Civil Rights Presentation by Attorney Scott Medlock
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
CIVIL RIGHTS SEMINAR
THE PUBLIC IS WELCOMED
Monday, July 13th, 2009 – 7:00 P.M.
San Pedro Salon, St. Joseph Church
555 West St. Francis Street
Brownsville
Scott Medlock of the Texas Civil Rights Project in Austin
Power Point Presentation on Civil Rights
Followed by an opportunity to ask questions
The Texas Civil Rights Project promotes racial, social and economic justice though education and litigation. They strive to foster equality, secure justice, ensure diversity and strengthen communities. TCRP was founded in 1990 as part of Oficina Legal del Pueblo Unido, a non-profit community-based foundation located in South Texas. Attorney Scott Medlock has represented prisoners and their families in a wide variety of cases involving disability discrimination, medical neglect, wrongful death, jail suicide, free speech, excessive force and due process.
Sponsor: Civil rights Team of Brownsville, 2401 Wildflower
For more information: Joe Krause 956-831-4354
Yes Virginia, you can have a part-time law practice
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
And apparently a part-time blog too!
When I graduated from law school ten years ago, the conventional wisdom was still, "there is no part-time law." I never really discussed the issue of balancing career and family with any of my female classmates, partly out of ignorance about the magnitude of change children bring to parents' lives, and partly out of a desire to avoid the vague, unsettling fear that I would be too old to get pregnant by the time my husband and I were in a position to have a family. Besides, we were all young and naive back then, and somehow we believed we would beat the odds and have it all. All of these women talking about "balance" were just not sufficiently dedicated and passionate enough about the law! Now, when's bar review again? (Note: in Wisconsin, "bar review" is a drinking party at the end of the semester, because Wisconsin law students don't have to take the bar exam to become licensed. Don't worry, I didn't get off that easy. I still had to take the Minnesota bar. But I digress.)
My worries about handling work and babies were eased a bit when we decided to move back to our hometown of Duluth, where both sets of parents still lived. I settled in with a little family-friendly firm, and after our son was born we managed to both work full-time with help from various combinations of grandparents (most important), working split shifts, limited flextime, and later, part-time daycare once our son reached toddler age.
After a few years, I moved to a less family-friendly, but more salary-friendly firm. By big city standards, the firm is medium sized, but it is the largest in the relatively small city of Duluth. They liked their billable hours just as much as any big firm. The quality of work and experience I got was, for the most part, great. But I began to feel torn in two. I felt guilty when our son's grandparents were always the ones to take him to his checkups. And for some reason, daycare providers always call mommy, not daddy, when kids are sick, even when mommy's in court. We did okay for a while. I took up smoking again to try and relieve some stress, hiding in a freezing garage after Erik was asleep with the Camel lights I'd quit in college. We hired Merry Maids to clean the house we felt like we never got to enjoy because we were both always at work. I knew that if we were going to have more kids, this crazy stressed-out lifestyle would simply not work.
By the time Steve accepted a new job here, I was exhausted and ready for a break. I spent the next 18 months hanging out with Erik and slowing down the pace of our lives a bit. Our daughter was born in 2005, and in 2006 I was ready to go back to work part-time. I had been a part-time municipal judge, but could I have a part-time solo practice? With no grandparents or other family here to back me up, this was my only option. (I now understand why women used to be encouraged to become schoolteachers. Between holidays, sick days, half days, and Charro days, it's the only full-time job that allows you to parent school-aged kids.)
I think the answer is yes, you can have a part-time solo practice. Right now, I prefer my home office, which although not luxurious, is much nicer than I could afford to rent. I also avoid the resentment I felt at working to pay a mortgage on a house where I spent few non-waking hours. I can now be with my kids or do a load of laundry whenever necessary. Technology makes running a low-overhead firm feasible, and I can be selective about the cases I accept when I don't have to meet rent. I can also be more responsive to clients when I don't have to count billable hours to pay for a partner's lake house. In short, a little less income, but a lot more freedom. Chuck Newton has a blog about "third-wave lawyers" and innovative variations on the traditional law firm. I'm not ready for a shipping crate office in the backyard yet, but maybe next year.
Obama's Treasury Secretary pick disappoints
Monday, January 26, 2009
Timothy Geithner will most likely be our next Treasury Secretary while we face an economic crisis. It is my opinion that he also intentionally cheated on his taxes. Considering his background, his acceptance of reimbursements for payment of self-employment taxes, and his failure to pay after multiple reminders, this was not negligence, it was fraud.
I understand that it's not easy to find qualified individuals to accept lower pay in government. However, something has gone very wrong if we truly cannot find one honest, qualified person who wants to be a real public servant.
The cornerstone of Obama's campaign was to restore trust and integrity to government. So far, I'm not impressed.
For the Rush fans
Friday, January 9, 2009
There must be at least a dozen or so in Brownsville, right?
Natural Science (Live 2007)
And a trip down memory lane:
Circumstances (Live 1978)
I'm ruminating on a post containing no videos and actual original content for Monday. I know you're all on the edges of your seats.
What 30 below windchills look like
Saturday, January 3, 2009
We just returned from a vacation to Duluth, with a side trip to Lutsen resort on Lake Superior's North shore.
A Grand Marais landmark:.jpg)
We had a great time, but I for one am glad to be back in the land of heat and humidity.
By the way, I'm not running for mayor, nor have I ever thought of doing so. It was entertaining to watch certain bloggers searching for new material, though.
An oldie but a goodie
Friday, December 12, 2008
This video is in celebration of the fact that we finally got our Christmas tree up last night, only about 10 days late. Next year for the kids, a Festivus pole and the airing of grievances.
The Gearhead Post
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
I never realized how much work it is to hand wax a car. The object of my toil last week was our spare car, a 1993 Subaru SVX LS-L 25th Anniversary Limited Edition, with touring package in Barcelona Red.
The Subaru SVX was Subaru's attempt to enter the luxury/performance car category. Its prototype was designed by the renowned designer Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign. Subaru made about 25,000 SVXs from 1992 to 1997. About 14,000 were imported to the United States. There are about 600 of this 1993 25th Anniversary model.
Some specs for car nerds: AWD, 3.3 liter 6 cylinder 24 valve DOHC Boxer engine, 230 horsepower at 5400 rpm, torque: 228 @4400 rpm. Top speed is 154 mph. No, I haven't driven it that fast. My husband may have, at the Porsche Club track where it is legal and safe.
Obviously, this is not practical car for a household with two young children. However, despite its age and bad paint job, we've become too attached to this car over the past eight years to let it go. As far as I know, this is the only SVX in the RGV. If there are any other Subaru enthusiasts in this area, we'd like to hear from you in the comments.
The Onion on the National Money Hole
Monday, November 17, 2008
In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?
You have to laugh so you don't cry...
YouTube alternatives - Big Think & TED
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Big Think and TEDtalks are two video sites to check out when you crave a little more substance than YouTube.
Congratulations to President-Elect Obama
Monday, November 10, 2008
Although I voted for Bob Barr, I am satisfied with the election results. I am looking forward to more thoughtfulness, intelligence, and respect for the rule of law in our President.
Early Voting
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I voted early today at the Brownsville Public Library, and I highly recommend it. I waited in line for perhaps 5 minutes at 9:00AM. I forgot to bring my registration, but all I needed was my driver's license. They're open from 9 to 6 for anyone who wants to avoid long election day lines.
Jon Stewart on McCain's "Real America" strategy
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Has McCain just given up on courting independent voters? This new "real America" talking point only appeals to the egos of his base on the far right. Is the campaign so desperate that they're now worried about them as well? I can't wait for this election to end so I can stop hearing about a new sleazy campaign tactic each week. Having Palin conduct the attacks does nothing but make McCain look too weak to do it himself. McCain has neither the dignity nor the integrity necessary to be President.
One simple way to avoid stock market volatility
Friday, October 10, 2008
Well, you obviously can't avoid volatility completely. But I use a simple system that reduces it. I don't have the risk tolerance or enough interest in stocks to buy individual stocks or even exclusively index funds. I wanted something I could set up and forget most of the time.
This simple system by former presidential candidate Harry Browne fits the bill. In his "permanent portfolio," investments are allocated as follows: 25% stocks (for prosperous times), 25% bonds (for prosperous times and deflationary times), 25% gold (for inflationary times), and 25% cash (for tight money/recessionary times).
The diversification allows you to ride out ups and downs with minimal risk. You evaluate and rebalance your portfolio only once per year. I also like to set stop losses so I can minimize worry even during days like today.
Check out the book if you want a nice, simple way to manage your investments.
Ron Paul - bailouts may cause a depression
Friday, October 3, 2008
I don't want to be a scaremonger, but it would not hurt for people to stock up on some provisions and some extra cash. My guess is that the next 6 months to one year will be very rocky for the economy. If the depression doesn't come, you'll be very prepared for the next hurricane.
Back to work, slacker
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
I am formally opening my law firm on October 15th. Although I enjoy blogging in relative obscurity, it's bad for business. So I'm going to step outside my introverted tendencies and introduce myself more. If nothing else, some of you may be wondering why I moved "border to border."
After spending most of my life in Duluth, MN and graduating from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and Marquette University Law School (Milwaukee, WI), I moved back to my hometown. I was in private practice there from 1998-2004, concentrating on employment law and general civil litigation. While at my firm, I was also a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee for Minnesota.
My husband's job as a design engineer at a maquiladora brought us to Brownsville. We moved here with our son, and our daughter was born here in 2005. After my maternity leave, I served as a municipal judge for the City of Harlingen from May 2006 to May 2008.
Although I have spent much of my career in civil litigation and employment, I hope to also build upon my municipal, criminal, and bankruptcy experience as I open my new firm in Brownsville.
I want to sincerely thank all of the lawyers I've met so far here. Everyone has been very welcoming and helpful to a complete outsider.
I also thank you for your indulgence. Tomorrow, back to blogging about guns, gold, and all things libertarian.
Posts
