I moved to San Francisco in 1999, during the dot-com boom.  I moved to San Francisco not to work for a dot-com, but to go to law school.

I went to college in Berkeley and then moved (back) to southern California while I waited to hear from the various law schools to which I applied.  I was hoping to get into UCLA Law School.  In the mean time, I worked as a temp.  The temp agency placed me on a few jobs, but I lasted longest at the legal jobs despite having not told the agency that I planned on going to law school.

I worked for a law firm that represented unions whose members worked in Los Angeles’ garment district.  Usually their clients were plaintiffs in lawsuits against company management that tried to prevent union organizing.  However, during the time I worked for the firm, workers of a Guess? factory were suing the union for “causing a hostile work environment.”  The lawsuit was bullshit and had been funded by some sort of “right to work” organization.

During the time I worked for the firm my bosses conducted depositions of the sweat shop employees who claimed they suffered emotional distress when the union suggested they organize.  My job included summarizing the deposition transcripts, the content of which made clear there were any number of other reasons these women (and they were all women) may be been emotionally distressed.  Some had husbands in jail.  Some worked multiple jobs.  Some had husbands in jail and worked multiple jobs.  Most of them had suffered emotional distress via means other than – though possibly in addition to – actions of the union trying to organize the workers at the Guess? factory/sweatshop.

Another legal job I got through the temp agency was for the legal department of Catholic Healthcare West Southern California.  At the time CHW had bought a spate of hospitals throughout southern California.  The hospitals were mostly rural, and most of the patients were migrant farm workers and their families.  Prior to CHW’s purchase of the hospitals, the facilities were not Catholic, and could – and did – therefore provide abortions and birth control advice.

After CHW purchased the hospitals, and before any doctors or doctor groups could renew their contracts to have access to said hospitals, CHW required the doctors and doctor groups to sign contracts promising not to provide abortions, abortion services, birth control advice, or anything else that would be contrary to the wishes of the Holy See.

It was ok if women had multiple babies they couldn’t afford, but not ok to prevent that from happening.  The Catholic Church has some fucked ideas.

CHW Southern California’s legal department was very small, just three lawyers, two secretaries, and me, a temp file clerk.  I thought it was funny that two of the three lawyers were not Catholic at all, but observant Jews.  When there was nothing on the two lawyers’ calendars it was usually because it was a Jewish holiday.

The lawyers were very nice to me, and even nicer after they learned that I was waiting to hear from law schools.  I waited to tell them about any acceptances – or rejections – until I was sure what I wanted to do.

For example, I got into Emory in New Orleans.  They accepted me early, but for various reasons I decided not to go there.  I opted not to tell the CHW lawyers that bit of information, especially because I didn’t want to explain my “various reasons,” which included my boyfriend (now the Ex) who wanted to be somewhat close to his family in southern California, my fear of the unknown of the South (I had been there once when I was 14.), and a bit of worry of attending a law school in Louisiana whilst planning on practicing law in California.  I would be such a different person now if I had gone to school there (and somewhere there is a universe where I did go to school there).

I finally told the CHW Southern California legal staff that I was going to attend Southwestern as a part-time student, that I would be able to continue working while going to school, which would take four years instead of the usual three.  It just so happened that the job I was filling as a temp was becoming a permanent position.  Perfect:  I would continue in my pretty easy job that allowed me plenty of time to study; attend law school in southern California, where I had lived for the better part of a decade, and where both my boyfriend and I were happy (we had an inexpensive place we rented from TT) ; and have the benefit of attorney bosses who could give me advice and help in my studies.

The attorneys were very happy for me; the secretaries were happy for me.  Everyone was rooting for me to get the permanent job.  One of the lawyers had gone to Southwestern and had all sorts of advice for me.  Things were looking good.

I interviewed for the permanent job, but the interview was just a formality.  Or so I thought.  Someone else also interviewed for the job.  The someone else had not been doing the job very well, including instituting a new filing system along with a move to a new office, like I had been.  She, however, had actually been an employee of the company, not just a temp, like I had been.

We had both interviewed for the job when I heard from another law school.  I had already sent a deposit in to Southwestern and had made plans to attend.  School was due to start within the month.  Not particularly relevant to this story – or anything else for that matter – I had also planned my wedding to my boyfriend in Las Vegas.

Before I heard if I got the job, I decided to go not to Southwestern, but to UC Hastings, in San Francisco.

I swear.  True story.

[More to come ….]

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •