After waiting for nearly a year, the day finally arrived to start the Summer Associate Program. I traveled from Tampa to Orlando on Monday evening and checked into the AC Hotel, excited to meet everyone the next morning.
On Tuesday morning, I walked over to the Orlando office, where the other summer associates and I had breakfast with firm attorneys and staff. It was great to finally meet everyone and learn more about them. After breakfast, we toured the Orlando office and participated in training sessions to learn more about the firm and its policies. In the afternoon, we had lunch at The Bohemian Hotel with attorneys Erica Clements and Matt Smith. Afterwards, we returned to the office for additional training before ending the day with dinner at Sixty Vines alongside Director of Human Resources and Legal Recruitment Karen Garcia and attorneys Mary Hudson, Nick Sellas, Hannah Steele, and Reggie Guillaume.
The following day, we returned to the Orlando office for a few more training sessions and enjoyed lunch together before wrapping up orientation. Afterward, it was time to head back to Tampa and begin work in my new office.
On Thursday morning, I arrived at the Tampa office, where I was greeted by my mentor, Renee Duffy. After settling into my office, I grabbed coffee with attorneys and paralegals and attended a meeting with Renee and expert witnesses. During lunch, we attended a presentation by ESi, a company that develops Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), and learned how data from those systems can play a role in vehicle accident investigations and liability analyses.
That afternoon, Tampa’s office administrator Brenda Williams-Bringhurst gave me a tour of the office, and I attended the weekly attorney update meeting. I wrapped up the day at a firm happy hour, where I had the opportunity to connect with everyone in the office. As a special welcome, I was also gifted an orchid by the firm. It’s beautiful, and we will see how long I can keep it alive.
On Friday, I continued my training, began work on my first assignments and had the opportunity to attend a site inspection with Renee. It was a great way to end an exciting and memorable first week as a RumbergerKirk summer associate.
