This past week was a great one not only because of the closing argument workshop that all of the summer associates had to participate in, but also because I got to work on projects for seven different attorneys! Week 6 might have been the busiest week yet, and certainly one of the most eventful.

As soon as I arrived at the office on Monday, I already had three assignments waiting on my desk to complete by the end of the week. The first entailed preparing a release for one of our clients in a case in which we settled with a co-defendant, and the second and third involved researching complex state statutes and federal issues. A few of the cases that I found were utilized in one of our motions for summary judgment, which was a great feeling!

Also on Monday, the other summer associates and I attended a seminar on opening statements and closing arguments given by Rob Blank, a partner at the Tampa office. After, we were provided with the problem for Friday’s closing argument workshop, where each summer associate would perform a closing argument in front of attorneys from the Tampa office and then receive constructive criticism. Luckily, the case was extremely interesting, and everyone gave great closings on Friday. The harshest feedback I received was to wear a darker-colored tie and have my dress shirts tailored so that my cuffs did not show as much, so I was happy with my performance.

When I was not writing the script for my closing argument and practicing with my mentor, I was working on preparing summaries of plaintiffs’ discovery responses in various third-party insurance cases and a summary of loss sections for several case evaluations. Even though I had completed similar projects in the past, I enjoyed honing in my skills even further and receiving more advice on how to continue improving my writing. 

Lastly, on Thursday morning, I was afforded with the opportunity to attend two motion calendar hearings with two associates, which partner Darryl Gavin from the Orlando office also came down for. Fortuitously, the hearings were both in front of the same judge, so I was able to easily observe both. Both hearings were also in the judge’s chambers, rather than in his courtroom, which I found interesting and had not seen before.