Bravery

While today is the first day of classes for the semester, I feel like I have been immersed in school much longer because of my clinic, which is not a bad thing. I feel, for the first time in a long time, that I am doing work that I really love and that is truly gratifying--and while my shiny new day planner is already crammed with meetings, appointments, interviews and deadlines, I feel a certain lightness that has been absent for some time.

The last 6 days has been centered around learning about the client and her background, and getting to know my partner with whom I'll be traveling down this path with all semester. The clinic pairs people completely randomly--and with full disclosure of the randomness--and emphasizes that one of the main aspects of this clinic, aside from advocacy, is interpersonal relationship building and management. The director and fellows make no promises that the pairs will become best friends, or have similar personalities or complimentary ones, and they make no apologies in advance for issues that arise in the working relationship. They do stress the necessity of working through, in an honest manner, issues that arise as they arise, all as part of the learning process.

One of the things I admire about this clinic is their openness with the students. They work from a methodology of problem solving, teamwork, creativity and support--a methodology that is not found in most typical law school classes, and one that is not meant to exist. For the first time since beginning law school, there is no competition among groups or individuals--we have a common goal, and that is to achieve the best possible outcome for all of our clients while fulfilling personal goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the semester. It's unique, and I love it.

My teammate, who I will most likely talk about a lot on here, and I have spent a lot of time together in the past 6 days. We have spent time not only getting to know each other, but getting to know our client and her background through the papers and research we have done. I could not ask for a more fantastic person to work with.

My teammate asked me, a few days ago, "what is bravery". What a question. One of the things I love about her is that we have the same philosophical personalities--we question what is put before us in an innocent and probing manner.

Bravery. It's such a concept, I think. Can any of us begin to understand the gravity of what it means to watch a family, our family, be slaughtered? Can we understand the meaning in fighting to keep our father's and mother's and sister's persecutors in jail? Can we ever begin to feel the weight that is the death of our family?

I gain strength and ambition and true passion from my family. And we are meant to effect some sort of empathy. It's remarkably difficult....and it's our job.

Our client is brave. She is brave beyond remarks. There is stoicism and grace in this world--and to see a woman embrace, on paper those things is humbling. I hope to learn volumes from her, and I think I will..