Dear Semi-Boss,

What exactly do you do all day? We've been working on this case since October. You know it inside and out, better than I do. While I don't mind doing leg work, I'm getting a touch confused. You do realize that you work 40 hours per week, while I, a mere student, work 12 to 20? And you do realize that I have school work outside of that?

See, I just feel a little confused, because it seems like you are expecting me to sit there and do all the work while you sit in your office with your thumb up your ass. Also you are shoving all of your articles and textbook updates off on me; when exactly do you expect me to get those done in addition to all of my other obligations? I have two articles to write for myself. And I actually get to put my name on them. Meanwhile, you are asking me to write this shit for you so you can put your name on it and claim my work? Fuck you.

You do realize that I took this job because you guys were flexible about my school schedule, right? And also that I have done a hell of a good job and that losing me would be a really bad idea for you, right? And what the hell - I thought you and I had a good rapport. But you had to send that email out to everyone at work telling them to leave me alone so I could work on stuff for you. Because that didn't seem like I was incompetent and unable to keep up with my work or anything. Go to hell.

See, I just find it interesting, because when I went in and gave the partner the Motion for Summary Judgment, he looked really confused.

"Did you write this, or did [confidential]?"
"I did, why?"
"He told me that he was doing it and that's why he couldn't work on anything else all day."
"Oh."
"So what's he been doing?"
"I don't know, sitting there with his thumb up his ass?"

Yes I did say that and no I don't regret it. I just don't get it - what exactly ARE you doing all day? Because it doesn't seem to be work. I did the stuff for that case. I also had to do all the updates that the other attorneys were asking us for. I just don't get it. When did it go from us working on this together to me doing work while you stand there like a giant stress-ball?

ARGH. It sucks to be a peon.

First Post

Hi, I'm Kelly, and I'm a law student.

Wow, it's good to get that off my chest.

I'm creating this blog because, honestly, I am fairly certain this entire experience for the last year and a half has made me certifiably insane.

I'm not particularly in the mood to recap "up to this point" at the moment; maybe soon, but not right now. Generally I'll probably use this space to rant out into the ether. Rage at my fate. Etc.

The things most likely to appear in my blog will consist of my experiences as a law student, a law clerk for a small divorce firm I'm currently working for, a married woman, and a generally crazy person.

Currently, what's on my mind is... state employees.

I. Hate. State. Employees.

And I have to deal with them every single time I'm at work.

Don't get me wrong - there are good ones. Just like any profession, there are state employees I look forward to seeing, who are friendly and good at their jobs. But for some reason, the state sector seems to attract an inordinate number of a particular breed of individual that, for some reason, thinks s/he is entitled to work in a semi-customer service position and yet not practice any form of common courtesy. In fact, many of them are downright rude - for no reason. And somehow they can't be fired. Please explain to me how this makes sense.

Example 1:

I occasionally cover hearings for work where we just have to go in and enter agreed orders to get a continuance. Not a big deal - you explain to the judge what is going on in the case and then get a date, usually 30 to 45 days out, to meet up again, pretty much until the case settles or goes to trial. This happens many times throughout the life of your average dissolution case.

One judge's assistant in particular, for some reason unbeknownst to me, has it out for me. I don't know why. I have been in this judge's courtroom approximately 3 times in 7 months - there is no reason this assistant should know me from Eve. Despite my problems with state employees, I am undeservingly polite to each and every one of them - I say please and thank you and wish them a nice day at the close of every interaction. It's won me some favor with a few of them, but somehow this individual seems to find me grossly inconvenient and/or offensive despite my exceedingly limited contact with him.

After a hearing with the judge, I must approach this assistant in order to schedule the next hearing date for my case. Typically the interaction goes something like this:

(I approach the assistant, who is jotting things down on pieces of paper at his desk; I wait to be acknowledged - I consider this the polite thing to do, rather than interrupt him in the middle of whatever he is doing)

(He continues writing things down on paper; he shuffles the paper around; pretty soon it is apparent that he's not really doing anything, he's just making me wait. He's aware of my presence but, for some reason, has decided to ignore me.)

(I wait still to be acknowledged, feeling that I am just being polite; other clerks and attorneys are starting to line up behind me to get dates. Everyone is getting impatient.)

(Finally I give up waiting.)

"Excuse me, could I please get a date the week of XYZ for case number #?"

(He responds with stony silence, as if I have just said something horribly offensive. I wait, knowing that he, like other judge's assistants, is supposed to check the availability of that week before giving me an exact date.)

(I wait some more. People are still impatient behind me.)

"What date you want?" he finally asks, not even bothering to look at me.

I tell him.

"Yeah sure fine."

I jot it down on my order, give it to him for approval, it goes to the judge's clerk, and then I'm out.

I turn to observe on my way out. No one else seems to be having this problem. He is giving out dates in a perfectly polite manner to each person that approaches.

This causes me no end of confusion. As I said, I am a non-entity to this individual - he has never really met me before, I am just one of a hundred anonymous individuals he will meet that morning. Yes, there are regulars that he does know. But there are people like me, all the time, that are there only sparingly, forgettably.

Yet it has been the same every single time when I do this. I have gone to drop off courtesy copies for the judge and been standing there for literally a minute and a half waiting for this person to acknowledge me so I could ask who to give them to so they don't get lost in the shuffle.

Am I off-base here? Isn't it normal for someone to wait politely until they are acknowledged before speaking? Isn't it normal to acknowledge someone?