Give That Man a Microphone

I gave Mock Trial another tryout last night, and I'd say it went pretty well. Very well, actually. Probably not well enough to make the team, though. Only 15 out of the 90 that tried out will make it, and I'm not that optimistic. After all, last year I thought I rocked it, and it turns out I missed some pretty crucial info in my argument, so I deserved to miss that one. Plus, that's the way it seems to work here for me. I've been so disjointed from the whole law scene while I've been here, not really participating in anything, not really enjoying the law, getting relatively substandard grades and not really caring, etc - but since the Prosecution Project experience this summer, I've kinda had a revival in interest. I know there's something I want to do with the law now at least, so I thought I'd give it another shot.

And whether or not I make it, I had a good-ass time. Basically I just stood up in front of two people in tiny room and gave an 8 minute closing argument, but I had a blast. That's the way it's always been for me with public speaking, and I don't know why. Everyone that knows me knows I don't say very much in real life. I'm not outgoing, never have been. I'm not the life of the party-type, and I never will be. But public speaking - be it speeches, trials, or acting - that I get into pretty hardcore.

That's why I loved prosecuting - - so much speaking, so little to do with the law. We got stacks and stacks of files which we hadn't read, walked into court, and started handling cases. We spoke to defendants, we spoke to defense attorneys, and we spoke on the record, most of the time with only a limited idea of what was happening in each case. Of course, each case fits into one category or another, and if you know how to deal with that category, you can deal with pretty much anything, so we weren't just talking out of our collective ass. And whenever something came up with real legal research, it was actually a refreshing change of pace. Then there's the stuff you actually prepare for, the trials, the motions, the hearings, etc. Those are even more fun.

Once again, it all comes down to getting up and running off at the mouth. Maybe I'm better cut out for acting or standup comedy. I'd probably enjoy it more. But then, with this, I'd get a respectable job title, all the jaw-flapping I could want, plus the occasional trip into serious law. Plus, you can still be funny in court, and then it's even more fun because it's so unexpected in such a formal setting.

So...whatever, give me law. I'll roll with this, at least until I get disbarred. Then it's on to acting. Or politics. Or homelessness. Anywhere I can ramble to my fellow bums, I'm down.