Fall 2009 - another infrequent update

I haven't had much time for blog updates, so here's a quick summary of what's up. My summer job at a mass torts firm provided some great insight into the practice of law and some great practical experience.

Now, I'm in my third year of law school (a.k.a. 3L). I'm taking the following courses: Taxation, Bankruptcy, Criminal Procedure, Cyberspace Law, and a clinical program at SEPTA's Tort Litigation department.

In the SEPTA clinical, I've been representing SEPTA in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, in arbitration proceedings. I won my first case last week. It's a great experience, because they let fill the entire lawyer role at the arbitration, including the opening statement, calling witnesses, questioning, cross-examination, raising and defending objections, and closing arguments.

Charline, Jude, and Ruby are doing fine.

Ruby's getting better and better at communicating. She loves to open books and "read" them aloud, making up cute stories about the pictures. She's also great at making up stories while she's lying in bed, just before falling asleep. One recent story was about a family of dogs who find and befriend a baby dragon. Great stuff.

Jude has developed some strong martial arts skills, especially his roundhouse kick, which he figured out on his own. He and Ruby still like Scooby Doo more than anything else, but Jude is getting more interested in super heros every day. He has some Spiderman and Batman and Superman books. He wants some Flash and Red Tornado (an obscure DC character) comics next. Jude's still going to pre-school at the co-op, which he loves.

Charline has been doing some work as a board member for the Maternal Wellness Center, which she really enjoys. Of course, she always has her hands full at home, with Ruby and Jude. She continues to manage the www.GermantownAvenueParents.com blog also.

My other blog

Did I mention that I have another blog page at JamesBarger.blogspot.com? I don't know if it's any better or if I'll use it more. But, it's there.

An Update

Since I haven't posted in a while, here's an update. I'm getting ready for the third and final year of law school (the "3L") year. I'm working at a mass torts law firm in Florida for the summer, with travel to Philadelphia a few times, for cases in federal and state courts there. Charline, the kids, and the dog came to Florida with me. They're having fun at the local beaches and parks. Jude and Ruby are learning to swim.

In my final year of law school, I'm going to earn course credit for working at SEPTA, in the tort claims division, and at the Bucks County District Attorney's office. These clinicals are going to provide some excellent hands-on education, and will help me decide exactly which branch of law I want to practice.

Lately, I've been using twitter (twitter.com/JamesBarger) and facebook (facebook.com/james.d.barger) a bit more. And, I've opened a Google Voice account (you can call me from a button on JamesBarger.com). All very useful tools.