the daily snivel

  A pocketful of maybes

Well, after three days of interviews, receptions, and more interviews, I am at the end of my strenuous journey into the weird world of the articles of clerkship (known as "articling" to us mere mortals, and is the 10-month process of apprenticeship in a law firm that all law school graduates who wish to be Called to the Bar must complete). The earliest that firms could call with offers was today at 5:00 pm. By 5:15 pm, I had heard nothing, and was devastated. Devastated. I could just picture myself slinking home on a bus, smothered in a stinking cloud of failure.

At 6:00 pm, just as I was sitting down to write a despondent e-mail to all my friends at a sleazy Yonge Street cybercafe, my cell phone rang (*) and I got an offer with a criminal law firm in Toronto. I'd just interviewed with them today.

I'm also on a waiting list with the Ministry of the Attorney General. I'm their third choice overall in a process with two positions, meaning I was first on their "waiting list."

I would be thrilled to work at either place, especially given how crestfallen I felt earlier, but as I'm making an important decision I want to know all my options and talk to my friends and family before committing to one place or the other. I'll hear for sure from the Ministry by 9:00 am on Thursday. I have until 12:00 noon to make up my mind with the criminal defence firm. I'll make my decision well before then.

I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, I had a thoroughly lovely afternoon with my good friend Angela, who has lived in Toronto for about four years, and whom I hadn't seen in that time. We went out for a drink, and she treated me to pizza and wine in Toronto's beautiful, industrial-esque distillery district. I could totally see myself living around there when the time comes to start work in September 2005.

Aside: I miss Ottawa so much already, after only three days. My cat and my friends miss me terribly, and I miss them. It's a good thing so many of my law school chums will end up here next year as well, or I'd probably die of loneliness.


* -- disclaimer --
It's true that I now have a cell phone. My sister had received an old one from a relative and, since she already has one for kids, court, and driving, she gave it to me to see if perhaps we could activate it and donate it to the Clinic. I'm bringing it to the next Clinic Steering Committee meeting to see if we'd like to use it as a "Clinic cell phone" when caseworkers are in court and need to call clients and call review counsel, but in the meantime it was very essential to have one with me in Toronto, since if a firm calls you and you're not by the phone, you might as well have never existed at all. 

  Gone daddy gone

Articling interviews are nigh, so a horde of ambitious law students and myself are descending upon Toronto (also known as "The Big Smoke") like so many flying monkeys. I'm catching a bus later this afternoon, and will be staying at my sister's house for the next few days while I try to land myself an articling position. There will be schmoozing. There will be shameless self-promotion. There will be the shaking of many, many hands. In essence, I will be nothing more than a (reasonably priced) law whore for the next three days. I will do anything, just about anything. I will tell them all why they're my number one choice. I will betray the precious Caramilk Secret. I will give them shoulder rubs.

And then, on Wednesday afternoon at 5:00 pm, I'll know if I have a job.

I'll let you know as soon as I do.