A whirlwind of change

 

  There are days when I marvel at the brain’s capacity to compartmentalize what seems like a million unrelated things, hold on to a to-do list a mile long and still keep the body functioning and healthy. In the last few weeks, I pushed my little brain to the max. I was under two stressful deadlines for school and one deadline to complete a post-graduate fellowship application. This, plus school would have been manageable if it was all I had to do. However, the timing also happened to coincide with the weekend that my mom was moving into her new house nearby, the same time that my midwife appointments started being scheduled every two weeks, instead of 1 month, and our birth class started meeting once a week.

The first challenge of the last few weeks was to meet the deadline to submit an application for a two-year, post-graduate fellowship. I had spent the summer brainstorming a project proposal to submit to a competitive non-profit fellowship grant program. If I am accepted, I will be funded to work for two years at a local Sacramento non-profit implementing the project I designed. The gist of the project goal is to aid in dismantling the pipelines that funnel undocumented immigrant juveniles in Sacramento and the Central Valley through a harsh juvenile justice system and into deportation proceedings by providing direct legal services to undocumented youth probationers and education to law enforcement. It would be a real challenge but an honor to be selected to carry out this project. But I won’t know if I am selected until the spring. In the meantime, I still have to pass my classes and try to graduate.

So after I got my grant turned in I had to focus on my school related workload for Moot Court and my Professional Responsibility class. Both the Moot Court competition brief and the PR midterm were on Monday. I loved writing the brief, because I am nerd and love to write, but I wish I had had more time to devote to it. When I am writing briefs, I like to spend time crafting the most persuasive arguments, down to each precise sentence. Even though my partner and I spent probably 48 hours in the library between Thursday and Monday night (no joke, we practically lived in the library), at the end it still felt so rushed to get all the formatting done right. We didn’t have time to make it perfect. Perhaps we didn’t make it perfect, but we did get it done. And somehow in between the writing and editing madness I managed to study for, and probably even pass my PR midterm. It was not the easiest week I have had in law school.

Then, in the midst of all this madness, my mom was making the biggest (and only!) move she has made in the last 17 years. She packed up her house in Santa Cruz and moved up to Sacramento for a new job and a new adventure. Mom always said that when I have kids she wants to be nearby. She values having a close-knit family and wants to be involved with her grandbabies on a regular basis. She had been talking about moving up here since Tim and I came to Sacramento and so, when we told her that we are having a baby in December, she started planning for the move. It has been a hard transition for her to leave her hometown, her job and her friends, so, over the course of the last few weeks, I have tried to make it as easy as I could by helping her move and get settled. Two moving vans full of furniture and boxes and innumerable trips to Target and Home Depot later, she is fully moved in and has her bedroom, kitchen and bathroom mostly unpacked. It is a beautiful house, so cozy and welcoming, and it is only 127 steps away from my house (Tim counted). We are going to have a ton of fun as neighbors!

As if all this weren’t enough, Tim and I have been attending a natural childbirth class once a week for the last five weeks to get ourselves ready for the arrival of baby Tibbs. Although, ‘attending’ isn’t really the right word since we are hosting the class at our house. It actually works out pretty great. Three other couples and the instructor come over on Monday evenings for a few hours and we are enjoying the support group of other expecting couples and learning a ton.

Also, because I am 30 weeks along in the pregnancy, we have had more frequent visits with our midwife. Even in all the hustle and bustle, I love taking time to check in on the baby. When I hear the healthy little heartbeat on the Doppler, I remember why I push myself so hard. It seems crazy, since I don’t even know this little human yet, but I want so much to make a comfortable life full of opportunities for our baby. I want this child to grow up looking up to parents who work hard to make the world a better place in our jobs and take time at home to play, laugh, explore. And I want this baby to be surrounded by family and friends and a community to teach him/her their own skills and lessons. Even though we may have been in a whirlwind these last few weeks, things are starting to fall into place. 

Law School Baby

Tim and I started talking about starting our family, and when would be a “good time” in our lives, when we were living in Guyana. I never thought I wanted kids until I had the chance to work in the health center and was surrounded by babies, mamas and pregnant women every day. I got to see first hand the joy and pride that being a parent brought to my clients. Tim has always wanted children and so when I told him I thought I was ready to have kids of our own he was excited. The only question we had then was when? When we joined the Peace Crops, the plan was always for me to go to law school right after. I had taken then LSAT before going overseas in preparation and was applying to schools when we began having the baby talk.

We began to discuss whether we should plan to wait until after I was finished with school or try to start our family while I was in law school. On the one hand, waiting would mean I would be working and bringing in income when there was another Tibbs to take care of. On the other hand, if we waited I would be over thirty and Tim would be thirty-four when we had our first child. This would certainly not be unheard of, but we like the idea of getting a Tibbs clan started a little earlier in life. Plus, in all likelihood, we wouldn’t have tried to get pregnant immediately after I was out of law school since I would like to work and build some credibility in my first real lawyer job before we had to ask for maternity leave.

Were we crazy to think that we could handle the pressures of law school and our first baby? Well, like with most decisions in our lives, we decided to do some research before we made a big decision. I spent some time online, googling around to see if I could find any advice. Were there any other women who had had babies in law school and, if so, what were their experiences and advice? After a little time online, I found a group of attorney mama bloggers who shared their stories about having their babies in law school. It was great to learn from these women that, with discipline, sacrifice and teamwork, it is doable.

So, with the inspiration of women who had come before, we decided to go for it. We may be crazy, but a law school baby is in the works. I only have one more year of law school to go and the timing works out so that I will be able to finish my fall semester before the baby comes. If the baby comes on time, I will have 5 weeks at home with Tim and the baby during Christmas break. Then, in mid-January, I’ll go back to school to finish my third year and graduate on time. I am taking summer school presently so that my spring semester will be light. I will only be taking 3 evening classes a week, which means I will be able to be home with the baby during the daytime. Then, when I have to go to class in the evening, Tim will be home to take over baby duty.

Although I am confident that Tim and I have a good plan I still sometimes wonder if this is a “good time” for us to have a baby. We aren’t homeowners and we still have student loan debt. But then again, is there ever a time that we will feel ready emotionally and financially? I doubt it. And it is encouraging to know that we are not in this alone. We will have the support of my mom, who is planning on moving up to Sacramento, and our family and friends, who are all so excited for baby Bibbs. I know this law school baby will be raised not only by us, but by our village of teachers, lawyers, nurses, young professionals and old parenting pros. So maybe we aren’t so crazy after all… 

As a bonus, here is a picture of me at 16 weeks. Even though Toast wanted in the picture, the Bibbs bump is still pretty visible! 

Thoughts on September

My "crafty" thrift store wreath

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It is officially fall, both in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Tibbs household. I waited until the fall equinox to put up some decorations which I have been collecting and Emily and I found on the cheap at Thrift Town (cue Mackelmore song…). I took a whopping 15 minute study break to make a wreath for the front door, string up some orange Halloween lights and put out cornucopia and the Dia de los Muertos skeletons on the mantel (and fill the candy bowl the Halloween treats!). Even though my decorations are no pinterest masterpiece, I love that it feels festive in my house. Yay fall! It is finally chilly enough for me to wear fuzzy socks in the evenings too. I love this season!

The coming of fall also means I am rapidly progressing through my second year of law school. I am half way done with the semester already and when the semester is over, I will be halfway done with law school! Woo hoo! What a crazy thought.

Tim and I have planned to take our winter vacation (the only vacation time we both have off together at the same time) in Hawaii this year. As much as we feel sad that we will be abandoning our families, who we see so infrequently with our busy schedules normally, we decided we need a luxurious break for just the two of us. So, we have our tickets purchased for a week in Oahu! We are seriously looking forward to relaxing on the beach, snorkeling, and enjoying a mele kalikimaka on the island. As a bonus, we will get to see our dearest friend, and Peace Corps Guyana housemate/sister Sara! She and her boyfriend moved out to Hawaii last year and they will be our hosts for part of our vacation. We are really looking forward to seeing her and relaxing in island style! IT is certainly something to look forward to.

Toast gets lazy if she doesn't get walked enough.

In the meantime, school is going well. I like most of my classes, although there are some required courses on subjects that I never imagine I will ever use when I am a real grown up lawyer, that I am just trying to endure/pass. By far, the toughest thing about the second year of law school is managing time and conflicting obligations. The workload is about the same, but I have gotten much more involved in the activities that I treated as secondary projects last year.

Plus, I am working ten hours a week this semester at a small, but BUSY, immigration law office. So far I love it! I am learning so much more about the practice of immigration law. We do family-based immigration, humanitarian cases (asylum, victims of crime and domestic violence) and employment-based immigration. My coworkers are fantastic. They are friendly and smart and willing to teach me. And I believe we all share similar values, which makes for a wonderful work environment. I love that I get to interact with clients on a daily basis (my Spanish is rapidly coming back to me by necessity!). My favorite thing about this type of law is that it is basically my job to be a strategic story-teller. By this I mean I get to take someone’s life story and present it in legalese in a way that meets all the required statutory legal elements in a way that is compelling enough to win the case or get the requested relief and, ultimately, make a huge impact on someone’s future. It is basically exactly what I want to be doing when I graduate!

Mt office. I was invited to personalize it. I love that, although I have no windows and am only there two days a week, I have a few things that make it feel like me.

I guess, all in all, when I have a minute to sit back and reflect, life is pretty great. Tim and I are only busy because we choose to be and, frankly, we love what we do and where we are in life right now.

Happy fall evening, working together, enjoying the beautiful patio!

August Wrap-Up

·      I am still trying to find my groove and get into a rhythm with my new class schedule. It is a challenging semester but, overall I love the classes I am taking. It is great to be a 2L and get to choose my own courses.  Tim is falling into routine too and it feels good.

·      I got a part-time job! I am working as a law clerk (paid position!) for a private immigration firm. It is small (two kick-ass female attorneys, 1 support staff and 1 business manager, and now me). I’ve only worked one day so far but I already think it is going to be a great fit for me. The work is interesting (everything from employment to family-based to humanitarian immigration) and my co-workers are so nice and fun. On my first day they bought me a birthday cake because they heard it was my birthday week. How super sweet is that?

Last evening in the Glen. Happy birthday!

·      My birthday celebrations were great! I was surrounded by people I love and had such fun! We took a lightning-speed trip down to Santa Cruz to see Taming of the Shrew at the Glen at Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Mom and Stephan made a theme picnic; Shrewdrivers and Lambic-pentameter, Cross-gartered loins (grilled flank steak sandwiches), Shake-spears (asparagus speaks in a ziplock bag of seasonings), and other cleverly named, delicious morsels. Although none of us were particularly impressed by the artistic decisions of this particular show, I found out later that this was Shakespeare Santa Cruz’s last season! It makes me sad to see another of my hometown landmarks fall into obsolescence. Stephan made an amazing ice cream cake for me. It is great to have a chef in the family. :) 28 is going to be a great year. 

A delicious picnic with some of my favorite women (and Tim, taking the picture).

·      Sacramento is still hanging on to summer weather but at night the cool breeze and crisp mornings remind us that winter is coming. Emily says it is time for me to buy winter curtains to keep us warm in our drafty old house.  I’m excited to wear boot and scarves again. 

Empowered and Energized

I have realized that I love to be busy, busy, busy. I think that even if I had magic hourglass that Hermione had in Harry Potter, I’d be just like Hermione and turn back time to re-do my days over again, just to fill them with more things to do. I wouldn’t go back in time and take a nap, or watch Project Runway. I’d probably clean my house, or arrange and decorate my patio or volunteer in an afterschool program, or actually practice yoga regularly.

As it is, I don’t have the time-turney thing yet I manage to fill my schedule to the max and stay happy. Maybe my love of staying busy is because I am an extrovert. Maybe because I think I have magic powers. I really don’t know. But I do know that even when I have a “break” from something, I am not really taking a break.

For example, last week Friday I finished my 10-week internship with The Firm. I technically started my two-week “break” before school starts again. Two weeks of leisure reading and sleeping-in, right? Ha. Here’s what actually happened:

Immediately after I left work, I got home where my mom and Auntie were making tutu costumes for our run in the Color Run for the next day. I helped cut and sort colorful tulle for a while, until I swept everyone off to a happy hour event that I had a hand in organizing with the group of Return Peace Corps Volunteers in Sacramento. I bounced between my RPCV cohort and my family for a few hours and then we zipped back home to finish our tutu making extravaganza and get ready for the “happiest 5k on earth” the next day.

Tutus and fairy wings! Oh My!

The Color Run on Saturday was SO much fun! It was like a giant Holi celebration so Tim and I got to feel happily nostalgic for the beautiful holidays we spent throwing powder and playing Pagwah in Guyana.

 

Before the color

 

 

After (and during) the color madness!

In between running through color and eating and drinking with family and friends, I had volunteered to help Tim set up his classroom since his students came back from break this week Monday. Luckily, our good friend Erin offered to help Tim and I get his classroom situated. Erin’s mom is a school teacher, so she has lots of experience hanging posters, making colorful borders and writing in legible block letters. It was a great help on Saturday evening and Sunday morning to have Erin help with the set up!

 

Tim's classroom is UCSD themed. Go Tritons!

So lets see, finish internship, RPCV event, make tutus, do color run, hang with fam, set up Tim’s classroom….what was next, I am sure I managed to shove a few million other things into the weekend…oh yes! Then on Sunday afternoon, after I took my Auntie to the airport, I drove in to San Francisco to meet a few college buddies for dinner and a belated “graduation ceremony” for my amazing friend Heather who just got her masters in speech pathology and is done with school forever!

 

We got Heather a lei (she never had one before) and a "cap" and "gown", made a graduation program and played Pomp and Circumstance on the iPhone. Much to the hilarity of the other restaurant patrons.

After a (surprisingly) amazing vegan meal with wonderful friends, did I decide that I had should chillax a little, like a sane person would do? Heck no! Instead I drove to San Jose to stay the night and have breakfast with my Emily friend, then on Monday headed into SF for the day for a whirlwind of back-to-school thrift store shopping, then I drove to Santa Rosa to help my Oma organize her art studio. Monday and Tuesday consisted of chatting with my Oma as I did things she shouldn’t be doing anymore, like standing on ladders, lifting heavy stepping stones, lifting boxes, running up and down stairs to put things away etc. Basically, projects followed by amazing meals and more back to school thrift-store shopping as rewards.

In the midst of all this madness, I have been working on organizing the Orientation Week for the new incoming law students. Orientation starts next week and there is much left to do. My co-chair and I have a scavenger hunt map to make, prizes to buy, a menu to finalize and much more. But Orientation is going to be awesome!

The week after Orientation, I start classes and I’m kidding myself if I think the pace of life will slow down when school starts. I will have to shift my focus back in to class mode and away from social and extra-curricular activities. But I will be no less busy. I am taking 17 units (the max allowed by the school). That is 7 classes (only 4 with finals), working as a research assistant for the Moot Court Competition team.

This may sound exhausting, and maybe I will have to reassess as classes get going and drop some things if the schedule is not tenable, but I don’t feel exhausted, overwhelmed or grumpy. I feel empowered! Like I mentioned, I love being busy! I am proud when I can accomplish all my many goals for the day and love that I constantly am challenging myself to keep all the balls in the air. I haven’t forgotten my motto (instilled in me last year, CTFO – chill the fuck out). I just don’t feel un-chill. I feel energized, empowered and ready to kick butt this upcoming year!

But seriously, if anyone knows where I can get Hermione’s time-turney thing, hook a sister up!

First Week at The Firm

Welp, I have survived my first week as a summer Fellow at The Firm (TF). For the last week I have gotten my first look into what life in a small, private law firm looks like. Up until this week, my only background has been in nonprofit law firms and the culture is quite different. In the nonprofit where I worked before Peace Corps, the attorneys didn’t have to bill their hours since all our clients were hand picked pro bono cases that we were confident had a strong case. Now I have entered the world of billables and paying clients that expect you to come up with the best defense you can for them, even if the law isn’t necessarily always on their side.

I think I expected to see more of what people generally think of as the over-taxed, over-worked attorney life but I have to say I am happy that is not the case. Although the lawyers at TF work hard and do have to focus managing their time to meet their billable hour quota, I haven’t noticed or heard of anyone working into the wee hours of the night. Most of my coworkers have families and social lives and seem to maintain a healthy balance in their lives. IT is great to see this because in law school they scare you into thinking that the unavoidable future for us baby lawyers will be long hours, sacrificing family and friends and a general miserable existence. That is certainly not what I hope for in my life and it is so very reassuring to see that balance is possible even in the private sector. It is great to see attorneys, a few of whom are recent graduates from my own school, making a comfortable living, doing something that is mentally challenging while still managing to have families and free time for friends, travel and leisure. That is my definition of success and it has been nice to envision my own future after law school.

On Tuesday, I was shown around the office. It is small, just 6 attorneys and two secretaries in the local office (although TF has multiple offices spread around California). I was shown to my desk in the law library room and handed my first assignment: researching a defense for a disability discrimination case.

I spent the rest of the week digging deep into very specific cases and teaching myself to understand many facets of employment discrimination law. It is a fascinating and demanding project. Although at times the challenge of pouring through hundreds of cases to find the perfect one to support our client’s position has been frustrating, I am learning so much about how to conduct effective legal research and conceptualize and craft a memo to help the partner on the case prepare for a mediation. 

My coworkers have been so welcoming and helpful and make the work environment a pleasant place to be, although everyone is generally so busy on their own projects that we keep to ourselves, tucked away in our offices reading and writing the day away.

It has been a great start to my 10-week internship. I look forward to what the next few months have in store for me and I am enjoying coming home with no reading or writing assignments to do. It has been great to spend my evenings with Tim and Toast. We get to go on walks and take Toast to her obedience training together and enjoy our time at home, listening to and playing music, slowly cooking healthy meals and sharing wine and good conversation. This summer is shaping up to be a great one! 

Tim has been taking guitar lessons and is learning how to read music. Toast and I enjoy snuggling up and listening to him practice.

Toast (our not so tiny 45 lb. puppy) has been a champion at obedience school. She knows sit, stay, lay down, wait, touch (where she will come touch our hand with her nose), polite walking and an emergency evacuation move we can use to get her to come to us in an emergency. Such a cute, wonderful, good dog! We love our little friend.

Reflections on 1L

It has been 10 days since I took the last final of my first year of law school. The deer-in-the-headlights feeling of overwhelm has almost completely faded away and I have mostly been able to recoup my brain facilities. However, I don’t know if I’ll ever be back to “normal”. Even one year of law school has changed the way I think and interact with the world. The jury is still out as to whether I have changed for the better *cue Wicked soundtrack here*.

            For example, I now consistently correct people, even people on TV who have no knowledge that they are being admonished, for saying that someone was “assaulted” when they have actually been victims of battery. Now that I know the technical definitions of the two crimes (assault is the intent to cause fear or apprehension of physical harm and battery is an actual harmful or offensive contact) my legal brain, which may have some relation to the proverbial lizard brain, refuses to ignore such a blatant misnomer.

Moreover, I see Torts everywhere. I have been helping Tim pull together the last minute details during Hell Week (the last week before his student’s musical Dream Girls opens) and couldn’t help closely guarding the handsaw and cans of spray paint I brought to make sets. You’d be surprised at how many things can go wrong with aerosol and goodness knows I don’t want to be held liable for negligently leaving spray paint out for teenage vandals to convert.

Aside from noticing how much more analytical and technical I have become over the last year, I have been reflecting on the whole experience of being a first year law student. All in all, despite long, tedious hours of reading, occasional stressful moments under pressure of deadlines and only two serious emotional breakdowns, I can look back proudly and say I had a positive experience and do not at all regret my decision to go to law school here.

The rumors about competitive nastiness in law school are not wholly unsubstantiated (at one point early in the year, I was excluded from a study group I asked to join and a few times I overheard some nasty gossip about high achieving students) but I found the majority of my peers to be cooperative and kind. Most are willing to share notes and outlines and tips on available jobs or internships. I imagine that some day I will be working with or even hiring some of my impressive colleagues for their legal counsel one day. And of course, some of my colleagues became my friends and I am so grateful for them. I am so blessed to have friends in law school so we can support each other through this adventure. I believe some bonds of friendship I formed will last my lifetime.

The staff and faculty at my school are incredibly supportive as well. The key to forming mentorships and getting help in law school is taking initiative. With a little effort and follow-up on my part I have gotten help editing my resume and cover letter, been given influential recommendations to two separate internships (both of which I was offered, one which I accepted as my summer job), made friends with the library staff who kindly waived a late fee when I had a book out too long during finals week, and always had friendly conversations and a positive experience with the folks at the school cafeteria.

In the supportive community, where people lift each other up, I feel like the challenges of learning how to think, write and speak like a lawyer are not insurmountable.  At times I was stretched thin, startled by my own strong emotional reactions to certain cases or subjects, frustrated by the work load and sky high expectations (both my professors’ and my own) and feeling down. But then, just when I needed it the most, I would be uplifted by a kind word from a peer, given confidence from a compliment from a professor or my own correct answer in class, and most usually, encouraged by my amazing husband. Tim’s unflagging confidence in me and willingness to sacrifice his own time and energy to make law school possible for me was my rock in the storm throughout this year.

Some people say that going through law school with a partner puts a strain on the relationship and can often lead to conflict and separation. Now, I won’t sugarcoat things and saying this year was all marital perfection and bliss. We nagged and argued at times. But we got through 1L without any scars because we worked as a team. Tim and I are true partners. We share the household responsibilities equally and when we can’t we each pick up the slack when it is needed. When I am in the midst of a project or exams, Tim kicks into superman mode, doing all the laundry, shopping, cooking, cleaning and dog care. Then when the situation calls for it, we switch. I am playing that role now while he is working with the Dream Girls cast in Hell Week.

The last thing I think helped me get through my first year of law school with relative grace and success (although what level of success is still to be determined, as I won’t get grades for another 3 weeks) was the advice that my Oma’s friends Lizbeth and Anne, whom I consider some of my fairy grandmothers, to make sure I take time to enjoy being young, married, healthy and free. Generally to, and I quote, “chill the fuck out”. CTFO became my motto this year. Because of my own high standards, when I CTFO I am still working my butt off but it helped me remember to pursue balance in life and law school. I continue to strive for balance as I look forward to a summer of new, exciting challenges.

May Days: The Heat is On

Sun Setting at the Dog Park

 April has passed us by in a blitz of birthdays and books. It was a good month for me, full of CST test prep for my students as well as a wonderful birthday bash; for Chelsea it was the winding down of her schedule as she prepared for finals. 

But now May is here and she hath come with a fury. The last two weeks it has averaged about 85-95 degrees Fahrenheit in the Sacramento area and as Chels reminds me it is just the beginning.

April sped by and early on I was finishing up Spring Break and working slowly down my “Honey Do” list. The next weekend we spent in San Francisco with some of our wonderful San Diego friends where we scavenger hunted, ate some astonishing food, and enjoyed the Big City. Our friend David, who recently moved to Chicago came in for a few days and it just so happened to line up with my birthday weekend, it was perfect and just tons of fun. I was so appreciative of all who came. The next week after the birthday I played catch up at school because if I take a weekend off I need to find the hours somewhere to correct papers, plan lessons, and organize the Spring Production. Another week passed and it was crazy for me because it was the California Standardized Test, a huge thing at our school. We had some crazy weeks where on the Wednesday and Thursday the kids were done by noon, but the other days we still had our 8-4 days. Since I don’t work with 9^th-11^th graders in my “Advisory Class” (the class where most of the tests take place) but rather work with 12^th graders to get them college and graduated, I was able to participate in some fun Senior day activities, and of course all the extra time we had after school I devoted to our school play (which opens May 24^th and 25^th!!!

The Chancellor of the Hunt put us in pairs. My partner, Groth, is swooping for a shot with David's ice cream. We didn't win, but it was fun!

In terms of Chelsea, at the beginning of the month she was participating in “Moot Court” competition where she had to research some cases in a hypothetical “closed-universe” (meaning they gave you all the cases to read), write a 5-page brief on the cases, and then argue an oral argument   in front of judges. She did really well out of 30+ contenders she was in the Top 4 which meant that on the second day of the competition she argued in front of REAL Appellate Court Judges. It was so great to watch her. She is so, so impressive and I am such a lucky guy to be married to her. Chelsea was the only female in the top 4 and the judges heaped tons of praise, not only on her, but on all the finalists. It was really inspiring to watch her. In addition, her brief that she wrote was one of the top 10 briefs that were submitted (I think hers was 6^th). So amazing.  Other than that she finished up her first year of Law School classes and has been diligently studying for finals. She has taken two already and is in the midst of studying up for her last 3 finals. I am sure she will write more once her craziness is done. 

Chels with the other final four and the Appellate Judges they spoke in front of.

The month of May is promising so far. School is pretty mellow for me, since the testing is done and we can really teach lessons that we want to teach rather than teach to the test. I am working on lessons for Macbeth which I am very excited to teach. Then before I know it, it will be finals and summer will be here (yay!!!). Moreover, the school play goes up on the 24^th and closes on the 25^th and once that is done it will be a sigh of relief. But I know it will be great.  Also I have purchased a road bike to ride around Sacramento so these last few weekends, Chelsea and I have been riding and running errands by bike.

Chelsea is done this upcoming Friday and is going to visit her mom and grandmother down the coast for a week or so, and then she starts her summer internship. So good things are coming, and even though it is burning out here, we’re burning too. We’re working hard getting things done and really enjoying life and all its craziness.

Reading Macbeth and prepping for this coming month. Nice times!

Spring Break

            Today is my first official day of Spring Break! Yay! Last night I turned in my final graded assignment for my legal research and writing class which was a wonderful feeling! Another 1L law school milestone accomplished!

            Luckily, since I had started the memo earlier in the term, I was able to split my time between finalizing the assignment and enjoying my first weekend on Spring Break, which just so happened to fall on St. Patrick’s Day. My friend celebrated her birthday on Friday and she came to visit for the weekend. I am so lucky that we live close to each other so we can do weekend visits regularly. While she was here we ate yummy food, watched the St. Patty’s Day parade in Old Town, spent a beautiful, sunny day walking around mid-town for a celebratory pub-crawl and ended the evening with a raucous game of Cards Against Humanity.

            I felt like the weekend was a perfect balance between school responsibilities and fun. On Sunday I was able to finish my memo while Tim and Em did some of their own work for their respective professional jobs and then we all took Toast to the dog park followed by an afternoon at Tres Hermanas with margaritas (green drinks of course in honor of the holiday!).

            Over my break I am planning on getting started with my outlines for finals because when I go back to school next week there are only 4 more weeks of instruction before study week and then finals and then I will be officially done with my first year of law school. Hard to believe how time flies! I am also participating in the 1L Moot Court Competition so over the break I have to read a fact pattern, a closed-universe of cases from the hypothetical jurisdiction of Utopia and then prepare a brief and oral argument that I will submit next week. It is a fun competition that simulates the Appellate process so I will be practicing my persuasive writing skills and getting feedback on my oral advocacy. There is the possibility to win a scholarship prize and earn a spot on the Moot Court competition team as a research assistant next year if I do well so I am going to give it my best effort.

            Again, I am working on the whole school/life balance thing so also during this break I am heading out to Santa Rosa to visit my cousins and my 2 year-old second cousin while they are in town visiting Oma. It will be great to see the family and have some chill family time. Also, next weekend my mother-in-law is visiting us, which we are really looking forward to! I love hosting family at our little house and I am looking forward to showing off the fun parts of our new hometown.

            Tim has his Spring break next week and the following week (major bummer that our breaks do not coincide) and he is looking forward to having some time to relax, plan lessons without being under a time crunch and take care of some tasks around the house that he has had on his list for a while.

            The weather is beautiful here in the Capitol so we are happily taking advantage of our free time to get outside and enjoy the warm breeze, smell of the blossoms on the trees and sunshine. Toast loves the spring weather too. At the moment, I am watching her play in the backyard. She must have lost some toy in a bush and gone in after it but now she is stuck in the bush and all I can see is her little head poking out! She is a hilarious animal (although she is not staying tiny, technically a medium sized beast) and it is great to have a little dog friend to keep us company. Life is good. 

Toast and her best friend Atticus playing in Erin's backyard

The Paddy Wagon at the Parade

Celebrating Tim's Irish heritage

Seriously LOVE these ladies!

Old Town Sacramento reminds us how amazing California is!

Yay! Vacation! Yay friends!

Summer Sorted and March Madness

Exciting things are happening in Casa de Tibbs! Our summer plans are sorted out which is such a great relief and this month we have our house full every weekend with visits from friends and family, which is such a joy!

My summer plans were looking promising anyway, since I had interviewed and been accepted to work (on a volunteer basis) for a nonprofit that advocates for vulnerable populations in rural communities. I was excited for the opportunity because the hands-on legal work of underrepresented farmworkers was right up my alley but I was also a little concerned about how working for free and the long commute would be a serious hardship for Tim and me.

I had also applied to a program funded by the Bar Association that offers paid summer internships to 1L students. The Fellowship program is a great opportunity because it has an educational component where the participants get to know the lay of the land in the local legal community. It is a great networking opportunity and excellent experience. I wasn’t feeling very confident about getting the Fellowship because I was competing in a field with student from my school and Davis. And the competition was stiff. Plus, I did not leave my interview feeling like I had nailed it. So, I was starting to look for grants and scholarships to fund my summer working for the nonprofit.

Then, last week I found out that I was chosen for the Fellowship program! I was placed at a boutique labor and employment law firm. It is going to be such great experience for me to learn how things work in private law firms and the corporate legal world. I know I will learn a ton about many facets of employment law from wrongful termination, sexual harassment and labor law. I am excited about the technical skills I will gain and thrilled to have an established, structured introduction to the legal community in my new town. Plus, I’m gonna be getting paid!

So things are looking up for my summer! Unfortunately, my internship coincides directly with the month of summer vacation that Tim has so we don’t see ourselves being able to do much travel or vacationing together this summer unless it is local and we can go over three day weekends. But we are really looking forward to spending more time acquainting ourselves with the leisure and adventures that this part of California has to offer.

Now that I have my summer planned, I am able to focus more on school and ending my first year strong. Also, this month we are so lucky to have visitors who we adore coming to stay in our home every weekend. This weekend, both my mom and Tim’s friends from high school are visiting. Next weekend, Tim’s cousin will be in town, the following weekend Emily will spend her birthday and St. Patrick’s day celebrating in Sac and the last weekend in March, Tim mom will be here! We are so excited and so lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing people. After spending two years away from our families, we have developed a deeper appreciation for the amazing community that we are a part of.

So, as it starts to warm up in and the blossoms start to flower on the plum tree in the backyard, we give thanks for the blessings that we have; family and friends, a sweet home, great jobs, promising futures, a silly puppy, and each other.

What I am learning in law school

      This semester my school cranked up the heat for us ILs by requiring us to take an additional class. Now my weekly course load includes: Civil Procedure, Contracts, Property, Torts, Legal Research and Writhing (Global Lawyering Skills GLS) and Criminal Law. Over the past few weeks I feel like I have been learning some very transferrable life skills, some technical legal skills that will only be applicable in my life as a lawyer and learning about some laws that make me very sad/angry/frustrated.

Transferrable Life Skills

Recently in Property we have been learning about leasing and buying real property (land/houses). I have been paying close attention because I realized I know next to nothing about that topic. I have leased residential property a few times in my life but I certainly did not take a close look at the lease to learn my legal rights and responsibilities. I realize now that a more careful read of a lease could protect me in the future as a renter, and that if I need to, I can even negotiate the terms to get a better deal (not necessarily in price, but it terms to security and amenities). And, when the time comes, I am equipped with a basic understanding of buying property. I know the basics of how the sale of real property works from purchase agreement, to examining the title, to mortgage and closing. I understand the fundamentals of what types of deeds and securities exist and which ones protect the buyer the most. It is nice to know that when Tim and I buy our first home we will be coming into the process armed with substantially more know-how than many first time home buyers so we will be able to make sure we are getting a good deal and will be safe from problems down the road.

Technical (read: boring) lawyerly skills

If I tried to explain the complex rules of submitting a pleading to court and what one must disclose at the discovery phase of a trial, I would bore you to sleep.  However, these are crucial skills that I am developing in my Civil Procedure class. This week, we are participating in a simulation of the discovery phase and I may have the opportunity to conduct a mock deposition. The technical rules are complicated but the rules of procedure are so important for a good lawyer to know to make sure that the client doesn’t lose their case on technical errors. Although the class is tedious at times, I feel like I am being well prepared, not only to pass the Bar exam in a few years, but also to earn the (hopefully) big bucks that people pay for a top notch attorney who can work the rules of procedure to conduct an efficient trial from the initial filing of the complaint, through discovery and all the way to the judgment.

Laws that Make me Mad

I have unaffectionately dubbed last week, “Rape Week” at school. In our criminal law class we focused on rape law and read case after graphic case illustrating the complex analysis of rap law. It was so upsetting to read detailed descriptions of these horrible, brutal sexual assaults. As I read the cases, I tried to focus on the law but it is hard to read those cases without thinking of all the beautiful women I know. It was hard not to imagine each cousin, friend and mother in the place of the women in these cases. The infuriating part was two-fold:

First, rape law is in need of serious reform. Each jurisdiction has a different definition of the crime of rape. The most common similarities are that the prosecution must prove that the intercourse was done with “force” and/or “without consent”. Now, most young women I know have heard the quip, “No means no”. Well, it turns out in many courts, even if a woman says no, she might still not be able to win on a conviction of rape because she cannot prove “forcible compulsion”. The opinions I read brought in supporting facts from the surrounding circumstances to try to prove that the women consented. Facts such as; she went into his dorm room willingly, she was murmuring “no” passionately, she didn’t scream or scratch or run away, therefore she must have consented. Those of you who know me, can anticipate why this makes me so mad. What happened to “no means no”?!? Rape law today often requires victims of the most invasive, degrading crime to stand up for themselves. If a woman were robbed, we wouldn’t be asking why she didn’t stand up to the robber and defend herself. Yet we do with rape.

The second thing that made me just sick to my stomach, was listening to some of my classmates adopt and defend this position. I am slightly embarrassed because at the end of Rape Week, I couldn’t play nice anymore and so I jumped up on my proverbial feminist soapbox and spoke out in class. The gist of my position was that we should have a criminal system that does not require the victim to magically produce evidence that proved her subjective mindset that she did not consent. Instead, we should shift the burden to the defendant and ask him, what led him to believe that the intercourse was consensual. I know it flies in the face of the traditional process of criminal justice to place the burden on the defendant, but frankly I would like to hear how the defendants in rape cases can justify why they thought the sex was consensual when the victim was crying, or muttering “No, I need to leave” or asking questions like “If I do what you want, will you not kill me?”. These were examples from actual cases that we read and some of my classmates tried to argue, with these facts, that there was not enough evidence of force to find a conviction of rape! Seriously, what the hell?!?

Despite my frustration, I am glad we engaged in these conversations. I know there were men in my classroom who had never heard some of the counter arguments that I, and some other of my colleagues, were espousing in class. Our assigned reading consisted of some brutally honest feminist scholars discussing rape law reform with much more authority than I can. I think it was good for all of us, young attorneys to-be to gain insight to different positions from those that we were familiar with growing up.

Whereas I am unfamiliar with issues regarding buying and selling real property, I certainly had my fair share of exposure to women’s rights issues growing up in a feminist community in Santa Cruz. And, as my mom and I have to remind ourselves often, not everyone was raised in a women’s circle. So, perhaps my colleagues may be more familiar with discussions of estates and trusts than women’s rights, but we are all learning and filling in the gaps in our experience to become well rounded, level-headed legal scholars. Little by little, week by week. I hope. 

If you want to stand up against violence against women, check out One Billion Rising:

ONE IN THREE WOMEN ON THE PLANET WILL BE RAPED OR BEATEN IN HER LIFETIME

ONE BILLION WOMEN VIOLATED IS AN ATROCITY

ONE BILLION WOMEN DANCING IS A REVOLUTION

On V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, 14 February 2013, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men across every country. V-Day wants the world to see our collective strength, our numbers, our solidarity across borders.

What does ONE BILLION look like? On 14 February 2013, it will look like a REVOLUTION.

ONE BILLION RISING IS:

A global strike
An invitation to dance
A call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends
An act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of their struggles and their power in numbers
A refusal to accept violence against women and girls as a given
A new time and a new way of being