Woot!

I got the results from Spring semester in. I'm on the Dean's List! And I moved up in class rank! I may have a chance at continuing to get real lawyer jobs! WOOT!

And just as an update- I'm continuing my work for the firm in Edmond and really liking it. It's challenging and has enough variety to really keep me on my toes. I've gotten really familiar with the OU Law Library and with navigating community red tape, which is a lot of fun. The people I work with are nice and very understanding about my class schedule. Which reminds me- finals are coming! I also ended my internship with Legal Aid. It was great while it lasted, but with a paying gig and finals fast approaching it was just too much. So it's nice to have the time to devote to studying and working and a couple of recreational pursuits like I did at the beginning of the summer. I'm also working on editing my resume to look as impressive as possible, no mean feat.

For the fourth I'm headed to Cali to visit the good old Dad. We're definitely going to D-land and possibly a few of the old haunts like the Queen Mary or Exposition Park. Should be a fun trip and I'm looking forward to a bit of a break.

Adventures in Lawyer-dom

This is a bit silly and I realize it. But I got a real lawyer job today. I'm doing research for a firm up in Edmond. First off, yay money! and secondly, yay experience! I've been doing work for Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, which I love, but this is a little more grown-up feeling. I spend most of my time at Legal Aid on the phones slogging through the quagmire of American justice and governmental agencies. Basically calling different departments to find out why horrible thing X happened to the client and what the policy is to appeal, repeal, or dispute it. Today, however, I was given the outline of some case facts and told to go find out if there's a cause of action. Oh, and call this person (a real witness!) to see if you can get some more information from her. Then they handed me one of those huge brown accordion file folders full of hearing transcripts and evidence and basically left me to my own devises. Pretty cool! Anyway, I just got off the phone with the witness and I feel like a grown up lawyer doing real lawyerly things. It's a good feeling. Like maybe I'm going to enjoy my profession. And maybe I did actually learn something over the last year.

View

So I've got 16 hours until my last final begins. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent at this particular table, but it's a lot. So I thought I'd share the view. Lots of books, a computer, more books, and the carrells.

Follow Ups

Moot Court:
Jared and I made it to the Sweet 16, but were knocked out after that. Curiously enough, several of the top speakers came from our section, but none of them made it to the semis. Strange things...
School:
Finishing up the 1L year on Friday. I won't know grades for about a month. Come on Dean's List! I also got an internship up at Legal Aid in the city for the summer. I'll be working under one attorney doing whatever she needs. It sounded like a lot of estate planning and landlord-tenant stuff, which is what I like. I'm geekily excited to take Wills and Trusts, and Wind Law in the Fall. I'll also be taking two classes over the summer, Evidence and Professional Responsibility. The two classes make me a full time student.
Work:
Looking for part-time, evening employment in Norman. Yeah, slow going. I'll probably end up as a waitress somewhere. But I need the money, so I'll take the job.
Church:
I'm still the Enrichment Counselor and we've got some great activities coming up. In June we'll be doing a craft project and focusing on the example of the Savior. And hopefully in August and September we'll be doing a two-parter that is still very much in the planning stages. Camp will be happening in just a few weeks and I'm excited to get out there and get this thing going! We've go a ton of great activities for the girls and I really hope that they jump in with both feet.
Life:
Still playing racquetball. I got myself a partner now so it's been easier to get to the gym and play. So far I'm whomping him, but I think that'll change over the next few months.
I got roped into doing a floor show for a church dance. It's a swing routine with about six couples and a lot of fun. A little more time commitment than I think I was prepared for, but it's sure been a blast and I'm glad that I can do it. The performance is on June 6 if anyone is reading this and wants to come.
There's an OU/BYU football game in the fall that I'm REALLY looking forward to. The tickets are little pricey, but it's totally worth it! And I'm pretty sure the band is coming. WOOT!

I think that about wraps it up. I'll try and remember to put up how things came out with grades and how the internship is going, but I'm pretty sure that no one reads this so I won't feel too compelled to post things right away.

Best CES Broadcast EVER!

So Elder Bednar gave a CES Fireside last night. It was pretty awesome for a few reasons. First, I got to sit with a couple of really great people. One in particular was very handsome. Second, I've never heard the principle of physical reality from the plan of salvation taught in that context. It was incredible. And it made me particularly greatful for the Restoration of the gospel and the guidance of prophets and apostles. Without their connection to a higher power and their guiding light it would be so easy to get lost, to be blinded by the deceptions of Satan. The prophets warn us of pitfalls and dead ends so that we know what they are when we see them. Without those warnings and that instruction we could be trapped in something horrible before we even knew what was happening. And it brought home the importance of sharing that knowledge with others. So here's my first effort- a link.

http://lds.org/broadcast/ces/0,7341,538,00.html

If you didn't see it, go watch it now. His actual discourse is about 30 minutes long. Maybe even less. And well worth the time.

iPhone

I finally got rid of the Dinosaur 2000 and bought an iPhone. It's pretty dang awesome! I've got my calendar, email, text, camera, and anything else I may need all in one little gizmo that I can carry anywhere. It's got some minor problems, but mostly it's the best purchase that I've made in a while and I encourage anyone who's in the market to do some research and see if it's right for you.

Round 1 Complete

I had my practice round on Friday and it actually went alright. I didn't completely choke and the judges gave me some fairly positive feedback about my knowledge of the law and of the cases. I was also told that I'm "charming" a rather nice compliment if you ask me.

My next round is this coming Friday. That one is graded and I'll be switching sides. Basically I was arguing that our hypothetical person Mesha Steele was not barred from seeking withholding of removal and this time I'll be arguing that she is. I have mixed feelings about that. I'm glad because that was the position that I argued in my brief, but unnerved because I have more experiencing arguing orally for Mesha. I'm basically afraid that I'll get mixed up when I'm speaking. But I'm sure that it'll turn out alright.