Week three went by in a blink of an eye! On Monday, I attended the Associate College luncheon, where I learned more about internal practices for discovery requests and ate delicious Mediterranean food. It was insightful to learn about firm practices for responding to and propounding discovery requests, such as procedures for reaching out to accounting and billing and calendaring deadlines. Later, I worked on my Deposition workshop homework and looked at samples to formulate creative deposition questions.
On Tuesday, I began researching and drafting a Motion to Strike Plaintiff’s Pleadings for Perpetrating Fraud upon the Court for partner Suzanne Singer. Prior to drafting the motion, I enjoyed reading the deposition transcripts, answer to the complaint, and verified interrogatories within the case. Learning the case’s crucial details made drafting the motion a seamless process.
After working on the motion, I attended the Depositions workshop, which partner David Marsey led. I asked the deponent questions that I had prepared and received positive feedback. I was excited to use some skills I learned from Trial Advocacy last semester. This workshop has been one of my favorites because I could apply practical skills I learned from the Depositions seminar last week and from taking a Trial Advocacy course in law school. David did an amazing job at teaching us invaluable real-world tips for taking depositions. It was a pleasure to listen to him give us positive and constructive feedback because it will help us improve our deposition questions, composure, and demeanor in practice.
On Wednesday, I had a follow-up meeting with partner Brett Carey on billing, which was helpful because I asked questions about how I should bill for specific entries. Later, Malina and I spoke with Paul Lipton, Director of Professionalism, Career and Skill Development at the firm, about his podcast episode titled “Don’t Lose Yourself in the Mask” within the “On Civility” podcast series. We had an insightful discussion about the value of developing a personal code, pre-intellectual awareness, and being true to your principles when faced with an opposing counsel who behaves unethically. I learned a ton from our discussion with Paul and listening to the podcast episode. My favorite part of the episode was when Paul spoke about concepts he shares in his novel, Hour of the Wolf: An Experiment in Ageless Living, reminding us the importance of appreciating each day, to calendar yourself into your day, give your friends and family your undivided attention, and that life is an adventure. He encouraged us to recognize that we are all part of a grand story and not to forget to have fun!
On Thursday, I attended my third attorneys’ luncheon, where my fellow summer associate Malina Lapenes presented two intriguing slip-and-fall cases. I enjoyed learning about the nuances of the notice requirement for those cases because I was not familiar with this area of law. Later on, I continued to work on the Motion to Strike Plaintiff’s Pleadings for Perpetrating Fraud upon the Court for Suzanne, with the immense help of associate Brittney Polo.
On Friday, after reviewing medical records and other case documents, I wrapped up my draft of the motion. Malina and I attended Administrative Partner Scott Sarason’s Expert Deposition which was insightful because numerous exhibits were entered and layered questions were asked to the deponent. After attending the deposition, Malina and I debriefed our observations and notes with Scott and partner Michael Holt. I learned how the line of questioning differed between a fact witness deposition and an expert witness.
Ultimately, I learned so much this week and am excited to see what next week brings!
