This week was my first week on site. On Tuesday, I went to a hearing at the courthouse in Phoenix, in addition to going through cases involving social media and family law and narrowing down any interesting ones I find. With the help of my on-site mentor, I was able to obtain a list of cases involving social media in order to help with my research. On Wednesday, I helped the paralegal and learned my way around the office a bit more. I organized all the bills and prepared them to be sent out, and I learned how to file things within the system that the office uses. On Thursday, instead of going to the office, one of my mentors let me accompany him to a trial that he had been preparing for. He had to ask the judge ahead of time for me to observe but the judge said it was fine for me to sit in the courtroom during the trial for educational purposes. Overall, my week was very exciting and busy. I'm very pleased with all of the opportunities I've been given to watch and learn, and I'm looking forward to immersing myself even further into this field over the course of my internship.
If anyone from outside my school (or anyone who doesn't know) is interested, I will be posting at least once a week over the next two and a half months (except for maybe one week for spring break, we'll see, I might do it then anyway).
See you next week!
Hi Megan,
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great first week! What was the trial about? What were your impressions after observing the trial?
Mr. Bloom
Thanks Mr. Bloom! It really was a great first week. The trial was about a financial issue between two recently divorced parties, more specifically regarding child support and alimony. The trial will not conclude until May, but observing the first half of the trial was an interesting experience. The mock trials that we did in my intro to law class were very helpful, as I was very able to follow what was going on.
DeleteI had a similar week--I'm surprised I didn't run into you at the courthouse! Are you using Loislaw or Westlaw for your research, or something else? Was your attorney representing the plaintiff or defendant at the trial? What was the cause of action?
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael! Which courthouse were you at? I've been to two so far: one in Mesa and one in Phoenix close to where my internship is. I believe I'm going to the courthouse again today as well! Maybe I'll see you there. I'm using a website called "X1" which pulls cases from different databases based upon a key search term (the one I'm using is "social media"). Do Loislaw and Westlaw work well? If so, do you think that either might help in my search? My attorney was representing the plaintiff in the trial. I don't know how much I can say (because the trial will not conclude until May at the earliest), but it was about a financial issue between two recently divorced parties concerning a change in child support and alimony based upon a change in income (of the defendant, of course).
DeleteSounds like you've had a lot of practical experience this week! Working at a law firm involves many often overlooked day-to-day operations, I am sure!
ReplyDeleteI am also eager to hear more about the trial that you attended and the database that you are using for your research. Are you finding any key search terms to be particularly helpful?
Thanks Ms. Mitrovich! It was very exciting to watch a trial up close, especially because it was interesting to see Mr. Levine (who has a wonderful reputation within the realm of family law) in court. It was a full day trial and the judge actually allotted more time for the case to continue in May, so I don't know how it will end up yet but it was an exciting experience. It was very similar to the mock trials we did in my intro to law course and so I was able to follow what was going on very easily. The judge was very nice and allowed me to sit in on the trial and leave if and when I needed to take a break for any reason. I also learned some strategies from Mr. Levine in the process. It was a very exciting day! I'm actually using a website that pulls cases from different databases called "X1". My on-site mentor helped me search for cases by searching the tag "social media" and I currently have a list of almost 900 cases to look through for ones that pertain to family law. The search is going well, as the website provides a brief excerpt of the case on the side wherever the key words "Facebook", "Twitter", "Myspace", and "LinkedIn" are mentioned.
DeleteThat sounds fun and exciting! I'm glad you're enjoying your internship! What was the hearing about?
ReplyDeleteThanks Sejal! The hearing was about a couple in the middle of a divorce. Unfortunately, the hearing was very short as all that happened was the establishment of paternity for their two children. It seemed that the two parties were in the beginning of the struggle. However, it was still fun to observe and learn about what goes on in these hearings.
DeleteLaw can be pretty intimidating if someone isn't helping you around, so it's good that you were allowed to sit-in for the case. I want to know what you found most interesting about the case.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dylan! You're right about that, I'm very lucky to have three experienced people guiding me and helping me to learn at my internship! The trial wasn't anything like you see on television; however it did remind me a lot of the mock trials we did in my intro to law class. The judge was so nice and calm and welcoming and fair. I would have to say that the most interesting part of it was watching how different lawyers operate. I've seen unprepared lawyers, I've seen stubborn ones, I've seen aggressive ones and calm ones. It's cool to see what different approaches are most effective I suppose. I don't know how much I can reveal about the case, but I can say that I found it relatively easy to tell when someone may be bending the truth. I love that part of it, how the evidence wins out in the end.
DeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteI am very excited that you are enjoying your internship. You are doing an excellent job of protecting the privacy of the clients and your cases. You will be fine with providing information about the cases you observe, just do not provide any information that would allow us to identify the parties in the case.
Of the attorneys you have observed and their different approaches, which would you say makes the better advocate? Have any of the cases you observed involved social media as evidence?
Thanks Miss Torres! It is good to hear that I am censoring the information well.
DeleteI believe that, at least from what I have seen in family law, the more and assertive attorneys (in general) make better advocates. There has been one case in particular that involved social media as evidence; however, I did not personally witness that part of the case. Mr. Levine told me about the social media evidence involved in the case after I went to a hearing for the case.