Last weekend we went to celebrate the second birthday of our friend's daughter, Bronwyn. Last year, we were there with little peanut Henry, about six weeks old, new to the parenting game. This year, Henry was running around everywhere, and was in love with all the water - sprinklers, kiddie pools - he had a blast. Ironically, a baby born on Henry's first birthday was also there. Seeing this beautiful little boy - exactly one year younger than Henry - really made me appreciate just how amazing this past year has been. Henry has learned SO MUCH and is still so fresh in the world! It's amazing to think of all the things this spring will mean for him.
For his mama, however, spring means loads of work and lots of travel. Balancing is getting easier, mainly because I know that even when I have to be away, Bret's taking amazing care of Henry, and Henry definitely knows that it's his mama coming home. Now, if he'd just get the hang of calling me mama...
Friday, March 21, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Today I won something, which makes me like my job - sort of.
Today I found out that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit agreed with me that the lower court and the Bureau of Prisons gave my client the shaft.
The good news is that I know I can find a good case, write a good appellate brief, and win something. That makes me really like my job. Knowing you can effectively advocate for someone who has been rendered voiceless in so many ways is a good feeling. Giving her a voice in the system, and making the federal court that initially threw her out eat crow does feel good.
The bad news is that this small victory does very little to change the life of my client, who is experiencing a life that I can not even begin to imagine. While I helped her win her appeal, all it means for her is that she still has the right to represent herself in federal court on what are considered basic brutality claims. The small victory on appeal will not get her out of prison, it will not help her win her case and hold anyone accountable, and it will not change anything that happens every day in her life.
My client is living in a male US Penitentiary serving 17 years for bank robbery. If you met her, you would never know she has a penis. She considers herself a pre-operative MTF, because she wants an operation, and she has been on hormones for years. She has experienced so much brutality and disrespect at the hands of guards and on the whim of staff in federal prison, and yet she is probably the most positive and inspiring client I have ever had the opportunity to represent.
So today, I like my job. I feel like I got an affirmation that I can do it, and do it well enough to feel like I can hold myself out as a civil rights attorney. Really. Me. A civil rights attorney. Or a prisoners' rights attorney. Practicing in federal court. It still feels weird in a way. This is not the first case that has had my name attached, but it's the first where I have been lead counsel. And I won. For my favorite client. That feels good. I only wish that the law would do more.
The good news is that I know I can find a good case, write a good appellate brief, and win something. That makes me really like my job. Knowing you can effectively advocate for someone who has been rendered voiceless in so many ways is a good feeling. Giving her a voice in the system, and making the federal court that initially threw her out eat crow does feel good.
The bad news is that this small victory does very little to change the life of my client, who is experiencing a life that I can not even begin to imagine. While I helped her win her appeal, all it means for her is that she still has the right to represent herself in federal court on what are considered basic brutality claims. The small victory on appeal will not get her out of prison, it will not help her win her case and hold anyone accountable, and it will not change anything that happens every day in her life.
My client is living in a male US Penitentiary serving 17 years for bank robbery. If you met her, you would never know she has a penis. She considers herself a pre-operative MTF, because she wants an operation, and she has been on hormones for years. She has experienced so much brutality and disrespect at the hands of guards and on the whim of staff in federal prison, and yet she is probably the most positive and inspiring client I have ever had the opportunity to represent.
So today, I like my job. I feel like I got an affirmation that I can do it, and do it well enough to feel like I can hold myself out as a civil rights attorney. Really. Me. A civil rights attorney. Or a prisoners' rights attorney. Practicing in federal court. It still feels weird in a way. This is not the first case that has had my name attached, but it's the first where I have been lead counsel. And I won. For my favorite client. That feels good. I only wish that the law would do more.
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