I cannot believe the Summer Associate Program is coming to an end! But you know what they say, time flies when you’re having fun. The past two weeks have been awesome and, just like every other week, I learned a lot.
Last week, I spent a good bit of time preparing some memos for Rob Blank in preparation of an evidentiary hearing that I was able to attend. It was my first time being in front of a judge in person, and I am really glad that I had that opportunity. My favorite part was hearing arguments being made – and they were the same arguments that I included in my memos!
On Sunday, I traveled to Orlando and reunited with all of the summer associates at the office where we practiced with each other ahead of the mock trial. When we were done, we went to Solitas for dinner and had incredible chips, guac and drinks!
The next morning is the day we had been anticipating for weeks – the day of the mock trial! All of the summer associates met bright and early at the office where we had the opportunity to meet and prep the witnesses that we would be calling during the trial. When we were done, we all headed to the courthouse and began setting up in our courtroom. Fun fact: we did our mock trial in the same court room that the Casey Anthony trial was held, which was kind of surreal. Before we knew it, the judge was calling the case and everything went into action. The witnesses did a PHENOMENAL job and really helped to keep the good vibes going. I had such a fun time trying the case with my co-counsel, Erica, who did a really great job (everyone did!).
When the trial was over, we headed back to the office where a happy hour was set up for us. It was well done, and really thoughtful! Towards the end, partner Patrick Delaney made some announcements and I was so honored to hear that I had been voted Best Advocate! Along with that, Erica and I were also voted Best Team! It was really rewarding to see all the hard work paying off and I couldn’t have done it without all of the attorneys who took the time out of their busy schedules these past few weeks to help us prepare. Special shout out to my mentor, associate Blake Bonsack, who bounced around ideas with us for hours!
After the happy hour, the summer associates and some attorneys had an amazing dinner at Boca. We also had amazing conversations reflecting on the past ten weeks. I am sad that the summer is coming to an end, but I am walking away knowing that I gained knowledge and experience that I truly wouldn’t have found anywhere else. I can’t wait to see how I will be able to use it going forward!
