Career Milestone

Gary had his first court appearance Feb. 22nd in front of the Indiana Court of Appeals.  I was on hand as the proud wife and supporter (Eliza too, she was jumping around during the argument), and best of all, to take a picture after!

What a handsome guy!

What Abby Does

I know I can't best Gary's post about his work and office, but I thought I would post to explain a little of what my 9-5 life is like (well, actually 8:30-4:30).  The subject matter of my work is confidential, but I can give a general description.

My official job title is Law Clerk.  I assist Justice Rucker on the Indiana Supreme Court.  According to the Federal Judicial Center, "The practice of hiring a recently graduated law student to serve as an in-chambers judicial assistant was pioneered by Horace Gray. Both as the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (1864–1881) and as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1882–1902)."  But, "it was not until 1919 that [the federal government] provided funding for the hiring of legally trained assistants."  These assistants were called "law clerks" to distinguish them from other clerical staff.  These early law clerks conducted legal research, checked citations, and performed a wide range of personal and administrative tasks for their judges.  (http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/admin_03_11.html).

My job is much like the description immediately above:  I research, check citations, and so some administrative tasks--though not much.  The bulk of my job is research and writing for various cases before the Court.  I work with both civil and criminal law; federal and state law.  Yes, I am still a licensed attorney, I am not in private practice (i.e. serving clients) currently.  I do get paid nicely for what I do; I am not an intern.

I have two co-workers besides the Justice: his administrative assistant and a co-clerk.  So there are a total of 4 of us in our office, which is called "chambers."  I'm lucky to have great coworkers who like to order Jimmy Johns sometimes, or indulge in Panera breakfast from time to time.

There are a few things that make my office better than Gary's!  I have two computer screens, caller ID, a refrigerator and microwave just steps from my desk, and a free water cooler (he's supposed to pitch in).  Sometimes I get jealous, though, because Gary has a private office.  If you know me well, you will understand that sometimes I like to hole up.  That gets difficult working in one large space with no privacy.

One last thing before I bore you to sleep!  This is a two-year position.  Law clerks generally don't stay on for longer than two years, because the concept is to give recent law graduates experience in the judicial branch.  The frequent turnover also helps give the judges new perspectives and insights.  There a few lucky people out there who have permanent positions--mostly in the federal system and Indiana Court of Appeals.  This would be my dream job.

 Mostly, I'm just thankful to have a job.  I'm extremely lucky that it is one I love.

Office Breakdown

The other day, a guy walked by my office and said, "hey, you gotta nice cave in there." I'm unsure whether this was a compliment or an affront to my manhood. Anyways, I thought people might be interested about the place where I spend 37.5 hours a week.

1. Office chair. This is where it all begins. I was provided this chair on my first day (unconfirmed whether a previous owner existed, I say yes. I do work for the government). It is rather comfortable and appeared clean prior to my initial sitting.

2. White Sox day calendar. In the running for “Most Exciting Thing I Do Everyday at Work.”

3. Miniature bonsai tree. In the running for “Best Office Plant.” Also in the running: the administrative assistants’ wandering Jew; some weird lady’s ficus; and the mold growing on the three-month old lasagna in the fridge.

4. “The Honest Lawyer” pub towel and sign. These were given to me by my brother, Bill. Inscribed on the towel is “Subject to Discovery,” which, if you’re a lawyer, is a very funny pun. If you are not a lawyer, you think it is a waste of time (The honest lawyer is subject to discovery…get it…ok, moving on). FYI: all lawyers are honest except those who charge fees for service and defense counsel.

5. Valpo Law diploma. Frame cost $170. Diploma cost $100,000+ with 6.8% interest.

6. Coffee station. Since my financial state disbars me from employing a barista (not even a part-timer, how do I get things accomplished in this squalid work environment?), each day I make my own brew. Not nearly as exciting as it sounds.

7. Framed photo of Mike Ditka flippin’ the bird. Expresses my feelings towards Bears backup QB, Todd Collins (seriously, his football pants look like he is wearing girls' skinny jeans). I am confident that I am the only attorney employed by the State who has a framed photo of Mike Ditka telling you that you’re number one. I hope this is mentioned in my performance review.

8. DePauw diploma. The diploma itself has a penchant for sliding down in between the two glass panes. Apparently Wabash College’s diplomas are printed on vellum. I heard a rumor they were getting a Gutenberg printing press by 2014.

9. Box of tissues (Puffs). A necessity for one married to Abigail Troutman Rom. Also a necessity for opposing counsel who go against me….zing!

10. Brief case. I find it really cool that I actually carry briefs in my brief case.

11. 2009 Indiana Code booklet. Yep, they haven’t printed the 2010 Indiana Code booklet yet (another indicator that the State of Indiana signs my paychecks).

12. Completed briefs/files. If you notice, one file is red, while another is orange. Each year has a different color file. Apparently some people get excited for the “reveal” of the upcoming year’s color. I find it better if I just stay in my office.

13. Filing cabinet. That’s where all files I am working on or will be working on are stored. The filing cabinet is a good listener, but not very chatty.

14. Swiss Army Knife money-clip with “G.R.R.” engraving (hard to see but it’s there). I received this for standing in Adam Frounfelter’s wedding (very good gift, I should add). Every case I am assigned comes with a case file that is delivered to the AG’s office from the Clerk of the Court. Around these files are two oversized rubber bands. A string with a paper medallion marked with the case file number is tied one of the rubber bands with white string. As it turns out, these are a devil to remove, so I use the knife to cut the string. I am willing to bet that the inscribed Swiss Army knife money-clip never thought it would have such a scintillating career.

15. Office phone. My most frequent caller is my father. Most exciting moment involving the phone thus far: my accidental 9-1-1 dial.

16. Oath of Attorneys. Recited at bar admission. Only pinned to the wall for the off chance that the Attorney General drops by my office and actually lingers long enough to notice. He said he wants all Deputy Attorney Generals (DAG) to have this on their wall. I wasn’t born yesterday.

17. An actual brief. Appellant’s briefs are blue; Appellee’s are red. Hey, I think I just thought of Eliza’s first nursery rhyme!

18. Posters. I had these as a kid and needed something interesting on the walls. One of my coworkers (a huge Colts fan) enjoys turning around the Bears poster. Perhaps I should use the Ditka photo as a warning.

19. The Criminal Appeals Indian. The greenest DAG has the great honor of harboring this little fellow until a new DAG joins criminal appeals. Would be much cooler if it was a life-sized wooden Indian.

20. Computer. Notice the mismatched speaker; yet, another reminder of my employer. To describe my computer I will do so ala Jon Gruden (channeling my inner Gruden via Bill Simmons): "This is a great computer. It really is. You should see it's word processing speed, just one of the best out there. Phenomenal. I tell you what, when I started that thing up, I was really impressed. It just took off. Everyone would benefit by having a computer like that. I would love to have one myself. Spectacular." So, yeah, in other words, a run-of-the-mill office computer.

21. Bridge Climb photo and Certificate. Fairly certain that I am the only DAG or one of the few DAGs to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This should also be considered at my performance review.

22. DePauw coffee mug resting on a Valpo Law coaster. Yeah, sounds about right.

23. Australian sand and law review nameplate. I have dubbed myself “Executive Bar Passer Person” and I sign my briefs “Gary R. Rom, EBPP” (I was the executive managing editor of the law review). The sand comes from the Outback, Ayers Rock to be exact. You know the drill by now: TO THE PERFORMANCE REVIEW!

24. Old chair. Splinters are complimentary!

25. BlueBook. Underneath the BlueBook in the manila folder is where I proudly display my bar admission certificate.