Made.
It’s officially official: I’m a lawyer.
The final hurdle, the “swearing in,” was Wednesday at the state capital. I got to put my name in a big book w/all the other members of the state bar “association,” I met the clerk of the Supreme Court, and I got to stand up and sit down in the House Chambers when an assistant attorney general read off my name to “introduce” me to the Court. I also signed an oath and recited another. I’m thinking it would be good for someone to have given me copies of those oaths so I can be sure I remember everything I swore to do or not do, but hey, I guess they trust me to just be ethical or something.
I guess this means the honeymoon is over. For the last two months I’ve been working as a glorified internÃ¢â‚¬â€ťresearching, brief-writing, and brainstorming for and with most of the other lawyers in my office. I’ve had the chance to be a small part of a murder trial, a DUI trial, and a domestic violence trial. I’ve visited clients in jail, interviewed witnesses, fielded phone calls from concerned family members, and helped write and file an appeal to the state supreme court. All of this has been experience has been terrific for learning local procedure and norms, and for getting to know everyone in my office. Although I started out a little frustrated (ok, very frustrated) at having a job but still basically being an intern, I’ve since grown to really appreciate this opportunity I’ve had to do all of the above w/out the pressure of a client load of my own.
And now it begins for real. I got my first client yesterday and will gradually be getting more clients in the next few weeks. It’s exciting, but a little surreal. That’s my file? My client? I’m responsible for this person’s defense? Me? Allrighty then! Let’s go!
(No Ratings Yet)
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October 20th, 2006 at 8:02 am
WHOOT! Congrats Imb! I’m so happy for you!!!
Good luck on your next client, I’m sure you’ll rock it, and I can’t wait for updates!
YAY!
October 20th, 2006 at 10:59 am
Congrats!!
October 20th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
Good post. I get sworn in next month — and I am on the prosecution side of things — but I still can relate to your words. Part of my job is to make charging decisions. It is something I take very, very seriously. By drafting an information and filing it with the court, I can make somebody’s life much more difficult than it was. This responsibility is both humbling and surreal. Right now, I am supervised. Next month, I will be on my own.
October 21st, 2006 at 7:46 am
Awesome - you should print this out and keep it near your desk. It’s certainly not the first step on your law journey, but it’s a significant one.
I ran into M. from the PDs office yesterday and we chatted for a bit - she’s very happy for you, as am I.
October 21st, 2006 at 10:52 am
Congratulations! The fun starts now :)
October 21st, 2006 at 1:39 pm
This is the official sign that you should remove the ‘when should I start work?’ impolio from your sidebar.
:)
Congratulations! Now you get to start planning a vacation…hint.
October 21st, 2006 at 3:08 pm
aww yeah. woo!
October 22nd, 2006 at 5:02 pm
Thanks everyone! I wish I could say more about the work, but I do think Gideon’s right: The fun definitely starts now. The work starts now, too, but that’s part of the fun.
Care: Yeah, I did need to change that poll, but not as much as I need to send you a letter! ;-(
I probably should remove the polls altogether b/c I can never think of a compelling enough question that would make people want to respond. It’s a neat idea, but…
October 23rd, 2006 at 5:34 pm
Congratulations!
So you’re now Ti, Esquire?
October 23rd, 2006 at 10:48 pm
A respectful tip of the hat to the new wielder of the law, whose daily battles I imagine will be something like this. Congratulations, good sir!
October 24th, 2006 at 5:15 am
Moneypenny and Washburn: Absolutely. I’m your huckleberry. This new “esquire” (you’d think I’d know what that means or where it comes from, but alas…) will definitely be studying “One of the Best Ways of Knocking Down a Man in a General Scrimmage, when there is not Room to Swing a Stick Freely.” I’m thinking that technique in particular will come in quite handy in most of the courtrooms I will be entering. ;-)
October 28th, 2006 at 10:09 pm
Congrats!! We all knew you could do it :)