I had Jury Duty in December 2014. I want to write a post about my experience, but am not ready yet. The charge was sexual assault of a minor, and the experience of being a juror has stressed me out considerably while at the same time reaffirming my faith in our judicial system as long as there are skilled attorneys representing both the state and the defendant.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Bridge to Nowhere
Northeastern previously offered Bridge Fellowships to students who had graduated but were unable to find legal employment. The fellowships offered $1,000/month for three months of part-time, 20 hour weeks at a nonprofit to serve as a bridge to full-time employment. I never wanted that to be my first choice, but as September drew nearer, I was hopeful that a Bridge Fellowship could be my safety net. One of my classmates in the Domestic Violence clinic was a recipient last year, and parlayed it into a great job.
Alas, NUSL decided not to offer them this year. In the fall I went full-time at the retail job, and worked on applications when I was able. On January 29th I received an email from my advisor in Center for Co-op and Professional Advancement (CCOPA). Rebecca, my 5th advisor (after Jerry, Jeff, Quaime, and Valerie) said that the fellowships were back on and applications were due asap.
I reached out to a former employer and returned to Children's Law Center of Massachusetts, where I worked on co-op the winter of 2011-2012. I'm answering our statewide intake line as well as updating a resource manual for families on the North Shore. I love the attorneys here, but I know that there is no chance of getting hired. I have my own office because they recently had to lay off a great attorney that had been here over a decade. (I did attempt to line up work at two other organizations, but they were unable to plan a fellowship on three days notice and declined).
I need to stay full-time at City Sports to keep my health insurance, so I decided to work Mondays and Wednesdays at CLCM and alternate working four or five days at City Sports. I have one day off every two weeks. Working at CLCM 16 hours/week means that my fellowship will be spread out over four months instead of three. I've worked seven days a week for most of the last three months. I'm exhausted, and one consequence is I haven't been submitting as many job applications. The money helps, but I don't feel like this is moving me towards a full-time position - if anything, I'm going backwards.
The Bridge Fellowship is a great idea, but the timing is wrong. Funding in the fall would have allowed me to pay rent and prioritize job-searching instead of settling for a retail position that leaves me exhausted. I hope in the future, NUSL will resume this program in the fall.
Alas, NUSL decided not to offer them this year. In the fall I went full-time at the retail job, and worked on applications when I was able. On January 29th I received an email from my advisor in Center for Co-op and Professional Advancement (CCOPA). Rebecca, my 5th advisor (after Jerry, Jeff, Quaime, and Valerie) said that the fellowships were back on and applications were due asap.
I reached out to a former employer and returned to Children's Law Center of Massachusetts, where I worked on co-op the winter of 2011-2012. I'm answering our statewide intake line as well as updating a resource manual for families on the North Shore. I love the attorneys here, but I know that there is no chance of getting hired. I have my own office because they recently had to lay off a great attorney that had been here over a decade. (I did attempt to line up work at two other organizations, but they were unable to plan a fellowship on three days notice and declined).
I need to stay full-time at City Sports to keep my health insurance, so I decided to work Mondays and Wednesdays at CLCM and alternate working four or five days at City Sports. I have one day off every two weeks. Working at CLCM 16 hours/week means that my fellowship will be spread out over four months instead of three. I've worked seven days a week for most of the last three months. I'm exhausted, and one consequence is I haven't been submitting as many job applications. The money helps, but I don't feel like this is moving me towards a full-time position - if anything, I'm going backwards.
The Bridge Fellowship is a great idea, but the timing is wrong. Funding in the fall would have allowed me to pay rent and prioritize job-searching instead of settling for a retail position that leaves me exhausted. I hope in the future, NUSL will resume this program in the fall.
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