With so much to do, I can hardly believe that only a week has passed. Since my last reflection, I have sat in on an expert witness deposition and a mediation, drafted an article for the firm, and participated in an opening statement/closing argument workshop in the firm’s Tampa office.
To start the week off, I sat in on one of associate Devin Topper’s mediations, which would have been the first mediation I observed. Unfortunately, the plaintiff was mysteriously unable to attend the mediation, which meant that we had to reschedule for a later date. After this, I drafted both a preservation of evidence letter and a contact letter for Devin in two different cases. Later, I worked on an article for the firm to highlight potential new risks in a certain field of law.
On Tuesday, I attended an opening statement and closing argument seminar hosted by Rob Blank, a partner in the Tampa office and a renowned trial attorney. Rob provided excellent advice on best practices during some of the most critical parts of a trial. Afterward, we were assigned roles for our opening and closing workshop, to be hosted in Tampa on Friday. I was closing for the plaintiff, which was exciting as I have never closed on the plaintiff’s side in a civil case. I was also looking forward to the workshop as it would allow me to visit the Tampa office and meet the attorneys and staff there.
The rest of the week flew by as the workshop drew nearer. During this time, I worked on the Daubert motion that serves as the writing competition for the summer associates. The writing competition is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our writing skills with a fairly complex motion.
Once the work day came to a close on Thursday, I headed off for Tampa! On Friday, the first half of the day was dedicated to the workshop where each summer associate performed their assigned part of the trial. In return, the other summer associates and attorneys would give feedback on their performance. Once we finished, the Tampa attorneys treated us to lunch at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, which was an incredible time! The whole Tampa office is fantastic, and it was a pleasure getting to meet them all. It truly was a great way to “close” the week!
