Last week was an exciting travel week! On Wednesday, Serena and I flew to Tampa for the Opening Statements and Closing Arguments Workshop. Thursday morning, the summer associates all went to the Hillsborough County Courthouse to each give a ten-minute opening statement or closing argument.
Serena and I both had closing arguments, but each represented different parties. We gave the arguments in front of the jury box, which consisted of Partner Rob Blank and associates from the Tampa office. This was my first time giving a closing argument, so I was nervous but excited. This workshop was extremely helpful for the mock trial. I know how I can improve based on the feedback I received and it helped to do the workshop live and in-person.
After our morning in the courthouse, we all went to lunch at the Columbia in Tampa. The restaurant had such an amazing atmosphere and food. A couple other attorneys from the Tampa office met us at lunch so we had a large group! I loved meeting everyone in Tampa and cannot begin to describe how welcoming they were. After lunch, we went to the Tampa office to get a tour and returned to Miami later that day.
On our flight home, Serena and I saw the most amazing sunset. Overall, what an amazing experience. I am learning a lot about myself in this process and finding what works best for me in a trial-like setting.
