Week 3: Motion Practice & More
Week 3: Motion Practice & More
Ella Biggins, Florida State University
I drafted my first motion of the summer. Throughout the process, I communicated with the supervising attorney with any questions. Once I implemented the attorney’s feedback, we sent it to the client who also had some ideas. I got the opportunity to implement the client’s ideas into the drafted motion. You don’t learn much about client relations in law school so this was the perfect opportunity to interact with a client and understand how to involve them in the process if they wish to be hands-on. It felt great to get some substantive feedback on my work so I can continue to develop and improve my work product.
Madison Buckley, University of Florida
BREAKING NEWS: Summer Associate Actually Uses Firm Library! I know this may come as a shock, but the library is actually a very good place for research. This week I finally met my match with a research assignment that I was running in circles with online. A visit to the library proved to be the right call. Sometimes there is just so much online that when you do a search there is just too much to sort through.
In addition to our visit to the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, we had a wonderful seminar on how to argue a motion hearing in front of a judge. Partners Dan Gerber and Sam Duke to give us an incredible explanation of how to outline our arguments, what to keep in mind when preparing, and how to actually conduct ourselves in the courtroom. All of this is really getting me excited for the day I actually step foot as an attorney in the court room.
Jordan Benatar, University of Florida
Another great week at RumbergerKirk in the books. This week, I was able to sit in on two depositions, one with associate Jessica Gross and one with partner Scott Sarason. Prior to this week, I had never observed a deposition before so it was a real learning experience for me. What was really great was that Jessica was the one conducting her deposition and Scott was the one defending his deposition, so I was able to see how both sides of a deposition operate.
Evan Thomas, Florida International University
This week we focused on learning about motion practice. On Thursday, we attended a seminar with partners Dan Gerber and Samantha Duke. They taught us how to argue a motion at a hearing. After the seminar ended, we were given a fact pattern about an employee (the Plaintiff) who is filing a negligence suit against his employer (the Defendant). In addition to the fact pattern, we were given a limited universe of case law to support our arguments. Each summer associate was assigned to represent one of the two clients and on Tuesday, we will argue either for or against a motion to compel arbitration against another summer associate. There is nothing better than a little in-house competition between the summer associates!
Mary Hudson, University of Florida
This week, partner Dan Gerber invited us to an Orlando Aviation Authority board meeting. My first assignment was a project for Dan, so it was a special treat to get to see a Sunshine meeting in person.
We spent a lot of time with Dan this week, as him and partner Samantha Duke led the motion practice seminar. The seminar centered around how to quickly get your point across and ask for the relief your client wants in a clean, concise way. Currently, I am mid-preparation for the motion practice workshop, where we will argue our client’s position against another summer associate. There is a closed universe of cases and limited facts, so I have been developing a creative argument.
Chris Jablonski, Washington and Lee University
This past week was a busy, but probably my favorite thus far. First, I had a variety of assignments that I completed, turned in, and received evaluations on. The associates and partners who evaluated my work were incredibly nice and offered great constructive criticism that I am excited to apply to my future assignments.
The summer associates in the Orlando office attended two unique events this week. On Wednesday we attended the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority board meeting with partner Dan Gerber and even got to meet Orlando Mayor Demings. On Friday, we had lunch with Judge Gibson of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court. We discussed the law and the ins and outs of the courtroom, but also just made conversation and cracked jokes. We all had a great time. This week flew by and I made memories that will stick with me for years to come. Bring on week four!
Hannah Klonowski, Stetson University
This week in the office provided me with so many different opportunities. The Orlando Summer Associates were invited by partner Dan Gerber to attend the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) board meeting at the Orlando airport. A few of the summer associates also sat in on a deposition prep session, which was very interesting. After doing our deposition seminar and workshop last week, I had at least some idea of how attorneys prepare for a deposition, but I didn’t realize how much work went into preparing a client.
Besides being at the GOAA meeting and deposition prep, we also had our Motion Practice Seminar and I learned a lot about the procedure and substance of a motion hearing. I’m looking forward to the Motion Workshop this coming week because I’m hoping that I’ll be able to use some of the skills I’ve honed over my time on Stetson’s Moot Court team to make an effective argument during our practice hearing.