This afternoon, we're heading over to LaCrosse for a hearing scheduled for tomorrow and the next day. Funny coincidence to read this referring to the city, from the Tomah Journal.

What's new here? Well, I was sworn in as a Wisconsin attorney on Thursday, and had my folks and a good friend there as my support section. There were several classmates swearing in then as well -- 27 of us in all from UW, Marquette, and the one person who was without the diploma privilege and actually had to take the Wisconsin bar exam. My folks stuck around for a few days to help with handy little things around the new apartment; it was great to play host and even take them out to lunch after the ceremony to celebrate.

Friday, I turned in my first official brief. It was a manic day, lotsa coffee, but I think the draft turned out good. We'll see what the arbitrator has to say. We work after the fact from a transcript, which is nice, and a lot of the brief writing appears to be separating the wheat from the chaff, emphasizing important details and discounting non-relevant facts. I really enjoy this work so far, and think I could be extremely good at it with practice. Plus, my office is a bright, comfortable place that makes me smile in the morning when I come in. Not to jinx myself, but how good is that?

The Ironman competition was in town this weekend (a Ukranian man and a German woman won, despite competing in 90-degree temperatures.) A sign we noticed downtown Friday night, apparently posted for a competitor, read "Go, Mary, go." I know it wasn't meant for me, but took it as an encouraging sign as my career starts. :)

Finally, this post, detailing another law school classmate's encounters with the Socratic method, inspires a post of my own from Torts class first year. Unfortunately, there is no time to type now, as we'll be hitting the road soon, but if you've had the class, you'll recognize the situation. It involves a donkey/ass, a tortfeasor, and a professor who wanted to structure the hypothetical to make a joke. I'm sure it's repeated year after year, and truth be told, it was kinda funny, but it worked the trick of making me realize early that the Socratic method was overhyped and easily manipulated in certain hands. The dialogue is still fresh in my head, so come back in a few days and I'll try to recall the situation as best I can...