What a week! I may have consumed multiple cups of coffee every day, and I was probably the most excited to see my bed at the end of every day, but I made it through another hectic and rewarding part of the program! This week was especially busy because mock trial practices started first thing on Monday. Our mock trial schedule consists of practicing every day for at least an hour or two with our coaches for the two weeks leading up to the trial. As my last week’s blog stated, Freddy and I are each other’s co-counsel for the mock trial, so we were able to get great feedback from the Orlando and Miami attorneys all week during practices. It’s great having multiple viewpoints from different associates and partners and receiving insight from experienced attorneys that have tried many cases throughout their career.

Another big thing I had to prepare for this week was presenting at the Attorney Luncheon on Wednesday! During these luncheons, one associate is chosen to conduct a case review, which is essentially presenting three Florida District Court of Appeal or Supreme Court cases that were decided within the last week or two. This is done a couple times a month so that the firm can stay updated on developing case law. A partner is also chosen to give a presentation, after the associate, usually on a topic in their area of practice. This may sound pretty straight-forward and easy, but a lot of preparation went into my presentation! First, I had to train on Trial Director, which can be utilized as an aid during trial and the program I used to create my presentation. By the time Wednesday came around, I felt confident in my preparation on the three cases I chose and on my general knowledge of how to use Trial Director (the last thing I wanted was unexpected technical difficulties during my presentation!). It ended up being a full house in the boardroom and overall, I thought my presentation went well. I was given helpful feedback and advice. My public speaking has definitely transformed over the last few years, and I’m grateful my time at RK has improved my skills even more!

On Thursday, I was able to squeeze in attending a deposition with Orlando associate and one of my mentors. The deposition was for an insurance case, and the deposed party was a corporate representative that secured an assignment of benefits from the homeowner. Having opportunities every once in a while to get out of the office and observe depositions, hearings, etc., is what makes being a trial attorney so exciting, and I’m very thankful for those practical opportunities when they come up.