Week 3 in Guam

It’s the end of week 3 here in Guam and its hard to believe I’m already at the half-way mark in my externship. I’ve gotten great feedback on my decision and order and hopefully when Judge Unpingco is back from vacation on next week he’ll make a final ruling on the restitution matter.

Over the last week I’ve had a chance to learn about the role of the Public Guardian. The Public Guardian oversees incapacitated adults who have been abandoned or awarded to the state. I had the opportunity to audit what looks like the general ledger of each client’s estate. Although the role of the Public Guardian is not glamorous work for most attorneys I found it very interesting especially since I was able to heavily use my accounting skills to ensure each client’s estate will support their future needs. I probably scrutinized and questioned more than was necessary but it was rewarding to see my concerns acknowledged.

Over the last week I also had an opportunity to participate in an evidentiary hearing involving an “alienation of affection” claim. Alienation of affection is a matter usually involving divorcing spouses, where infidelity has occurred and the non-cheating spouse is suing the lover of the cheating spouse for damages. Guam is one of the very few jurisdictions that still recognize this old common law. However I’ve also come to learn you may not want to be a mistress in Mississippi, Illinois, North Carolina, South Dakota or Hawaii, who also recognizes these type claims.

Next week, I’ll be transitioning from Judge Unpingco’s chambers and moving into Judge Sukola’s chambers. I’ve heard some interesting stories about Judge Sukola –so far I’ve gotten the impression I’ll be working for Judge Judy ;o)

I’ve come to learn that Guam is much more westernized than I imagined. My nephew made me laugh really hard when he was amazed to learn that people actually drive cars in Guam. I too thought coming to Guam might be like going to Mars, but I’ve been mistaken. The teenagers here are big fans of T.I., Lil Kim and other main stream artists. I recently visited Micronesia Mall and the first department store I saw was MACYS! I also visited the tourist district of Tumon, which the locals call Japan’s playground. The streets were lined with brand names we all know very well, Hyatt Resort, Hooters, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, Coach, Burberry, Chanel and more. I also had an interesting conversation with a marshal at the court house who knew all about Georgia’s peach pies, sweet tea, collard greens and fried catfish. I laughed so hard to hear the excitement in his voice as he spoke with a southern slang and Chamorro accent.

My encounter and shock with the big coconut crabs has been replaced by a recent earth quake and wild pigs. Two nights ago, about 1:00 am I nearly jumped out of my skin because I thought someone had broken into my hotel room and was shaking my bed. I soon realized the whole room was shaking and there were no intruders. The earthquake didn’t last long, but definitely has been my scariest experience so far.

My classmate Lee and I visited Talofofo Falls, which is described as an Island Jungle. I thought my greatest fear would be looking out for snakes, spiders and lizards, but towards the end of our hike we were greeted by a family of wild pigs! The baby pigs seemed very friendly and accustomed to seeing humans, but the grunt of the big papa pig in the trees, made me get out of dodge quick!

My weekend ended with a tour of Andersen Airforce base. Stacy, an assistant at the Public Defender’s Office and her husband Frank showed Lee and I a really good time. The highlight of my trip to the base was POPEYES chicken. There’s nothing like a 2 piece, red beans and rice and a biscuit! ;o)

I’m starting to miss home and have started counting down the days til I return. More pics about my experience are posted at the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22542&id=1498807038&l=10b0034c28

Week 1 in Guam

My first week in Guam has flown by. I have been assigned to work for two different judges, a male, Justice Unpingco and a female, Justice Sukola. I recently finished my first assignment in Judge Unpingcos Chambers, which involved writing a decision and order for a restitution hearing. Restitution is where a victim seeks compensation for losses incurred, when another commits a crime against him/her. My case involved a juvenile defendant who burglarized residential property. Amazingly I thought I would fight strongly for the victim, but ended up only recommending a portion of what he desired due to what the statutes and other case law allowed. I can’t wait to get feedback and it will be icing on the cake if the case is heard before I leave. If so perhaps I’ll get to see portions of my opinion published as part of the judge’s final ruling.

The primetime case that I have experienced thus far involves 10 different defendant cops, who will be represented by 9 different attorneys. The cops have been accused of unlawful beatings of up to 20 different victims. I suspect the case will have strong racial tension because all of the cops were from one village, while all of the victims were from another lower-class village. The case has so many parties and witnesses that most of the proceedings will have to occur in rental facilities outside of the Guam Judiciary. The Guam Judiciary does not have a facility large enough to hold the case. I thought the judge was joking when he said the jury selection process may occur in a tent outside of the court house to save trial costs. Apparently a pool of 500 jurors will be needed to select the 2 dozen jury members that will be needed.

On to FUN STUFF…on last Friday night a few of the other interns and I hung out at a local tavern. The tavern had a live band and to our surprise one of the band members was a current Superior Court Judge Perez. It was funny to see the judge on the bench in robe by day and rocking out on the guitar by night.

On my way back from the tavern I saw what looked like the biggest crab hiking across the road. I had one virgin drink at the tavern so I know I was pretty coherent. The next day I told a local what I saw and he mentioned it must have been a coconut crab. I got to see a coconut crab up close at the Chamorro Village. One of the locals had it as a pet. I understand you can eat coconut crabs and most times people eat them before they grow to their largest size. Chamorro Village, which is named after the local Chamarros, is open every Wednesday and is an outdoor market place with lots of local food and festivities.


On last Saturday, Catrina, Cindy and I hung out at a local beach resort. Catrina moved to Guam almost 10 months ago and is working for a local law firm. Catrina went to law school at UF, with an old high school classmate of mine and we connected by way of Facebook. Catrina has been the BEST TOUR GUIDE EVER! Cindy is a friend of Catrina’s who is here in Guam on assignment with the IRS. Cindy treated us to tons of perks at the Fiesta Beach Resort. We ate from one of the biggest buffets I’ve ever seen, watched a few local dancers and chatted like old girlfriends while we watched the sunset on the beach. The most interesting thing I ate was Asian Shaved Iced. Asian Shaved Ice is a dessert that has crushed ice, condensed milk, sweet paste and beans, some of which look like soft jelly beans but taste nothing like jell beans ;o). I fell asleep near the pool and was awakened by the excitement of another crab running across the deck. This one was not so big, but still I think I’m going to be on the look-out for “THE CRABS!”

Last Sunday, I hung out again with Catrina at Gun Beach. We met up with a few mutual friends of Catrina who are on duty in Guam with the US Airforce. It was so HOT I thought Satan just might show up with a lawn chair. I absolutely will not go to the beach before 4pm again. TOO MUCH heat even for a Floridian. Sunday night, I got a surprise visit from Lee, another law student from John Marshall. He is my next door neighbor and will be working at the Public Defender’s Office this summer.

Well it is after 9pm here in Guam on Wednesday evening. These days I can’t keep my eyes open past 10pm. Tomorrow is my Friday since I’ve arranged a schedule to work only Mon-Thurs. Tootles for now!