Hi thremp.

What's wrong with this?

tr broski

Edit to add: We are only defending juveniles, thought I should mention that.

Things went pretty well. It was an arraignment, and my client had 2 co-defendants with one ahead of us on the docket. When he got called up we got to go up with him. Judge first divided the other two between the PD and the Conflicts Office after a few seconds of questioning the defender about which she was going to represent. I then had to state my name and say "Yes, your honor" when asked if we were going to enter a plea of not guilty. That was all I said throughout the short proceeding, so it was a lot of worry for nothing. They originally had driving privileges suspended, but my client's dad said that he needed to drive to work so she allowed them to drive to work and school. I guess that should have been me to say that, but I only had like ten minutes to meet with them and no one said before hand that it was a necessity. One of the other kid's parents completely threw him under the bus saying he was disrespectful, so he caught most of the judge's ire.

The meeting was the only interesting part, as I was three minutes into a short meet-and-greet information-gathering session when a bailiff came up and told me to stop what I was doing. I was a little taken aback, and asked him what he meant. I said I was gathering information as I was representing him in court that day. He told me I couldn't. I assured him that I could. He then was like "Oh well, guess you learn something new every day" and walked off. Not the best confidence builder for my representation ability a few minutes into my first meeting.

All in all, it went well and I did fine for the little part that I did. I tried not to convey how nervous I was, but after it was all over his dad asked me, "This was your first time, wasn't it," and smiled. They were nice, and the client seemed like a good kid, so I'm hopeful he'll come out of this relatively unscathed.

thanks.

a big wtf @ the bailiff. wonder what he thought you were doing?

this is a DWI case i'm assuming?

just like evolution is proven with science? don't tell that to michelle bachmann... she was a successful lawyer AFAIK

I think he just thought I was a student, not a student attorney. Maybe he thought I was a reporter or something. Since it's a juvenile court, privacy is a pretty big deal so I think he was just trying to protect my client. I learned later that they switch the two bailiffs assigned to that court out on a yearly basis. Me and another girl were the first two from our clinic to appear in court today, so I guess he just hadn't been forewarned about Rule XV people and what we could or could not do.

Without getting to into specifics, it was just youthful indiscretion involving driving + alleged paintball gun use, which is where the driving restrictions came from.

Hey All I have been lurking this thread for a little while and it seems like everyone has a very negative outlook on the career options for someone coming out of law school. I start law school at the University of Washington in a few weeks and was wondering what I can look forward to when coming out of school/ how well relative to my class do I need to do to have reasonable job prsopects when I graduate? Thanks for any info. Its appreciated.

u will most likely (yes, >50% chance) be unemployed upon graduation or working a non-legal job.

i have no idea what the seattle legal market is like but i'm gonna guess ur gonna need to be in the top 20% or so for reasonable job prospects.

This is likely accurate.

Science doesn't prove anything. It just falsifies other explanations.

Wait, what? Why do ya'll start so late. Today was the start of our 4th week.

Not sure. I think its because its on the quarter system. My first day is the 26th. Everyone else I know who went to different law schools started a while age.

This gif would be infinitely better if you took out Bert or Kermit or any stupid gimmick at the end of it.

it's a matter of semantics, the point is that evolution is a fact that any rational person accepts.

No it's conceptual. And it's surprising how many people expect otherwise, like that science should 'prove that cell phones do not cause cancer.'

Everything is relative. I cashed in my first two day tourney at FW and the kid who went out just before me was waiting with me for his money, He got his check looked at it and said, "We just made like 100 an hour" I said "yeah" he replies "you don't seem happy" I said " I am happy just 100 an hour isn't much, I charge 650 an hour for my time in my regular time" he said "what are you a laywer?" and I just smiled.

God's work. Keep it up. Yes they are desperately in need of your help and other like you. Not to mention if I see a kid with the I/P on his resume, s/he goes to the top of the interview heap and will prolly land the job at my firm.
A lot of my friends feel the same way.

Innocence Project ftw!!

Everything is relative. If you want a job in Big Law (making the so called "big bucks" then you better be on Law Review and you better be in the top 5% of your class.

If you want a job in a good medium size or strong smaller firm, the get active in the local and State Bar Association Law Student and Young Lawyers group. You will meet bar leaders many of whom have their own firms (which is why they can spend so much time in Bar related activities.) You will need a B or B+ average but a good Rabbi trumps a good GPA in this group.

If you want to work for a small firm and maybe even go "Of Counsel" to a firm where you get some regular 1040 income, and some 1099 income, then you have to pass the bar, do a lot of free low paying interning, and WORK YOUR LIST.

I mean you have to get your Facebook list and your family contact list and separate them into three groups
Group A is for people very likely to be able to send you work and who will send you profitable work regularly (think family and close friends but also former bosses and teachers from High School (especially good with criminal and family law referrals).) Start visiting them from start of 1L. Send them updates on your "successes" (such as joining the Innocence Project) Don't forget Christmas and Birthday cards (remind them at least one time a year you are 1 year closer to reaching your holy grail of Bar acceptance.) As you get closer to Graduation, plan a party and invite them too. Make them all feel like they contributed to your success. If the Teachers will invite you (invite yourself) offer to come and speak to their students about getting into law school and why it is a good place to be.
After you pass the bar and are awaiting admission, start going to this group and asking for them to keep your cards handy and help you get some work.

If you are lucky you will get 1 case from each of them worth about $1500-$5K each and hopefully you will have at least 5-20 names on that list. That will make you some real bucks.

Now your "B" list, fellow law students and college classmates (Especially those that get married early) and maybe your younger cousins. This is your "Wills Trust and Estate/ Real Estate" clientèle. You may see some litigation here and possibly a lot of Traffic and Landlord Tenant work. They will need discounts and you will give them discounts but you will also impress upon them the need to send their parents to you for wills and R.E. cases where you can charge full price. You will keep in touch with their anniversaries, and Birthdays and Christenings. You will follow and send cards for Weddings (even if not invited) and when you go to these events you will bring your cards but better you "mine" for others' cards. Then when the headache from the wedding wears off you will send an E-mail to those folks you met and then hit them up again in 6-8 months keeping them in the bullpen. These casually met folk make up your "C" list. Now if the B's and C's send you 1 case for every 5 members you're doing ok (you ought to have 20- 50 names on each list.

Anyone looking for a freebie is on your automatic "D" list. These are the folks you tell that need a "real specialist" Someone who will do a great job. You'd like top help them but even if they paid you top dollar, you are not the one to work on their important matter at this stage of your career. These guys you refer to a lawyer who will pay you a "referral fee" if you help with the case. He will get bigger bucks from them cause you referred them, and you will get paid your decent wage. The case will work out well and then you can go back to them and remind them what a good referral you made for them and ask them to do the same for someone they know and refer their case to you!!

Obviously the student who chooses to go the last route, and works it hard as early as possible has the opportunity to make the most money and to not have to slave away. One good PI or BI or even 5 or so decent DWIs to trial cases can net you a salary of over 60K your first year.

If you decide to hang the shingle, you need to learn about marketing and running an office. Join the Law Practice Management section of the ABA because they have 100s of books and things that can help you to streamline costs, market and do the myriad of other things a Solo/Small practitioner needs to do.

Also if you are going to handle a lot of different areas in law, get your self a mentor or two, and join the GP/Solo section of the ABA and your state bar. I have other ideas for making your first year in private practice a success you can PM me or I may write about them here soon.

Good luck all on a great new Law School year.

AC Shark you have the best signal/noise ratio out of pretty much anyone I have ever come across.

+1 - thank you so much for posting ITT.

Thanks guys. I love being a lawyer and hate when others who don't want to be lawyers or only went into it for the money put it down to a kid (or an older person) who really wants it.

Here's the deal, Cream Rises. Be Cream. Also if a man tells you it can't be done, he is right, he can't do it. Never ask someone who failed how to succeed, ask someone who succeeded. The difference in both attitude and advice will astound you.

Again good luck. Don't worry about PMing me even if it is just for encouragement. The best days of your life are ahead of you.
AC.

PS Winning the WPT Borgota Open looks like fun, winning a million dollar Civil rights case is more satisfying and profitable.

Seems so lame to come in here and post this after AC's greatness, but is anyone else taking the Nov. MPRE? I signed up today.

thought i was but i just found out that i passed the august test (barely). test is a joke i studied for 3 hours.

disko,

Good to know. Had you taken PR? I had it, but the guy taught it in a very Arkansas specific way, so I feel like the class won't be real helpful when taking the MPRE.