The week began by having all four of the summer associates arrive at the Orlando office for training. We began the day with a delicious breakfast, followed by some housekeeping matters, and our very first Rumberger photo shoot! The photo shoot was a great way to break the ice since we couldn’t stop laughing at each other’s “natural” poses. After training, all of the summer associates and many of the Orlando staff went to the Great Escape Experience. When we arrived, a group of children had just escaped from the room we were about to be locked into for an hour, so we had no choice but to escape the room. After about 49 minutes, we escaped! We all went downstairs afterwards for a delicious dinner at The Harp & Celt Irish Pub. Once we arrived back at the house, Michaela and I talked all about our day and went to bed by 9:30! I cannot remember the last time I turned in that early!

The next day, we completed training in Orlando and all of the summer associates returned to our respective cities that afternoon. When I arrived at the Tampa office, I was given another tour and was reintroduced to everyone. Everyone was so warm and welcoming! I was then given a list of assignments to complete and began working on a summary of discovery. Wednesday was my first full day at the Tampa office. I continued to work on my summary of discovery and was given a five-inch stack (yes, I actually measured it) of medical records to sort through! That afternoon, I went to lunch with two associates where we discussed different cases, being a first year associate, and, of course, the royal wedding—we are all big fans of Meghan’s dress!

On Thursday, I spent the majority of my day working on my summary of discovery and got through about 3 inches of the stack of medical records! At around 11:30, I went to lunch with Meredith Fee, Carie Hall, and partner Rob Blank. I learned a little about what life was like for Carie when she was a first-time mom, Meredith’s life as a dog mom (which isn’t always glamorous), and I learned that Rob’s pet peeve is wearing jerseys to sporting games. Although, I was immediately informed that there is a picture of him floating around the office wearing a Lightning jersey to a Lightning-Capitals game at their home ice!

On Friday, I was able to attend an incredibly interesting mediation and spent the rest of the day finishing up my summary for discovery. My first week was incredibly busy and I averaged working about 11 hours each day and even came to the office over the weekend. However, it has also been an incredibly fun week and I have learned so much already. The days flew by and I really enjoyed getting to know everyone better. This feels like the perfect fit for me!