I should copyright that

Hi Ladies and Gentlemen ahem just clearing my throat before a small rant. I know its awfully rude of me to only come back here and update you with my wonderful thoughts when I am pushed to the point of furious insanity BUT I have a pet peeve – which is entirely unjustified but nonetheless is there.

My enemy is the statement ‘I should copyright that’ or when people come up with something that they believe is genius… and usually just isn’t and shouts out ‘Copyright!’ thinking that this grants them something OR [this is the actual nemesis of the mind. Like my brain blows up…] when someone is purporting to create a TRADEMARK or LOGO for their business and puts a little C with a circle around it and the year……………

So I know not everyone studies the law, and despite how many text messages I send to David requesting that sex education should be scrapped and law should be implemented into the national curriculum it is yet to happen but I’m going to give everyone a little lesson. Feel free to send it to all of your friends because quite frankly if you are serious about whatever creative medium you have dedicated your life to, a little research will make you sound even more well erm. I don’t know. Serious.

Copyright DOES NOT REQUIRE REGISTRATION (I will only say that once). It basically allows you to say ‘hey that’s my work’ but the work has to be original. 

SO if you come up with a song called ‘Crazy in Hate’ and start singing ‘your hate’s got me looking so crazy right now, your haaate….etc’ then its not really erm original is it? (she doesn't seem to think so)

Original means NOT COPIED FROM ANOTHER WORK.

Your work also have to be one of the following:

Literary, musical. Dramatic, artistic, a film, a sound recording, a broadcast or a typographical arrangement (like the way you lay something out).

How is the work protected- IT IS AUTOMATIC AT THE MOMENT THE WORK IS FIXED IN PERMANENT FORM so if you have a song and you record that… I’ll let you work out the rest.

It lasts for another 70 years after you die so you won’t have to have your grand children roaming the street shouting copyright. The lawyers… as ruthless as we are are actually quite smart – so erm copyright is therefore quite smart too.

Now when it comes to Trademarks and that little TM… I’ll save that for another day. Still have exams to pass!!

Love, hugs and no to jugs xx 

I Blame Boys

I really did not want to say such things on my blog.

But this is happening all around me

It's my fault really

I advocate such philosophies

Sometimes.

I'm admitting

It is stupid.

Also I'm coming back... quite soon. The first haul of law school is over tomorrow *insert yay here* and I feel like I need to fill you guys in on far too many things that have ground my legal gears.

I'm excited, I've missed you

p.s I am also blaming boys for my blogging and blawging hiatus. Somehow I'll explain later, business exam in the am.

xx

He said he likes me, so I've opened a savings account!

Yes thats right guys, its no longer boy meets girl, fall in love, get married, have babies, raise them then think about potential university fees and other financial splurges along the way. Not on this side of the pond. Our beloved condem government who are so highly regarded in this blog have gone and tripled the university cap, suddenly, drastically and without remorse.


I must say that I was told in order to succeed in my chosen field I should demonstrate no extreme political opinion, especially if it was anything near left wing. But meh, the word on the street from Through My Aiz is that the law firms have given up on people who study law at undergrad anyway.


Now back to the matter at hand, just incase you have decided to cut yourself off from the civilised world or perhaps even just cut off your ears after hearing your 64th online lecture at law school. From 2012, Universities will be allowed to charge up to £9000 for ONE year of education at their fine establishments. It is supposed to be a war on pointless degrees but it would be easier if they just axed the LLB because judging from the percentage of GDL students on the LPC that comes TOP for pointless degerees... I digress again (I'm so sorry!!)




But its not a free for all, universities have been strictly warned that if they even dare charge over £6000 they will be subject to 'fair access conditions' and will have to demonstrate they are improving access for disadvantaged students. Yes, thats right, prove you are doing all you can to ensure the poorer children can go to university, then when they apply charge them £27,000 for it. Excellent.

I know what you are thinking, I'm not a politician so what do I know? Well I do know that graduate unemplyoment is at its highest in about 20 years and I do know that certain members of certain parties in power in certain countries have never actually had a job/owned a business outside of politics in their life so don't know what it means to not have an allowance to take advantage of spend. And I also know that there is a new love story in town and it goes like this:


Once upon a time you meet a guy, he shows interest, you like him kind of, start saving! because IF you happen to have babies, it really will be too late to start saving £27,000 when they are born JUST for university.


Sigh.


Rant over.


I'm a really happy person on the inside. Please don't let anything convince you otherwise.

xx

We killed it with our power heels.

Romance. I think we've killed it. At first I thought that we had bruised it ever so slightly and then there was definitely a move towards some sort of assault, at the very least a s47 offence. But now I have come to the firm understanding that it is in fact completely and most certainly dead.

I'm not sure if Emmeline Pankhurst knew that she was making a direct attack on our ovaries when she demanded that we have the 'right' to vote. I'm also pretty sure that Condoleezza Rice did not know she was creating a new wave of women who would put a bullet in the proverbial heart of all things sweet and flowery.

However it seems that while we protested by providing awkward figures on male to female employees in high powered city jobs and threw our hands up at the likes of Beyoncé as she called for all the 'Laydays who in-dependent', we simultaneously cemented the fact that we can own our own house and car and provide for ourselves.

So onto the topic of what has become the swearword in the graduate office... marriage. If a girl is honest with herself, she would like to have a whirlwind romance, fall in love, get married and have an army of little babies that look just like her.

But unlike the good old days when a young fellow knew what he had to do to capture the heart of his fair maiden, there is now this awkward:

"Hi, I find you attractive but am in no way demeaning your role as a woman, I would like to marry you one day and have babies with you, but you look concerned about taking time off work, I also feel a little emasculated because your salary is close to mine. Can we go on a date. I'll pay, but you can pay if you want to. In fact lets go halves, in the name of equality."


Now we could place all the blame on the men, because lets face it, women are great and it's ALL their fault but it is likely this would be replied with:

"Hi, I find you really attractive don't find you attractive because it is demeaning for me to even admit that. I do not appreciate you paying for things because I can pay my own way really wish you would break your arms to pay for everything I want right now. I would love to go on a date with you can't go on a date because I have a meeting with a partner in the morning and am in direct competition with you. Please be a man and make such a grand romantic gesture that I can explain to all my friends that I just HAD to go out with you. I'll email you if I'm free."

I could go on and fully explain what I mean but I have Law School in the morning and I think the picture says it all. Its sad really, but I think I'll wear my Jaeger suit to the funeral. *sigh*

Hi, I'm not supposed to be blogging.

Hi,

I know its been a while hasnt it. I am not going to apologise because too many frequent apologies just means that its not true. Either you cease to act in the way that is causing the apology or you stop apologising (just incase you haven't realised I am choosing the latter)

Okay so I interned... and didn't write about that. It was regulating the porn industry :o. It was a shock to know how many people use porn everyday and the laws around it. But it made me sick to go into my internship and see certain images so I want to forget about that now.

Well. Guys. The reason why I am blogging at this hour of the morning instead of chiselling through a hefty file entitled 'Business Law and Practice' is because I have come to a realisation.

And it is this.

I know.

You are waiting... I really should just get on with it.

Well Lawyers are actually people who have a very very VERY large knowledge base. Since knowledge is power (or so the saying goes), Lawyers have much power.

Ho Hum! you say, nothing new under the sun there. Well no, there is something new. Its the sheer and utter ruthlessness of the legal industry, its the fact that they  we actually are helping ourselves 99% of the time and manage to convince YOU that we are helping YOU. Its ingenious really. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Power to the lawyer I say.

In the mean time, I am at law school and am blogging less. But please do have a read of my previous bloggings. They are interesting. They'll benefit you.

Promise x

Back with a bang

I won't apologise for disappearing for a little bit. I was busy busy busy packing my whole life into the obscenely large number of Ikea bags I've collected over the years. I suppose its an alternative use to this... :/

My new casa makes me smile. I could touch both sides of my old flat with one hand and now I can happily use a satnav to navigate the spacious bounds of my new (humble) abode. more importantly I have my makeshift walk-in wardrobe!!

I've been working incredibly hard in pink polish

I've been filling out training contract applications at the most fruitful and ripe time there has ever been, with the hope of actually securing one. Problem is there will be one or two things on a firms website that put me off and suddenly the 'Why do you want to work at Law McFirmison LLP?' question becomes hard. Then I stop filling it in.

Wearing MAC lipstick that I've forgotten the name of but it was limited edition so you'll never be able to get it anyway.

Getting angry about the business sec Vincy Boy proposing a graduate tax which will be linked to earning meaning that once again one is penalised for attempting to make a little bit more money for themselves... *sigh*. He is trying to manipulate the minds of the nation by saying things like if you are a social worker or teacher, you pay the same amount for your education as a commercial solicitor. Personally if I was a social worker or teacher I would be deeply offended. Is their education of a lower quality. And what about those people who want to study law THEN become teachers??

And once again the coalition government can't make a solid decision about whether to cut fees or increase fees. Its kind of expected when two seemingly opposed parties come together and try to make things work. I wish they would stop playing kiss chase now and just get on with the M&Arriage. I get it Nick, we were duped into thinking you were a democrat, like a liberal one and you're not.

Also a bit shocked by Slaughter & and May imposing a deadline of 30th July, 5pm! Get to CV and Covering lettering guys n gals.

I'll be a legal intern on Monday! Woopty, very exciting news, although I will have to go over the contract one more time before I let you know what it is I will be doing... I can say it does involve some very unorthodox legal regulation.

Finally been pretty disgusted by Ushers top lip too! I mean just why?? He even confesses that he helped play a part styling it. Sad times.

Farewell Halliwell(s)

We've already discussed what it means when a company goes into administration here and now commercial law firm Halliwells LLP has just eaten their slice of humble pie. (its not that >> Halliwell but they are equally as stylish!)

The firm was particularly close to my heart because I once applied to do an internship in their London office. About a day later they told me that they had recently reconsidered having vac schemes in their London office and that I should consider Manchester or Liverpool. I kindly declined the offer and thought it appropriate to point out that it would be nice if they could just ever so kindly take of the option for london from their website as I wasted very valuable time doing the application and really people should not have to suffer in such a manner.

Anyway they ignored me. In fact despite their recent crumble, they are still recruiting for a September 2012 start guys! (yay)

So the firm claims that “high property costs exacerbated by the current economic climate” have “adversely impacted [its] finances” however the business remains strong and assets will hopefully be sold to worthy and deserving firms.

Shiny new expensive building

As you can tell I am so totally interested in what will become of Halliwells, especially because I love them. Also because I didn't just write a whole blog post so I could complain about the fact that they made me do an application for no reason.

Emergency Fashion!

I know, I can be a bit dramatic with these titles, but it is important to get your attention. You know that it is my overall aim to entertain educate you with these blogs and since I was not an die-hard blogger during the election campaign, you will be subjected to my disdain of the coalition government through these random posts.

George Osborne (the wonderful chancellor) will be delivering the emergency budget and who knows what will actually crop up. There have been talks of tax increases and reducing a £6bn deficit, but as consumers, employees, business owners and fashion lovers, what effect will the budget have on us.

• The treasury is considering increasing alcohol duty by 5% - yes I know, the thought of paying more for alcohol seems ludicrous.

• VAT is likely to be hiked to approximately 20% - for those of you that are thinking so what. Remember the blissful times when VAT was at 15% and you would go to the till and everything would be just that bit cheaper. Well now your shopping experience will be tainted with a few more pounds coming out of your pocket, and your phone and restaurant bills looking higher than ever. 
• CGT (Capital Gains Tax) is likely to increase from 18% to 40% or even 50% - for shareholders and second home owners this is going to be tragic, if you have a second home and you are looking to sell then it will really effect how much you pocket.
• And the ever famous 1% rise in National Insurance for employees - the basis of the conserviative party campaign. Well. That will be going ahead of course, not because Gordy was correct and has done an excellent job bringing us through a global recession but because its the Lib Dems fault duh!

Whatever the outcome of the emergency budget, there is likely to be some form of strangulation squeeze on our pockets! To get the best info tomorrow, have a look at leading law firm Olswang's Budget Blog which will actually be interactive, so don't sit there scratching your heads, get your questions and answers in.

An emergency budget does mean emergency fashion. Here are examples of strange people looking good for less. I may add one of me later when I get onto my laptop. Check out where they got these low cost pieces at Blazer Whore and Through My Aiz:

(okay so I cut out my face because I was a little excited about the flash! Dress: Vintage Skirt hiked up, Belt: Primark, Boots: Barrats (but had for years), Cardigan: Vintage)

Birds of Feather...?

I have a flatmate who once called me a psycho here.

But then this SAME person consumed this:

It is supposed to be sugar covered strawberries as a light, healthy snack. 

I think if I can be classified as a psycho, then the saying birds of a feather flock together has been proven right here.

A little complaint: New Look

Okay so its New Look's turn to face my wrath. 

Its the shopping again. It wasn't real shopping, I wanted another pair of respectable trousers to wear to work. (By respectable I meant tailored harem so I could be appropriate for work and after work at the same time. leave me alone) I took advantage of their sale and bought a pair online - its the lack of spare time! So long story short, they came, I saw and I put them right there on the... well back in the bag ready for a refund. I decided that rather than post it back I would take it in store. Yes I didn't read the (very small) small print but the lady behind the till had absolutely no compassion for me. She gave me credit vouchers. She gave me credit vouchers for New Look. I mean seriously!? So I said okay I don't want to do the refund because if I return it by post I will get my money back. She told me she could no longer find the item I was talking about (they were behind her).

I must stress that I own ONE item of clothing/shoes/jewellery whatever from New Look and that is a pair of yummy Chino's since they were the only ones doing them at the time. I cannot imagine purchasing goods worth £12 from there in the near future. It was a painful experience and I have to complain about it. Its my blog and I can complain. Thats cool right.

A complaint: Office Shoes

Okay so this is me definitely complaining. What OFFICE has done is not illegal but it sure feels like it should be. Unfortunately they protect themselves by saying that essentially no contract is made between you and them until they post the goods, and you have no other choice but to accept this! Anyhoo let me tell you what happened.


So on 4th June I ordered these shoes from Office online:

Oooh, Aaah, Cute! Yes I felt the same way. They were on sale from £60 to £25 and I felt like after all my hard work I deserved to spend a little! 

1. I get my order confirmation 

2. I wait and wait and wait, since I PAID for 2 - 3 day delivery.

3. I hear nothing from Office and quite frankly did not realise that 6 days had passed.

4. On 10th June My funkyberry vibrates and I pick it up: You've Got Mail

5. I read the following message:

Dear Mr Funke Omisore

This is an automated email to confirm that due to limited stock availability the following item(s) could 'NOT' be dispatched to you from Office Shoes.

JIMINY CRICKET LACE UP - BURG/

This order has been cancelled and your credit / debit card will not be charged or will be refunded for the item(s).

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Office Shoes

The Distance Selling Regulations 2000 cover goods or services sold without face-to-face contact. They cover:

• the internet
• television
• mail order, including catalogue shopping
• phone and fax

The regulations say that:

• you must be given clear information about the goods or services before you buy
  
• goods must be delivered within thirty days unless agreed otherwise
• there is a ‘cooling off period’ where you can cancel the contract to buy for any reason

If they had limited stock they really should have a system that does not get ones hopes up in thinking that they have bought shoes when they really have not.


I am most disturbed by the fact that they called me MISTER and this is not the first time I have shopped with them... I have always been a Miss and did not get a sex change. 


I tried to find something in contract law or unfair contract terms (UCTA) to make this work in my favour. All I would get if I did win was money and I really wanted the shoes. SO now I am sad, sad that the shoes that I had already put outfits on reserve for will not be posted to my house.


Please do not buy things from OFFICE online and actually expect them to actually come. In store they have a 'no refund' policy which is another thing I do not like about them. They sell stunning shoes every now and again (if you can get past all the trainers at the door).


Rant over. I'll probably delete this when if rational thought kicks in.

I'm Well... Rounded!

So I've heard time and time again that when it comes to being the ideal candidate for employment in a high-flying law firm, one must be 'well rounded' (amongst other things). The thought occurred to my oh-so-normal mind that this is direct discrimination against those who just want to be square. I mean what if you just have an insatiable desire for straight lines and sharp 90 degree angles, don't like the fact that circles never end and want to get straight to the point really?


I have to ask myself what is the actual importance of having other interests, passions and hobbies. So you collect stamps, I guess that commitment will make you the perfect paper pusher? What if... what if I decide that all I will watch on TV is The Good Wife and Kevin Hill, and the only knock knock joke that makes me laugh is the one where the door gets opened and the person is in breach of Article 8 HRA (because all that knocking is really not respect for private family life, home or correspondence!) So my idea of a celebrity is Lord Denning and the last book I really read was 'Commercial Law' by Sealy and Hooley. 


Does it actually matter that my estate agent hates me for reading my tenancy agreement to such a degree that I happened to notice that the "Landlord" has illegally attempted to absolve himself of any legal obligation whatsoever with onerous clause after onerous clause! Yes I recite the Sale of Goods Act to stores that put up 'NO REFUND' signs because it makes me sick. I am allowed a refund. Actually. 


Goods supplied must be as described, and fit for purpose. If they are not, and you take them back to the retailer in a reasonable length of time you are entitled to a refund. Actually. 

So in my spare time I scour Bloomerg, CNN and Legal Week for the sauciest update in political, financial and legal news. So what I don't really have spare time. It doesn't matter if I happen to ask my boyfriend if he intends to establish a fiduciary relationship upon marriage...its only natural right. Threatening to sue T-Mobile for breach of contract is something everyone does (actually going through with it is the fun part though!).




Anyway for the Squares out there, Rectangles and even Oblongs,  I salute you. Be excited about your 18-hour working day in public, brandish your paper cuts battle wounds to your beloved and joyfully write in the 'skills' section of your application forms that you can run for a week on just espresso after espresso. Love law, love it with all some of your heart!


I am not quite with you of course... I like fashion, yes, beauty and pretty things. I have well-rounded friends. I am well rounded and this is my well rounded face.