Another week in the books, and this one was even better than the last! We started the week off strong by attending an Opening and Closing Seminar, where Partner Rob Blank walked us through the details of each in order to prepare us for the workshop. Each summer associate was assigned either an opening statement or closing argument to give for either the plaintiff or defense. I was assigned the defense closing argument. What made the workshop even more valuable is that the facts we were given came from a real case, so the assignment really helped us to prepare for real-life litigation.
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to watch my mentor, Associate Blake Bonsack, argue a motion to dismiss for fraud in front of a judge. His arguments were clear, concise, and persuasive. I really enjoyed being able to watch it, as it was the first time I had ever watched a motion being argued.
The following day, Rob and I met with a client for lunch in preparation for the deposition that the client was going to give later that day. Again, this was the first time I had ever been able to watch a deposition, and our client handled the questions really well. I am excited to attend more depositions throughout the summer to learn how the questions vary depending on who is being deposed.
Friday quickly rolled around, and I was excited to see all of the summer associates who traveled to the Tampa office for the workshop. You could tell that all of us were a bit nervous, but it was so fun watching everyone give their statements and seeing all of the different styles that each of us had. After each person advocated, we went through everyone’s feedback, and it was really insightful! I am looking forward to taking everyone’s comments and implementing them into my advocacy, especially for the mock trial that we will be participating in at the end of the summer. When the workshop was completed, we all had lunch at Columbia Restaurant, which is Florida’s oldest restaurant! The food was incredible, and the waiter sang to us no less than three times.
Overall, my first full week in the Tampa office was one full of opportunity, new experiences, and learning!
