"The journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step." That is a quote attributed to Confucius, an ancient Chinese philosopher. It is very similar to a saying I like to use, "Success is achieved one increment at a time." I though I was being original and clever, but it seems Confucius beat me to the punch.
I pray my thousand mile journey (insofar as this exam is concerned) is near completion. I've been plugging away each day putting in 7-8 hour days as of now. I am focused and not as distracted as I have been recently. Hopefully, I am making a push for the last leg of this marathon.
A few weeks ago I went in to the office of the State attorney for the county in which I reside. Someone suggested I volunteer there so as not to continue wasting away in my home. Actually, many people have suggested this move to me over the past year and a half. I finally decided I should give it a go. I went in and filled out all of my paperwork and the director in charge of volunteers seemed really nice.
I was hesitant to go for a few reasons: for starters and most obviously, I don't have a license; secondly, I applied there for an internship previously but rejected it for a chance to intern for an appellate judge and I thought it might be a bit awkward asking the same lady for the same position which I previously accepted and subsequently turned down; and thirdly, I guess I have embarassment issues for this Bar exam scenario.
The county was recently on a hiring freeze. I assumed I would pass my bar exam and I would volunteer, instead as a licensed attorney. Many have told me this is a near surefire way to get a job (assuming you pass the bar exam of course). The logic behind this theory is if you volunteer, you get to know people and you get training and you will be handling actual cases. Thus, when an opening is presented the volunteer does not need to be trained and they are given preference when it comes to hiring new attorneys. This works well for both the state and public defenders, as I have been informed.
Anyways, I went in because I have nothing to lose really. I explained my situation and turned in my resume. The lady, with whom I spoke (the same one I spoke with a year or so ago) explained there was nothing to be ashamed about. This kind of stuff happens to many people. She told me of a prosecutor who passed on his fifth attempt. I took it all in. I didn't say much on the matter, but it was kind of her to try to encourage me (unfortunately at the expense of some of her employees or co-workers).
I initially was never the type of person who would ever consider working for the State Attorney's office. In fact, I was anti State attorney's. I had a disdain for police officers. I have had several traumatic experiences. I am no thug or criminal. I am the type of person who tries to stay low key. "Uneventful" is one of my favorite words. Anyways, I grew to abhor police officers and what I assumed they represented. It was for this reason I didn't want to be a State Attorney. I have recently grown out of this trend for various reasons. While police will never represent protection or heroism to me, I understand they have a job to do, one that is dangerous and taxing at that. Maybe I will post about this issue of police some other time. I could go on for hours.
Returning to the issue of the State attorney, there was something once said to me concerning the job of a state attorney which stuck. I was listening to a guest judge for a mock-trial practice. He was a prosecutor and he said [a prosecutor who does his job correctly is also a defender of the public]. He talked about a prosecutor's duty to investigate and using discretion in choosing cases. He also talked about how some try to abuse their power by putting "notches on their belts" or by taking cases to get "wins" under their belts regardless of whether they truly thought the person deserved to be tried. It was profound and these are words I will never forget as it caused me to look at prosecutors in a new light.
I was actually told to come back to the state attorney's in March after I take the exam. The director explained to me [If you come in now, you'll be hear for a month. Then you'll have to leave to study and leave for a month before you return. If you come here, you will work. I'll pair you up with an attorney, and you will be come very involved in case preparation. The attorney will come to rely on you heavily]. So for that reason she said it was probably best I come in after I take the exam. I agreed. I am looking forward to it.
P.S. an added benefit for those of you still studying for the bar is that a job with the Public Defender's, State Attorney's, Legal aid, etc. . . will help you get acquainted with criminal procedure, criminal law, evidence, civil procedure, etc. . . . depending of course on where you work/volunteer. This may help some of you to cement some of these concepts in your minds. Its food for thought.
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