And now, a word from Brad.

I thought I would post an update from my perspective.

I'm still in law school. There is a rumor going around my class that they can only keep us there for another year, and then they have to stop charging us tuition and let us get jobs. Some students have given it a name - Graduation. I'll believe it when I see it!

I really shouldn't complain, we have done really well for college students, due mostly to Alison working and the incredibly low tuition at BYU. The low cost of living in Provo helps a bunch, too. Law students nationwide have really high rates of substance abuse and depression, usually attributed to the large amounts of debt they incur combined with the stress of a competitive environment that is mostly void of feedback. I haven't decided to 'hit the bottle' yet, so I must be ahead of the curve.

I've managed to move up a chunk in the class rankings and finished the last two semesters very well. Success has done wonders for my spirit. If I do as well this semester, things might get really interesting!

This summer I will be clerking for a firm in Idaho Falls. I might mention that this is by choice. Most students seem to think that unless you are headed to a large firm in a large market, then you are disappointed. We've always said we would like to live in Idaho Falls, but just didn't think there was a viable opportunity. Well, the firm I will be working with is (by most accounts) one of the best firm in Idaho Falls and, by extension, best in South East Idaho. Does that mean much? That is really what we hope to find out. We might find out that a long and successful career with this firm isn't what we really want. That would live me in a bit of a scramble to find a job for after graduation, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. Part of the calculus was that while finding a job after clerking in Idaho for a summer might be difficult, starting in Idaho after graduation and then deciding we didn't want to live there would be disastrous. If we want a taste of it, now is the time!

I might note that while the largest firms hire almost exclusively through summer-clerking programs (you have to clerk with them after your 2nd year to work with them after graduation), most small to medium-large firms just don't hire as regularly and don't usually hire with that much foresight. In other words, there are lots of places that interview 3L's and hire them to work after graduation.

I really wish I had something other than law school to talk about. I teach Elders Quorum at church, the other guys say I do a good job. They just say that so I keep coming back, I bet! I did run in a 5k, as Ali posted below.