Standard Emphatics - February 15, 2008

Friday was abnormally exciting merely because everybody was excited for an extra day off of school the coming Monday. I was excited because I was already dreaming of the extra sleep I was going to undertake.

Class lasted one hour, and I made a hasty escape to relax at home and get the weekend started. My total flat-line of activity would have to wait until after I finished a telephone interview with the organization whose recruiter I spoke with at the Career Fair in Manhattan (the recruiter who attended my university's cross-town rival).

The organization actively sought me out for an interview, so I entered the conversation with a very relaxed and confident demeanor. Below are some of the questions, and an occasional answer that was exchanged during the interview.

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What do you know about us?
What would you tell your friends about us?
Why do you want to go into public interest law?
Have you ever worked with children, and if so, what age groups?
- How long do you want to be on the phone? (I jokingly gave this as my answer, whereupon I outline my extensive history.)
Have you ever had problems with anybody racially or ethnically different than you?

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After the slow-ball questions were answered with powerful hits, the interviewer prefaced the next question in the same fashion the Public Defender interviewer had. "The next question is a hypothetical," she said. "There is no wrong answer. We simply want to see how you answer it."

Of course, there is a correct answer. However, they do not want us to get over anxious and worry too much. Really, they are just looking for how we intuitively answer the question. See how you do before reading my response.

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You have been appointed by the court as the representative of a new-born baby. The Baby’s Mother has nine other children, all in varying placements. The Mother is a habitual drug-user and has been charged with and found guilty for abuse and neglect. At the time of your hearing, the mother has stayed clean – passing multiple drug tests – and has gotten her life on track. As the representative for the Baby, do you (a) advocate for immediate adoptive placement of the Baby, or (b) seek a family reunification through a six-month process.

Here was my answer, in all its glory –
- Reunification is always the best choice, if it is a viable choice. Placing a child in a family atmosphere is always the goal; placement in a natural family atmosphere is even better. In this scenario, the Mother has stayed clean for a period, and is making a concerted effort to turn her life around. With the reunification, drug tests and random visits from Child Protective Services will occur, as well as ensuring that the Mother is meeting court-mandated bench-marks in care. If the mother cannot show that she can properly care for and provide a secure environment for the raising of the Baby, at any time during, and at the end of the six-month process, then I will seek immediate adoptive placement for the Baby.

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I must say, however, that I was very lucky. I tried finding information on my interviewer prior to the call, and the only item available was a case summary where she had represented four children. During the case, my interviewer actively sought reunification. Being an internet stalker paid off.

After the hypothetical, besides the standard, "do you have any questions for us," one question followed.

I was asked if I had any goals for this summer.

"Absolutely," is stated emphatically. "My goal is to have the best, most full experience that I can possibly have. I want to walk into my placement as a first year law student, and come out a very changed or polished lawyer-in-training. Basically, I want to squeeze every ounce of education, training and experience that I possibly can."

The rest of my day was very relaxing and somewhat uneventful. This was my kind of day.