I am elated with this news.

Earlier today, approximately an hour before the results were to be released online, Josh and I met up with Karen and Paul (my law school study group buddies) up for happy hour at Karl Strauss. We sat and we talked. I worried and I drank two margaritas. At six o’clock, we were sitting in the booth when we heard a table cheer. Our server told us someone had just received their bar results. Everyone looked over at me. I requested that we pay the tab and walk to Karen’s office to look up my results in a private setting.

As we walked to Karen’s office, my nervousness increased. While the margarita removed my edginess, my fears still lurked. Once we arrived in the office, I had Karen type in my applicant and file number. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even look at the screen.

I think her first words were “congradulations,” but to be honest, I don’t quite remember. I rushed to look at the screen, and I saw this

I know the photo is blurry, but it says “The name shown above appears on the February 2008 California Bar Exam Pass List.” Karen printed out the screen so I could read it, over and over again.

We returned to Karl Strauss for dinner and come celebratory champagne.

The initial shock hasn’t worn off. I’m still grinning. And my nose is feeling a bit better.

Please God, let me pass the bar exam

Delinda — Fri, 16 May 2008 23:03:16 +0000

Dear God,

This is Delinda. I know, you know me. There’s only a handful of Delindas out here in the world and I have a feeling that right now, I am the only Delinda with a broken nose and a sunburn. While I usually don’t take our conversations public, I want to make sure my request is heard and I feel that if you are anywhere, you are on the world wide web.

So, please, I ask one thing. Let me pass the bar exam. You know how much I studied. I worked for it. I know I wasn’t perfect, but I earned a passing score. And, I’ve been saving those “get out of jail” cards up for quite some time. How about I trade one of those in for a pass at the bar?

Please?

Love,
Delinda

P.S. If you aren’t inclined to provide mercy today, please send me some grace.

Bruised and Broken, but Breathing (sort of)

Delinda — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:24:05 +0000

Just when I felt life couldn’t get any worse.

I broke my nose.

Yup. You read correctly. I broke my nose.

The stress of the upcoming results has weighed on me so heavily this week. I felt a good workout would mellow me out a bit. Thus, Wednesday afternoon, Josh and I packed up our surfboards and headed to the beach. It was nice to be in the water. You know, there’s something to be said for being able to physically leave the continent. I tried so hard to leave my worries and stress on the sand. And with the sun out and water calm, it was pretty easy to do just that.

Until of course, it happened. I had just caught a wave and was riding it in when I lost my balance. I fell off the side of the board and into the water. The board went forward. Right when I started to swim up to the surface, the wave jerked the board back toward me. I saw the board come toward me. The sun was shining through the water onto its blue coat. I raised my arms across my face, but the my response was too slow. SMACK.

I heard the bone break.

Immediately I felt faint, but the words “Get out of the water. Get out of the water.” repeated themselves over and over again in my head. As I swam, blood poured down my face. I could taste it in my throat. As I dragged my board out of the water and onto the sand, a foreign man helped me unattach the board’s leash from my ankle and he followed me, carrying my board, as I stumbled toward the lifeguard tower.

The lifeguard was great. He radioed for assistance and they got me all packed up with gauze and an ice pack for my face. They wanted to call an ambulance, but I resisted, telling them that my husband was still in the water and I couldn’t just take off without him. At this point, several minutes had passed since the initial accident and Josh had realized that I was missing. I could see him, 100 meters away, looking for me.

Soon Josh found me and we headed home so I could change and retrieve my health insurance card and driver’s license. We immediately drove to urgent care and right before the doctor saw me, Josh snapped these two photos:

Trying to make light of the situation

After a couple of x-rays, the doctor declared it broken. He told me I deviated my septum and once the swelling subsides, I will have to visit an ENT. I don’t know if positive bar results are in my future, but I do know a new nose is.

It’s funny too because to be honest, looking at these photos, I don’t look that bad. I look much worse today. Even though I continue to ice my face like a madwoman, the swelling has increased and I am a giant puffer fish. This morning I awoke to my left eye being nearly swollen shut. I’m kind of doing this awful pirate stink eye thing. And my eyes look like they are really wideset. Which I know is the result of no longer have much of a bridge left.

So how am I doing? Well, I am still trying to remain positive. This accident could have been worse. The board could have hit my eye or my mouth. I could have been eaten my shark. I could have passed out in the water and drown to death.

But the strangest thing about all of this…I am not experiencing pain. There is definite discomfort. But no pain. Not an ounce. There has been so much pain in my life the last couple of months that I think that at this point, I may just be immune.

Whatever it is, I’d like my nose back.

Preparing for the Worst

Delinda — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:32:50 +0000

I decided to visit the California State Bar homepage today. This is the website I will visit on Friday to retrieve my results. It is also home to former bar exam questions, answers and other State Bar information.

Today, for the first time since I sat for the February bar exam, I was ready to look at the February essay questions. I’ve avoided the website for months because I did not want to view the essay questions and subsequently send myself off into a panic as to whether I appropriately answered each one. But today, I looked. It wasn’t too bad. I can’t remember exactly what I wrote for each essay, so it was hard to evaluate myself.

I can’t say affirmatively either way whether I believe I passed or I failed the exam.

Thus, the worrier in me is preparing for the worst. I looked at my calendar this morning and I calculated that I will have nine weeks from next Tuesday until the July bar exam. By that point, I should have enough vacation time saved to take a week off from work for the test. We’ll scrap together some money to pay for another round. I’ll call my doctor and request a re-fill on my sleep meds (which fyi, are rarely used but I’m out nonetheless). And, I’ll just take the exam again. And again and again and again. I will not give up.

Worthless

Delinda — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:29:53 +0000

What does 12 years of public school, 4 years of undergraduate work, 3 years of law school, and a one year master’s program get me?

NOTHING.

The amount of money, time, and energy I have put into my education is the biggest joke of my life. This Saturday will be exactly one year since I donned my graduate cap and gown. I remember feeling relieved, excited, and hopeful for what the next year would bring.

Yet, right now, I am feeling jaded, ripped off, and deceived. Life after law school sucks, plain and simple.