Happy Anniversary Emily

My darling NT wife, Emily, has been a lawyer for two years today.

Emily went to Georgetown University Law Center on a 3/4 time basis, and at the same time was a full-time law clerk at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority as well as a part-time online producer for the Washington Post, managing their home page on weekends (which she still does) and an intern for CQ (Congressional Quarterly) Press covering US Supreme Court cases. She also published articles on privacy law and spyware/malware. Last but not least, she managed to maintain a relationship and begin a marriage with me.

Emily passed the Maryland State Bar, held in the last week of July 2006. (Even though she had graduated from Georgetown Law and we lived in Virginia, she took the Maryland Bar since she was due to start a one-year clerkship in October for now Chief Judge Peter Krauser of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, which is like a Court of Appeals in most other states. Appellate clerkships are given only to the best law school graduates, and generally are springboards to the top.)

When we found out in October that Emily had passed the bar, of course we were both ecstatic. Her mother and I were proud to see her sworn in as a Maryland lawyer on December 12, 2006 at the Maryland Court of Appeals (the highest court in Maryland, like most other states' Supreme Courts).

After a successful term at the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, Emily has moved on to the Board of Veterans Appeals in Washington, DC as associate counsel. She reviews veterans' appeals of decisions on their benefits claims and writes draft opinions for the judges. Just about six weeks ago, she finished her probationary year with flying colors and was immediately promoted. (In fact, the judges made that decision ahead of time; everyone just had to wait for the anniversary of her hiring to make it official.)

Emily just co-authored an article in the seminal issue of the Veterans Law Review about the importance of new media in veterans benefits. She has also taught Constitutional Law at Anne Arundel Community College. She was chosen for a special assignment in Waco, Texas all this week, helping veterans there with their claims.

Happy anniversary of becoming a lawyer. I miss you and love you, Emily.