Wednesday, September 10, 2003

 

Judgment Day

While a few people I know got their Oregon Bar Exam results today and were pleased, such as K (congratulations!), there were some others that I know that got the same results and were disappointed (which is an understatement). Both sides of the story steel me for the same purpose for myself this next summer. I'm delighted yet sobered.

posted by The Brooklynite 10:02 PM

 

Portland and LC

The mayoral race gets interesting with the addition of former Police Chief Tom Potter and the subtraction (wisely) of Erik Sten withdrawing from the race with some scathing remarks aimed at mayor-wanna-be Francesconi. Check B!x's report on a possible run by car sales veteran Ron Tonkin. I'm still waiting to see if Jake Okenberg will step back up to race again or maybe make a run for the council.

Also, there was some good news for Portland businesses yesterday in that the City will basically refund the large surplus it has found itself with from increased franchise fees. Though I like the biting remark that 30% will be reserved to pay for any presidential campaign visits (i.e. any time President * comes to town since I doubt Dean, Kerry orsay Al Sharpton will cause any major security concerns).

And, this story from the Portland Trib is worth reading about the problems with Lewis & Clark's lost $10 million. The Trib really hangs a local attorney out to dry. Interestingly, the current Board of Trustees has not made any public moves to pursue any legal remedies from any of the actors. A comment I heard yesterday made me stop and think regarding whether Mr. Pamplin's generous gift this last summer was meant to heal the situation and alleviate any need for LC to get bogged down in ugly litigation.

posted by The Brooklynite 8:52 AM

Monday, September 08, 2003

 

Staring Over the Edge

A month ago I thought I had it all worked out. It looked like my clerking job at a fantastic IP firm would turn into "the job" when I finished school. I'd worked on patent applications, office actions, copyright issues, and patent litigation work. It even looked like, against the odds, the firm would hire me even though I have a mechanical engineering background instead of an electrical engineering background. Then reality set in over the period of the last week or so. Lunch with an attorney in the firm last Friday finely brought the big picture into crystal-clear focus. If I really pushed, I could probably get hired. However, the firm would not truly have enough work to sustain me. Our mechanical patents are few and far between and the litigation business is not busy enough yet. I'd be looked upon as the guy who got a job mostly because a partner liked me. And, in a couple of years when my pay would switch to percentage-based pay, I'd be hurtin' bad and most likely profoundly unhappy.

So now what do I do? I'm only in the top half of my class so big litigation firms may not even look at me. I've realized I am not cut out for criminal law emotionally so working for a DA's office is probably out. Then there is that interesting idea/dream of forming a local mostly litigation IP firm with some current and past classmates somewhere down the line 5 to 10 years from now. Hmmm. Well, right now I'm going to try and remain focused on IP litigation which means I may have to leave town for a limited time. I'm looking at the Bay Area and possibly Seattle or San Diego as potential job markets. Anyway, it's back to staring over a cliff with mounting debt and no sure job leads. Gee, law school is fun.

posted by The Brooklynite 9:59 AM