It's good to be back. The apartment's clean (although the fridge is empty), and the weekend will probably be full of mostly catch-up work. I have Property class that carries over from last quarter. I'm looking forward to Criminal and Constitutional Law, my two new classes for this quarter. My Con Law professor is heavily involved in human rights work (I was hoping I'd get assigned to her, and lo and behold, I did.) I am a little intimidated at the thought of discussing the subject with her though.

I met with my professional mentor, a Christian Chinese woman who works as a business law attorney, mostly doing transactional (as opposed to litigation) work in corporate securities and estate planning. She's at a medium-sized firm downtown and really enjoys her work, co-workers and her firm. I enjoyed having coffee with her, and the view from the 24th floor overlooking the water of the Puget Sound was bearable too. :) She encouraged me to keep my options open, just gain as much experience as possible, and to give estate planning a second-thought. :) The lifestyle is flexible, not super-demanding and the pay is comparable (to large firms) given the hours she works.

Thoughts and questions re: future work have begun to creep in. Where do I go from here? It's ridiculous, but we'll be applying & interviewing for our next summer's employment beginning in July! I've always resisted the idea of working for a firm. After all, the lifestyle is horrible and there are so many greater needs for legal services.... that I can't seem to justify using my education and skills for the more fortunate. Money, prestige and a fancy office are tempting... and I'm always afraid for myself that I'd "sell out" on my ideals. But are they right ideals? Or am I being naive and well, idealistic (as in, unrealistic)? And why would I be selling out? What are my presuppositions about work and calling as a Christian? No solid ideas on that right now.