first day

It's been a long day. I had my first day of work today. I met three of the four attorneys in my Section; Kristina, Kimberly, and Yvette, and my Section Chief; Janese. Kristina took me over to the DC Superior Courthouse, where I'll be working most of the time. I sat in on a trial. It was a stalking case. The plaintiff was alledging his former girlfriend repeatedly called him and threatened him. The respondent, of course, denied it. The plaintiff was seeking a TPO (temporary protection order) so that he could eventually get a CPO (civil protection order, which is good for a year). But he didn't have any records, and in the end, the case came down to his word against hers. The judge dismissed the motion because the plaintiff hadn't met the standard of proof. It was pretty cool.

So, my days will look like this: in the morning, I'll be assisting the attorneys at trial, gophering around, pulling case jackets for them, doing research, pulling conviction reports as needed, etc. In the afternoon, I'll be working with Kelli, the paralegal, at the Domestic Violence Intake Center, on the 4th floor of the courthouse. The Intake Center is where we get our cases; we have an office in a bullpen with a few other agencies that then pass on to us the cases that need representation. The bulk of our caseload is TPO/CPO work in abuse and neglect cases, but we also handle criminal contempt cases, probate, and mental competency. I'm excited that so much of my job is literally in the courtroom. It's a little different than I expected, but I'm still convinced this is the life for me.

When I got home from work, following a fun commute (luckily, I'm working only about 20 minutes away from home, but during rush hour, the metro cars are packed past capacity), I had a quick bite to eat. Then it was off to Georgetown, over the Key Bridge. We had to walk. It's about a mile and a half one way. (Needless to say, I'm getting a fair amount of exercise while here.) We listened to Madeleine Albright speak about religion and foreign policy. She was also plugging her new book "The Mighty and the Almighty." She was a lot more funny than I expected. She was very eloquent. I developed a lot of respect for her. I almost wish she would run for president; I'd vote for her. But she supports Hillary. (I do not.) This semester is definitely turning out to be a grand affair. Listening to prestigious people speak. Working real cases. Feeling the burn and getting blisters. Navigating through a new big city.

Loving every minute of it.