In a span of one week, I was able to interview a prospective client, prepare a report on the merits of her case, attend a hearing and watch her give testimony for the judge to determine probable cause on her complaint. I can’t dwell much into details, since it’s all confidential, but all I can say is that it’s amazing how we can complicate our lives by doing something risky and random. Sabi nga ng friend ko, sometimes the shit hits the fan. When it does, well, you know, shit really flies all over the place and it will hit you and everyone else around you.

One day in that week, I told EJ how being a lawyer would probably be a very humbling experience. Just when I think I’m in the bottom of a hellish pit called law school, I encounter people such as my client who, at the age of 16 has gone through so many things that she has to go to court to have another person brought to jail. At 16, all I ever wondered about was the course I would take in college, whether to leave the choir and join the debate team, crushes (or lack of), prom, etc. My biggest problem then would be family. My client, at the age of 16 ran away because she had problems with family. I know we won’t have very traumatic experiences at the age of 16, and most of us had experiences at that age which were made exciting by imaginary problems. Not real legal problems.

This case has been so humbling, because I can’t whine about school anymore without thinking about her. Of course, I still whine about school, and I know that after a week or so when I’ve somehow moved on, I will whine more and think I am the most unfortunate person in the world. I will charge all this to experience. When I will truly practice law, I can’t absorb myself on every client. At the moment, I am truly humbled and thankful for this stressful, busy, rattling, mind-boggling week.