Week Eight ushered in a noticeable shift in focus as the mock trial on Monday, July 31 became more and more real. While I still have plenty of assignments and projects from associates and partners of the firm, I have also started preparing for the mock trial. I learned this week that I will be playing the defense during the mock trial and that I will perform an opening statement, a direct, a cross, and a closing argument. I do not know who my opposing counsel will be, and it will stay that way until the date of the mock trial.
While the mock trial is very much on my mind, I continued my usual work for the firm. This week was especially exciting as I was assigned two projects from Frank Sheppard, RumbergerKirk Managing Partner. Frank gave me great latitude in completing my assignments and I cherished the opportunity to demonstrate my work product. One of my assignments for Frank involved a response to a demand letter, which was exciting as I drafted this from scratch and was encouraged to be creative with it. I have never responded to a demand letter before, so this was a great learning experience and a wonderful opportunity to expose myself to real legal work.
In preparation for the mock trial, the summer associates participated in the Evidence Workshop hosted by associate Reginald Guillaume. I have not taken evidence, yet, so I was extremely appreciative of this workshop as it helped equip me with necessary knowledge for the mock trial.
