TIP: Public Assistance

Before starting law school, I use to scorn public assistance.  But let's be frank, law school is an expensive endeavor.  No financial aid office is going to tell you this, and neither will admissions, but as a single parent, you will qualify for food stamps, and possibly other assistance. 

When the compute how much in food stamps you get, they will ask for income.  The thing is that they cannot count student loans in with your income.  Nor scholarships, only Pell Grants.  And if you have done any research on financial aid, you will know that there are no Pell Grants for graduate degrees.

So, if you are like me you balk at food stamps and pride may get in the way.  But, remember that you have paid into the system, and once you are an attorney you WILL pay into the system big time.  So, use it now, when it could really make a difference.  For my budget, it really did make a HUGE difference.  Plus, if you receive food stamps, your child is eligible for free lunches at school once you apply.

Don't let your pride get you.  Get the help you need so that you can get through school.  

Great Time Tonight

One thing I would encourage any law student to do is to take advantage of free memberships that your Career Services department might sponsor.  I wrote awhile back that I was being sponsored through my school for the American Inn of Courts.  I had another meeting tonight and I would say that this networking opportunity is invaluable.  You will meet lawyers, professors, and judges.  Tonight, I sat next to a Circuit Court Judge that someday I will appear before.  Over the next year, I will have lots of opportunities for face time with people who I will work with in the years to come.  I had a great time getting to know the people I will work with in the future.

Funny enough, I had emailed an attorney for work today.  Tonight, our school introduced each of us.  After dinner, this attorney I had emailed came over and introduced himself.  Was very interesting to meet opposing counsel outside of the adversary situation across a courtroom from each other.

My point being.....take advantage of all memberships that will give you networking opportunities, especially if you plan on practicing in the area.

Big Day

Today felt like another huge step in my journey to become an attorney.  I turned in my first application for a position as an attorney.  Obviously, any job I was offered would be contingent on passing the bar, but this was the first step in what I think will be many.

As part of the process, I had to get two written recommendations from lawyers I work with.  The nice things that were said about me, had me wanting to blush or cry, I am not sure which.  One described me as professional and fearless in court.  WOW, not bad for a law student.  The other said that I conducted myself in court with a composure that he has not seen in many attorney's who have been practicing for years.  I consider these things to be the best part of all of law school, to have people I admire think such nice things.

Beyond that, it brings the end of school to be that much closer---and scarier.

Tell Me What You Think

I have messed with the template and format of the blog. I wanted to jazz things up a bit and am having fun bringing a bit of splash to the page.  If you saw the bubble gum pink I had before---then take a second and let me know what you think of this new template.

OMG! Time has flown

Seemed a simple thing today....I went and checked my mailbox at work. Inside that box was the 2010-2011 calendars. As I sat and looked at it, I realized something that nearly gave me a panic attack. I AM SEVEN MONTHS AWAY FROM GRADUATION. Where did the time go exactly? Somehow it seems to have gone fast, but slow....and now it is going faster. Does this make any sense.

The goal is in sight. The sacrifices are starting to feel a bit on the severe side, but worth it. My daughter and I are on our way to security--assuming I find a job:) Which brings me to the next part--looking for a job in my new career is right around the corner.

I did not start my undergraduate experience until I was in my late 20's. I thought then it would take forever to get here today. And strangely enough, here I am a short few months away. People said it would fly. And last year, I kept hearing, "Your third year flies by so fast." Both were true although I kept thinking that these people were just trying to give me a ray of hope. But it was really a piece of the truth.

Obama Promise Tracker

Much is being made about the promises that Obama made while campaigning and whether he has kept these promises. I find this a very interesting discussion. This last campaign season seemed to be so full of promises from both sides--some fantastic promises that I knew would not be kept.

Like, closing Guantanamo. I knew that one would not happen, primarily because what would we do with these people? Now the stakes are heating up again. Obama winning a Noble Peace prize has made many wonder what has he done---other than to make promises? Then we hear that he won because of the promise that he brings to the world? Huh? Really?

I am still sitting back observing. Mainly because I think that 10 months into a new administration is too early to judge. But, to me, nothing looks to promising. Right now the democrats have the power, 60 Senate seats, control of the house, and the Presidency, but nothing is happening. This seems weird to me.

Some promises are promises I cannot believe a former law school professor made. Obama KNOWS about the three branches of government. He knows that he cannot make law, he can only sign a bill into law. So how could he promise a rescinding of DOMA, that's for the congress to do. How can he promise the gay and lesbian community laws that would give them status as a suspect class? That is what Congress must do! How can he promise health care? Again, that's what Congress does. How could he promise the rescinding of Don't Ask, Don't Tell--oh wait, he could but he has not!

I remember being promised hope and CHANGE. So far I see no change. I see a bunch of blowhards doing nothing but fighting about semantics while the rest of the real country suffers. So, I am still waiting, watching, and hoping, but to be truthful, each day that passes dims the hope.

If you want to check out what promises Obama has kept, broken, or done nothing about, here you go: Politifact

Movie Review: The Boys are Back

Last night, I had the opportunity to go to a screening of the film, The Boys Are Back [it's a Miramax film]. Clive Owen plays Joe Warr, a grieving widow who is struggling to raise his young son Artie. Joe institutes this "Just Say Yes" philosophy of single parenting, I think to ease his young sons grief at losing his mother. To add to the mix, Harry, a teenage son Joe left behind 8 years before in England, decides that he wants to spend time with his father. What follows is a poignant journey of a family trying to find their way through the grief that each of them is suffering for life's losses.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I cried, I laughed hysterically at times, and I identified completely with Joe on several occasions as I watched his attempts at being a single parent. In the end, Joe finds that while single parenthood is an inadequate parental unit for raising kids, that he likes it. That he is happy and fulfilled. That sometimes he is lonely, but that life is really good.