3.02.2006
A winter view of our new backyard in Grafton:
More photos will eventually appear on my photos page, but it may be some time before that happens, especially given my recent track record.
posted 3:28 PM
8.27.2005
My clerkship at the SJC has been an excellent experience and the perfect post law-school job. Our last set of oral arguments was in May, and we're currently at work finishing up the term before reparing for the one that begins in September. My office is in the new Adams Courthouse, which was a home to the SJC at the beginning of the twentieth century but had since fallen into disrepair. The Commonwealth completed a complete renovation of the massive building, and my judge (Justice Robert Cordy) played a key role in the renovation. He would want me to mention that, anytime you're in the neighborhood (Pemberton Square - between the State House and Government Center), you should feel free to stop by and see the SJC's courtroom and the amazing frescoed Great Hall. It's an incredible place to work in day and day out. It's also outfitted with all the latest A-V gadgets, and in September, you'll be able to see SJC arguments (first full week of every month) on the web
here.
As you may know, I passed the Mass bar and was sworn in (by none other than Justice Cordy) in December. On September 26, I'll be joining Goodwin Procter's Boston office - specifically, as an associate its environmental practice group. I am looking forward to the new challenges and opportunities of the position.
On the home front, Sarah and I moved in March into a brand new condo in a rehabilitated mill building, right in Amesbury's downtown. It's a fantastic spot, right on the Powow River, with two levels but a loft-like feel. We are renting the unit for the year, but we are currently looking to make a move to the neighborhood of Sarah's vet school (Tufts, in Grafton, outside of Worcester). We need to move, on account of Sarah's coming duties at the vet hospital during her clinical rotations (she has to go in and check on her patients just about every day and work approximately 70-80 hours a week) and a possible residency at the hospital thereafter. So, we'll both be very busy for the foreseeable future!
posted 6:32 AM
6.11.2004
My years have formal education have come to conclusion. Yesterday, my family and I spent a long day at Harvard, full of remembrances and pomp. The Harvard Commencement website has all the details of the University-wide ceremonies, and the Law School will post the webcast of our events later this month. Kofi Annan's afternoon address was important and eloquent, and over in the lobby of Hauser Hall at the Law School, I enjoyed the reconstitution, in full hooded academic regalia, of my first-year section. But at the end of the day, I have graduated from Harvard Law School, with a "Juris Doctor cum laude." I owe my survival at the law school, despite my commute, to my family - both immediate and extended, my friends on the Board of Student Advisers, those 1Ls who spent their first-year workshop with me, the small but growing environmental law community, and those several professors who made the journey both intellectually challenging and rewarding.
Review for the bar exam has already begun and will continue apace for the next six weeks. Now, all the legal issues that were mulled and analyzed in the relative luxury of the academic year must be synthesized, condensed, and simplified for memorization, as "black letter" rules of law. I will then endure the two day exam, somehow to be administered at the World Trade Center in Boston during the Democratic convention. Amid my studying, I hope to enjoy some homey moments of relative calm and whatever summer weather New England decides to throw our way.
posted 3:05 PM
11.08.2003
And so, having lost my election, I thought my week was a total loss. But it turns out that, on Friday afternoon, I received a call which changed its whole complexion. The man on the phone was Justice Robert Cordy of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. I will be joining his office as a clerk for the SJC's 2004-2005 term! I had hoped to get this position because (1) it will offer an opportunity to be exposed to a broad spectrum of Massachusetts law, (2) the court has discretionary jurisdiction over many of its cases - which means it chooses the most fascinating and important cases to decide, (3) Justice Cordy has a wealth of different public and private sector experiences, making his perspective on the legal profession and the political world unusually comprehensive.
The air outside is getting colder, and tonight is a total lunar eclipse. Because my professional course is set for now, my next two years (sans service on the Municipal Council) are in sharper focus, I am ready for a slowing of the pace, a decline in anxiety, some time for reflection, and a chance to cherish the fall of the year and the quiet of winter. Last year, I was engrossed in wedding preparations. This year, all we're preparing for is a restful holiday season and a short trip (post-exams) to northern New Hampshire with the proceeds of my Notes Competition award. I am looking forward, in particular, to enjoying the long view.
posted 6:04 PM
7.20.2003
If you haven't noticed, I'm running for Municipal Council in Amesbury! Check out my campaign website. It should be a great chance to make a contribution to my new home - a place now on the mend from the economic hardships of a milltown in post-industrial America. My energies will be devoted to the campaign over the next few months - and applying for a clerkship, mentoring my 1Ls, working at the Environmental Law Review, doing a clinical at the AG's office, and taking my penultimate semester of law school courses... Oomph! That's a lot... So much for a quiet autumn in New England.
EPA has gone extremely well. I have learned so much about environmental law, agency politics, and the work of an agency lawyer. All the attorneys have been excellent, as have my fellow interns. Some fun field trips, some great assignments, and lots of good conversations! The job appeals to me, and I may make a run for EPA New England's two-year honors attorney fellowship - possibly after a clerkship - should I be lucky enough to get one.
posted 6:10 PM
5.22.2003
I believe the photo revamp has been successful. Please let me know if it's not working or if you get any errors. I have moved the collection from my dear Teagan TiBook to Sarah's iBook, Puck. Since Sarah's laptop will be staying put, at least for the summer, you should be able to travel the tunnel through my Airport network to access the photos. Someday, when I have a job, I will host them in at a real domain, but for now, personal web sharing will have to do. The final wedding photos are still in process, I'm sorry to say, but at least I managed to get up the ones I have now in digital form. Have fun looking at all the photos!
posted 12:50 PM
5.20.2003
Summer time! I am absolutely finished with my 2L year at Harvard Law School, with two final exams and fifty-one pages of papers behind me. I have one week to recuperate, and then I'll begin my ten-week summer internship at the EPA Boston office.
Here in Amesbury, I'm helping with the Master Plan, cleaning house, and watching Sarah transform our garden patches from nil to lush. By the end of this week, you'll see the fruits of my other activity - a full photo revamp and some wedding photos (to be followed by a more complete collection of nuptial snapshots) will go live.
Depending on the nature of my summer job, I am considering a new commitment to this web log - which would involve many more updates, a b"law"hgy focus, and some opportune political commentary. With enough time to formulate useful musings, I would enjoy using my new PostBlog plugin for my new Konfabulator utility. Having a fresh website feels somehow better than letting the content languish... even if there are only a few of you out there reading...
posted 5:09 PM
