Tahoe- Why This Is More Than A Destination

I just wanted to share my personal experience in going to Tahoe for the first time as a law student in hopes that this inspires students/alumni to attend this picturesque locale. I went to Tahoe to get a job as a clerk for a smaller firm that dabbled in all areas of law. I felt that this was necessary for my professional development as it allowed for me to get experience in many areas which would lead to me being able to make an informed decision on what I wanted to do for the next couple years of my life.

In contacting ABA attorneys regarding the possibility of interning for them, none of them were comfortable with the idea of OBCL, and at least comfortable with the nature of the education I was receiving. For this reason, I felt that my education in the practical workings of the law would be best assisted by an OBCL grad who would not be questioning my school background. Again, I felt that to get my foot in the door, it would be wise to intern with an OBCL grad and what better place to get a feel for things than a gathering of OBCL alumni.

My experience in interviewing and meeting OBCL grads proved to be inspiring and motivational in that it put a bit of meat to the educational skeleton that I had been working toward. To meet real live OBCL attorneys lent credibility to my endeavors and to the years of toil. I ended up getting a clerkship with Clayton Campbell which allowed me to be introduced to the Bakersfield legal community, and eventually led to a job with the District Attorney's Office.

I went back to Tahoe in 2009 as a newly licensed attorney, and was again struck by the level of support and motivation that this event offered. It was great to reconnect with friends, and also network with alumni that I had not met previously. Again, I saw the importance of being intentional in building community with those of a similar background as I was able to focus on moving forward, rather than merely treading water with ABA people.

As a new attorney, I couldn't say enough about Tahoe and the people that I have met there. Give it a try; I look forward to hearing about the growth that takes place as a result of making this much more than a destination.

ALUMNI IN THE NEWS IV

OBCL Graduate Matt Reynolds is quoted on Fox News defending the right of folks to hold bible studies in their home without a permit.

Read OBCL graduate Bryan Tyson’s musings on court decisions on his law firm's Georgia Supreme Court Blog.

Meredith Turney writes in Townhall that Reagan Was Right About Government Run Health care.

Michael Reitz of 98B infamy blogs on the Washington State Supreme Court Blog about a ruling that a missing transcript material to an appeal requires a new trial for a man convicted of a DUI.

Contact me at mjbigger@juno.com to report any interesting writing or stories involving alumni that you come across.

Did you know?

The Alumni Association is in the midst of completing some projects that will give us a springboard into further successful projects.

The biggest "springboard" project is the compiling of an accurate, up-to-date database of Alumni. With so many alumni moving around, and scattered all across the country, it is a huge project to catalogue what everyone is up to. So, if you are an alumni, hopefully you have gotten a call from one of the great folks who have been touching base and compiling the information.

If you have not, though, would you contact us? We want to know what you are up to, and how we can be in touch for the benefit of the growing body of alumni. We each have our own little circle of influence, and the Alumni Association is about combining those circles of influence for the benefit of all, and that's what this project is all about.

So, if you have not gotten a call, please e-mail us! We would love to let you know what's going on with the college and the alumni association. I can be reached at gabe@gabewaddell.com.

Ninth Circuit reverses self and makes sense.

Thanks to Legal Writing III, all OBCL graduates in the last few years are familiar with the 9th Circuit's 2002 decision ruling the Pledge of Allegiance with the words "under God" unconstitutional.

Last Thursday, in response to yet another lawsuit filed by Dr. Michael Newdow, the 9th Circuit issued a ruling reversing the 2002 holding, finding instead that it IS constitutional to say "under God" in the Pledge.

Writing for a 2-1 majority, Judge Carlos Bea relied on the argument that the words "under God" are a statement of our nation's political philosophy, an echo of the Declaration of Independence:

The Pledge of Allegiance serves to unite our vast nation through the proud recitation of some of the ideals upon which our Republic was founded and for which we continue to strive: one Nation under God—the Founding Fathers’ belief that the people of this nation are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; indivisible—although we have individual states, they are united in one Republic; with liberty —the government cannot take away the people’s inalienable rights; and justice for all—everyone in America is entitled to “equal justice under the law” (as is inscribed above the main entrance to our Supreme Court).

Now there's an argument that should sound familiar to more than a few alumni.

Click here to read the press release from the Becket Fund, a leader in propounding the "philosophy of government" argument.

All 193 pages of the opinion (including Judge Reinhardt's dissent) can be accessed here.

A Moving Article

Sometimes, inspiration comes from strange sources.

I regularly follow the Wall Street Journal's fabulous Law Blog for legal news. It isn't often, though, that my spiritual life is blessed by them, as well. They linked to an interview of a Harvard Law prof, who is living under perpetual threat of death from a terminal illness, as well as constant excruciating pain. He talks about his very real faith through it all.

I was highly blessed by this example of a man who is up to his neck in a very secular legal world, and yet, used every move - and every struggle - to glorify God. He teaches criminal law, studying the depravity of humanity on a daily basis, and yet, keeps his focus on God.

I pray that I, and every OBCL grad out there, will do the same.

Read it here:

You Will Call, I Will Answer

Ahead of the Game

What is the ONE characteristic that makes Oak Brook lawyers the most unconventional? The most unusual? Counter-cultural?

It may be this: we don't have law school debt.

In this month's Bar Journal, California State Bar President Howard Miller wrote the following:

The cost of legal education has skyrocketed, not just at private schools. At Berkeley Law and UCLA, tuition alone is now around $38,000 a year. With many fewer jobs available, students are graduating with combined undergraduate and law school debt of well over $150,000.

Meanwhile, a typical OBCL grad is equipped to work, save, travel, and [if the past is any indication] start a new family . . . all outside the shadow of a mountain of debt.

Not a bad deal.

Alumni in the News III

OBCL Graduate Will Humble scores a victory for Homeschooling liberty in an immigration case.

OBCL Graduate Gabe Waddell writes about an Iranian pastor facing martyrdom for his beliefs.