Shark

I've been meaning for a couple of weeks to post about how my interview with the Judge in Spokane went. It was such a great interview - one of the best I've ever had. The Judge was kind, personable, and easy to talk to. He went to the same community college as I did at the same age that I went. We talked about LGBT issues and jurisprudential philosophy. The interview was natural and conversational, and the second half of the interview involved speaking with his clerks about their job duties. The Judge did tell me, however, that he was interviewing a dozen people, and that it was the most competitive pool he has seen in recent memory as a result of the economy. I knew it was a long shot if my odds were 1 in 12, but I couldn't help feeling as though I had a chance, since the interview had gone so well.

But.

I got the call on Tuesday that I didn't get the job. I have to admit, I was pretty crushed. The clerk who called left a voicemail, saying that the Judge wanted me to know that he was sure I would have done a great job, that it was a very difficult decision, that they all really enjoyed meeting me. From her tone, it sounded as though I might have been the runner-up. I sent a letter thanking them for the opportunity and letting them know I'd like to stay in the running should the circumstances change. But it is hard to move forward from this. It really felt like this was going to be where I was headed after my hard work in school - an appellate clerkship in Washington for two years with a judge I really liked. But now it is back to applying cold for positions for which I don't have much of a shot.

Alaska also turned me down. Still waiting on the WAGO.

I've missed some clerkship deadlines for places I didn't have much interest in living before I started receiving the steady stream of rejections. I think it is time to expand my horizons - geographically, professionally, personally. I am going to be extending my search to all over the country, not just the west, D.C., and Chicago. And I'm going to look for nontraditional law jobs. I will not be without a job when I graduate - this I vow. I'm thinking about LLM fellowship programs to apply to after a couple years of practice. I am 24 years old - younger than most of my colleagues. I will have a J.D. degree by the time I'm 25. That means I have a sufficient amount of time to achieve something - a job I feel great about, a big case, an additional graduate degree - by the time I'm 30. I need to be the shark. I need to move forward for this to happen. Rejections are going to keep coming - but all I need is that one yes.