Life Goes On

Well, in February I took the Bar exam. In late April, while visiting my cousin in the Netherlands, I found out that I passed the Bar exam--much to my surprise. I was nervous because several very close family members of mine were in the hospital having serious surgeries, and I made the choice to spend more time than recommended away from the books. My logic: I could retake the Bar exam, but if anything happened to them, I could never get those days and hours back. Fortunately, on Queens Day (a huge jubilee celebration everywhere in Holland) the news was posted on the internet, and half a world away I knew I was admitted to practice law!

Then came the fun part. I was sworn in upon my return to the states by Judge Eugene Lucci of the Lake County Court of Common Pleas, my good friend Nina's father. It was a wonderful private ceremony, and Judge Lucci gave a fantastic speech and to the great delight of my entire extended family, wore robes :) We were beyond grateful--he even drove all the way to Hudson from Concord for the event so my grandfather, who has Parkinson's disease, could attend.

Then came the big check to the Supreme Court of Ohio, and I am now officially a licensed attorney in the state of Ohio.

I was fortunate to land a job with a small real estate firm in Valley View, Ohio, before I'd even passed the Bar exam, and I am very much enjoying my work there despite the fact that it is a departure from my normal criminal, municipal, and employment experience. I am learning tons, though, and diversifying my legal skills, which is fantastic.

Finally, in other exciting news, I just got engaged to another Ohio attorney! We've been working on several pro bono cases together in very disparate areas of law, but it's good generalist experience and we're not only growing professionally, but I think it's helpful to see what kind of team we make!