Law vs. Business

I finally had my salary meeting with the law firm that first offered me a job after I abruptly left my last job. I am not sure that the firm is the right place for me. Maybe I was right to not immediately accept the offer when it was made. The last time I did that, I was disrespected and unappreciated for two and a half years. Something inside me told me to wait, to not jump at the first thing that fell in my lap.

Well, God knows me better than I know myself.

I was disappointed during the meeting. They kept telling me that they had to make sure their investment is me was a good business decision. They told me I would not be adding much to the firm the first year because I would be learning immigration law most of the time. They told me that I had to consider two things as a lawyer: [1] the law, and [2] business. They said if I concentrated too much on being a good lawyer, I would not succeed in the business of law. And I told them that concentrating solely on the business aspect is bad for the law aspect. They told me that my number was too high. They are going to take my number and think about it between the four of them and call me back with a counter-offer. Well, I do not know that I can accept anything lower than that because that number is a minimum for me. I know that I am worth more than I am asking. They do not even realize that an investment in me is an investment in their firm. In no time at all, they would not even be able to imagine life without me.

I cannot stand it when people talk about the business of law and the practice of law in the same sentence! That reminds me of my former boss. He cared too much about the business and nothing about the law. I think balancing the two things is a dangerous thing. If you balance them, then there is the possibility that business will outweight the law at least some of the time, and that sets a bad precedent.

At the end of the day, I want to be a good lawyer. I want to be the best lawyer I can possibly be. I know that if I work hard enough, the money will come to me. How can you plan for next year if you do not even know if you are going to be here tomorrow? Then, where will all that planning for next year get you? The reason I want to try to be the best lawyer I can possibly be every day is because I want to be able to sleep at night. I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and have no regrets. I want to be a good lawyer, not a greedy lawyer.

Today, I want to be the best possible lawyer I can be. Tomorrow, I place it in God's hands because only He knows what will happen. I place my tomorrows in His hands. Because of my faith in Him, I know He will take care of me.

Trial Puppy

I'm officially a Trial Dog in Training. Yay! I helped pick my first felony jury today. The jury panel had 65 people on it, and before we were done with voir dire, we got 20 people kicked off for cause. *Some* people just can't be impartial. Whatever. Get off my jury now, bitch!

Tomorrow, testimony is going to start at 10:00AM. I'm excited. At first, I was excited yesterday to learn that this trial was finally going to start today. Then, last night, I was feeling nervous. But this morning, I woke up excited. I had fun today.

I especially had fun when voir dire was finished, and I was helping the lead attorney and defendant strike people off the jury panel. There was an astronaut on the panel! I wanted to talk to him! I've never met a realy astronaut. Well, who do I see in court but my former boss. Ha! I kept staring him down because I knew he wasn't there to talk to little old me. Then, for the longest time, I thought he must surely be lost because he doesn't do *any* felony work at all and is RARELY seen inside a felony court. Finally, after we picked our jury and the lead attorney argued his motions to the judge, my former boss told some other lawyer he was waiting to do a plea. WHATEVER! I bet he messed that up! He will never be half the lawyer that I am now, and I'm just getting started. Hehehe...

I can't wait to sit second-chair tomorrow. This is awesome training because my friend has a similar trial case coming up in February that I will be helping him on. By the time this trial is done, I will totally be an expert in these types of cases. Oh yeah...

This is my third second-chair trial. If Mark lets me first-chair two of his trial cases, I will be qualified to apply for a court-appointed attorney in no time! Also, yesterday, this attorney asked me to help him with his upcoming felony trial. And this evening, another attorney asked me for help tomorrow. Hmm... It seems like everybody but my former boss wants to work me. How awesome is that?!?!?

And more good news, I found my Suze Orman book. Yay! I love Suze!

Anyway, I'm in the middle of preparing trial motions. So, I better get back to that. Fun!

New Hampshire

I am slightly disappointed at the results of the New Hampshire primary. I can't believe the witch is ahead of Obama by 3 percentage points. I was sure that Obama would win. Maybe if I had been at Dartmouth right now, I would have been able to make a difference. Maybe not. It's cold up there, and people's little minds are probably frozen from too much snow. They're set in their old traditions. Look at Dartmouth!

Tomorrow is a better day. That's what Pastor Joel says. "God never performs His greatest feats in your yesterdays."

I have to cut this short because I have to run off to court now! How's that for someone that just quit her job? Hahaha!

Change

Change seems to be the theme of the moment.

Mollybee is officially pregnant. YAY!!! I cannot wait to meet my godchild! I know God has a special plan for KellyBabyBee. I know God will take care of the little one and help Molly and Brian with this. Everything is in His hands.

I feel really good about my job transition. Since I quit my job on Thursday, I have not been this happy in years. I tell everybody that I know that I quit my job and am moving forward. God made it very clear to me that I needed to close the door to a bad situation, and when I finally did what He wanted me to do, He opened another door right away. I put all my faith in Him when I took the step I had been afraid to take for years, and He held my hand and led the way to a better, brighter future. Now, I am hoping to help some friends in need that need to move forward. It's just like Pastor Joel writes, "Don't settle for mediocrity; never let good enough be good enough." "Keep moving forward."

I am excited about what is happening with the New Hampshire primary. I wish I was at Dartmouth right now. I did not watch the debates. I'm sorry I missed them. I started reading Obama's book because I fell in love with the title, "The Audacity of Hope." How courageous is that! So what if he's new to politics? That's just what Washington needs. Washington is full of old, outdated politicians. It's time to breathe new life into Washington. I hope Obama wins this primary for the Democrats. Hillary has already been in the White House, and I was very unhappy about it the first time around.

Like the saying goes, the times, they are a-changing. Thank God!

"Stretching to the Next Level"

I went to Sam's Club to buy the Suze Orman book that I lost. They didn't have it! Stupid Sam's!

Instead, I bought "Become a Better You" by Joel Osteen. I'm only like 8 pages in, and I'm already loving this book. Pastor Joel is awesome. I think everyone should read this book.

"God never performs His greatest feats in your yesterdays."

How awesome is that? No matter how bad or how good you had it before, it's only going to get better tomorrow if you let it get better.

Of course, I still need to get my Suze Orman book. Her book will feed my wallet. But Pastor Joel's book will feed my soul. And they're both important.

Time to Step Up

Brian has the badassbabybee blog. It's time for the Consigliere to have a blog, too. After all, how else will I be able to dispense advice to the Godmother?

So, here's the logo for my Family. The Godmother has taken very good care of her Family in the past, and now it's time for the members of the Family to step up and take care of the Godmother. Godmother, I am always here for you. I don't have to tell you that because you already know, but I like reminding you anyway.