Week four was a great week because I finally submitted my brief! When I first received the assignment I was a bit intimidated because of how large the record on appeal was, but I impressed myself with how much I accomplished and the amount of research I was able to complete. To tackle my goals, I decided it was best for me to write down all of the tasks I wanted to have competed by the end of each day and really stick to those time frames. Staying organized made the project feel more manageable and having self-discipline and sticking to that daily schedule really went a long way for me. I tend to overwhelm myself when I look at something in its entirety and think about everything that I have to complete. I’ve found that breaking a large task up into mini tasks helps me see that I am making a lot more progress than I realize! I’m one of those that likes to make a to-do list just to check things off. Once I began the revision process, it was amazing to me how many times I could keep revising the brief and still keep finding things to reorganize or small grammar errors I needed to correct. I had to force myself to step away from revising for a few hours because after reading the brief so many times, I found myself reading what I knew it was supposed to say and glazing right over the errors. It’s much better to revise with fresh eyes!

After I turned in my brief, I was given two assignments relating to the same case. The first assignment was to draft a motion for attorneys’ fees and the second was to research and write an accompanying memorandum analyzing whether a hearing is required before granting a motion to amend to assert a claim for punitive damages. Both of the assignments are due on Tuesday, so I will be doing most of the heavy lifting for those over the weekend. In the meantime, I’ve been becoming familiar with opposing counsel’s arguments on the motion to amend, the depositions, and the summary of the case.

The seminar on direct and cross examinations was cancelled this week and rescheduled for Monday. I am really looking forward to attending the seminar and workshop and seeing my fellow summer associates! It’s always nice to catch up with everyone each week. I enjoy hearing about what everyone else has been working on and comparing our summer experiences! It’s crazy to think that we will be halfway into the program next week!