So, I reached my six monthaversary at work yesterday. This joyous day is supposed to be marked by a meeting with one of the higher-ups and the removal of my probationary status. It is not supposed to be marked as being the busiest day of my (still very short) legal career. I've had days when I've had more things scheduled than I did yesterday, but yesterday everything was URGENT.

I walked into my office that morning and already had a client waiting for me. I didn't have time to do more than toss my purse on the chair, grab her file, before I HAD to get up to court with her to take care of something urgent. No sooner did I get back to my office after putting out that fire that I was called back up to court on a new appointment. I got back from the new appointment to have voicemails from not one, but two panicking clients. One of them was facing an (you guessed it) urgent problem and so I began my running around to fix it. In the middle of that, I was called to another court for another new appointment. After dealing with that I had to draft a motion and get it filed before the clerk's office closed. By the time all of that was done, it was time to go home.

I came in this morning to find out that I have a client in the hospital, that my urgent motion wasn't necessary after all, and that apparently the world won't be ending today (although you wouldn't have guessed it to talk to my clients yesterday). Of course, I could only find all this out after a second day of non-stop running around. I usually pride myself on my organization at work, but right now my office is. in. shambles. My desk is currently a file folder orgy. I have a To-Close stack, a To-File stack, a To-Update stack, an I-Don't-Know-What-Exactly-Is-Going-On stack, and about six court dockets to wade through to make sure the court isn't expecting me to show up to a setting I haven't written down yet.

And normally Friday would be the day to fix all of that, straighten up the desk and files, and get ready for the coming week. But because that probationary status is ending, I have to meet with the higher ups, and also take Damnation to the dentist to cap his darned tooth, and make time to partake in yummy office Thanksgiving lunch (you know where my priorities are there).

So when I was asked on Tuesday (the day before my probation ended) how I was liking my job and whether it was stressful, and I answered, "Oh, it's great, and it hasn't really been stressful so far," I should have found some wood to knock on, for real. O_O

(On the plus side, I've held down a real attorney job for six months, and not once have I woke up dreading having to go into work. I think that's a decent six months. On the down side, we don't get a pay raise at the six month mark, which would have really been awesomesauce.)

I GOT MY FIRST CLIENT FAN MAIL!

It read:

Dear Ruth's Boss,

The other day, Ruth waltzed in the courtroom and gave the DA the smackdown. Because of her awesomesauce legal skillz, she went up against The Man and won. You should totes promote her.

Peace Out,
Ruth's Client



...


Okay, it didn't quite read like that at all in fact, but I'm sure that was the main idea. I promptly made a copy for my personnel file and framed the original.

I frequently check the news to see if the clients of my office are mentioned. Some of my colleagues have the high-profile cases, and I find it interesting to see what the media has to say. I wondered how long I'd be with the office before I had a case that got media coverage.

Apparently not long.

Unfortunately the newspaper got several facts wrong, but I've really come to expect that from this paper. On the bright side, it didn't mention my name, because I'd hate for my future clients to associate me with letting my client get 4 years of "prison" on "one count" of a misdemeanor. Ugh. Not really worth a letter to the editor, though, despite how RONG they were. And if they're allowed to read newspapers in jail, then my poor client is probably freaking out wondering when they're going to come away to take him to "prison" when I told him he would not be going to TDC. Looks like a client visit is in my immediate future.


Despite all that, I'm totally cutting out the article for my Baby Lawyer's First Year scrapbook. Maybe if I get into better shape, the next reporter will feel inclined to mention the "attractive" and "highly intelligent" defense attorney. Yes.

That hearing I thought I might have over-prepared for? Yeah. Got my butt kicked. Not for being under-prepared, at least. It was just clear early on that the judge wasn't going to see things my way and there was little I was going to be able to do about it. I took way too much pleasure in cross examination, though. I can easily see myself becoming addicted to contested hearings. They don't have to be trials. Anything where I get to cross examine someone will do. If the witness is a jerk, even better.

In other milestones, I've now had my first DA lie to me. Luckily it happened in a way where it didn't totally screw me or my client, so I was able to learn the lesson without any real bitterness. I'll never let on that it even bothered me, but I will also secretly never take his word again for anything. Ever. His word is dead to me. If he promises the sky is blue, I'll double check just to be sure.

Lastly, I. Hate. Moving. Hate it. I'm so traumatized that some nights I lie awake, trying to pretend that the boxes won't be there in the morning, taunting me with their eternally unpacked status. I have nightmares where I'm moving again several years later, and I find boxes in the garage that I never got around to unpacking. I'm also quite annoyed that this is the second Summer Olympics where I've been without cable. Thank goodness NBC is showing the men's swimming finals in prime time. I'll just be sure to program the parent's DVR to catch everything else and I'll catch up over Sunday night dinner.

So... what are you guys doing for bar trips? I suppose if it's anything fun and you've already left, then you won't be able to answer. But I'm curious nonetheless.

Just as a proud parent records all of baby's firsts, I thought it would be ridiculous just like me, really fun to record my firsts as a baby lawyer. So far, I've scribbled my first signature in my capacity as an attorney, completed my first client interview, and "written" my first motion. I like to think of these things as being similar in excitement level as baby's first smile that turns out to be just a little gas. They seem really awesome at first, but once you've done other, way more awesome things, you realize that the excitement over the earlier stuff was a little overboard. Second-chairing my first trial will be like baby's first word, and first-chairing a trial for the first time will be like the first step.


Would I be the dorkiest lawyer ever if I created a "Baby Lawyer's First Year" calendar? Well, yeah, duh. But would it be funny enough later on to make it worth it? Hmmmm...