This Is Halloween

Boo!  Happy Halloween!  MUA HA HA HA HA!

My Halloween costume: an evil Oregon lawyer.  Bwa ha ha ha ha!

OK, I may not be wearing the most exciting costume, but I’ve been busy this past week with Continuing Legal Education (CLE) events; I just got back from a CLE in Portland (hence the “costume” for today).  In fact, my past week or so has been filled with CLEs in Portland.  As a rookie lawyer, I’m expected to accrue 15 credits by the end of 2020.  Given my dislike of putting off required credits, I’m doing what I can to get a head start this year!

My first CLE event in Portland was last Thursday, where the overall theme was pro bono legal work.  Although CLE credit and information regarding pro bono legal work were good enough motivations for attending, the main reason I signed up was to accept an award from the Oregon State Bar (OSB).  Each year, OSB gives a certificate to the students that worked the most pro bono hours at each of Oregon’s 3 law schools for the last school year.  Over the course of my third year of law school, I accrued a lot of hours working at the Public Defender of Marion County (if anyone from PDMC is reading this: Hi!  Thanks for giving me the opportunity to serve the community through legal means!).  As such, I felt that it would be appropriate to attend and collect my certificate in person (besides, I could use the experience driving to and from Portland).  There were 3 different lectures at the event; I chose to sit through one discussing trauma and self-care when working with difficult cases.  I learned some important techniques, engaged in a little self-reflection, and networked with Oregon’s legal community for most of the night.  Once I had my award and was full of tea and hors d’oeuvres, I drove back to Tillamook in the dark (achievement unlocked: Long-Distance Nighttime Driving!) and slept soundly upon my arrival home.

Me posing with my certificate and the president of the Oregon State Bar.  I first met her at the informal Tillamook bar association meeting and was pleasantly surprised to see her again in Portland.  I went on to see her again on Halloween.  Oregon really does have a small and tightly knit legal community.

Taking what I learned about trauma to heart, I decided to de-stress for the upcoming weekend.  The best way to do so?  Going down to Salem to visit Cthulhu, of course (remember, Cthulhu is the alias my sweetheart requested for blogging purposes)!  On Friday, I took the customary 2–3 hour drive, arriving in my previous hometown.  It was wonderful seeing Cthulhu again, and we even got to attend a Halloween costume party together (so yes, I did actually dress up for Halloween…sort of).  One blissful weekend later, it was time to go back.  I bid Cthulhu a fond farewell, got enough caffeine in my system to last 2–3 hours, and headed back to Tillamook.

My real costume for Halloween: Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth from the Ace Attorney series.

Feeling refreshed, I was all ready for the next CLE on October 30–31.  On the 29th, I drove on down to Portland and checked into a hotel across from the Oregon Convention Center.  In the past, I’ve gone to this particular venue for comic conventions.  This time, the convention there was about business, not pleasure.

The Oregon Convention Center at dawn.

The next day, I suited up, put on my lawyer face (and pin), and signed up for a day of lectures and networking.  All of the lectures were about the basics of practicing law ethically; because the OSB Professional Liability Fund hosted the event, there was an emphasis on preventing and defending from malpractice.  I also got to catch up with some former law school classmates, all of whom were also navigating the choppy waters of starting legal careers.  It was great to see some old friends, though I didn’t have as much opportunity to socialize as I may have liked.  When the day was done, I relaxed back at the hotel before enjoying a night on the town.  Because I felt like treating myself, I sought out a restaurant I used to frequent back when I clerked for the Federal Public Defender (albeit at a different location).  It was on the other side of the Willamette River, so I couldn’t get there on foot easily.  This left me two options: (1) hire a Lyft/Uber driver (the smart option) or (2) drive there myself (the less smart option).  Unfortunately, option (1) did not occur to me until I was across the river and driving around looking for parking.  Whoops!  Fortunately, everything worked out in the end, and I unlocked a new life achievement: Portland Nighttime Driving!

Finally, it was Halloween, the last day of the event (for me, at least—I’ll be too busy tomorrow to attend the final day).  I put on my scary lawyer costume, checked out of the hotel, and headed over to the convention center.  The main focus of these lectures was on how to open and maintain an independent law practice (how appropriate for me).  There were also a few lectures that dealt with self-care regarding trauma; heavy (albeit familiar) topics that were thankfully made digestible over the course of the day.  Over lunch, I got to talk with some other professionals in the field of Oregon criminal law.  I hit it off OK and confirmed what I hoped: I’m going to get along well in this community!  When the lectures were done for the day, I hopped into the Benmobile and drove on back down to Tillamook (fun fact: driving through Portland at twilight is just as unnerving as driving there at night).  Driving through the woods, I did my best to sing along with Bon Jovi on the radio and not get blinded by headlights.  When I finally arrived back at my dung-scented domicile (the smell is starting to grow on me—it’s now the smell of home), I had a bit of an odd experience.  When coming into the house and opening up my room, I inadvertently let one of my landlady’s cats into my room (backstory: my landlady and her husband have 2 cats that wander around the property, inside and out, that provide mouse control and cuteness)!  Not wanting it to get hurt or damage my things, I, a grown-@$$ man in a suit, spent about 15 minutes talking to a cat, trying in vain to keep it out of my closet and coax it out of my room.  Seeing that negotiations weren’t working, I gave up, got changed, and petted the kitty for about 10 minutes while it purred like a little motor in my arms (I would include pictures, but I’d rather get my landlady’s permission before posting a picture of her cat on my blog).  Eventually, I lured it out of my room with some clicking sounds and petted it some more; it purred for a bit, then darted into the shadows of the house, likely looking for food.  Feeling hungry myself (and not feeling like cooking), I ventured into town and got some sushi (where half the waitstaff and customers were in costumes).  As delicious as Portland food is, there’s nothing like some Tillamook seafood for late night comfort.

And so, my Halloween comes to a close.  Nevertheless, the biggest scare is for tomorrow: starting a new job. *gulp*  Here’s hoping things continue to go well!

My cherished Oregon State Bar membership lapel pin, which has I have constantly worn throughout October (and will continue to wear throughout my career).  No one would believe I was a lawyer if I didn't wear it.

Seriously, at the pro bono event, people kept assuming I was a law student until they noticed the pin. XD  Time to start building a reputation!