Why isn't the summer here yet?

Getting the internship offer may have been a bad thing for my GPA. I already barely give half a shit about law school. Most of my classes are not relevant to either my interests or my future job prospects. I learned after first semester that my exam grade has nothing to do with my actual understanding of the material but everything to do with identifying issues and regurgitating rules. If I didn't have a study group I don't think I would have done anything for my finals yet. I study only because my group expects things from me.

I'm happy I managed to land a PD internship. Gives this blog a continuing source of legitimacy.

So far this is what I know about my internship. I will be assigned to a specific court room with an attorney supervisor. I will most likely be assigned to the misdemeanor court room. They will try and give me a case that will go to trial.

I WILL GET TO TRY MY OWN CASE.

I realize for most of my readers that is fairly common experience. For me it is the most terrifying prospect on earth, and yet I am dying to experience it. I know I will be absolutely terrified in court. I also know that I will get such an adrenaline rush that will remind me of my reason for living. When I did mock trial as an undergrad each trial was better than any drug (not that I have any real drug use experience, but its better than pain killers, marijuana and alcohol). I imagine a real trial will be ten times better than mock trial.

I found out that I don't actually compete in moor court again until Spring of 2009. This hopefully means that my last semester I will get to do Trial Advocacy, Moot Court Nationals, a Clinic and one other class. That sounds like a good way to end.

Interview apparently went really well

Got, and accepted, an offer at my first choice PD office yesterday. Also found out that I've advanced in moot court. Having a really good day.

Interview went well

I had my first interview last week. I think it went well. Both the people who interviewed me were really nice and I really liked the office. I was impressed with the receiptionists who remained calm despite phones that never stopped ringing. I will write more about the interview once I hear back from the office.

Spent some quality time with my family last week and did next to nothing law school related. Probably not good for my GPA but definately good for my sanity. Visited friends from undergrad. Drank cheap beer with them and tried to pick up girls for my friend on a Tuesday night (didn't work out so well.) Watched my undergrad team defeat our rivals in football (it was a miracle). Played with my cats. Suited up just for the fun of it. Ate a bunch of food. And lastly froze to death waiting in line on Black Friday.

A victory (kind of)

I worked on 6 different cases over the summer. Today the court issued an opinion on one of those cases. On the substantive issues the court was pretty much ass wrong. The real attorney is moving for reconsideration.

One of the issues was the Prosecutor failed to follow a mandatory rule. My contribution to the brief was a section where I asked the court to direct the Prosecutor to show cause as to why sanctions should not be imposed for their failure to comply with the rule. Of all the arguments made in the brief this was the only one the court bought. The court said:

[W]e refer this matter to the court's commissioner with instructions that the [ ] County Prosecutor be directed to show cause why sanctions should not be imposed for failure to timely comply with [the mandatory rule].

It isn't as though the Prosecutor was just a couple days late or anything. When I wrote the brief the Prosecutor was 14 months late.

Now I feel like the work I did over the summer wasn't just worthless busy work. I actually did something kind of useful. Sure I didn't actually help a defendant, but sanctioning a prosecutor is still pretty good, right?

Google Analytics remains awesome

Five firms have visited my site now. I did some more fooling around and discovered that I could find out what terms the law firms visiting my site used to find my site.

Firm #1 found my site searching for: "funny law school blogs 2l"
Firm #2 found my site searching for: "groin pick"
Three other firms found my site searching for: "petition for review"

This scares me

Skelly has a post about an anti-death penalty attorney hanging herself. Feeling Pain Until the Bitter End

The post made me think about how I am going to deal with depression once I am a real attorney. I think most law students can make it through their Crim Pro classes because the Defendant isn't real to them. (Hell for most of them he's just a Δ. I think I cope in a similar manner. Over the summer I did appeals so I never had to even speak with my clients. When working with prisoners I only have to answer letters. If I don't like an issue I can just chuck the letter in the trash can and pick up another.

The idea of being assigned to real people with real issues and losing in my attempts to help them is depressing for me. I've suffered with depression in the past fairly seriously. I see a counselor at least once a month now just to keep my life in order (thankfully I got off the anti-depressants, worst medication ever). My life has been simple and easy and I've become depressed. A little part of me is worried that struggling to help people and failing will just ruin me. The rest of me is more convinced that not struggling to help people, but getting a firm job and making rich people richer would make me even more depressed.

In unrelated news the first years are absolutely losing it. Complaints such as, "Oh my god I'm so behind on my outlines for Criminal Procedure or Con Law" or "I have to read 4 million pages, outline for 3 classes and walk the dog by tomorrow" permeate the halls. I really hope I wasn't this obnoxious last year.