Silly Hillbillies

Last night Wife and I went out for pizza with another couple. The husband attends Law School. As we ate, he told of the great cultural shock he experienced coming from a small Midwestern town to New York City. Soon after arriving to Manhattan, he and his wife went to Best Buy to buy a small television. As he checked out, he asked the cashier for black bags to hide his purchase. The cashier was a bit puzzled, and inquired where he must be taking this television: a bad part of Brooklyn? Harlem? No, he pointed to a tall building on the next block in Greenwich Village. After enjoying a good belly-laugh, the cashier told him he would be fine. This guy then made wife walk directly behind the television, walking backwards, to guard against a mugger running up behind him as carried the television the half-block home. He explained that coming from his little town, all he really knew about NYC he learned from movies – which apparently painted our town as a crime-infested, sleazy ghetto.

Wife and I got a great laugh out of his tale. But thinking about this hillbilly’s perception of New York, makes me wonder how many others have a completely erroneous view of our new home.

New Tax Law Rankings

Because I am sure every last one of you was waiting on pins and needles during the last month in eager anticipation of the new law school rankings to be released this morning, I thought I ought to share them with you. Ok, maybe it was just me waiting in eager anticipation.

The following is the rank, according to U.S. News and World Report, of the top tax departments, evaluating all two hundred or so law schools in the U.S.

• 1. NYU (#1 last year)
• 2. Florida (#2)
• 3. Georgetown (#3)
• 4. Northwestern (#4)
• 5. UCLA (#7)
• 6. Harvard (#5)
• 6. Miami (#6)
• 8. Boston University (#8)
• 9. Virginia (#10)
• 10. Michigan (#13)
• 10. Texas (#9)
• 10. Yale (#10)
• 13. Loyola-L.A. (#16)
• 13. Stanford (#13)
• 15. U. of Washington (#18)
• 16. San Diego (#10)
• 17. Chicago (not ranked)
• 18. Duke (#15)
• 19. Columbia (#21)
• 19. Denver (#21)
• 19. Penn (#18)
• 22. SMU (#17)
• 22. USC (#21)
• 22. Villanova (#18)

My brief analysis:
* Remember that these rankings are very, VERY fallible.
* No law school is coming close to taking NYU's top spot.
* Teaching quality may be better at UF (#2) than #3 (G'Town), but quality of students and career prospects are probably better at G'Town.
* Northwestern has quickly put together a very solid tax program. Unfortunatley for them, I doubt they will rank higher than #4 for many years (NYU, UF, and G'Town have a tight grasp on those top three slots).
* I'm shocked UCLA ranks so high. I'm doubtful they really have a better program that Miami or Boston.
* The drop from 10 last year to 16 for San Diego is surprising. USD takes their tax department quite seriously, so I am sure that this drop will hurt recruiting next year.
* Villanova and SMU have made a lot of noise about their tax department over the last year. They seemed to be a strong choice for the "third tier" tax students. This change will probably cause a lot of people to go elsewhere next year (unless they have ties to the area).
* I'm sure Loyola tax people are celebrating right now.

Rejecting a Rejection

I came across this unique letter sent by a law school applicant that was denied admission to the school of her choice (I have removed the name of the applicant and law school):

Dear Dean SMITH,

Thank you for your letter of February 2. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me a spot at your law school.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters from law schools. With such a varied and promising field of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite LAW SCHOOL's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at this time. Therefore, I will assume a spot at your law school this September. I look forward to seeing you then.Best of luck in rejecting future law school applicants.

Sincerely,
Applicant

Flying Over Manhattan

This past weekend, Wife and I went exploring various areas to live in the city. One of the areas we looked was Roosevelt Island. The “coolest” aspect of the island is the tram which provides one of the three ways to get on and off the island (the other methods include: 1) the subway; 2) driving or walking over the Queensborough Bridge).

Personally, I found the tram so much fun that I persuaded Wife to let me ride it three times. Someone told me that this tram offers the best view of the city: I agree. Wife and I took the tram on Saturday night, and the view of the illuminated Manhattan skyline was absolutely amazing.

While there is no way to experience the Roosevelt Island Tram without riding it yourself, this video comes close. A couple notes: 1) the cameraman was shooting out the wrong window to get the best view of the city; 2) you may find the music annoying – you may want to turn off your sound.

Why Do People Like This Need to Be Lawyers?

Morons like this are the people responsible for giving lawyers a bad name. The bottom line of this story, reported in today's Concord Monitor, is that this lawyer sent a letter to a long list of hair salons telling them that their practice of charging females more for a haircut than males is discriminatory, and he will sue if not paid $1000. The lawyer tried to argue that knowing that males received cheaper haircuts caused him, a male, mental anguish. A jury found the guy guilty of theft by extortion. Hopefully, an ethics committee will strip of him of his license to practice law.

A Manchester lawyer who threatened to sue a Concord salon for pricing haircuts differently for men and women and then took money to settle the matter was found guilty of theft by extortion.

A jury took about 1½ hours to convict Daniel Hynes, 27, on Wednesday. Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Baker said Hynes sent letters to at least 19 salons in the state.

One arrived Dec. 20, 2006, at Claudia's, the North Main Street hair salon owned by Claudia Lambert. In the letter, Hynes said prices should be based on the time a cut takes or on the length of hair, instead of on gender. He wrote: "I demand payment in the amount of $1,000 in order to avoid litigation," according to court documents.

In one court document, he argued that the price structure that he saw as discriminatory had caused him stress and mental anguish, despite the fact that prices for men were less than those for women. He said he was being denied an "inherent benefit in being treated equally." He pointed to a woman's right to vote and said he benefits from her right, even though he is a man.

Now, if this were a woman who had paid more than a man for an identical haircut, then a letter to her hair salon arguing that the pricing structure is discriminatory could be appropriate. But these facts...it's just silly.

Is This What Happens When Lawyers Don't Sleep?

I took this from today's Wall Street Journal. It is pretty funny (I highlighted the key parts for your reading convenience).

JPMorgan and Bear were prompted to renegotiate after shareholders began threatening to block the deal and it emerged that several “mistakes” were included in the original, hastily written contract, according to people involved in the talks. One sentence was “inadvertently included,” according to a person briefed on the talks, which requires JPMorgan to guarantee Bear’s trades even if shareholders voted down the deal. That provision could allow Bear’s shareholders to seek a higher bid while still forcing JPMorgan to honor its guarantee, these people said. When the error was discovered, James Dimon, JPMorgan’s chief executive, who was described by one participant as “apoplectic,” began calling his lawyers who drafted the contract at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to seek a way to have the sentence modified. Finger pointing over the mistakes in the contracts began as bankers blamed the lawyers and vice versa.

Frankly, I have absolutely no intention of defending Wachtell. However, I have doubts as to whether these are "inadvertent inclusions" or negotiated clauses now subject to the whining of buyers in remorse.

Did You Know...

Heath Ledger rented his apartment, which is around the corner from us, for $23,000 per month. That's just obscene.

Young@Heart

Wife and I were given passes to an advance screening for the upcoming film"Young@Heart." Essentially, it is a documentary about an actual group of elderly folk who sing contemporary rock songs. When I refer to these folk as elderly, it appears that some are in their seventies, most are in their eighties, and a good number of them are in their nineties (during the closing credits, each member was listed with his or her age). The movie is described as a comedy, but I'm not really sure that is accurate. It is a documentary that will certainly make you laugh, and will probably make you cry. Overall, it is an entertaining and heartwarming documentary.

Here is a music video the group shot of them singing the Ramones' tune "I Wanna Be Sedated."



Here is a trailer for the movie:



If you can't get enough, here is the group's video for "I Will Survive" (this wasn't in the movie):




If anyone in Manhattan wants free tickets to another advance screening of the film, let me know. We have four passes.

Parlez-Vous Français?

Why, oh why, did I decide it was necessary for me to broaden my horizons in college? Why did I decide that I needed to learn Spanish instead of continuing my French studies? For all of you that laughed at me when I took French in high school, laughing that I would never use it, I am proud to say that I have proven you wrong.

Yesterday, part of my day was spent pouring over the details in a rather lengthy contract written completely in French. One of my clients has several divisions and, while I normally work with the US division, we have done some work for the France branch. Over the last few months, I have bonded with the representative for our France client. She was thrilled to learn that I knew a few words of French. She decided it was her mission to make me fluent in French (she has a rough road ahead of her!). The extent of my new found study of French has been limited to occasional French emails and a few short phone calls (that usually end with both of us speaking English—thankfully, her English is perfect).

We recently took on a huge project with the France/international divisions of this corporation. Yesterday, I had my introduction to our work with this new project. Since we have never done any work for the international division, I had a lot of questions. To answer my questions, the producer for this venture sent me the Master Agreement (think “very large contract”). Thanks to my years of studying French in high school (and Alta Vista translation) I got was able to drudge my way through the contract and get all of my questions answered. Maybe, since Husband is going to be so busy, I should start taking French classes again. Apparently, French coursework is not the worthless waste of time so many people told me it was during high school!

I Stand Corrected

In response to Sunday's post complaining that television, and in particular the show "Friends," presents misinformation on reasonably affordable housing in Manhattan, this explanation was emailed to me:

I believe the story was that Monica was in her grandmother's rent-controlled apartment (and no one was telling the landlord that Granny was dead), Phoebe inherited her apartment from HER grandmother (along with her granny's taxi), Chandler had a good job though no one really knew what he did, Joey lived with Chandler until he got a good role with Days of our Lives, and Ross was a [university] professor of paleontology. :)

I won't out the television guru; the person is certainly free to take credit in the comments.

Now that I know the secret for affordable housing, I just need to find someone who will devise or bequeath a rent-controlled apartment or condo to me. That shouldn't be a problem.

NY's New Governor

In an interesting turn of events, our new governor, David Paterson, within hours of being sworn in as governor, admitted to having an affair for several years, beginning in 1999 and ending sometime in 2001. His wife admitted that she too had "intimate relations" with someone other than her husband during their marriage.

Read the story here.

The timing is fascinating: this information was revealed a few hours after Paterson was sworn in as governor.

UPDATE: I laughed when I saw the headline this morning, "New York and New Jersey in Competition for Dirtiest Governor Scandal: McGreevey vs. Spitzer vs. Paterson."

Television Lies

In case you were all wondering – and I am sure you are – television shows set in New York City are completely and utterly inaccurate in their depiction of apartments. For example, in the show “Friends,” I would really like to know how a bunch of barely employed yuppies can afford apartments in the West Village that should rent for five to seven grand a month.

Exploring Chinatown

On Friday evening, Wife and I were feeling adventurous – and hungry. After quickly discussion our options, we decided that we would spend an adventurous evening exploring the sights, sounds, and, most importantly, the food, of Chinatown. Most of my life, I have been relatively close to a “Chinatown,” but there is something special about with what we find here in Manhattan. It is said that there is nothing quite like Chinatown. As one commentator wrote, “It is loud, noisy, and dirty, but it represents the real New York, not the Giuliani/Bloomberg Disneyfied version of it.”

New York City’s Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in the United States—and the site of the largest concentration of Chinese in the western hemisphere. Chinatown encompasses approximately two square miles. With a population estimated at up to 150,000, Chinatown is the favored destination point for Chinese immigrants. Historically, unlike many ethnic areas of immigrants, Chinatown was largely self-supporting, with an internal structure of governing associations and businesses which supplied jobs, economic aid, social service, and protection.

Needless to say, Wife and I had an absolute blast exploring the streets, shops, restaurants, and bakeries. Our strategy for dinner was simple: stop at lots of places and eat small portions at each one. Before the night was over, we shared several portions of fried pork and chive dumplings, baked dumplings, boiled dumplings, sesame pancakes, bean-paste balls, sweet rolls, unique chocolate and strawberry cake, and iced cappuccinos. Impressively, while we ate until we were more than content, the entire evening wound up costing just under ten dollars. When we returned home, we both agreed that it was a great evening.

Start Spreadin' the News

After what feels like a lifetime of agonizing, Wife and I have decided upon our next step: we are staying in New York City. I have orally accepted an offer at a major law firm here in the city.

Already, we see several questions popping up. To keep our massive fan base informed, we offer this helpful “frequently asked questions” (FAQ).

Please note: I wrote this hoping to be funny while providing some information on our plans – I’m afraid the intended humorous tone might be lost on some. Read this assuming it is a joke.

Question: Why did you pick New York City?

Answer: Because it is the greatest city in the world.

Question: No, seriously. Why New York City?

Answer: Because it is the legal, business, fashion, and social capital of America, if not the world. There is no better place for me to practice law anywhere. There is no better place for Wife to pursue her career. Moreover, I received an exceptional offer from one of the world’s leading firms. Wife and I will be working mere blocks from each other in one of the most exciting areas of the world. While we do not know what the future holds, we do know that this is an amazing opportunity for us.

Question: Did you have any other options?

Answer: Yes, we had a surprising number of options. In the last few weeks, it became obvious that we could end up anywhere we really wanted. We decided that New York City was for us.

Question: If you remain in New York will you become arrogant, condescending, and rude?

Answer: Of course we will, you moron. What a stupid question.

Question: Did your bagel addiction play any role in your decision?

Answer: Yes, I really didn’t want to find myself in the same position as Linda: driving hours to get gouged for a decent bagel. Of course, I was impacted not only by the bagels, but also the cheesecake and falafels. And, of course, the NYC pizza is the best in the world.

Question: Did you really think this through?

Answer: Umm…do you know us? We have stacks of spreadsheets and lists of pros and cons. Altogether, we have invested hundreds of hours of discussion and contemplation in this decision.

Question: So, are you going to take the subway everyday?

Answer: The subway will be our primary means of transportation. It will be wonderful. And for the liberal, tree-hugging hippies, let me point out that Wife and I will have an itty-bitty carbon footprint. I challenge you to find anyone who lives “greener” than we do.

Question: What will you do at your new law firm?

Answer: I have been offered an amazing opportunity to specialize in an area I find extremely exciting. The explanation is rather complex, and definitely beyond the scope of this blog.

Question: I heard that you will be representing professional athletes. Is this true?

Answer: No, not really. We are the leading sports law firm in the world, but it is not athletes we primarily represent. Think that through for a moment and you will realize whom we must represent.

Question: What law firm will you be working at?

Answer: Of course I’m not going to post the answer to that question on the blog.

Question: Is it a big law firm?

Answer: Yes, it is one of the biggest in NYC.

Question: So, is it just a New York firm?

Answer: No, it is an international law firm.

Question: I heard that NYC lawyers in big firms work long hours. Is this true?

Answer: Yes. On my first day, I will be issued a computer, passwords to the research databases, a Blackberry, and a cot next to my desk to sleep on.

Question: So, why don’t you try to get transferred to city X?

Answer: Maybe someday we will have an interest in leaving NYC, but right now we are committed to staying here. If we wanted to be in city X, I would have just accepted a position there.

Question: Now that you are a New York City lawyer, will you give me free legal advice?

Answer: No.

Question: Where will you live?

Answer: Good question, but we don’t really have an answer to yet. With the schedule we will be keeping, we would like as short a commute as possible so our focus is on Manhattan. We would also prefer not to need to pledge our firstborn, so finding housing could be a challenge. Midtown would be nice for the location; we both love Greenwich Village; our money will stretch farther in the Financial District; Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island City are still in consideration. Don’t worry, Wife has plenty of spreadsheets with various options.

Question: Are you going to move to Connecticut?

Answer: Maybe someday, but we are not looking there now.

Question: Isn’t the cost of living horrendous in New York?

Answer: Yes, the cost of living is extremely high. But the primary reason for that is the cost of housing. The housing costs will be partially offset by the cheap transportation.

Question: So, will you see many Broadway shows?

Answer: Yes. We plan to be frequent patrons of not only Broadway shows, but also the opera.

Question: Are you worried about crime in New York?

Answer: No. While we do try to avoid stupid or reckless behavior that would make us a target of crime, Wife and I agree that we feel safer in New York than in almost any where else we have been.

Question: Have you found a church?

Answer: Well, yes and no. We have been active in a church since we arrived in New York City. Wife and I agreed that this was a great church for our nine months in New York, but probably not a church we would attend if we moved here. Now, we will be giving careful consideration to finding our permanent church home. Or maybe I will just start a new church.

Question: Will you become a Knicks fan?

Answer: Not as long as James Dolan runs the team and Isiah Thomas is on the payroll.

Question: Will you become a Yankees fan?

Answer: Yes. We already invested in matching “his” and “her” Yankee caps. I have a black cap, and Wife has a pink one. We would post a picture of us with our matching headwear, but this is an anonymous blog.

Question: Is it driving you crazy that Laker home games don’t start until 10:30 p.m. EST and end until 1:00 – 2:00 a.m. EST?

Answer: Yes. Unfortunately, I will never get to see the end of a Laker home game again. If that is the worst part of NYC, I suppose we could deal with it.

Question: Will you miss Wal-Mart?

Answer: Yes, we do miss Wal-Mart, but Costco partially compensates for our loss.

Question: Is Wife ever going to post on this blog again?

Answer: Your guess is as good as mine.

Are You Kidding?

I know this is small, but it is worth squinting for. I tried to enlarge it as much as possible while keeping enough detail so that it is still readable. If you click on each letter, you will see a larger version.

Here's the background:

A lawyer submitted his eighth motion in limine. A motion in limine is a request submitted to the court before trial in an attempt to exclude evidence from the proceedings. A motion in limine is usually made by a party when simply the mention of the evidence would prejudice the jury against that party, even if the judge later instructed the jury to disregard the evidence. For example, if a defendant in a criminal trial were questioned and confessed to the crime without having been read his Miranda rights, his lawyer would file a motion in limine to keep evidence of the confession out of the trial.

And what is this all important eighth motion in limine for? The attorney is planning to use a demonstrative piece of evidence (probably a chart or graph or something of that nature) and doesn't want the other attorney to touch it.






























Here is the lawyer's reply:

New York's New Governor

A piece of trivia you may not know about David Paterson: he is a graduate of Hofstra Law School, but he is not a lawyer. Why? Because he was not able to pass the Bar exam.

In his defense, Patterson, who has limited vision and is legally blind, claims he received inadequate accommodations. The Bar Examiners provided an amanuensis to read him the questions and transcribed his answers. Paterson explained to the New York Observer: “I can do some reading on my own, but the bar exam I couldn’t, because it was grueling. ...It was a big problem for me. … I didn’t feel I had enough time.”

My reaction to his excuse? I don't know. Having somebody read me the questions and transcribe my answers sure would have sounded great when my hand felt like it was going to fall off from writing so much. However, I see his point. The exam is time pressured in some areas: if he received no extra time and needed somebody to read each question to him slowly, then it would have been absolutely impossible to finish the exam (I'm thinking about the multiple choice Multistate Bar Exam portion).

Knock It Off with the Bluetooth Headsets

Wife and I just returned from a rather lengthy walk around the city. A little Mexican hole-in-the-wall put a stack of menus in our building today. I picked on up and started craving the food. Since the prices were good, and we haven't had Mexican food since last fall, we decided to give it a try. Since we thought it would be more fun to walk than to call for take-out, we hiked about a mile each way to get our dinner. Oddly, everyone who worked at the Mexican restaurant was Asian.

As we walked, we ran into countless individuals talking on wireless Bluetooth headsets. That creates a real problem here in the city: I can't tell who is talking on the phone and who is just crazy. As we walked down the dark street, a guy approached me yelling and screaming. As he drew closer, I tried to look at his ears for a wireless piece - I figured that he was probably just talking on the phone. Nope. Turns out this guy was just a lunatic. The crazies really need to wear a sign so that it is easier to know to stay away from them.

Oh, in case you want another reason to knock it off with the wireless earpieces: they look really stupid. If you want to wear it while talking on the phone, great. But wearing it all day just looks ridiculous. It's not a fashion accessory. It does not make you look important. It makes you look like you take yourself way too seriously with your $39.95 toy.

I'm a Member of the Mock Board of Directors

Recently, I had an extremely unique experience. I was literally sworn to secrecy, so I will just give a very broad overview:

The one of the largest investment banks in the world is about to make a huge business proposal to one of the largest corporations in the world (this is an investment bank that every reader has certainly heard of). I participated in the preparation for this presentation as a mock board member.

The investment bank sent us confidential materials to familiarize ourselves with the issues. There were also suggested additional reading materials for further research.

After preparing myself for the event, I sat and listened as the investment bank's managing director gave us the presentation as if we were the board of directors (yes, it was the MANAGING DIRECTOR we interacted with). We were invited to interrupt him, ask plenty of questions, try to stump him, and then, finally, vote on his proposal. At the end, we were asked to explain the rationale for our vote.

This was an experience that I will certainly never forget.

Depths of Despair

I find myself in the depths of despair. There is a horrible tragedy: Mamoun's has raised the price of a falafel sandwich from $2 to $2.50. I can't eat when I am the depths of despair. Hopefully, I will recover soon because there are bagels that must be eaten.

Before I get emails telling me that there are worse problems in the world than my sandwiches going up in price - I know, this is a joke. My joke is based on a movie quote. What movie?

Breaking News in NYC

I imagine that everyone across the U.S. is hearing this on the news right now, but this current headline is the current buzz here in Manhattan.

New York Governor Linked to Prostitution Ring

This could, potentially, end the political career for Spitzer. Law geeks know him, not only for his political career, but also for his perfect score on the LSAT and work as an editor of Harvard Law Review.

I'm Sick of Flying

I just got back to our apartment here in New York after my trip to San Fransisco and Palo Alto.

The trip was wonderful, but the flight home was simply horrendous. What should have been a 4 1/2 hour flight was delayed, stretching it out the entire day. I arrived at the San Fransisco airport this morning just before 6:00 a.m. I arrived back at our apartment at about 11:00 p.m.

Highlights of my day included:

1) After boarding the Jet Blue flight in SF, the pilot announced that because of bad weather in the Northeast, we would be taking a different route. We were delayed 45 minutes while "the computer was programmed" for the new route. Did we really need to be in our seats on the plane for that?

2) Jet Blue is known for their satellite televisions for each seat - it was broken. Lovely. I watched the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie three times. I have horrid high pitched screaming stuck in my mind right now.

3) When it became obvious that we would be delayed significantly from landing at JFK, the pilot decided to give us a tour of Canada. Seriously.

4) After a few hours, the plane began to run out of gas, so we landed in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Yes, the Scranton made famous by "The Office." After landing, the storm then moved to Scranton and we could not take off again.

5) The tanks for the lavatories filled up, preventing people from using the restroom (after an hour in Scranton they emptied the tanks).

6) Jet Blue ran out of drinking water and all liquid refreshment.

7) Jet Blue does not provide meals, and ran out of all of their snacks. So, we all were stuck in an airplane with no lunch and no dinner. Fortunately, I bought a huge sandwich at the airport to carry on board with me (the firm is paying for it).

8) When we finally landed, JFK (which was currently 5 hours behind for all flights on the schedule) was doing TRAINING on the runway, so it took an extra 30 minutes to taxi to our gate. The pilot referred to this as the "perfect ending for our day." When all flights are five hours delayed, why is the delay being increased with training?

Let's just say it was a fun day.

I'm Driving Again

I'm driving around San Fransisco and Palo Alto in a rental car. That may sound like no big deal, but I haven't driven a car since arriving in NYC last August.

Is This Really Right?

Why is it that the nice woman in front of me in line through airport security is treated like a terrorist for having a bottle of water in her bag, but the FAA approves me carrying on a razor? I don't get it.

On My Way to San Fransisco

Before the sun comes up, I will be on a plane to San Fransisco. After arriving at the airport, I will rush to the Palo Alto office of the largest law firm in the world for about five hours of interviews. On Friday, I have eleven interviews in a row at the best tax firm in the country not located in NYC or DC.

The interview process is quickly coming to an end.

I am continuing to get invitations from law firms to fly out to visit them. There are three SF firms that I will never have a chance to visit. Today, a major Dallas firm invited me down, as did three excellent New York firms (UPDATE: just now, at 10:30 at night, another DC firm invited me to a second round of interviews).

I am extremely thankful for the opportunities. Honestly, I really don't understand why I am getting all this attention. That's not false modesty - I really don't understand it. The economy is impacting the job market extremely badly, and most of my classmates (including the very smart ones) are finding it difficult to get calls from firms right now.

Whatever the reason, I am extremely thankful that my problem is being too busy right now. I really wish that at this point in the game I could refer some of these firms to my friends.

In just a few days, it will all be over, and Wife and I will begin to prepare for a whole new journey. I anticipate that on Saturday, this blog will take on a new theme.

More Choices

I have another definitive offer to choose from now. The Southern firm is extending an offer and is even sweetening it, trying to get my attention. Southern firm offers benefits that NYC cannot: a better work/family balance, more prestige in the area (I would be a huge fish in a tiny pond), and the ability to quickly take on significant responsibility.

They also offer this, which NYC cannot compete with:






UPDATE: Wife tells me I may NOT choose a firm based upon the city's food. Bummer.

The Capital of the U.S. is a Cute Little Town

You know you are a New Yorker when you spend considerable time exploring Washington, D.C. and can't help but think what a cute, little, podunk, ghost-town it is. Walking around, it feels like the streets are empty.

What makes DC interesting is that no building is permitted to be taller than the Capital building. In 1899, Congress enacted a height limit for the District prohibiting private buildings from topping out higher than the Capitol, which reaches 288 feet above Capitol Hill at the crest of the Statue of Freedom. A revised height law in 1910 did away with that fixed maximum. The newer legislation, still in effect today, states that no new building may be more than 20 feet taller than the width of the street in front of it.

Thus, Washington has a relatively modest skyline in comparison to the majority of American cities, and it cannot even be compared to NYC. The tallest building appears to be the thirteen-story glass building of the law firm that is courting me here in DC.

I have spent time in DC before, but this is the first time I have looked around with an eye on making this home. A good friend of Wife lives here in the DC area. This morning, we went to brunch with her at a hotspot for French cuisine. We then spent the afternoon with this "tour guide" showing us the best parts of the city and surrounding areas. Wife and I are surprised that we can drive just a few minutes and find extremely calm and quiet suburbs.

I was really hoping that I would hate the big law firm I am in discussions with in DC so that our decision to choose the firm New York would be easy - but the firm is outstanding. I was hoping Wife and I would despise the concept of living here - but we can both envision making the area home.