Who Else Has Had Enough?

It seems that everywhere I go, I hear my mother's favorite Christmas song. Feliz Navidad. It's almost as annoying as...wait...I can't think of ANYTHING more annoying than that stupid song. It reminds me of the USC fight song. It's the same 3 notes over and over again. And that song says the same 9 words over and over and over and over again.

As Christmas approaches, I get more and more ready for it to be over. Work is really slow right now, which means I'm not making nearly as much money as I'd like, and it gives me more time to hear 24 hours of Christmas music. I have to wrap my gifts, but other than that, I'm pretty ready for Christmas to be here and done with already.

Don't get me wrong. I believe in God, and especially this year, I am 100% certain He's been working in my life. I mean, how else do you explain me passing the bar this time? But my religion is generally private. And I have to wonder how many of these songbirds on the radio actually have a relationship with the God they're singing about. Especially like Whitney Houston. I mean, how faithful and religious can you be when you've got a coke habit?

Anyway, I'm just ready for it to be over, you know what I'm saying?

Retail Therapy

My fabulous niece and I are going to see Wicked tomorrow night. I'm overjoyed! I'm excited about the opportunity to get all dressed up, get my nails done, maybe get my hair did (a la Missy Elliot...never mind).

I have big feet. I wear an 11, which really sucks. Most shoes at Macy's only go up to a 10. Yes, I've considered breaking my foot just so that they could take some bone out and make them smaller. But then I thought about permanently disabling myself, constant pain, and the inability to wear cute shoes ever again, and I scratched that plan.

Tonight, whilst at DSW (which is one of my favorite shoe stores!), I found a way cute pair of heels. They aren't super high, maybe 3 inches or so, and they have cute little ruffles down the top of my foot. If anyone else is an incessant Carrie Bradshaw fan, they are similar to the ones Carrie wore when she went out with Big when Miranda went into labor. Except mine are black and hers were pink. I also probably paid maybe 10% of what hers cost.

Christmas is the season when most legal work slows down. While eviction law is hot right now, even that slows down around Christmas. No one wants to be the *sshole that kicks someone out of their home or business around Christmas. And rightfully so. But, since I'm paid by the hour, it SUCKS for me. I billed a whopping 6 minutes today. Tomorrow, I'll be lucky to get 3 hours billed. And next week? Company party, Christmas Eve and Day, and we get Friday off...I might bill 8-12 hours if I'm lucky. This check is going to SUCK. I hope my bonus is enough to tide me over.

Anyway, I don't know why, but it makes me feel better to buy things after a day of no working. Maybe it makes me feel like I accomplished something. Maybe it disrupts the boredom. Who knows? Either way, I'm proud to be doing my part to stimulate the economy!

Expensive

Being a lawyer is expensive. I'm going to get insurance through a company that has a graduated premium for the first few years of practice. Year one is $500. Otherwise, it would be something like $3,000-$4,000 per year. Cost prohibitive? Yep.

Dues are $410 for the state bar. The piece of paper with the gold seal from the CA Supreme Court is another $69, plus I have to buy a frame.

I also just bought a PO box so that my home address wouldn't be available for everyone to see on the state bar's website. Since I don't yet have an office address, I can't have it sent there.

I'm also going to get business cards made up. Those will be pricey, I'm sure.

While it's expensive, I'm still overjoyed about finally being a lawyer. Today, I made an agreement with a friend who's been practicing for about 6 years. I'm going to co-counsel with him on 2 cases. I'm so excited! First client meeting is a week from today. And I'll get to sign my own filings, my own letters, my own almost everything. It makes me nervous, but the nerves are a touch reassuring. I mean, if I wasn't nervous, it would mean I was overly confident. While I believe I'm competent, I know there is a LOT that I don't know. And it's very reassuring that I'm working with such an amazing attorney who REALLY knows what he's doing. He has such a great reputation in the community for his precision.

I'm also getting a payoff statement on my car. With any kind of luck, I'll have the title before the end of the year.

Here's hoping the rest of my day goes as smoothly!

Frozen

We don't have heat in my house. Yes, I know, I can hear the roar of moans and groans saying that I should count my lucky freaking stars that I'm in Southern California. Sure. Okay. I get it.

While in law school, I remember dreading the idea of driving anywhere in the snow, especially since I lived on a hill and my ghetto city only had 2 snow ploughs and seemed to do my street last. I hated piling on a shirt, sweater, jacket, gloves, hat, scarf (or multiple scarves), snow boots, etc. just to get some freaking milk. I hated having to kick my boots together just to get back into my car. I hated scraping and brushing the snow and ice off my windshield. Why did I choose to live in CA? If this doesn't tell you, I don't know what would.

Anyway, I get that it is WAY colder in many other regions of our great nation. But most of them have heat.

We haven't had heat in my house in years. And I'm currently sleeping with a sheet, a thermal cotton blanket, a thick fleece blanket, AND a comforter but am still cold. It's getting into the low 40's at night. And for a girl who has no heat, sh*tty windows (that were original to the house built in the 50's), and old insulation, it's damn cold.

The upside is that the gorgeous 2 dozen white rose bouquet that my boss bought me for the "I passed the Bar, beeyoches!" celebration will keep nicely in here. Hell, they'll probably last longer in the ice box that is my bedroom than they would in my office.

Also, I checked my name on the state bar's site. They transposed 2 letters of my name and got my phone number wrong. It's a good thing I typed the card instead of using handwriting! Who knows what else might have been wrong!?!? I called, and they asked for my bar number. It was the first time I ever gave it, and it was to correct sloppy mistakes made by the bar itself. It was still a proud and kinda cool moment. It's official. I'm a LAWYER!

Off to have some fun! Have a fabulous and safe weekend!

Careful What You Wish For

It just occurred to me that that sentence is grammatically incorrect. Funny how such a saying has such widespread use despite its structure.

It is quite possible that I am sleep deprived.

I went looking at properties today. If I really suck it up, save my money, pack my lunches, make my dinners, and cut the fat (both literally and figuratively!), I might be able to swing a modest mortgage. I want my own space, my own place. I mean, for goodness sake! I'm nearly 28 (my birthday is next month...the gift list is available upon request), I'm a lawyer (which is still really freaking cool to say), and I'm currently making pretty good money. Oh yeah, and I really want my own space!

A friend of mine has her own apartment, but her mother moved in with her. She's about 8 years older than me, but she's going through the same frustrations. Hers are actually amplified because they are both in the same apartment 24/7. I have another friend (male friend) who also lives at home, though it doesn't seem to bother him at all. Maybe he just crushes up sedatives in his parents' beverages. Hmm. Something to think about. LOL

But seriously, it's cool to think about moving into a place of my own, having something that is really mine. We saw a 1.15 million dollar home today. My mom was saying how she could live on the first floor, I could live on the second, and the third floor could be my office. Um, that really wasn't the point of the excursion today. The young lawyer is the one who wants and needs her OWN place. And if we bought a house together, I'd be locked in until she died! Especially one that expensive.

But getting back to the heading. I desperately wanted to pass the bar and become an attorney. Now that I am one, I'm being hit with the harsh realities that attorneys can't find jobs. What am I supposed to do? I certainly can't afford an office, malpractice insurance, Lexis or West, electricity, etc. If I did that, there's no freaking way I could get my own place. So what am I supposed to do? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Hurting

I know that the economy is severely in trouble, and that people don't have jobs like we once did. It sucks. Obama and Biden really have their jobs cut out for them, and I have to wonder if Bush and his cronies did everything they could to drive the economy further and further down in an attempt to make Obama look bad. It could possibly be a crazy conspiracy theory, but a theory nonetheless.

The firm I REALLY wanted to work at isn't hiring right now. Grumble. The firm that found my resume on a law group's website decided not to hire another associate after all because the hourly clients aren't paying and the contingencies aren't coming in like they once did. Ouch.

I'm really lucky to have the job I do, but my boss is trying to push me out of the nest so I can spread my attorney wings and fly. I'd be happy to! Know anyone who's hiring?

I'm meeting with my former college professor for lunch today. Hopefully he'll be able to kick some attorney work in my direction. But since I know times are tight for all of us, who knows? I'm just scared, and I know it's going to get worse before it gets better.

I Don't Know

I don't know about the recommendation made by the person in the most recent comment. But I posted it in case it could be helpful to anyone. I make no guarantees, representations, warranties, etc. about anything.

Bar Graders, Revisited

Thank you for your comments. Since there are some interested in whatever input I may have to offer, I will continue posting tips as they creep their way into my consciousness.

Another question about Bar Graders was how thorough is the feedback, and do they hold you accountable for not doing essays?

First, the feedback is EXCELLENT. It is specific and precise. My friend asked me the same question, and followed up with "what if I don't understand their comment?" It never happened to me. They (the graders) know that the BarBri type of feedback ("no!" or "ok") is the exact opposite of helpful. They are very specific. And they are very detailed as they evaluate each issue separately.

Since they offer a free seminar (check their website) for debriefing the most recent test, I highly recommend you go. If you go, they may give you a discount on your purchase. And it's good to see how their program works. They also offer you a free essay review (one) if you sign up. Try one. You can see what the feedback is like for free. Certainly no harm.

They also offer phone tutoring, but I think it's a bit pricey. I never tried it, so I can't tell you the value of it, but I couldn't afford it even if I wanted it. I did, however, go to their essay seminar, which I HIGHLY recommend.

Second question: how much do they keep you accountable for doing essays? Answer: they don't. I hope this doesn't sound too harsh, so I apologize if it does. You're studying for the BAR exam. It's not something you can "wing" and hope to skate by. Unless you pay someone to hold you accountable, no one will. If you are the kind of person who needs that kind of attention, I recommend finding a personal tutor. If you can't afford that, I recommend having a good friend hold you accountable.

My friend C (male), the second time I took it, offered to take me to dinner for every simulated MBE that I passed. (I don't remember what score I had to get, but I think it was something like 135.) My other friend C (female) and I talked almost every day. Since she and I were studying at the same time (although for different states), we would tell each other our status, ask each other questions, and she asked how many essays I had done that week. I needed that kind of support. I need reinforcement and encouragement. It also helped this last time that I was working part time and studying the rest of the time in my office. My assistant would ask me what subjects I was working on, remind me that my half day of work was over and that I needed to study, etc.

So I guess I was lucky all the way around. I was lucky to have such amazing friends to support and encourage me. I was lucky to have the option of working part time, studying in my office, and have an assistant who would keep me on task. Mostly I was damn lucky to have had the essay subjects on the bar, since most of what I do at the office is real property, contracts, and remedies. I killed those essays. Hence, I was lucky.

I believe that Bar Graders is absolutely worth it, and the earlier you start the better. I wish someone had told me during the summer after my first year of law school that I should start studying for the bar. I wish someone would have been honest and upfront with me about what the bar exam is like. While it is possible to pass from only studying for the 2 months after graduation, why kill yourself that whole time? Why not have a MBE course over the summer? Or just work with a good MBE book?

You need some sort of substantive course at some point, for which I recommend Bar Passers. For those who believe BarBri is the only way to go, go ahead. It wasn't for me. And if you're a BarBri snob, relax. Bar Passers is owned by West, as is BarBri. Hence, the material is extremely similar but packaged and taught differently. I think it was far more effective. Oh yeah, and it's less expensive.

Next? Bar Graders for essays. See above and prior posts.

Lastly? John Holtz. I firmly believe (though have no way of knowing for certain) that I passed both of these PT's as a direct result of his teachings. And, he's worth the money, especially if you can get the group discount by getting some friends together. Also, I think he has a "don't pass, don't pay" policy, though I can't recall since it didn't apply to me because it is only for first time takers. But you can't hold me to it.

Mostly, I think you need to indulge your inner sense of intellectual superiority. My male friend C's mantra was "it's an insult to my intellect!" I was more of a song person. "I'm going home, gonna load my shotgun, wait by the door and light a cigarette. He wants a fight, well now he's got one, and he ain't seen me crazy yet. Slapped my face and shook me like a rag doll, don't that sound like a real man? I'm gonna show him what little girls are made of: gun powder and lead." The bar has a special way of knocking you down and making you feel inferior. You need to find a way to beat it. Mantras, shotgun songs, whatever works. The trick is finding what works. Easier said than done.

Gotta run. I have to get ready for my swearing-in ceremony this morning! Yeah!