Alberta Tories

Why does our government insist on being completely retarded?

Romantic at heart

If I ever get married, my proposal will consist of picking a day for a wedding and sending the girl an e-vite.

His Worship

Snuck into Council Chambers today and sat in Mandel's chair. Oh, the sense of power. And symmetry.

End of the Road

Boyz II Men are coming to Edmonton next week. I remember Michael and his cane back in the day. So, now I'm wondering who will be at the show. Junior high girls today probably don't know about them. So, maybe girls who were in junior high back when they were popular. So, my age. :-)

Such gorgeous weather

It was 28 here yesterday. Summer's great, girls shed the parkas. And, since they only have about one and a half weeks out of the year to do so, they tend to go all out. I went for a jog shortly after midnight, which was fantastic. I also extend my sympathy to the young canvasser who came to our door earlier in the evening. Nothing's classier than answering the door whilst drinking a beer and not wearing pants.

Weekend

Well, I'm drunk. Fun times have been had the last two nights. On Friday, I was heading home and ended up hitting up offsales and after-hours dance clubs until 10am. After getting up on Saturday, I did it all again, crusing around the city in a limo for a buddy's bachelor party. I can't believe my friends are getting married.

I told my parents that articling offers didn't go as well as I would have liked. It doesn't really matter, since they're supportive of whatever I do, but I can't help but feel that I've failed. Six weeks of effort have amounted to nothing, and it's disappointing. I expect better. I don't know what to tell people.

In unrelated matters, I want to travel, and I'm planning trips. Fun times will be had.

Articling

The system of finding articles in Alberta is flawed. Articling, for those of you unaware, is a year spent working after completion of the LLB or JD. It is essentially an apprenticeship: law school teaches you about the law, articling trains you to practice as a lawyer. To practice law, you have to be admitted to the bar. To be admitted, you have to article.

When looking for articling students, firms generally look for long-term potential: they want somebody who will article, become an associate, become a partner, and die with the firm. The problem is that Edmonton and Calgary have different timelines for offers, with Edmonton jumping the gun a week early. While one could say that this makes you apply in the city where you want to spend your career, there is an equal chance of everyone losing out: people who really want to work in Calgary may not be willing to risk waiting for an offer and will work in Edmonton, which hurts the student who can't go where he wants, hurts the Edmonton firm who will be losing a student in a year, and hurts Calgary firms who miss out on hiring a dedicated Calgarian. The deadlines for Alberta firms should be coordinated.

Firms generally frown upon applications to multiple cities. This makes sense from their perspective; they prefer candidates who are committed to the city in which the firm is located. However, this creates the situation where location becomes more important than the firm itself. It is fairly illogical in the first place: when you've applied to multiple firms, there's always a risk that you won't end up at the place where you're interviewing, regardless of the city in which those other firms exist. The competition is frankly too fierce to artificially limit potential options at the outset.

When leaving law school, few students know what they want to practice, and those that claim to will likely change their opinion. The practice of law and the study of law are very different things. If articling is going to be mandatory, the structure of the selection process should be revised to give greater benefit to students and firms alike.

Tagged

I seems I've been tagged from several locations to talk about bookish interests. I left all of my books at home when I moved out. I brought along one, "Atlas Shrugged", read the first page and got bored. When I was a kid, I read like a mad-man. Now, like Condi Rice, it's not something I like to do on my spare time. The next book I'm looking forward to is Harry Potter #6. That's going to be something sweet.

Blarg

Just finished a week of articling interviews. Two cities, a whole shlock of interviews. Stressful week. Looking forward to it being over.

Badass

Got stopped and questioned by three members of Campus 5-0 this afternoon. I was on my way over to the Law Centre to do locker clean-up. I guess this is what happens when you walk through campus carrying a big-ass pair of bolt cutters.

Proud Big Brother

It appears that my little sister will be the Gold Medalist for General Arts. Awesome. I'll be taking a break from Articling Interview Madness to join the platform party for her Convocation on Friday.

Deep Throat

So, apparently Deep Throat has revealed himself. I feel somewhat saddened by the news. Another mystery gone. I kind of wish that Woodward and Bernstein had had the chance to do it.

In unrelated matters, attended WWE Smackdown with Welke, Bazin and Bobby. The most fun I've ever had at Rexall. That includes hockey, Great Big Sea, and Aerosmith. Although Aerosmith was damn good.