One Metro Center
 

Hecht's has an Armani section? Is it near the Dockers?

One Metro Center
 

No,its right past the perfume bottle testerless perfume counter.

One Metro Center
 

Seriously? My brain cannot compute the concept of Hecht's and Armani. I hate Hecht's. But not as much as I hate Macy's.

The Reality of Loans
 

I'm deciding between going to Temple, in Philly, with a half-scholarship or George Washington with $9000 a year in grants. I'm most interested in IP (not patent), government, or appellate work. I have no idea where I want to be when I graduate (either NY, Philly or DC) but know I don't want to spend the entirety of my life in Philly. I'm also going to be 31 when I graduate and don't know if I'll want to marry myself to BigLaw.
What are my monthly loan payments going to be like with either choice? And if I go to GW, is it possible to find jobs outside of BigLaw that'll pay the bills? How do jobs with the government pay? Or can I get to DC with a Temple degree?

The Reality of Loans
 

THere are tons of non biglaw jobs in DC and they are competitive to get. Dont know how things will be in three years but the economcy has made govt work look like a nice safe harbor. Nonbiglaw is probably a tougher road to hoe in NYC given the COL there as well as the fact that public sector work is scarcer esp in IP. I dont know squat about Philly except that its a stop on the train between NYC and DC and I never wanted to get off there.

As for schools, I can safely say that I have met one Temple grad in my life and he taught my LSAT class in Manhattan. I have met plenty to GW people. Your job prospects, esp in DC, are much stronger with the GW degree IMHO. However, I can understand about wanting to save on the cash. A half ride at Temple is worth probably 12 to 14k??? Given that differential, you are talking nine to eighteen thou difference plus interest. I dont think that is enough of an incentive to take the risk of going to a regional school in a region you prob dont want to live in. You can defer loans forever also (the public ones anyway).

Good luck.

threads
 

I dont think there is enough traffic on this board to warrant thread divisions. Can the burger move the loan question here for a better shot at responses?

BTW, Temple's tuition would be $6,000/yr compared to GW's $21,000 -- plus the cost of living differnce -- but I think my mindset is that I can live with that as long as I can get out of Philly for at least a while. (No offense to Philly. It's a great town. I'm just bored with it.)

tuition
 

criminy. GWU tuition is at 30 gs now? And Temple's is only at 12? That must mean Harvard is pushing 40 gs. This is crazier than the soaring costs of ski lift tickets in the early nineties. There are just too many good state schools out there to make these nutty tuitions an option. If I were you, I would wait a year and reapply. GW is simply not worth 30 gs a year plus COL, esp if you dont want to do biglaw. If you got scholarship to GWU, you probaby have a shot at a UMichigan or at least a U Minnesota.

Loans
 

If you're not sure that you want to end up "married to BIGLAW" consider this: the 15K per year extra tuition = 45K in extra loans over the course of LS = about $450 per month in higher loan payments (not counting accruing interest, and assuming you consolidate the loans over the course of 25 years).

That's a BIG deal if you're not pulling down a six figure salary. I don't know how good/bad a LS Temple may be, and I'd agree that GWU is a fairly well respected regional and is well represented at large firms in D.C. That said, think long and hard about the loans. That kind of debt can significantly limit your choices once you're out.

S_A_M

Temple vs. GW
 

Martindale lists 2,554 GW grads in D.C., and only 105 from Temple. Granted, there is a large amount of self-selection going on, but it's evidently not easy to get in to the D.C. market with a Temple degree, but not impossible. Heck, even Rutgers has more attorneys listed in D.C.

If you got into GW, don't you have a better option than Temple? There are three public schools in VA alone that are better than Temple. I think the only reason to attend Temple is if you know for sure that you're going to live in Philly for the long haul.

Excuse me, Mr. Hutz, are you a shyster?
 

The post contains an article about some of our "colleagues'" business development tactics.Washington Post article

Job Search Dilemma
 

Opinions needed. I've been out of work for over a year. Was a junior associate at a large firm when I got laid off. Went to a top 5 law school. I've gotten my first job offer in a practice area that is not what I did at my old firm and not what I see myself doing in five years. The salary is not enough to cover my student loan payments at all.

So I guess my questions are: (1) should I accept this job or keep looking (2) accept the job AND keep looking; (3) will this affect my chances of ever again practicing in my original practice area; (4) will this affect my ability to work in Biglaw again?

Take it!! Not even a question.

It's much easier to get a new job if you currently have a job. I'm in a similar situation. I was a corp./securities associate and have been out for over a year.

How did you get an offer for a different practice area? Was it a personal connection?

Accept
 

Accept the job. Use it as a springboard to a better position (which does not necessarily mean think of the job as a paycheck and a free place to print your resume). And try to budget your finances.

Good and bad
 

Some good and bad news on the local job front.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...-2003May8.html

Metro fare increases
 

All complaining aside about service, why is it that Metro goes 8 years without a fare increase, and now plans to raise fares not just once, but possibly twice? Washington Post article

$1.10 is a pretty decent price. Even more decent, considering it's been that amount (yes, for short trips only) for 8 years. Now, why does metro insist on postponing fare increases so long. If they had raised fares to $1.20 3 years ago and now were considering another small raise, it would be a lot more palatable. Is it simply the political inertia that causes this behavior?

BTW
 

Welcome back, Frenchie ;)

Pool clubs
 

My gay friend was telling me how he joined the pool club at one of the DC hotels whose name I forget. Its a gay scene. Does anyone know of any pool clubs that are not so gay? I know you can go to the Patio Bar and sip cocktails by the pool there, but that pool is more of a wading pool, though I love the bar. Thanks!

Pool clubs
 

So I guess that posting of yours on Match.com isn't working out?

Pool clubs
 

Try the Washington Hilton. It has a nice olympic sized pool and a wading pool though the former gets a bit crowded with guests. I think there is also a package that includes the tennis club.

Pool clubs
 

Ah! Thanks! I am trying to remember if the Wash Hilton is the one my gay friend mentioned.

And I am not joining a pool club to meet a man, But everything is more fun when there are straight men around. Assuming they look good intheir trunks (read, not pasty flabby cyberstalker lawyer typoes with fifty monikers)

Yea, I got the job through a personal connection. But I only had a couple of years of experience anyway in my other field. That's what stinks about BIGLAW - they put me in a practice area I didn't want to be in when I graduated and I hated it. Moved to a different practice area but then that industry slowed down. It's not like it's that hard to learn a new practice area anyway but it seems difficult to lateral over into a new area especially in this economy.

New Problem
 

So new problem that I thought of. What if I accept the offer..and they want an answer quick..and in the meantime, I've received two phone calls from big firms wanting to set up an interview with me. Salary at a big firm would be more than twice what this job is paying but I would feel so bad accepting this offer and then leaving in two months.

I'm too damn ethical to be a lawyer!

New Problem
 

You'll be an at-will employee. You have no ethical obligation to stay with the new firm. They could fire you after two months, so don't feel bad for leaving for greener pastures in the same amount of time.

New Problem
 

I'd generally agree, but if em used a personal connection of any value, that might not be the best route. Stall them as much as you can while you do the other interviews. See if there's a way not to start immediately. If biglaw comes through, you can decline acceptance. At least that way, you don't cause them to go to the expense of having you start and you don't appear to be a quitter. It's simply that a better offer came along.

Are they holding a position for you, while another person twists in the wind?

Of course, if your personall connection is irrelevant, do as Heisman suggests.

That's basically why I asked you about the personal connection. I'm having the same problem. I was a securities lawyer for one year, then switched firms and did M&A for two years. Now corp/securities is dead, and I can't get an interview for a different practice area.

Like you said, it's not that hard to learn a new practice area. I mean, I learned securities law at 3 a.m. while at Bowne. I'm pretty sure I can refresh on how to put together a pleading, etc.

Pool clubs
 

Still not over your infatuation with JRUSS, huh? Keep dreamin' hon.

Kellogg, Huber
 

In light of recent queries about Kellogg, Huber . . .


Less Is More
Legal Times
05-12-2003

D.C.'s Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd & Evans — which has traditionally focused on telecom antitrust and white collar crime — is a small firm that attracts big firm clients and associates. The first in an occasional series on successful boutique firms

rest of article (free registration required)

Complementary, Holistic and Alternative medicine for pets
 

My pet was really mistreated at one of the local vets here in the district and I am considering gonig the complementary/holistic route for my next vet. Anyone have any recs?

Complementary, Holistic and Alternative medicine for pets
 

My sister is a vet (nowhere nearby, unfortunately). Last time I visited her clinic, they had signs up advertising "alternative therapies" available in town - magnets, massage, some sort of "vibe therapy" that involved passing your hands over (but not touching) the animal. When I asked about it, her response was "Yeah, rich people will buy anything." Apparently the "practitioners" were friends of her boss or something.

My advice is to just find another vet. There are plenty in the area, so there's no need to go with a hack. Look for someone who went to Tufts or Cornell - they're the Ivies of the vet world.

Complementary, Holistic and Alternative medicine for pets
 

Thanks for the advice. Actually I am interested in "complementary medicine" which is a combinatino of traditional western vet medicine and a more homeopathic approach. For example, I have done some research that indicates that it is potentially unhealthy to vacinate pets once a year, as it stresses the immune system and some of the vacinnes last for several years. But many and most vets just do the annual vaccinatino cuase its a business after all. I want a more centered and mindful approach to vet medicine which takes into account all the western options but also alternative therapies. See Animal Wellness magazine for an idea of what I speak of. I am not at this point looking for a kitty chiropractor or doggie acupunturist.

And I dont know about that vibe thing you spoke of, but I knew an osteopath (for humans) and your description sounds similar to what he does- and this is apparently a legit form of medical practice.

Complementary, Holistic and Alternative medicine for pets
 

The Elk-puppy only gets the vacinations that are required by law. For the others we do annual testing. Her diet is all natural, can't bring myself to do BARF (Bones And Raw Food) though she does get lots of human grade snacks.

Check out the following sites for info on a vet in your area:
http://www.theavh.org/members/AVH_list1.htm and www.altvedmed.com. There are lots of books on the subject. I recommend Martin Goldstein's The Nature of Animal Healing.

I've known several people who have used holistic vets and the BARF diet with great success. One friend's dog had parvo as a puppy and couldn't make it through the day/night without an accident. After a few months on a holistic remedy, she was fine. The remedy helped to rebuild her stomach lining.

My trainer's dog was diagnosed with a tumor and given a few days to live. That was over 3 years ago. He (the dog) is alive and well today. The trainer swears it is the diet.

You are what you eat is true even for critters.

Complementary, Holistic and Alternative medicine for pets
 

Thanks Ann, are you from here? I checked out one of those sites and it linked to the AHVMA or whatever the acronym is and it told me tere are no practicing holistic vets in DC(!). Perhaps like the decent burrito, they will come. Almost makes me want to get a vet degree and start a business bc man that is a lacking area.

I looked into the barf thing and learned that scary things like lungs and livers and kidneys and brains were in there bc thats where all the nutrition is. Given that I am a veggie, I cant do that. But the paigettes eat homemade food with freerange meats and organic veggies. I wandered inot Safeway the other day and walked by the pet aisle and all they have is that purina processed crap that contains carcinogenic preservatives (its an acronym I foget th name of). Given all the filler and preservatives and toxins, it just looked like dog and cat poision more than food. I dont know how people can feed their pets that crap. I guess its called ignorance. Would you give a child a diet of strictly junk food? I guess many americans do.

Anway, I totally believe in the holistic approach with the western medicine to complelment it. One pet had a serious gastrointestinal problem and I gave him acidiphilopluswhatever yogurt and its gone. Regular vet would have recommended expensive drops. TOtal bullshit.

Hopefully somebody knows a good holistic vet that is a secret. but I am notoptimistic.

thanks for the info.

Complementary, Holistic and Alternative medicine for pets
 

Nope, I'm from Beantown (I surf a lot). I picked up most of my info from my trainer who was into all this stuff. The easiest kibble to get is California Natural which is available at Petco. Others you can get mail order. Try the smaller more boutiquey pet stores, they usually carry the organic stuff. I'd also recommend subscribing to the Whole Dog Journal (www.wholedogjournal.com). Comes out monthly and they have lots of info and articles. It's a Consumer Reports for pets, so they rank food, toys, beds, leashes, etc.

I thought there were a couple listed in MD, but have no idea how close they would be to DC.

Elk-puppy LOVES yogurt. She gets that a couple times a week. I try to give her the soy based stuff, but sometimes it's hard to get to teh health food coop. Also dried apricots, raw pumpkin, broccoli stalks and nice dirty carrots from the organic coop. I can't go hard-core BARF either, I don't eat organs so neither will Elk-puppy. She's pretty much a veggie, since I rarely eat meat.

Organic voodoo for pets
 

You might try asking the people at the Bradley Hills Animal Hospital (www.ferretdoctor.com). The guy is a vet, but he's pretty full-service, so he might be able to recommend somebody to you. (The guy's got everything - for example, he's one of the 2% of vets equipped to perform laser surgery rather than the traditional scalpel & stitch method. He also has separate waiting rooms for cats and dogs so that they don't stress each other while they wait.)

It seems to me that there's never anything in DC, but there's almost always what you're looking for somewhere around DC if you look hard enough.

By the way, if you decide to change the vaccination regime, make sure to check DC law first. The place is run by liberals, so I'm sure there are a few dozen regulations about mandatory vaccinations.

Lexis (pet refuses anything but kibble) T.

Organic voodoo for pets
 

Thanks for the tip. I will have to look into that vet you recommended for when the paipets get into trouble. Hopefully it isnt too far away. I asked Friendship Animal Hospital and my local organic doggie bakery emporium and both referred me to a vet named Monique something in Bethesda. The website Ann Elk posted also referred to her, and she is 50 to 75 percent homeopathic so she might be perfect.

what is it with DC that everything is around DC but not in it? This place is weird.

Complementary, Holistic and Alternative medicine for pets
 

I have to say that it's moronic that you won't feed your animals (sufficient amounts of) meat solely because you're vegetarians. I mean, if you're going to go to all this trouble with the holistic approach, at least feed the animals what their bodies are designed for. Meat.

Of course, I just feed my dogs Science Diet Light because it's easy and they seem to like it and are healthy, so don't look at me. I think it has chicken in it.

I also give one dog Creatine. She's going for Bonds's record!

Complementary, Holistic and Alternative medicine for pets
 

Taking me out of context is bad lawyering counsel. You will note that I also state I feed the paigettes free rnage meat and organic veggies.

Science diet is loaded with filler and has preservatives. Not as toxic as Purina but you could probably keep your dog better noursihed and give him a longer life with Canidae or Solid Gold. I think Science Diet would be the equivlane of living on a diet of Healthy Choice entrees- low fat, has nutrition, but has preservatives and too much filler stuff.

Complementary, Holistic and Alternative medicine for pets
 

Actually, I added the parenthetical regarding "sufficient amounts" specifically because you DO give your animals some meat.

If Healthy Choice is good enough for me, Science Diet is good enough for the dogs. After all, they are dogs.

Complementary, Holistic and Alternative medicine for pets
 

Elk-puppy gest plenty of meat. Her is kibble made from lamb and rice. To supplement that she gets treats that contain meat (salmon and liver), she gets raw bones, and meat and eggs whenever I have them to share. I use vegetables to supplement her diet. She loves them. It's amusing to see a dog droll in anticipation of a broccoli stalk.

Has your dog ever eaten grass? Or rooted around in the garbage? In addition to hunters, they are also scavengers.

There is an article on vegetarian diets for dogs in the issue of Whole Dog Journal that I got last night. They recommend that before you put your dog on such a diet that you meet with a vet and a nutritionist so you can design the proper diet for the animal.

My dog is very healthy. Everyone (including vets and groomers) remark upon her healthy coat and white teeth.