My First Bar Acceptance!

Dear Son,

Last Friday I became the newest member of the Stillaguamish Indian Tribal Bar! It's my first real legal practice qualification - I'm pretty excited about it.

Indian court is really different, especially in a tribe as small as the Stillaguamish. It’s very informal in some ways, but not lackadaisical. It doesn’t really look like a courtroom. There’s no real “bench,” just two long table put together like a big “T” with the judge sitting in the middle of the top crossbar and the two opposing sides sitting along each side of the stem. The mis-matched folding chairs in the back add to the feel.

It’s also one of the least Indian Indian tribes I’ve ever seen. The Judge is Jewish, and I think he comes up once a week to hold court. There were only two or three people I saw that morning who looked vaguely Indian. It makes sense, though – the Stillaguamish tribe as it exists today is essentially the descendants of a single woman.

(By the way, I call them “Indians” on purpose, because that’s what they call themselves. I hate the term “Native American.” It’s less descriptive and less accurate than “Indian,” and exists solely to make soft headed white liberals feel smug for using it and to keep activists who profit from propagating racial politics employed.)

Regular state law doesn’t apply there, either. In this small area of a few dozen acres, there is an entirely separate tribal code of laws that I had to read before I could be admitted to their bar. Federal law applies in some ways, but it’s (in theory, at least) a separate sovereign nation. There are no rules of evidence, for example – basically anything the judge wants to hear goes.

But the people were all very nice and helpful, especially as I showed up early ad was wandering around not really looking like I knew what was going on. Thanks to them, I was able to get the updated code read and get sworn in that day as an Indian Advocate (which is what they’ll call me until I actually become a real lawyer, even though there’s no actual difference in what I can do there).

That morning I got called in to the judges chambers on one of the cases. One of the partners at the firm I work for came up (she’s not admitted to the Stillaguamish bar) just to observe, and make sure I was doing OK. She tried to follow me into the chambers, and the court marshal kicked her out! When she explained that I was her intern, he just told her, “well, this is our court, and he’s a member of our bar – he’s good to go.” Knowing that particular partner, who’s loud and tough and doesn’t take crap from anyone, that was just damn funny.

I had two cases and they both went well. I didn’t get everything we wanted, but that’s the way it goes in family court anywhere – you don’t “win” or “lose” in most cases. But I was able to hold my own, and protect my client from shenanigans coming from the other side, and so I felt good that I’ll be able to no-kidding do this some day for a living.

Love, Dad

Starting to Practice

Dear Son,

Today I got my Rule 9 Card, which means I have enough credits as a law student to, in a limited way, actually practice law. I have to be supervised (and I couldn't have better supervisors), but that doesn't mean there isn't some things I can't do alone.

Today was also my first day of full time work, which was fun. I pretty much just observed at Juvenile Court, which I've done before, but it was a little different knowing I'll actually have responsibility in a few weeks at the most.

Your mom actually worked there when she was in law school, and I'm looking forward to experiencing for myself the stories she used to tell me.

Juvie's a sad place in a lot of ways. It's a very nice facility, and I don't know that I've met anyone there yet who didn't want to help kids succeed. It's bizarrely chaotic - you always think of a courtroom as so formal, solemn, staid, deliberate, and ponderous. But it's a whirlwind of activity, with a hearing going one at the same time as 10 side conversations, shuffled paperwork, and orders being signed. Most people who work there have developed thick skin and darkly cynical (but hilarious) senses of humor. The kids and their parents are liars, manipulators, victims, and abusers. Some of them are stupid, but a surprising number of them are actually quite smart and even charming. Of course, those are always the ones who are in for the worst transgressions - I think the dumb ones get caught before they can do real damage. But intelligence, boredom, and lack of direction breed supervillians!

It will be a fantastic training ground to learn my profession. If I can keep up there, I can keep up anywhere.

Juvie sucks, though, and most of the kids there are simply doomed. They've already made the decision to fail in life, and no amount of social work and lawyering and judicial admonishment can save them from their Ultimately, it comes down to crappy parents and a culture which treats them too much as victims and in some ways isn't hard enough on the offenders. But considering where the kids come from, I think there is real hope there, too. Hopefully I can help some of them this summer. And hopefully I'll be a better parent for what I learn there.

Love, Dad.

3L

Dear Son,

WHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One more year in the bag. It feels so damn good. I always feel like school is so much effort for nothing. I know that's not true, but writing fake memos for fake clients for fake issues just gets old. Law school really ought to be two years with a third year "residency" of some kind.

It's always so nice in the summer, because I have a real job again (with a real paycheck), and I have my weekends back. Mmmmm, weekends. No having to spend Sunday reading case after case. No guilty feeling for falling behind (although I've been good about that this year). I can play golf, sleep in, screw around, blog (I've become so addicted), watch hours upon hours of the History Channel... Awesome.

It's going to be even better when your mom gets done studying for the Nevada bar exam. Right now she works all day and studies all night. Ugh. I don't think I'm going to feel like this summer has really started. But I love her for working so hard so we can move to Nevada with one less huge thing to have to juggle.

Love, Dad

Too Many Channels

Dear Son,

So here I am, watching TV, and I just saw an advertisement for a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament on A&E. Wow. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have sworn it was a parody.

What are they going to do in your day when there's 8,000 channels?

Love, Dad.

Kryptonite Papers

Dear Son,

I'm so bored. I'm writing a paper that isn't hard, but is for some reason painful beyond measure. It's like kryptonite to my writing skills. It's draining even to look at it. And that's odd, because I actually really enjoy the writing.

I think it's because it's kind of an academic paper, as opposed to a more litigation-y one. So dry. So over detailed. So non-impactful.

Oh, well. Nothing to do but keep slogging through. It'll all be over soon. Maybe I'll go ruin myself with an energy drink again. Hmmm...

For some reason this finals week has been particularly motivation-free. I don't know why, but there it is. I think I'm starting to get a it of senior-itis. School feels like such a waste of time and an unnecessary delay in what I want to do. Sigh.

Well, I'll feel better once I start working this summer. Soon I'll have my Rule 9 card, which means I can do limited and supervised legal practice. My boss is pretty excited to throw me into the arena for the combat, and I'm pretty excited to go. I think it'll pump me back up about law school and what I'm doing (and will do) again, kind of like the mock trial in Trial Advocacy did.

Alright. Back at it. Must... Write... Paper...........

Thanks for the break, son.

Love, Dad