Do-Gooder Dinner
Last night was a fancy dinner for 3Ls going into public service. It was at the Faculty Club, which is super swanky, and involved the usual dudes with silver hors d'oeuvres trays and wine bottles that show up when Harvard goes all out. There were maybe thirty or forty students there (some PI people didn't come, and some people who are clerking first came, which throws off the math a little), and lots of faculty and staff, which was a pretty heartening showing. I looked around the room and thought, "This is my posse. We did it." There was a particularly impressive showing from my 1L section and the immigration kids, which made me really happy.
I wore a red dress I haven't put on in quite some time, three-inch heels, and some serious control top pantyhose, and many nice people said I looked damn good for someone who had a baby less than three months ago. There were the usual speeches, including the public interest advising dean getting choked up, and then they said anyone who wanted to make a toast could, which of course meant no one was actually going to do it. Except me, of course. I got up and gave a quick toast to our future clients, because that's what this is about, right? I'm a loudmouth, but I try to keep it classy.
It was so strange and sweet to finally be there, from that first public interest orientation in fall 2005 to this send-off of a dinner. We're on our way.
It's in the genes. I'm always the loudmouth who speaks up when no one else responds. Salud! to you and all your Harvard PI peeps.
Posted by: Directora | April 03, 2008 at 09:07 PM
Congratulations! Good for you for speaking up. I always hate when no one does (can you tell I'm the loudmouth, too?!?) LOL! Glad you had a fun night. :)
Posted by: PT-LawMom | April 03, 2008 at 10:44 PM
You are on your way indeed and may your dreams be realized. Good luck to you and cheers to all you Harvard lawyers to be. Well done.
Posted by: Dee | April 04, 2008 at 03:51 PM
I know you wrote this a while ago, but wow -- 30-40 people, out of our class of 550.
Everyone always talk about how a huge percentage of HLS grads ends up at a big firm, but so many people seem to be involved in pro bono and clinical work and so many resources are devoted to public interest that I think I forget how big the disparity actually is.
I hope the 3L tuition waiver helps.
Posted by: CM | April 08, 2008 at 07:52 PM
I think the actual number these days who go into nonprofits, private public interest firms, and government is 50-60. I mean, that's WITH people going to the DOJ, which is a really prestigious job. It's weird.
Posted by: Andrea | April 08, 2008 at 08:11 PM