Today, March 8, 2012, I took my attorney Oath and Affirmation before the Honorable Thomas Bibus, Judge of the First Judicial District, Goodhue County, State of Minnesota. What a relief.
I haven’t posted on this blog since November of 2011. Why? Because I felt dishonest posting on a blog named “Solo in Minneapolis” when I wasn’t licensed in Minnesota. You might say: why didn’t you just blog somewhere else? Well, I did. I’ve been blogging as much as I can about family law, estate planning, and probate. Go check out my blogroll if you care.
Ironically, the last post on this blog was about how, in order to practice law, you have to get through law school first. I feel like I just went through some kind of right-of-passage which was akin to law school. I have waited for nearly ten months to be able to actively practice law again. I left Indiana in June of 2011, bummed around with my wife and new baby boy, and settled in Minnesota in August of 2011. Due to complications with my bar exam and licensure, I was not able to apply for admission in the State of Minnesota until the end of October 2011. After that, I waited, and waited, and waited.
Last week, on March 1, 2012, I received my notice letter that the Minnesota Board of Law Examiners had recommended to the Minnesota Supreme Court that I be admitted to practice law in the state. Thank god.
For anybody out there who has been benched, sat-out-a-year, missed playing time, been hurt, struggled with depression, struggled with life, felt whipped, been tired of bureaucracy, I salute you. I hope you made it through. I did. I don’t know what the world has in store for me, but I know I can move on.
I realized a few things: (1) I really want to be a lawyer, (2) I’m stronger than I thought, (3) my son is awesome and I love spending time with him, (4) I have a lot to learn about life, the law, and the pursuit of happiness. Now, hopefully, I can stick to my guns, feel good about my choice of occupation, and go out there and kick ass.
I’ll be posting here more often. I missed my starting a law firm diary blog. I’ll let you all know what I learn about being a good Minnesota lawyer. I hope I can build up a readership again. I was doing pretty well for awhile, but, alas, nobody visits my nonesense anymore. I hope that changes.
I’ll part with this nugget:
I, Joseph Matthew Flanders, do swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and that of the State of Minnesota, and will conduct myself as an attorney and counselor at law, in an upright and courteous manner, to the best of my learning and ability, with all good fidelity as well to the court as to a client, and that I will use no falsehood or deceit, nor delay any person’s cause for lucre or malice, SO HELP ME GOD.