09 April 2006
Hello cyberworld!
Ok, yes - this is another lawyer blog - or "blawg" as some like to call them.
I picked "Carte Blanche" as the title for my place in cyberspace for a couple of reasons:
1 When I was in one of my first law school lectures, one of my lecturers used the term "carte blanche". One of my (then new) friends misheard her and thought she said "cut blush". I think he may have even written it in his notes with the less than conventional spelling. We found it hilarious at the time.
2 The legal definition: "carte blanche (f), n. Blank paper given to person to write his own terms on; full discretionary power"(1). When law students start their studies, and to a slightly lesser degree, when they complete their studies, they have a "carte blanche" - they have a clean slate and have the ability to be anything they want to be, go anywhere they want to go, and do anything they want to do (within reason!) - the "world is their oyster" - one of my old study buddies from my Accounting major used to routinely tell me this whenever I used to have a whinge about my law degree.
When law students become lawyers, particularly if they are working at a large law firm, often their carte is not as blanche and they don't have as much "discretionary power" over where they are going. I don't think this is necessarily a conscious thing. And Im not saying that this happens to everyone. But it can.
How serious does that sound!
Anyway, I'm hoping this blog will help me vent any work angst (as well as anything good that happens!) and help me keep track of my, hopefully fabulous, career - sometimes those long days just become one big blur!
(1) Fowler HW, "Fowler's Concise English Dictionary", Wordsworth Editions, Hertfordshire, 1989
Lawyers love footnotes. Apologies if the formatting of this footnote is not up to scratch. I've been out of uni for about 3 years now and don't have much use for footnotes at work. I would have used my trusty Butterworths Student's Legal Dictionary for the definition, but it's at the office...
I picked "Carte Blanche" as the title for my place in cyberspace for a couple of reasons:
1 When I was in one of my first law school lectures, one of my lecturers used the term "carte blanche". One of my (then new) friends misheard her and thought she said "cut blush". I think he may have even written it in his notes with the less than conventional spelling. We found it hilarious at the time.
2 The legal definition: "carte blanche (f), n. Blank paper given to person to write his own terms on; full discretionary power"(1). When law students start their studies, and to a slightly lesser degree, when they complete their studies, they have a "carte blanche" - they have a clean slate and have the ability to be anything they want to be, go anywhere they want to go, and do anything they want to do (within reason!) - the "world is their oyster" - one of my old study buddies from my Accounting major used to routinely tell me this whenever I used to have a whinge about my law degree.
When law students become lawyers, particularly if they are working at a large law firm, often their carte is not as blanche and they don't have as much "discretionary power" over where they are going. I don't think this is necessarily a conscious thing. And Im not saying that this happens to everyone. But it can.
How serious does that sound!
Anyway, I'm hoping this blog will help me vent any work angst (as well as anything good that happens!) and help me keep track of my, hopefully fabulous, career - sometimes those long days just become one big blur!
(1) Fowler HW, "Fowler's Concise English Dictionary", Wordsworth Editions, Hertfordshire, 1989
Lawyers love footnotes. Apologies if the formatting of this footnote is not up to scratch. I've been out of uni for about 3 years now and don't have much use for footnotes at work. I would have used my trusty Butterworths Student's Legal Dictionary for the definition, but it's at the office...
// posted by db @ 9.4.06 
