This week was almost entirely spent preparing for the mock trial on Monday. Jeff and I had practice every day this past week and we were fortunate to have several attorneys sit in. Getting a variety of feedback from everyone was so helpful! I decided to head to Orlando on Friday after work so I could get settled in and wouldn’t have to worry about traveling and practicing on Sunday.

On Sunday, Jeff and I went to the Orlando office to get a feel for the conference room that our trial was going to be in. The room is in a “U” shape, so we tried to figure out where everyone would be seated, where we should position ourselves throughout the various portion of the trial, and we made sure we knew how to use the technology. Before practice, we had dinner with Michaela and Freddy. The four of us had not seen each other since orientation during the first few days of summer, so it was great to see everyone again and catch up!

Monday was the big day! I set my alarm for 5:00 am and practiced everything on my own for a few hours before heading to the office to practice with Jeff. I was pretty nervous on Monday and hardly ate anything all day, which in hindsight probably wasn’t a great idea. I got pretty hungry during the second trial and had to resort to discreetly eating almost all of the Icebreakers Mints I brought with me. Once I was able to get my feet wet, the nerves started to go away and I had a great time! The trial was so much fun and I was curious to see what themes and arguments opposing counsel came up with. My favorite part of the day (aside from happy hour) was closing arguments at the end of the day! I felt such an accomplishment, after all of the hours put into reading the record and practicing, to see it all come together during my closing. After both trials, everyone was able to relax and mingle at happy hour.

I can’t believe this coming week will be my last week of the Summer Associate Program! I have had such a great experience and everyone has been so kind and helpful. I am so sad to see it come to an end.