Final Post

I honestly did not expect to be this reluctant to leave D.C.

I love New York City and all of the quirky restaurants and boutiques tucked away in its corners, and I miss browsing the summer flea markets downtown - but something about D.C. and Northern Virginia has got me hooked. I feel like I’ve been spoiled by The Washington Center program: I had a great legal internship, a great class and lived in a pretty awesome area of Northern Virginia. It seriously baffles me how quickly the semester has passed by. I feel like I just arrived, and now I’m already facing the last summer of my undergrad! Luckily, most of my work was handed in a few weeks ago, so my last week here has been pretty stress-free. I got to revisit my favorite places one final time and spent some quality time with my friends before we leave for the summer.

During the semester I feel as if I lost sight of my primary reason to participate in TWC’s program, which was to gain substantive legal experience, especially since it's nearly impossible to come by as an undergraduate student. At the risk of sounding slightly superficial and one-dimensional, I think the nightlife and social aspect of living in DC got the best of me. Although my work product didn’t suffer at the expense of my social life, I didn’t realize how much I learned through my internship and ended up taking it for granted. My experience at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, LLP was indescribable – the attorneys don’t flake out and ignore you as many may expect. Instead, they completely understand that you’re learning and actually take your comments into serious consideration. I felt as if my work had weight and significance at the firm, and I regret not appreciating my internship more.

When I arrived in Washington I didn’t expect to meet so many great people, and I most definitely did not expect to fall in love with this city. One thing I do know though, is that I am moving back one day, and I cannot wait! Here are a few last pictures of our time spent in the capital:

Week 14

It’s our last weekend here! I seriously cannot get over how quickly this semester went by (although after taking a look at my dwindling bank account, I guess I do believe it). My friends and I have been trying to squeeze in as much sightseeing in as possible, and this past week we went to the National Art Gallery, which was incredible. We got to see Van Gogh’s “Roses,” which is probably one of my favorite paintings. The East Wing of the Gallery featured Matisse’s huge cutouts - here’s a photo of Matisse’s work (courtesy of Google):

Although my upcoming summer will be far from lazy and will be filled with preparing for the LSATs, working on law school applications, and building my bank account back up, I can’t help but be excited to really focus on getting my post-undergrad life together. I’m sure the novelty of becoming a law student hopeful will quickly wear off, and a few weeks into May I’ll be wishing I could just relax and enjoy Hannah Montana reruns. Until then though, I like to keep telling myself that I'm looking forward to writing my personal statement and getting my butt kicked by logic games.

Week 13

I am finally done with all of my work! I took my class final, submitted my portfolio, mailed in my research paper for Villanova, and faxed over my journal entries. I can now relax and take a nice breath of the fresh spring air, although it might be physically impossible to do so since my allergies have completely clogged my respiratory system. I feel like this city is perpetually covered in a thin layer of pollen.

The Mets were in town so we went to the Nationals Park again to see the game yesterday (yay New York!) Although the President’s Race (where people dressed up in huge mascot-esque costumes of Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, G. Washington and Honest Abe race each other on the baseball field) and the fireworks accompanying the Nats games are always great, we were so tired from working that we left the game early, just in time to miss Felipe Lopez’s grand slam - I wish I could have seen our Founding Fathers flip out over that. The weather was great, although it’d be more enjoyable if our apartment’s AC didn’t spew out hot air like you couldn’t even imagine.

It’s our second to last weekend here, and I can’t believe how quickly this semester has passed by. Leaving is definitely going to be a lot harder than I thought, but enough of that – I’ll deal with thoughts of leaving when I have to. I’m going to go out to our courtyard and have a cookout with some friends, and you know how much I love barbeques. Until next time!

Week 12

Yesterday Senator John McCain stopped by Villanova University on Chris Matthew’s Hardball tour, and I deeply regret not being able to go. I managed to catch the last few minutes of it after rushing home from work, but I missed the Senator’s flustered response when a student invited McCain to join him in a shot. Hopefully when I campaign for the GOP nominee’s run for the Presidency during the summer, I’ll be presented with more opportunities to attend his public appearances.

Last week we went to the Nationals game against the Marlins, and although the Nats lost, it was still a lot of fun. The new Nationals Park is pretty awesome and is complete with Five Guys, Ben’s Chili Bowl, and a great view of the Washington Monument and Capitol Hill. I probably spent too much money and consumed too many calories from the beer, burgers, and peanuts, but hey, you only live once.

I am finally done with my portfolio and my 15-pager for Villanova’s Internship Requirements, and after my final later today, I’ll be work-free till the last week here. Despite the fact that I rarely looked at my LSAT review books, I took a mock LSAT at the Kaplan Center on Saturday morning. I scored a 161, and although I’m fairly confident that by the October LSAT I’ll be able to score at least a 165, I’m skeptical that I’ll be able to jump the ten points needed to break 170. As for now though, I just want to enjoy my last few weeks in D.C. before studying for the LSATs consumes my life during the summer.

Week 11

I am so tired of seeing gray skies--it's April and a few weeks into spring; we should be walking around sans scarves and coats, yet people are eyeing me as the over-zealous girl who sprung into spring too early by gliding out the door in only a thin shirt. I live for the summer and all the beaches and barbeques that come with it, if you couldn’t tell.

Last week the office went to a luncheon to honor the recipients of the Ridenhour Award, which celebrates "truth-telling." Former President Jimmy Carter was one of the recipients last year, and it was extremely interesting to hear politically driven individuals address "truth-telling," especially since politicians are infamous for speaking of promises with fingers crossed behind their backs. Although I appeared to be the only one standing to the right of the political equator, I still enjoyed myself at the event. Here's a picture of most of the interns and office staff that went:

As I’m finally wrapping up all the documents due in my portfolio, it amazes me that I only have one month left in D.C. I’ve had an amazing time down here, and I’m not sure if I’m ready to leave the professional world for college life filled with classes, cramming, and (sometimes) condescending professors. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the late nights and lazy Sundays associated with the collegiate experience, but I’ll definitely miss the young professional atmosphere once I leave. I’ll especially miss how clean the city is when I walk around in New York City smog during the summer. I think I see a hint of sun finally, so I’m going to take a quick lunch break--until next time!

Week 10

I have been so tired lately – I think the 8:30-5:30 job is finally beginning to take its toll. It’s probably a combination of a few things, especially since things in my personal and family life haven’t been picture-perfect lately, and although I’m having the greatest time in D.C., homesickness is definitely not an unfamiliar sentiment.

Despite all this, I’m still trying to take in as much of the experience here as I can. I stopped by the cherry blossom festival this weekend, and although the exhibit was beautiful, it was probably a mistake to go during the festival’s opening weekend - it was complete insanity. As a New Yorker, I thought I was used to large groups of tourists, but the crowd at the festival definitely proved me wrong. It was still a great time though, and I’m looking forward to returning to the Tidal Basin.

Unfortunately, I am so ready to crash, so this post will have to be super short. Until next time!

Week 9

If the warmer weather and blooming cherry blossoms haven’t made it clear already, the fact that we’re almost completely through the month of March points to one thing: spring has officially sprung.

It also points to another hard-to-ignore fact: the Madness has finally begun.

I was home in NY for Easter weekend, and although I was busy catching up with family and friends, I made sure I was by a television on Friday night to watch Villanova’s game against Clemson. Text-messages also played a vital role in keeping me updated on the Nova v. Siena game during my Easter Sunday afternoon mass. It’s probably a good thing that I wasn’t in D.C. during the tournament’s opening weekend, since I probably would have been the only one celebrating Davidson’s (surprise) elimination of Georgetown. This Friday we go against Kansas, and although it’s going to be a tough game, it definitely won’t be a boring one.

I didn’t expect to miss D.C. while I was in New York City for only a few days, but I found myself comparing the two cities quite often. Although New York is great, it can almost be a little too quirky for me; D.C., on the other hand, has a more professional feel to it. It’s also a lot easier to learn the area – after living in New York for twenty-one years, I still wouldn’t be able to explain the quickest route to the posh streets of the Upper East Side from the downtown roads of Chelsea. I could never picture myself living in anywhere else but New York, but I’m slowly beginning to become attached to D.C. It’s probably not a good thing, seeing as how in a little over a month, I’ll be heading back home. But, it’ll definitely bring about more opportunities later on since I won’t be restricted to one city.

I should probably finish up my work writing sample now, but keep your fingers crossed that we advance to the Elite Eight !!

Week 8

My attorney is away on vacation for the week, but somehow, I still manage to have piles of work to complete. I don’t really mind too much though, since it’s all interesting work and I enjoy the independence my attorney gives me. I’m finally going home tomorrow, and I am super excited to back to New York City to see my family and friends…..and watch Villanova’s first game against Clemson on Friday. We’re going in as the underdog, but hopefully we’ll come out as the Cinderella story (keep your fingers crossed!!)

Last week our Presidential Lecture featured a panel of corporate philanthropists, and since I have always had an interest in corporate law, I was excited to see the panel discuss their civil responsibilities as corporations. It’s often hard to see the “good” in firms amongst stories of corrupt corporate directors who fail to lift their eyes above the bottom line. It’s a sad reality that some firms are only self-seeking, profit-driven machines, but I was excited to finally see corporations demonstrate their contributions to society, and elaborate on their “risk averse” approach to philanthropy.

Over the weekend some friends and I threw a barbeque, then headed out to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. Living in Arlington is so much fun, especially since there are so many other young professionals in the area. Although I miss being on campus, it’s definitely going to be hard to leave the program. I was worried that participating in the program and interning at a law firm would only discourage me from attending law school, but (as cheesy as it may sound) it only reaffirmed my desire to become a lawyer.

I better start packing for my trip tomorrow, hopefully next week I’ll be able to gloat about Nova’s win against Clemson!

Week 7

The weather has finally gotten warmer, and I cannot wait till the summer! I've been itching to have a BBQ, but that might have to wait a few more weeks until it really becomes spring. The weekend was pretty fun, we went to Dupont Circle and had a great time. The whole Daylight Savings thing kind of threw the Metro schedule off, but we managed to make it back before it closed. Here are a few pictures from our night out:

This upcoming weekend ought to be a blast since it St. Patty's Day on Monday. Although I wish I was at Villanova celebrating with my friends, I'm sure I'll still have a great time here. I'm finally going back to NYC for Easter, and my boss was nice enough to give me next Thursday and Friday off. I'm super excited to go back home and see my family and friends, but it'll only mean that this week will crawl by. Hopefully things will be busy at work so I don't suffer from a tortuously long week.

I just found out that my portfolio is due a few weeks earlier than the other students', which kind of bites. Most of the assignments required in the portfolio are things we need anyway, like a cover letter and work writing sample. It just sucks since I have a lot of other assignments to complete for my university on top of studying for class, work, and trying to prepare for the LSATs. Having an earlier due date isn't too bad though, since it'll force me to start my portfolio earlier rather than later, and will free up my last few weeks so that I can study for my final. With that said, I better take a look at what assignments I need to complete for it. Until next time!

Week 6

This weekend was pretty uneventful – I stayed in for most of it so that I could catch up on my class readings and start studying for an upcoming quiz and midterm in my course. The slow weekend was welcome though, since it was a frantic week at work as we were scrambling to meet an impending deadline. My attorney sent me to court to file a complaint, and although I was a bit intimidated, everything was completed successfully. You forget that filing a complaint is really just a law clerk behind a glass window stamping your document, but it was an exciting trip nonetheless.

Later that day, we heard rumors that Laura Bush was shopping near our offices in Georgetown. Another intern and I went to track her down, and eventually found several black Ford SUVs filled with the men of the Secret Service. We finally spotted the First Lady shopping with one of her daughters, but we were too intimidated by the Secret Service guys to approach her. I wanted to snap a picture on my cell phone, but I was scared that (a) I would get pummeled by the men in suits, (b) that they’d confiscate my cellular, or (c) that they would do both. The Bush clan smiled and waved though, which was pretty sweet.

I’m pretty exhausted from running around at work, and hopefully next time I’ll have a more exciting weekend to talk about. Until next time!

Week 5

It’s been a really hectic week at work, and between drafting and filing legal docs and scrambling to find court motions, the days seem to slip by. After a crazy workweek, I was more than ready to blow off some steam; so a few friends and I decided to try out the local restaurants and bars and really enjoyed ourselves. Here are a couple of pictures from our nights out:

Over the weekend, some friends and I hit up the National Mall (yet again). This time we stopped by the National Archives Building. Not gonna lie, I couldn’t help but think of National Treasure the whole time. It reminded me that I wanted to track down the Live Free or Die Hard tunnel where Bruce Willis drives a car off a ramp at the perfect angle and takes down the helicopter, and when he and Justin Long manage to dodge a flipping car by a few feet by merely ducking. Needless to say, the fourth installation of the action series was definitely realism at its best (ha, ha).

Afterwards, we viewed the Cinema of Dreams exhibit at the Hirshhorn Museum. The exhibit aimed to compare the qualities of cinema and film to the characteristics of dreams. Truthfully, it was somewhat of a trippy experience. A few of the exhibits were slightly unsettling and the concept was a little too abstract for me, but we had a great time nonetheless. We then went to the Albert Einstein Memorial (random, I know). Here’s a picture of a few of us posing with Albert:

I’m super tired from today’s long day at work, so until next time!

21 & Invicible

This weekend went by way too quickly – celebrating my birthday at Villanova was so much fun. I miss being at school a lot, but being back made me realize how different the college atmosphere is from the “real” world environment. For instance, it’d be pretty unlikely to come across a beer bong or Guitar Hero in the upscale apartments of professionals. My friends and I went pretty low-key for the birthday celebration, and just had dinner and hit up a few bars in the area. But, I’m looking forward to celebrating it DC-style this upcoming weekend. Here are a few photos of me and my friends at Nova. The first photo is a friend and I at dinner, the second is some of us relaxing after feasting on steaks, and the third is a picture right before we headed out.

The lawyer I work with informed me today that only two out of every ten False Claims Act cases get picked up by the government, and usually only when it deals with Medicaid/Medicare fraud. It's a sad statistic, but it makes the work we do all that much more significant since every piece of information really has to contribute to solidifying the case (maybe Deval Patrick will let me steal some of his speeches too when I draft legal docs). However, the stuff we write isn’t “just words,” so I’ve really been relying on my English major. Luckily my lawyer is really helpful, so I’m not too lost when doing his assignments. Well, my DVD of HBO’s Entourage just came this past week, so I’m going to unwind while watching Arie throw a stapler at Lloyd. Till next time!

The refs must've graduated from Georgetown...

It's already almost halfway through February, which only means one thing: my birthday is coming up!! Luckily, it falls on President's Day weekend, so I get to go back to Villanova and celebrate. Unfortunately, Mid-February also means Valentine's Day, and although I'm not really a big fan of all the lovey-dovey couples decked out in head-to-toe red, a girl won't refuse flowers and/or chocolates (I hope my boyfriend is reading this!) :)

This past work week has been a blur--I began researching for several of the new cases my attorney is working on, and we get so caught up in familiarizing ourselves with the all the relevant regulations and administrations that we completely lose track of everything else. Our office looks like a giant stack of paperwork, but it is so exciting to contribute real substance to the cases. Happy hour has become a staple during the work week, and last week I went to Mr. Smith's in Georgetown. Its interior is set up like a big garden party, with lights and ivy trimming the walls, brick flooring, patio furniture, and it even turns into a piano bar at around 10 PM. It also has some great deals, which is a hard find in Georgetown. Over the weekend my roommates, some friends and I went to R&R, a chic lounge on 6th street, which was loads of fun.


We also went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum, and it was incredibly moving. Some of the exhibits amazed me - like the short film explaining the cruel "medical experiments" performed on prisoners, and a scaled model of the gas chambers' systematic killing. The grainy black and white stills that document the horror of the Holocaust can evoke strong emotions within any individual with a conscience, but it's ironic that those sentiments are only a fraction of the terror that the "non Aryan" race experienced. Going through the museum was both mentally and physically exhausting, but it is definitely one of my top recommendations of places to go in DC.

On Saturday, I assisted my supervisor interview potential summer interns from Georgetown and George Washington Law Schools. It was definitely a little weird sitting on the other side of the table, but I picked up some great interview tips and met other professionals in the legal arena. So even though I had to get up at 6:30 AM on a Saturday, it was definitely worth it.

I also went to the Nova vs. Georgetown game at the Verizon Center this week, and although we cheered the Wildcats on like no other, we failed to pull through. With 30 seconds left on the clock, it was tied at 53 and we had the ball, but when the ref made the most ridiculous call with .1 second to go, Georgetown made two free throws, and the overtime win that should have been ours slipped away.


My brother-in-law was watching the game on TV, and said that even the commentators remarked that the ref's call was faulty (so I'm not being completely biased). When we go to the ball games at Villanova, we usually sit right behind the basket in the student section, however this time around, we sat way, way, way up in the arena. Here's a picture of the court from our nosebleed section seats.



It would have been nice to win against Georgetown and to seal off the top wins of the week (i.e. the Giants and McCain), but it was still a great game. Well I've blabbed on enough about my week and my delivered groceries have finally arrived, so I better run. But I'll definitely come back next week with news and photos of my birthday weekend!

Week 2

First things first, GO GIANTS !!

Amazing game. Peyton and Eli – back to back champions. INSANE. Patriots 19-0?? YEAH RIGHT. Too bad, Brady, maybe in another 30something years.

Okay, I’m finished with my gloating. I desperately wish I was back home in New York to celebrate. However, I did enjoy my week here in D.C. The past few days at The National Whistleblowers Center and Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto have been great – I got to start writing a draft of the Relator’s Statement for a new case, and it was so exciting to write a legal document that’s actually going to be filed in court.

Over the weekend my friends and I decided to explore D.C., and we had an awesome time. On Friday night we decided to go into Adam’s Morgan, a really cute part of town that’s filled with so many other twenty-something year olds. Here’s a picture of my good friend and me that night.

We went into a place with live bands playing and it was so much fun. On Saturday afternoon we did the whole tourist thing: we went to see the White House, Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, walked along the Reflection Pool, and stopped by the Lincoln Memorial. Here we are in front of the White House.

Everything there looks so much better at night. I definitely want to go back to the Washington Monument one night when the weather gets warmer, it was probably my favorite stop.

I just got back from class and the Law & Criminal Justice program lecture for the week, and John J. Miller of the FBI came to speak to us. He looked so familiar when he walked in, and it turns out he was a news anchor in New York. He had such an interesting career – he began working in the media at age fourteen and has worked for the NYPD, then back to media, and then back to LAPD, and then to the FBI. The most interesting thing though was that he interviewed Osama Bin Laden in 1998, where Bin Laden pretty much declared war on the United States, and 7-8 weeks later the embassy bombings occurred. It was a really great lecture, and I definitely learned a lot from it.

But, the biggest news of today – Super Tuesday! Unfortunately I was late in getting an absentee ballot, so I wasn’t able to vote. It’s probably for the best though, since I’m still not 100% on who I want to vote for. I really wanted Giuliani, but obviously that isn’t happening. News of the “recession” were pretty big today too… and interest rates keep getting cut, but hopefully that’ll encourage more spending and stimulate the economy without bringing about too much inflation. I better get going and hit the gym – all this exploration of D.C. is ruining my diet. Plus, I took my celebration of the Giants victory a little too far by gorging on junk food. :) Next Monday Villanova plays Georgetown in basketball, so hopefully it’ll result in a big win too!

Hello, Everyone!

Since I’m new to this whole blogging thing, I guess I’ll just start off with some information about myself. My name is Jenny Lee, and I’m from Bayside, New York, a cozy little town in Queens. I’m currently a junior at Villanova University majoring in English and minoring in Business, and hope to attend law school after graduation.

I’m finally in D.C now, and am interning as a Student Lawyer at Kohn, Kohn, and Colapinto and the National Whistleblowers Center. Kohn, Kohn, and Colapinto is a private law firm that protects whistleblowers (i.e. people who “blow the whistle” on their firms), and the National Whistleblowers Center is the nonprofit organization that defends whistleblowers. Both buildings are right across the street from each other, so luckily the interns get to switch back and forth between the two and help out all the lawyers working there.

I was assigned to a lawyer that specifically deals with suits arising from the False Claims Act, but unfortunately I can’t get into any details about any of the cases because most are under seal! I’m very excited to finally be able to get a real taste of the life of a lawyer, and everyone at Kohn, Kohn, and Colapinto and the National Whistleblowers Center is very friendly and helpful. The firm is located in Georgetown, and it is so (!) hard to not run into all the shops and boutiques there on the way to work.

It is one of the most charming towns ever – it has brick and cobblestone roads, and so many shops, restaurants, and cafes. Hopefully by the end of the internship I’ll have explored most of them, including the quirky Ethiopian restaurant on 28th street I’ve been eyeing over the past few days.

The area I’m living in, Arlington, is great too – it also has a long boulevard of restaurants and shops. In fact, my parents and I found a great sushi buffet and hibachi grill place nearby a few days ago. I’m really looking forward to exploring the area and making the most of it.

I should really brush up on the False Claims Act before heading into work tomorrow, so I’m going to start doing some reading. Hopefully I’ll have enough self discipline and won’t run into any shops tomorrow morning!