Summer is over.

I should have known, the weather over the love nest has been less than pleasant, every morning feels like it got lost on the way to mid-November, and that includes the mornings when I have woken up sans-hangover. It is time for me to put away the party dresses, even the amazing new pink one with the eccentric hoop that deserves to be in a Lady Gaga music video, and get my study on.

I just had a "casual flick" through the amount of work I probably should have done already and I am unlikely to be getting much sleep between now and the 4th September. To be fair, that bit isn't going to change, I'm just going to have to swap the alcohol for advocacy and the dancing for drafting. Sad times. :(

Bye bye social life. I love you. See you in a year xxx

The new job

The pupillage rejection arrived in my inbox at around 8p.m. on Monday. No surprise, but still a disappointment. I'm yet to seek feedback as I've been working stupidly long hours at work recently, but will do so asap to at least get something positive out of it.

In other news, having settled into my new job, I am working on an application for something better! As much as I complain, it would appear I can't sit still for too long. I also seem to be being pulled into office politics whether I like it or not. Its nothing new though, same shit different location, I've heard it all before... civil servants LOVE to moan! The only thing is, this office is a bit like school, there are cliques of people that all socialise together, and I've heard that people only get promotions "if their face fits", which sucks because it is quite clear to everybody in the office that my line manager should be the one calling the shots, but instead the previous office manager has been replaced by a peroxide blonde bimbo who wears ridiculously low cut dresses to work and seems to have difficulty putting a sentence together. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a bitter outsider, I've been more than welcomed into the "face fits" clique with open arms, but I just don't like it very much. I'm shocked in fact that a workplace can be so much like returning to school! But what the hell, it is only a temporary thing, I'm not planning on staying very long. In the meantime, the cool kids have got a lot to learn about how to party, and I'm having a great time broadening their horizons... ;)

...and breathe.

I am finally settled!!! :D I have moved back down south, to a beautiful love nest with Lovely Boy, settled in to my new job and for the time being at least, all is calm. I can breathe!!! It is such a relief, we have even finally sorted out our broadband, so in theory I can actually get back into writing this blog without feeling the need to close the screen every five seconds because my sister has walked in to the room.

In terms of the BVC, exam results for year 1 were fine. I'm on target for a VC if things carry on the way they are going. The nerves got the best of me in my Advocacy 1 exam which seriously sucked as all year I was doing so well, but as everything else went well I'm not allowing it to eat away at me too much. I've had 2 pupillage interviews this time around, the first one (on the day I moved house) was a total train wreck, I got lost on my way there and was pretty flustered and couldn't really think straight - so there was no surprise when I didn't get through to the second round. The second interview went really well I think. The panel had really read my application in advance and their questions were quite encouraging. I know it is unlikely that I'll secure pupillage this year, given it's my first crack at it, but still I'm slightly apprehensive about tomorrow as no rejection has been forthcoming as yet.

As much as I've moaned about being so busy over the last few months, I've still found plenty of time to party all over London since I've been back, and I even partied in Germany for a weekend with my friends and a boat load of HOT German men. Lovely Boy was at home, naturally ;)

It's soooo good to be back! :)

Holding my breath

Life is so hectic at the moment that I have still not had time to fully feel the happiness I'm sure I am due since discovering that I've been awarded a Scholarship. I've moved back down to London and started a new job although I am technically homeless (again) as Lovely Boy and I have not been able to find a place to live together as quickly as we had anticipated.

Non-Olpas applications, I am ashamed to admit have gone completely out of the window as I am so short on time and since I am couch surfing with friends, finding the time and space in which to sit down and crack out a snitch winning application has been bloody impossible. If I am honest I have barely found the time to prepare for my Conference and Advocacy exams.

I have spent the past month looking forwards to the 6th June, when Year 1 of the BVC will be over and I will finally get the opportunity to come up for air, maybe even have a lazy week in the sunshine? Alas, it is not meant to be, as I discovered today that the following weekend I will be moving house and attending a Pupillage interview on the same day! Two things I have wanted so much... and they both come on the same day?!

I'll sleep when I'm dead. I hope.

I GOT A SCHOLARSHIP :)

Scholarship Interview

My wonderful parents bought me a shiny new laptop for my birthday :), meaning the lost laptop cable saga has drawn to an end, which is just as well because it was a "Time" laptop and it is pretty difficult to get your hands on a cable for one of those these days...

Anyway, last week I had my interview with Middle Temple for a Scholarship. It was nowhere near as terrifying an experience as I was expecting, particularly based on the horror stories a friend of mine had told me about her interview last year.

I went into a room with three panel members: A Chancery Judge, a Chancery Barrister (Eek!) and a Criminal Silk. I was horrified when the chair told me that the two of them were Chancery lawyers, and considered walking out there and then, but thankfully, the Criminal Silk took over the interview and asked me about Family and Criminal Law.

I was asked why I was interested in Family Law, where I thought the line should be drawn with regards to getting into the emotions of Family cases and whether or not I thought the Privacy of Care cases should be lifted. I answered with a resounding NO and then had to argue my position. I think I handled that bit quite well, but it is impossible to tell really, I at least hung on to my convictions and was able to justify my opinion, so hopefully that was what they were looking for.

I was then asked about my thoughts on the Heathrow robbery trial and whether or not I thought Juries should be replaced by judges in all criminal trials, I talked about complex fraud, dumbfounded juries and then about the division of the tribunal of fact and law, inadmissible evidence and the importance of being tried by ones peers and concluded that I wasn't totally decided on the issue.

Then, a question that really threw me: Imagine you are producing a short film for Middle Temple to be targeted at university students to encourage them to come to the Bar, what important messages would you put across?

To be honest, I am slightly concerned that I may have gone on a bit too much about accessibility, and about preconceptions within society that the Bar is not accessible to everyone, despite the efforts made by the Bar to dispel this. However the panel did at least seem interested in what I was saying, I just hope I wasn't on my soapbox too much.... :s The truth is, I was trying to figure out what they wanted to hear and not thinking enough about what I wanted to say, and as soon as I worried about what they wanted me to say, my mind started to cloud over and I may have gone on a bit of a ramble. I did pull myself out though, in good time I hope, so I don't think it went all that badly.

The other 2 panel members decided that they didn't need to ask me anything else, the chancery barrister said that she thought we'd covered a lot of interesting ground and there was no need to ask anything else. Is that a good sign? Who knows. But it did throw me because I had been expecting questions from each of them and so directed all of my answers at the member that had asked the questions and not really at the other 2. Hopefully that wont count against me too much though.

With that the interview was over and I spent the rest of the day in shock, trying to process the fact that it had finished. Now I just have to wait for the results. Fingers Crossed!

Portal Prattle

As a Portal virgin, I went along to a talk at Gray's Inn on Tuesday all about the Pupillage Portal. It was mainly a step by step instruction guide into how to write your name, address and all other personal details with almost nothing about how to handle the important stuff like how to approach the key Pupillage questions, which apparently (according to the organiser) we should have all perfected by now.... (Queue a hell of a lot of nervous shuffling in seats and even more Poker face contortions from those that didn't want to give away signs of their panic.)

There were a few good tips though, and here are the ones that I can remember:

• Once you have registered you can change your choice for your first chambers as many times as you like, meaning that before even typing a word you should be able to check out if any of your chosen 12 have included a unique question, just by changing the provider and then looking at the Pupillage questions. If it is there, it will be flagged as well, so there is no missing it.
• You can up-date the Awards section after close of play at the end of April. So if you are lucky enough to get awarded a Scholarship from your Inn or any other award for that matter, you can update that section to let chambers know. You cannot update any other section though.
• There is nothing stopping you from contacting chambers directly however. So, if for example you get a new job or do some more Pro-bono or whatever, you can always contact chambers to let them know. Obviously, it is probably worth considering how important that new piece of information is when deciding whether to let them know. Contacting them over something trivial might not count in your favour.
• The Cover Letter is optional, and should be treated as such. Chambers differ in their views about this section, and it might be worth contacting individual chambers in advance to find out whether they will be looking for a lot from this section or whether they view it negatively and would prefer it either to be very brief or even ignored entirely.

Another piece of personal advice that I gained from the whole experience is never trust your shoes not to fall apart on a rainy day in London. You end up with very wet feet.

Home and Away

Laptop cable is still AWOL, but as I am in London for a visit to Lovely Boy, and he has gone off with his guitar to see a friend who also has a guitar for a playdate, I am free to blog away to my heart's content.

Today is day one of unemployment (again) as my contract ended yesterday, however, I have had a number if interviews for similar roles in the last few days, and just had a phone call offering me a job to start first week in May. Which is pretty perfect timing really, as it gives me a month off to concentrate fully on pupillage applications, and also apply for other more hands on jobs. This one is another admin position which is slightly pupillage friendly, but now that the jobs market is in recovery mode I would hope that I stand a chance of securing something a bit more impressive.

I've decided to apply for pupillage in Birmingham as well as London. Initially I had always thought that being back home when I reach that point would be a nightmare; but having spent the last 6 months or so licking my wounds and working there in a job where I've been able to get to know the right sort of people, I've realised that Birmingham is a brilliant place. It isn't just home, it is also the home of some pretty awesome chambers and there is a sense of community on the circuit that I haven't really noticed when talking to Barristers in London. The judges get drunk with the barristers clerks at the many Christmas parties and, even better, the Clerks love ME. I have somehow managed to get in with the clerks at a chambers and have had so much fun. Perhaps part of it is the fact that it is my home and that is why I feel more able to relax and enjoy myself with the practitioners there; but it isn't just about having fun, I also feel like I am more impressive because I feel so much more comfortable.

London is a great place to be young, but I can't help thinking that actually, I've always intended to return to Birmingham eventually. I don't want to raise a family in London, and when I think of my dream home, it is in a certain postcode in a more affluent area of Birmingham, (rather than Crime central where I have grown up).

But still; I think it may be a bit premature to be considering these things when I am only now about to try out the Pupillage Portal for the first time. The reality is, I'll take what I am given, if ever the opportunity is presented.

Technically Challenged

Michael has posted over at Law Actually that all the bright eyed, positive law student bloggers have disappeared, and everyone that is left is miserable or at least ageing and jaded (I am paraphrasing of course.).

I just wanted to leave a quick note to say I AM NOT BITTER YET... I do still have the enthusiasm, (perhaps not "virginal innocence" though...) however, I am unfortunately having a computer related crisis, namely I have somehow managed to lose my laptop cable, so cannot charge the battery and have been unable to post all of the fun stuff that I really want to go into loads of detail about. I am completely useless when it comes to technology and god knows when i will get around to finding/replacing it.

I have been dependent on my Sister to allow me access to the internet when at home to check vital email accounts etc and have managed to squeeze this post on because she is asleep but foolishly left her laptop downstairs.

So, my blog may not be the most exciting, inspiring or even vaguely interesting on the blawgosphere, but I really really do still have the enthusiasm. Even the incredible incompetence of BPP hasn't dragged me down.

Some fun things that I have wanted to blog about recently but couldn't:

• Attending a Champagne Reception at a Dream Chambers, then going for post event drinks and dinner with the Family team; (seriously amazing, and when the laptop cable reappears I will sit down and type my heart out)
• MCT exam and successful Conference mock;
• Mooting; and
• being mentored by a lovely lovely judge.

I am planning my return to London someday soon, and when I do I am sure I will have found the bloody cable, so at the latest, will get back into the swing of things then.

By the way, Andro if you read this, well done on the new job... and...have you seen the adverts for Eclipse? Exciting!

January Blues

January has been a tough month. BVC wise, all seems to be ok, Legal Research has consumed me and I shall spend the next five days in a frenzied panic trying to catch up with the rest of the studying I need to do for next weekend, but in comparison to everything else, it's absolutely fine.

January has been tough because I'm so far away from where I need to be. My current job is only temporary and is due to end at the end of the financial year, and despite newsreaders announcing that the recession is "over" I'm adopting a "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude, especially towards the jobs market. Today is the 4th anniversary of my relationship with Lovely Boy, but here I am stuck in Brummie land with a ton of work to do and he's down in London sad and lonely (also with a ton of work). Its pretty miserable really. Especially as he seems to be suffering a great deal at the moment with low self esteem and needs to not be on his own. Emotionally I'm so worried about him that I don't seem to be able to concentrate fully on my studies or job or anything else. I feel so guilty because if only I had managed to find a job in London I would be with him and able to help him to feel better. Instead I rely on the telephone to try and perk him up, which works for all of 1o minutes and then he feels down again. I have decided that cloning myself is the only way forward and will try and figure out how to do so as soon as my Legal Research is complete.

In other news, I dined at Middle Temple for the first time this month, and was very impressed with the food. The thing I didn't like though, was that the Benchers were completely separate from the students. I think it was because it was a private guest night and I'm hoping that there is a bit more mixing generally, but if not I'm not sure I see the point. I thought the whole point of qualifying sessions was to get to know other people, network and become a part of the community. I'm hoping the next one I go to is a bit more inclusive.

I also mooted again and am now through to the Quarter Final of the competition I'm in. Not bad for a first attempt. Of course it does mean I have another moot that I have to fit in preparation for around full time work and part time study. I'm not sure that the other part time students in the moot weren't relieved to have been knocked out! The fourth mooter in our round was a full timer and she was streets ahead of us. She used some brilliant expressions (which I fully intend to steal for the next round) and I was slightly in awe.