So... I'm a Lawyer*

I've been a lawyer-with-an-asterisk for 4 whole days now. I have yet to ruin any major deals or accidentally tell a client to break the law, so I'd say things are going pretty well. I actually have yet to do much of anything. We were in training all day Tuesday and Wednesday, but towards the end of the second day my pretty new laptop decided it didn't feel like being in training anymore and acted like Landon when he needs a nap. It made noises and popped up windows and did everything in its power to make sure that I could not ignore its wishes to rest. So the IT department beat it into submission Wednesday night and it meekly followed my commands the whole way through my make-up training on Thursday. I think it now recognizes that I am the dominant one in the relationship.

My first assignment was to do a research project for a partner looking for quotes for a presentation he's giving, so I got to put my Google skills to good use, if not my legal ones. After that I spent some more time wading through our benefits package- I've spoken with the benefits person in the firm's main office at least ten times. Everything is so much more complicated when you have a child and it suddenly matters financially if you die or become disabled.

On Thursday afternoon the head of the transactional group came in my office to pull me on a brand new deal that will close at the end of October. It's a very exciting company doing exciting things and I get to use almost everything I learned in my Advanced Corporations/M&A class. Words like "spin off," "drop down," "stock split," etc. were just thrown around during the conference call and I kept thinking, "this sounds like a law school exam fact pattern." Except that in law school I could drop down a new company by drawing a box, labeling it NewCo, drawing a dashed line between it and the parent, and then just listing the fact-specific issues an attorney would have to address in real life. Now I have to help wade through and address all those fact-specific issues, which are already much more complicated than I initially imagined. Right now I'd say I'm feeling a good mix of fear and excitement, but that could be because I haven't had to do anything yet. Yesterday I just read through the term sheets and background documents and brushed up on some M&A treatises I pulled from the library. My first deal assignment comes Monday.

Landon has done great with the babysitter. He's excited to see her each morning and super excited to see me each afternoon. He's a happy, busy baby and I'm looking forward to showing him his daycare on Monday. This weekend one of JP's friends from Chicago flew down to visit (we really are Hotel Lag Liv) and two friends I haven't seen in a long time are stopping by Saturday and Sunday. I also have a pile of laundry to do (or get JP to do) and some picture frame and other office decor shopping to accomplish. Oh, speaking of my office! A very sweet attorney friend in Washington, D.C. (who I met through the blog during the nightmare posts) sent me a beautiful purple orchid yesterday. I was so surprised to see the flower box on my desk, especially since JP is under strict orders not to spend money on me (our anniversary involved the exchanging of cards and a nice meal sans Landon). She said she remembered her office was barren in the beginning and the little potted orchid should live much longer than fresh cut flowers. I've decided I'll continue the tradition when my friends start work next year. People can be so lovely.

I have much to say about the DNC, RNC, Palin, etc. but no time to craft my words as carefully as I'd like. One problem with living with someone who thinks differently from me is that I immediately think of the rebuttal to anything I type, so then I want to address that with another argument, but then I think of what JP would say to that, so I want to make sure I counter that next point, and next thing you know I have a novel written on one small point. But just as a warning, there will probably be something political in the next few weeks.

*Well, kind of. Technically I can't say that until I pass the Bar, as the asterisks in my email signature block make clear.