Try to r e l a x

I've been surprised by how many folks are looking for Texas Bar exam results here. After running across this post at The Uncivil Litigator, maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. If you really have doubts about your exam performance, just read some of the comments there. Pass or fail, in the long run, you'll be fine. Really.

Has it been 3 months already?

And we STILL don't know who passed the Texas Bar Exam...

Although, for the benefit of those who may not have been successful on this last attempt, part of me seems to prefer the Florida Bar's approach: list results by applicant file # only in less than 2 months.

If you must know more licensing exam trivia, the Texas Real Estate Commission's exams give you immediate results once you've completed their multiple choice questions. So, even if my name is not on the Bar pass list next week, I am somewhat comforted knowing I was able to pass my Real Estate Broker's exam on the first attempt yesterday.

Celebrate your victories, no matter what, I say (and try not to let the suspense get to you!)

What about the damages from whisper campaigns?

Thanks to Carolyn Elefant at Legal Blog Watch for pointing out the USA Today story on an $11 million verdict rendered in an internet defamation case.

It's unfortunate that similar damages from whisper campaigns are harder to prove.

[UPDATE: corrected reference to another blogger defamation case here]

Beauty, Brains, or Body Armor?

What women need to succeed

Business is tough. Business in the tech sector is even tougher. Recent news events have reminded me of some of the tough lessons I learned many years ago, even during the dotcom boom.

There is just no way around having to deal with the stereotypes and macho culture women still face in IT. The stereotypes include the false choice between beauty and brains. If a woman is attractive, she is presumed not to have invested time developing valuable technical skills. If a woman is attractive and has an impressive CV, she is presumed to be the beneficiary of some form of affirmative action or quid pro quo with male superiors. If a woman is "hard on the eyes," she may have had time to learn valuable technical skills, but she is a b---- because she's not "getting any."

Is this what a professional should be writing? No. But the reality is this is what people ARE saying. And some of them are so accustomed to being able to get away with it, they will occasionally let it slip through in their emails and IMs. Just yesterday, I receved an email on a Yahoo! job board stating:

NO INTERVIEWS , DIRECT JOINING

SURESHOT

“ REPLACEMENT NEEDED FOR A FEMALE CONSULTANT”

Yes, that's right, if you're replacing a female consultant, you don't even need to be interviewed. Just send in your rate requirements and proof of manhood and you're a sureshot hire.

What does it take to succeed in an environment like this? It's not about beauty and it's not about brains. It's about psychological body armor. Women who get it, get it.

Once a geek...

About a year ago, "Lexorati" sounded like a good name for identifying the legal digerati. Either that, or an as yet unveiled Japanese-Italian luxury car. The bonus is it rhymes with my last name and the central "O" is versatile in graphics, as evidenced by logo sample # 1, above.

"What's the point, Nivine?" you might ask. Well, life's just too short not to love what you do most of the time. And most of my time, I love using technology to keep up with friends and family, have some fun, and get my work done as quickly as possible so I can enjoy the former sooner.

As I've been mulling over options for what to do with most of my time (now that I'm through with law school), I still keep gravitating towards my first love, technology. I love finding new ways to create technology solutions to solve problems - whether it's to work more efficiently, improve communications, or maintain relationships. Technology can make it happen - faster, cheaper, and better. (No, you don't have to settle for just 2 out of 3)

So, whether or not I get positive results from the Board of Law Examiners next month, I know that I will still be happy spending most of my time on the tech side. And I will be doing that through Lexorati.

You can send a geek to law school, but, once a geek, always a geek.