susistuart.com

The wrong man in the right place can make all the difference in the world.

Submitted by admin on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 20:12

I went to law school because I was very upset with Jack Thompson.

I grew up playing video games. I nearly tumbled from the womb straight onto a C64 keyboard. The fact that someone was telling me, a person who had never been in a physical fight, that video games were evil and were ruining the world made me quite annoyed.

To say the least.

I thought back to Twisted Sister. Dungeons & Dragons. Ice T. So on and so forth. Video games were just the next strawman.

And I was tired of it.

So here I am. I've passed the WA bar exam and I'm awaiting my WA license (May 19, 2012). Once I become licensed to practice law, I want nothing more than to protect the rights of those who create content with the intent to entertain.

I don't want to make video games and comic books, I just want to protect yours.

It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.

Submitted by admin on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 08:48

> TAKE LAMP
lamp:
Taken.
> TUN ON LAMP
The lamp is now on.
>INVENTORY
You are carrying:
A lamp.
A law degree.
Five years worth of empty Lo-Carb Monster cans.

So you've passed the bar exam! Yay! Now, please pay us some more money and do four (4) more hours of classroom work. Oh! And here is a slew of paperwork to fill out!

Thus begins a life of administration. I'm not shocked. It's hard to imagine that one would get involved in a professional field like law or medicine, etc., and expect that admittance to their respective boards would be the end of the journey.

Oh no. Now begins the next bewildering stage of my life. The "Oh NO I'm about to become a new attorney! WHAT DO I DO NEXT?!"

A) Hide under the desk.
B) Follow my state bar's helpful guides.
C) Hide under my desk while following my state bar's helpful guides.

What I'm trying to say is that passing the bar apparently means you're qualified to practice law. In reality, it feels like being born all over again. I will willingly admit I know WAY MORE about law, and the practice of law, than I did before I started law school. Shoot, I know more about WA law now than I ever knew about MN law. But I assume it's a feeling new doctors have as well--"How do I not get dinged for malpractice?"

One of my biggest fears is losing my identity in the desire to become more professional in the way people seemingly want attorneys to be professional. Before I decided I wanted to go to law school, I decided I liked piercings and tattoos. I have occasionally had mohawks.

I have never had a traffic ticket of any type. My record is mind-bendingly clean.

However, people do not instantly equate facial piercings and mohawks with "model citizen." I wish it were not so.

The real challenge for me will be appearing like someone people can trust with their money and legal issues while not sacrificing my identity or worrying what people will think of me based on what I do in my private life. We'll see how this goes...