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Post by Orly on Aug 21, 2009 16:23:44 GMT -5
Day 15 -
Appellate council presentation was informative. Otherwise I'm just glad the week is over. Five more working days left!
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Post by Orly on Aug 24, 2009 15:57:22 GMT -5
Day 16 - The end is approaching. I think everyone in my section is eager to get back to their offices and start cranking. I really enjoyed the company of my classmates and all I learned these last several weeks. But I'm even more eager to head forward and start hearing cases. For today, we got a new group of instructors and some great practical exercises. So the day went by very fast. Tomorrow we'll have the CALJ teaching us VE examination, which is his area of expertise. Definitely something to look forward to.  |
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Post by Orly on Aug 25, 2009 16:28:01 GMT -5
Day 17 - CALJ gave a very smooth presentation of how to deal with VEs. He knows this area very well and it shows. Overall, the day went by relatively fast, although details of our graduation are still shrouded in mystery. Better planning next time, pretty please? 2.5 days and counting. |
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Post by Orly on Aug 26, 2009 19:27:30 GMT -5
Day 18 -
Mock hearing day. My little group was pretty efficient and almost everyone got their turn holding the mock hearing. The union leadership showed up at the end of the day and made a passionate pitch for the AALJ union.
Not sure if we're all exhausted or something, but that meeting was pretty low key and we didn't have any of the alleged strong exchanges that took place during the July session. I think quite a few of us were just exhausted and wanted the week to be over with.
Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony. And it's a sprint to the finishing line from here. Don't quite believe it's over yet until I'm on my way out of town, but it's only 1.5 days left. ;D
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Post by Orly on Aug 27, 2009 15:35:21 GMT -5
Day 19 - CALJ spoke in the morning session about judicial demeanor and conduct. He is an excellent presenter. Some people have a talent for speaking in front of large crowds. He's definitely one of them. OGC also made a presentation on how to avoid judicial misconduct, and it was amazing how outrageous some of the real life examples were. The afternoon graduation took place at the Congressional Auditorium in the Capitol Hill Visitors' Center. The marble lined hall there was solemn and elegant, and definitely well chosen for the occasion. The Commissioner and the CALJ were both there and gave solid speeches. The keynote speaker was the OPM Director, who was eloquent and charismatic. At least for me, there was a feeling of coming full circle, since my journey through the process all started with OPM a little over a year ago. While standing in the graduation line and waiting for my turn to walk across the stage. I touched the appointment certificate with my name on it, thinking about how unreal the whole process has felt. In the back of my mind, I can almost hear a somewhat sardonic voice whispering "living the dream." There are some wrap-ups left tomorrow, but I think everyone will be mentally checked out by then. As the training is coming to an end, the real challenges begin. There is a nice mountain of backlog pending, and I'm looking forward to upholding my end of the bargain with the American people. It's been fun writing this blog, and I think this is a good point for me to end it. Thanks goes to ALJD and Pix for starting this board, which was invaluable to me through out this past year. Hopefully you guys will keep it going for the future ALJ candidates.  |
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Post by Pixie on Aug 27, 2009 17:05:54 GMT -5
Good job, Orly, and thank you for keeping us up to date. Good luck in your new career. Certainly sounds as if you have the attitude to get the job done. Pix.
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Post by ALJD on Aug 27, 2009 21:07:20 GMT -5
Orly, thanks for the kind words and welcome to the ALJ Corps. Good luck to you! |
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