The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Sponsor A Law Kid

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    Ruth Carter

    I’ve always called myself a “law kid.” I think it’s a sign that I knew from the start that I wasn’t a traditional law student and that I didn’t want to be a typical lawyer. As I look to the future, I know I don’t want a job that keeps me trapped in an office all day. I want to be a lawyer who is also a lecturer, writer, and podcaster.

    One of my priorities in law school, regardless of how busy I am, is to stay involved in my community. I’m pleased and proud that I’ve been able to volunteer with Ignite Phoenix and Improv AZ, attend #evfn, and find time and forums for singing. I hope these activities will contribute to a happy and successful career after law school.

    I will graduate from Arizona State University in May 2011, and I will take the Bar Exam in July. My goal is to be “the lawyer to the geeks” and specialize in internet law and intellectual property. I also hope I can do something to prevent cyberharassment through public speaking. I experienced cyberharassment as an adult and it was awful. I can’t image how hard it must be for a child to go through that.

    When I applied to law school, the average debt for a student graduating from my program was ~$50,000. Today, the average debt is over $89,000! That’s insane!  How did my education get $40,000 more expensive?!  I have one semester left, plus studying for and taking the Bar.  I’m reaching out to the online community to help me pay for it.

    The Program
    Sponsor A Law Kid gives anyone who wants to the opportunity to sponsor my legal education for a day. It will run from January 1, 2011 until July 27, 2011 – the last day of the Arizona Bar Exam. Each day can have one sponsor.
    I will also be tweeting every day about the life of a law student, so anyone who follows me can vicariously go to law school for a semester.

    The Price
    I am using the same price structure as Jason Sadler of I Wear Your Shirt.  The cost to sponsor January 1st is only $1, and the price for each subsequent day goes up by $1 (Jan. 2nd = $2, Jan. 3rd = $3, Jul. 27th = $208).

    Why Sponsor A Law Kid?
    Why should anyone give up a couple bucks, or a couple hundred bucks, to help pay for my education? In exchange for your sponsorship, for each day that I’m sponsored, I’ll publish a blog that tells the world how awesome you, your organization, and/or your products are. Also, it will give you a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that you’re part of something awesome.

    I can’t promise you that I’ll keep you out of jail once I’m a lawyer to give free legal advice – that would violate the code of ethics. However, when I make it on the legal lecture circuit, and I have to decide where I’m speaking next, it will be hard for me to decline an invitation from one of my law school sponsors.

    How Do I Sponsor A Day?
    Please contact me at SponsorALawKid@gmail.com to claim the day you want to sponsor.  You can pick your date based on price, or might want to pick a day because it’s a special day for you or me.  I will be running a half marathon on January 16th ($16), and my graduation day is expected to be May 12th or 13th ($132 or $133).  Pi Day is March 14th ($73) and Star Wars Day is May 4th ($124).

    What Else Can I Do?
    Spread the word! Send this to everyone who might be interested in sponsoring a law kid or following a sponsored law kid. I’ll be using the hashtag #SALK to tweet about my law school exploits.   Please follow me on Twitter and I hope to have a Facebook cause for this up soon.

    The Sponsor A Law Kid Facebook page can be found here.

    The most recent update about Sponsor A Law Kid can be found here.

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  • MPRE Afterglow

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    Ruth Carter

    I took the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam – aka the MPRE – this past weekend.  It must seem ironic that future lawyers have to take a test of the ethics of being attorneys before we can be admitted to the Bar.  Given that we’re going to be entrusted with our clients’ money, property, and secrets, we better know what we’re doing.  About halfway through the test, the reality that I will hopefully be a lawyer a year from now was pretty humbling.

    I opted to take my test at Phoenix College instead of Arizona State University.  I took the LSAT there, and since that worked out well, I decided that that place has good mojo for me.  I wish I could take the bar exam there.  I also figured that there would be fewer of my classmates there, which would keep my stress down.

    pencils
    Image by hownowdesign via Flickr

    Besides showing a photo I.D. at the testing location, we also had to attach a passport photo to our admission ticket.  While I was at Walgreens taking my picture I debated between making the cracked-out-on-caffeine face or the sullen I-love-my-job face.  I told the clerk that it was for a test, not a passport.  He responded, “Well, as long as it isn’t for anything legal.”  I opted to play it safe and make the I-love-my-job face.

    Since our careers were somewhat riding on this test, a lot of people were nervous about not doing anything that would result in our scores being cancelled.  One guy in my room raised his hand and asked if it was ok if he got a cough drop from his pocket.  It was cute.

    Taking the MPRE proved to me that going to law school has made me more superstitious.  Before law school I would carry my grandfather’s handkerchief and wear my grandmother’s watch when I was nervous.  Now I carry my grandfather’s handkerchief, my grandmother’s watch, and my grandfather’s rosary with me – and I’m not Catholic.

    Speaking of Catholicism, a woman I met before the test had the best advice about what to do if you get stuck on a question.  She had practiced law in Colorado for twenty years and needed to take the MPRE to be admitted to the Arizona Bar. A judge told her, when in doubt, pick the answer that matches what a Catholic nun would do in the situation.

    When I’m working hard on a project, I have a tendency to put my elbow on the table, rest my head on my hand, and put my fingers in my hair.  This had a tendency to counteract my hair product and make my hair fluffy.  I had some major fluffy hair by the end of this test.  I’m glad I checked the mirror before I walked out of the building.

    On a related note, my sister took the MPRE this past weekend too, though I didn’t know about it until afterwards.  She is going to law school across the country.  Looking at us from an academic/professional perspective, you would never guess we were related.  I thought it was really cute that we took the same test on the same day, 2000 miles apart.  I hope we will celebrate passing MPRE scores for Christmas.

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  • Igniting My Legal Passion

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    Ruth Carter

    Last week I was sitting in copyright class – bored, tired, and grumpy.  About ten minutes into class I looked over at my friend Ken and asked, “Are we done, yet?”

    I keep an eye on my Twitter feed during class in case anything interesting happens.   Yes, I’m on the internet in class – it’s part of networking.  I saw that my friend Jeff tweeted that he was “stunned” by a recent submission for Ignite Phoenix #9.  It was a submission from a 16 year-old who was the product of rape and who wanted to talk about her experience growing up without a dad.

    185/365 From a little spark bursts a mighty flame
    Image by Mykl Roventine via Flickr

    Whoa!  This girl already has my respect just for wanting to talk about such a powerful topic.  My mind instantly went into hyperdrive with a myriad of legal questions.

    • Do we have to get parental consent to let this girl speak on stage about this topic?
    • Does Ignite Phoenix’s relationships with its presenters constitute contracts?
    • Can a 16 year-old enter into contract in Arizona?
    • Do we need parental consent to put a minor’s presentation on YouTube?
    • Was that guy who spoke about Star Wars at Ignite Phoenix #6 an adult?  He looked about 14.
    • Can we let her use the rapist’s name or image if he wasn’t convicted?

    Then I thought, “Bah- why aren’t I a lawyer yet?!”  I hate having my hands tied because I’m still a law student – a cute law student, but a law student nonetheless; and therefore, I cannot give legal advice.  I told Jeff to let me know if he needed me to look up any laws for the Ignite Phoenix crew.

    As frustrating as this experience was, I’m really glad I had it.  It reminded me of what my passions are and the type of work I want to do after I graduate.  I love working with random questions, real-life issues, collaborating with creative and innovative people, and finding a way to make things happen.

    As I walked out of class, I was still the sleep-deprived student who walked in, but my energy was back.  It has been stressful to think about what I’m going to do during my life after law school, but this experience showed me that I’m on the right track.   I tweeted, “I got a glimpse into the professional life I want to have as a lawyer today…now I just need someone to pay me to do it.”

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