Join Me

This blog was started three and a half years ago to document my law school experience. While that ended about 9 months ago, I thought it was also appropriate to use it for my experience with the California Bar Exam, and with finding a job in the legal field. Now that I have done that, I am moving to a new blog. I'll still be talking about what's going on in my life, but focusing on my career.

Come on over to the new place and bookmark it. I moved all the old posts over already, so they are in one handy place. Let's all roll our eyes together and wander on over to The Blonde DA.

It's Official! I'm a Deputy District Attorney!

I haven't really wanted to comment much on my job hunt and interviews. Obviously, I needed to get a job and start making money, and when a person is looking in this kind of economy and options are limited, it is reasonable to expect that not every job being applied for is exactly what one would have wanted to be doing.

My ideal job would have been to become an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA). However, since the USAO only hires graduates of ABA-accredited schools, that was not going to be an option for me. The next job on my list was that of a Deputy District Attorney (DDA). Prosecuting on the state level may not be as glamorous as working in that gorgeous federal courthouse, but it is still doing the work I want to do, and I was not really looking for a "glamorous" type of job.

Since the Fresno County DA office is not currently hiring, I applied at the DA offices in 3 neighboring counties. I also applied for a position as a Child Support Attorney here. I did receive an offer for that job, contingent on a background check being successfully completed. (In all fairness, had I started this job, I know I would have done a wonderful job there, and probably found it challenging while I learned the law in that area. Ultimately however, it was not where I saw myself being, and knew I would have continued trying to find a DDA position.) Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for me, in the time that check has been ongoing, I interviewed twice with with nearest county and received an offer from them this morning! I start on Monday. :)

I don't think there is any way I would have received this offer if it had not been for a couple of things: first, taking the Criminal Trial Practice class (taught by the USAO office chief) that gave me the confidence and skills I needed, as well as the courage to pursue it, and secondly, working the internship at the USAO for the last year of law school. I truthfully told the panel during my interviews that they should hire me because I was the best bargain out there- they could hire me for the lowest salary range, yet I had more court and trial experience than anyone at my level (and probably more than a lot of others). In addition, I found out that my supervisor at the USAO gave the DA a "glowing recommendation" for me, which I'm sure also put the icing on my offer.

I'm thrilled, excited, and just ready to start working. Can not wait!

"Is This Real Life?"

More Babies = More Cash

I so called this one!

Public Defender Gets Shit-Faced In Court

That was too easy!

July 2008 Bar Exam Stats

Kind of interesting to check out the statistics on the July 2008 California Bar Exam. Of the California, but not ABA, accredited schools, mine ranked 4th among the 18 schools in that category, beating the average 37% pass rate with their 51% rate.

Of the California law schools that are ABA accredited, Stanford had the highest pass rate with 97% among first time takers. Out-of-state ABA accredited schools University of Utah and University of Virginia both had 100% pass rates for their first time takers.

8 + 6 Doesn't Add Up

More details are coming out about the woman who gave birth to live octuplets the other day. Like how she already had 6 children, aged 2 to 7, including a set of twins; like that she is single; like that she lives with her parents in a small home; like that she filed for bankruptcy and abandoned a home recently; like how she was using fertility treatments.

Who, in that situation, tries to get pregnant? With multiple babies? And keeps them all? Obviously, being intelligent and making rational decisions has never been a prerequisite to becoming a parent. And I don't advocate the government stepping in and telling people how many children they can have, but why didn't someone do something? Um, maybe her parents could have counseled her to think about the cost of raising 14 children (which now they will presumably be forced to share) or consider waiting until she was in a stable relationship with someone to help her raise the brood? Or perhaps a friend could have suggested that she concentrate on raising the large family she already had instead of taking on more.

I can't help but wonder if this woman, with stars in her eyes, thought this may be her way to fame and fortune. Get a reality show with a hefty contract and move into an extreme home with a fat paycheck. Who knows?

It just doesn't seem fair that people like this end up with so many children, who I'm guessing will not really have the kind or quantity of attention they deserve, while some intelligent, rational people struggle to have even one. I know, I know. Life's not fair.

Vegetarians Have Better Sex?

That PETA ad has been banned from Super Bowl Sunday as being too sexy. What do you think?