I can see the light, Oh Lord

Is it salvation or an oncoming train...

The first term is coming to an end. I know this because I can consult my timetable and see blank space in a few weeks. Oh, blessed blank space...

Sorry to get all spiritual on you this week (but I do write this on Sundays) and weekends are good times for reflection. I have my basic prep done up to Tuesday, no outstanding assignments to get ready, no group assignments to stress over and no exams for almost 2 weeks.

"And he looked upon all that he had made and it was good..."

**cough, well perhaps 'adequate'...**

After the previous weeks grief with the mocks, I was anticipating some cutting edge study again coupled with some group bonding (I'll ignore the cries of 'you dirty old man' from the background). In that respect exams are a good thing, they bring the participants together-a sort of 'siege mentality', united we stand, divided we fall, that sort of thing.

"Bugler plays in the distance, troops saluting the flag as it is lowered for the last time"

**cough** this is why I never get the work done, too much day dreaming...

But, drivelling aside. I do have the great joy of working with a fantastic bunch of guys. Intelligent, fun and dedicated (just enough, not that 'over the top' creepy-style that puts sane people on edge). Your future conveyancing and personal injury claims are secure in their hands. (just dont get into trouble with the police) but more about that later (maybe)

Monday saw the start of (yet) another new course-solicitors accounts. This is building on the work we did on business accounts earlier in the term. The i-tutorial had been as comprehensible as quantum mechanics written in the original Japanese, all 'debit the client office account ledger whilst crediting the client office cash account', but when we got down to real life physical examples it became a whole lot easier and it looks like I'll enjoy this. (like anything with numbers and cash). Oh god, Ive just realised that I've got my vocation wrong again! I'm one of nature's accountants....

Tuesday was a bit weird, we had been split up into two smaller groups and had our workshop split too. The idea was that a smaller group would get more individual attention from the tutor for the license that we had drafted in preparation. Shortly after the New Year, we will get our drafting assessment and have to create a license.
Our last lesson on drafting was about 2 months ago, so naturally it all came flooding back **cough**, Well no, I couldn't remember a damn thing. That morning I did run to a good line of obscenities as I vented my frustation at all things legal wise and especially bloody drafting. What I wrote looked the biz, but when you cut into the 'meat and potatoes', it had a very large amount of spud but was meat-lite. In honesty it wouldn't have passed a real assessment but I wasn't too worried, I had bigger fish to fry.

I am getting peckish now, I really must stop talking about food

Wednesday was the day of my mock advocacy. About a month ago, we had been given the background to a case. Based on witness statements and basic scientific evidence, we had to present a case either asking for or opposing summary judgment (a binding 'mini-trial' made without the full formality of court in an attempt to cut down the sheer number of trials and save money).
Like the vast majority of the class, I had to find a way for my poor client (a payment dodger whose greenhouse heating unit had failed to work, killing all her delicate tropical seedlings). The bad news was that I had not actually heard of one person who had won the case from our side. There were a couple of points that if I hammered hard enough might become strongpoints but it was a case designed for the claimant to shine.

Now in theory, winning and losing doesn't matter a thing. What matters is observing the formalities and saying all the right litany in the right places. However, I dont think I've done anything by the book for weeks now, so my big aim was to win. Silly sod that I am. (funnily it may have helped-I wasn't as nervous as I ought to have been)

Anyhow, first thing was to start the prep for the next day (or else get swamped later) then prep up for the advocacy.

Doesn't time go fast when you don't want it to?

Before I knew it I was getting into a taxi and heading off to school (I plumped for a taxi since I had my suit on-even the mock has to be attempted in fancy dress). A few minutes practising in a distant room then I headed off to meet my tutor and opponent.

My opponent was a demure, slip of a thing. Weeny bit of the private schooling about her and unfortunately she didn't fall for my attempts to unsettle her before the start. (God, I can be such a git...).

We sat down and she began...

Holy fricking hellfire!!!!!! She suddenly turned into the bastard child of Rumpole, Kavanagh and Perry Bloody Mason. All that litany that I had struggled with came flooding perfectly out of her mouth coupled with vitriol towards my client and scorn towards her sorry representatives. My fingers were cramping up with the sheer amount of notes I was making ready to retaliate.

When she finally stopped, I was broken. She had discussed every document in the bundle and done such a hatchet job on my client, where could I begin? I did however, have a 'game plan', I could run a few good points and hope that the 'judge' put more weight on them than the entire swamping from the claimant.

Let's just say that I spoke a bit (we'll leave it at that). The 'judge' asked me a couple of questions based on my submission and then asked the opponent to reply to my points.

Oh, god-here she goes again! Tidal wave number two swept around the room as she demolished my feeble attempts at argument. When the wash had subsided, she sat back in her chair satisfied in a good job well done.

The 'judge' thought for a short while and then leant forward and gave her decision.

'I find for the defendant in this matter'

Wahoo!!!!!!! I had won!!!! The first winner for this case in our workshop group!! Wahoooooooooooo!!!

Then the bad news, I had failed...for that matter so had Peri Mason next to me. Granted, she had forgotten part of the litany and had made the mistake of talking about documents that were favourable to my client (and thus bringing them to the judge's attention) but it was still a shock to me-she had been very impressive (I even asked if she had done this before...for money). The 'judge' took time to tell us where we could improve.

I needed to speak slower (no great surprise there, I had recorded my submission on an electronic dictafone and gabbled so quickly that I could barely understand myself) and then I realised that I had missed out 1/4 of my submissions (including discussing the law...doh). If I had done that then I would have passed (I was told) Shame about that, good job it was only a practice.

But I won. Wahooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Sorry, I will stop that now...

On the way out, I met the next candidate for the defendant, who just happened to be one of the guys from my workshop-so we chatted and I happened to mention in passing the areas that I had been congratulated on (just for his benefit like, I wasn't boasting...much...)

Back home and more bloody prep for tomorrow (I haven't even touched Fridays yet-got a bad feeling about this)

First thing in the workshop, I had a quick chat to the guy who I had seen about to do his advocacy. He was really delighted-he too had won his case!!! And he had passed!! Oh...well that's my moment of glory buggered then. **mumble, mumble, moan, whinge** I'll have to pass the real thing now...

I had run into time problems for the prep for this workshop (the advocacy had taken about 5 hours what with one thing and another) and had tried to do the 'test & feedback' questions in a rush just 1/2 an hour before the class. T&F questions are multiple choice but to get around the sheer guesswork most of them are 'which one (or more) of these answers is (in)correct'.

I knew two right off and guessed the rest. My score was 4 out of 10 (What you might expect from blind guessing (2 from 8)) the workshop was good but my biggest joy was finding that I had the highest T&F score on our table! The other guys came up with two 2s and a 1! What a group! 5 degrees between us and we got a combined 9 out of 40!

The best news is that this was workshop number 8 out of 10 (I'm not a fan of civil lit...sorry tutor!)

Friday-business. I had spent as much time as I could but fell short on the prep. The class didn't start well, the tutor wanted a change so moved half of the class around to different tables. There was no vote on this, it was a purely unilateral decision.

This irked the hell out of me.

At a casual calculation, I had paid £50 for that lesson and to have my closest friend (and ally) in the group moved just because the tutor wanted a change annoyed the rowlocks off of me. Even worse, was that this particular tutor speaks at such a gabble speed that he makes me seem backward and so off he shot at high speed.

He then threw a question at me based on the prepatory task that we had all completed. Unable to answer off the top of my head, I started ferreting through my huge stack of papers for my answer. I think he gave me a count of about 3 before asking someone else (who had to find their answer but had had 3 seconds grace to get started) So I sat there with my answers in front of me, did I get another question? Did I blocks!

I realise that I shouldn't have seethed, but I did. Like a petulent 4 year old I had a 'pout on' for the rest of the class. God, I'm so grown up and adult, like.

There is a thought that the two events were connected. he wanted to separate me from my chum and make me seem a fool just because I hadn't submitted an entry on the last group exercise (I would have done but the College has taught me all about prioritisation and it seemed a low priority) But that's the joy of prioritisation-no one believes their own work could ever be a low priority to someone else...

Or it's just good old fashioned paranoia, one of the 2...

Anyhow, the weekend has been good. I worked hard yesterday and put the hours in. Today I almost got my day off-just a couple of fairly relaxed hours of business notes. And today, the highest priority of my week! I began completing the CPS application. (notice, 'began completing' this will take a little time to do-it all hinges on 4 waffle questions **cough** sorry, 'significant statements about personal growth and career development)

I've got to the 1st of Dec, it should be done by next week. There's no rush, just the most important thing I have to do this year.

**Sigh**