On Thursday, I found myself on a small stage at Georgetown Law.
It’s LL.M. orientation week. Last year, I was in the audience listening to alumni give study and job search advice. This year, I am on the same stage talking to a new crop of students.
I don’t get through all of my rehearsed talking-points, but I do manage to avoid saying anything stupid or outrageous. I repeatedly cautioned the students that securing a job offer from an externship is completely dumb luck on my part. But I probably sound like a lottery winner explaining that buying Powerball tickets is foolish.
My best piece of advice is: “Remember that massive book of information that the career office gave you? Actually read that and follow the instructions.”
If just one student uses that advice, then the panel was worth it.
Afterward, a gaggle of tax LL.M. students line up to talk to me, which makes me feel that I didn’t completely bumble through my answers on the panel. Overall it was a productive event, – if only my business cards had been ready on time…
Spring cherry blossoms at Georgetown University Law Center.
Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C.
Ingrid the Labradoodle posing on the Georgetown Law Center Campus.
A year in Washington D.C.
The move to Washington D.C. was a calculated risk. I took my first bar exam a full six years after graduating law school, quit my fledging journalism career, and packed up to move across the country.
While driving to Washington D.C., I had no idea whether I would pass the bar exam, fail out of the LL.M. program, or ever secure a post-graduation job that paid enough to make all of this worth it. Were all those hours studying for the bar exam useless? Am I too old to go back to school? Will I crash and burn in this new city?
I keep reminding myself that the move from Minnesota to Dallas was also a risk, and that turned out to be an amazing adventure. So I decided that I was going to give the Georgetown program everything that I had, enjoy myself, and hope for the best.
And what a fabulous year it was!
Women lighting fireworks in Logan Circle, Washington D.C.
The Darlington Memorial Fountain in Judiciary Square.
Brunch at Oz Arlington.
Dancing at Number Nine Bar.
The parade at Capital Gay Pride.
The lines in front of the Supreme Court right before the Wayfair v. South Dakota oral arguments.
Leftover signs from “March for Our Lives” at Logan Circle in D.C.
Ingrid the labradoodle experiencing her first Washington D.C. snowstorm with a tennis ball.
The exterior of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.
The upper church of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.
Uproar Lounge in Washington D.C.
The upstairs event space in Blind Whino in Southwest Washington D.C.
The interior of the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.
A drag performer at Ziegfeld’s in Washington D.C.
Some late-night pizza in Washington D.C.’s U-Street club district.
Studying with a Bloomberg tax portfolio.
Washington D.C.’s Chinatown District on a rainy weekend afternoon.
Fancy happy hour people at the Rock and Roll Hotel on H Street, Washington D.C.
A drag queen bartender at TRADE bar in Washington D.C.
Brunch holdovers on the patio of TRADE bar in Washington D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood.
The atrium of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
The reading room of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The interior courtyard of the National Building Museum in Washington D.C.
Fall decorations at Washington D.C.’s CityCenter.
A Lambda Legal event at the Newseum.
Indiana Plaza in Washington D.C.
La Bella Mafia performing at the Shaw’s Tavern drag dinner.
Women working on an art installation in Logan Circle.
People living their lives at TRADE bar in Washington D.C.
A crowd of tourists at Number Nine bar in Logan Circle.
A random man playing bag pipes in Washington D.C.
La Bella Mafia with my peach fan in front of DuPont City Tap Drag Brunch.
Fireworks going off in a Washington D.C. sidewalk.
Stick fighters during a festival in Chinatown, Washington D.C.
A Yuhua Hamasaki fan that broke after about two weeks.
Cobalt nightclub in Washington D.C.
The champagne bucket special at Orchid in Barracks Row.
One of the female security guards at Uproar Lounge & Restaurant.
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial from across the Tidal Basin.
The dogs at the U.S. Navy Memorial.
The wall of a Mexican Restaurant on Capitol Hill.
A fountain near the National Mall.
Winter anxieties
Although I had a lot of fun throughout the Georgetown LL.M. program, my winter break was a stressful time.
I spent the entire semester fretting about my bar exam results, and even after receiving a passing bar exam score, I still did not know whether I also passed the MPRE. (Which is a separate ethics exam required to actually get licensed.) Everyone was so sure that I passed the MPRE, but then I had a classmate who passed the California bar exam only to fail the MPRE.
What if I was in that same boat?
I waited on first semester grades well into spring, and I was increasingly convinced that I wouldn’t find a job after school.
Georgetown’s career staff told us during orientation that most job offers don’t happen until late spring, but that did not stop me from feeling utterly unemployable. Was this an expensive mistake?
Then things happened quickly – I passed the MPRE, got licensed, secured a bunch of interviews, and received two job offers in D.C., including one at my firm. A few weeks later, my firm brought me in as a law clerk and even moved my start-date up to the Monday after graduation.
Two paper classes, a research assistant position, and the law clerk job made for a packed semester. But I managed a 3.7 GPA that semester and still made time to explore our new city.
A witch-themed contestant in front of Trade Bar after the Washington D.C. High Heel Race.
Overlooking the H Street Festival.
Michael at Freddie’s Beach Bar.
A dog and festival goers at the H-Street Festival.
Dancing at the H Street Festival in Washington D.C.
A belligerently drunk man (and friends) in the parking lot of Nellie’s bar in D.C.
A sculpture at Union Station in Washington D.C.
Ingrid posing in front of street art in Washington D.C.
Drag queens performing at Uproar on Washington D.C.’s U Street.
Richard and the koalas at Brunch at Oz Restaurant and Bar in Clarendon, Arlington.
Gunter at the Washington Monument in D.C.
Women taking brunch shots at Oz Arlington brunch.
A drag queen posing at Cobalt.
Books upon Books on H Street.
The summer balloon decorations at CityCenter D.C.
The view of Chinatown from the Pod Hotel’s Crimson View rooftop.
A rude political sticker at the Rock and Roll Hotel on H Street.
An amateur drag queen competition at Cobalt in Washington D.C.
Moving into the District
After officially starting as an associate, it was time to move from Northern Virginia to the District. The metro commute from Pentagon City lost its charm, and I was sick of the dealing with delayed trains after 12-hour workdays. Don’t even get me started on the expensive weekend Uber rides into the city…
All moves are obnoxious, but the move to Washington D.C. was complicated by Michael and I needing to get rid of our cars. A snag in obtaining my car title meant that I couldn’t sell it before my parking contract in Pentagon City ran out. Instead of paying to park a car that I might not sell, I decide to donate it to WAMU, the local NPR station.
We managed to haul our belongings across the river, spent way too much time shopping around for new furniture suitable for a one-bedroom, but eventually got our apartment together.
Life is so much easier now that Michael and I both live walking distance from our offices. We can also go out on the weekends without worrying about exorbitant cab fees. Life’s good.
Gunter and the Gallery Wall in the new Washington D.C. apartment.
Gunter on the rooftop of our new building in downtown Washington D.C.
The Darlington Memorial Fountain in Judiciary Square.
A cab on fire in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington D.C.
Police arresting people outside of Nellie’s on U Street.
A woman who sprained her ankle at Washington DC gay pride.
Healy Hall at Georgetown University’s main campus.
A rooftop evening in Washington D.C.’s U Street neighborhood.
A drag queen performing at Freddies’ Beach Bar in Arlington.
Gunter the chiweenie sleeping on the couch.
The upcoming year
Our second year in Washington D.C. is going to be interesting. Michael just started his MBA program and I have a pretty ambitious travel schedule for work.
My goals for this year are:
- To not get fired,
- Hit my billable hours target,
- Stick to an exercise schedule,
- Be more intentional about networking, and,
- Blogging more, of course.
More on all of that later.
Thomas Circle in Washington D.C.
D.C. life is surreal
It will take some time for us to acclimate to D.C. – if that’s even possible.
I don’t think either of us has truly gotten used to living so close to the National Mall – our dog walks feel like being in a bizarre theme park. The dogs now poop in front of buildings that I’ve spent a lifetime watching on T.V. and on the bills in my wallet.
Oh, and there are the throngs of tourists, gorgeous architecture, monuments every three feet, and running into Kellyanne Conway at McDonald’s. Because, why not?
Life in D.C. is busy, fun, and completely worth the calculated risk to move here. Let’s hope our second year in D.C. is as fun as our first. 🏆
The U.S. Treasury Building.
The U.S. Capitol’s reflecting pool, and plenty of ducks.
Ingrid the Labradoodle posing in front of the U.S. Capitol.
Gunter the Chiweenie upset about life in front of the Washington Monument.
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