Note: This serial is fictional.
As the summer neared, Fenno could barely focus on his studies. His section was abuzz with a new puzzle, even more shiny and scary than exams: EIP. Although EIP was the path of least resistance and Fenno was not the kind to resist, he had began to be besieged by tiny little doubts.
The first of those doubts crawled over him when he was talking it over with Brandon, a 3L in his hall. “Sometimes, they ask to see your transcript right at the beginning,” Brandon said, “And they just stare at it. And if your grades aren’t good enough, those 20 minutes are a waste of time. For everyone.” Fenno imagined himself, trapped in a room with a well-heeled partner, and watching her eyes widen as she finds his LP, and then bowing his head in shame for the entire 20-minute interview. That was not an experience he wanted to have even once, let alone 30 times over.
Another doubt struck him when Julie said she wouldn’t be attending EIP at all. Instead, she wanted to go straight into public interest after law school. After all, Julie said, she didn’t want to waste her youth stuck at some firm, working for a client she hated. “And what about money?” Fenno had scoffed. “LIPP,” Julie had replied, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.
Fenno had never thought about LIPP seriously. He didn’t want to live another decade of his life thrifty, with debt hanging over his head. He wanted nice things. But Julie was so confident in her decision, he began to have doubts about EIP. He imagined himself working for the government or a labor union and began to warm to the idea of Fenno the Crusader for Justice, Esq.
But reality soon set in: public interest positions were competitive and he couldn’t afford to be picky. He just wanted a job. He would attend EIP with a fake smile and a dark suit.
“Fenno” is a fictional serial written by an anonymous law student. The main character is always named Fenno and is always a 1L, but his or her character changes every school year. This installation is part of the series for the 2011 to 2012 School Year entitled “The Uncertain Fenno, 2011 to 2012.”