The further adventures of locationgal
Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 3:27 am
Well, my law practice is a bust - for real. The phone rang like crazy in the beginning, but after a short time it became clear that PAYING clients were few & far between. I thought I'd make a modest living - keep the lights on and kibble on the table - through contract work with the state public defender, but it seems the agency has gotten wise to the fact that by hiring staff attorneys for conflict cases, they can save a ton of money over paying contract attorneys hourly & reimbursing travel, too. There will still be some contract work, going to attorneys longest on the roster - which is not yours truly.
If all that weren't bad enough, I was just diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, relapsing/remitting. I've been experiencing symptoms on and off for several years, but had docs that misdiagnosed them as attributable to other issues. In the past two years I've had significantly greater problems with muscle strength/mobility and cognition/vision, etc. and my body's response to various meds have given my docs/neuro docs 95% confidence in the diagnosis. My most recent relapse, which began while I was on vacation back east, has found me having to walk with a cane at times in recent weeks.
So I'm sorry for not sharing before my fear and apprehension over what was happening to my body, but at least now you all might understand my occasional departures from mere asshole into flaming asshole.
I'm moving home to New England to be near family/dear friends, and I am quitting the active practice of law, as the condition is much exacerbated by stress and I don't know any litigators who don't operate at a high stress level 90% of the time.
I have no idea what it's going to be like trying to find 'other' work with a JD in this economy; I'm very anxious because I know the big secret of our profession is that there are now, since 2008, thousands upon thousands of attorneys underemployed and unemployed, with 45k new ones being graduated every year. I have a lot of various experience and hope I might get into policy work or nonprofit management or who knows, but starting out for the next year or so I'll be glad for anything at all - former elected officials and the self-employed can't get UI benefits, so I'm going out there with just my robe and my open bowl, and hoping the universe will fill it.
When I get where I'm going, hopefully I can change my moniker, as I'll no longer be bigskygal. I'm starting out with dear friends in Maine - should be there by early-mid December - and will go from there to where my new work life takes me - but staying in New England, so I am near family and dear friends should I begin to require more support and assistance.
I don't expect everyone to weigh in with supportive posts, but I'd sure appreciate an absence of mean spirited comments or trolling in this thread. I'm sharing because this place has been a big part of my life and because I wanted folks to understand why I've been not quite myself at times over the past few years - and although I'm working very hard to come to terms with and/or be accepting of my damaged body and broken dreams, it's very hard and sometimes I'm sure I will still experience flaming assholery - apologies in advance for that, and belatedly for past wrongs.
If all that weren't bad enough, I was just diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, relapsing/remitting. I've been experiencing symptoms on and off for several years, but had docs that misdiagnosed them as attributable to other issues. In the past two years I've had significantly greater problems with muscle strength/mobility and cognition/vision, etc. and my body's response to various meds have given my docs/neuro docs 95% confidence in the diagnosis. My most recent relapse, which began while I was on vacation back east, has found me having to walk with a cane at times in recent weeks.
So I'm sorry for not sharing before my fear and apprehension over what was happening to my body, but at least now you all might understand my occasional departures from mere asshole into flaming asshole.
I'm moving home to New England to be near family/dear friends, and I am quitting the active practice of law, as the condition is much exacerbated by stress and I don't know any litigators who don't operate at a high stress level 90% of the time.
I have no idea what it's going to be like trying to find 'other' work with a JD in this economy; I'm very anxious because I know the big secret of our profession is that there are now, since 2008, thousands upon thousands of attorneys underemployed and unemployed, with 45k new ones being graduated every year. I have a lot of various experience and hope I might get into policy work or nonprofit management or who knows, but starting out for the next year or so I'll be glad for anything at all - former elected officials and the self-employed can't get UI benefits, so I'm going out there with just my robe and my open bowl, and hoping the universe will fill it.
When I get where I'm going, hopefully I can change my moniker, as I'll no longer be bigskygal. I'm starting out with dear friends in Maine - should be there by early-mid December - and will go from there to where my new work life takes me - but staying in New England, so I am near family and dear friends should I begin to require more support and assistance.
I don't expect everyone to weigh in with supportive posts, but I'd sure appreciate an absence of mean spirited comments or trolling in this thread. I'm sharing because this place has been a big part of my life and because I wanted folks to understand why I've been not quite myself at times over the past few years - and although I'm working very hard to come to terms with and/or be accepting of my damaged body and broken dreams, it's very hard and sometimes I'm sure I will still experience flaming assholery - apologies in advance for that, and belatedly for past wrongs.
