Posts

Reflection

Four components of the Capstone Project are   critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Having my mentor explain the mechanics that go into every case he prepares, forced me to think more critically when trying to process everything he was telling me. I learned how to understand this overall process better and also see the critical thinking that comes along with the job itself. Communication, I was able to communicate with different types of people during my hours, different lawyers and judges whom all had different opinions. My mentor himself emphasized the importance of communication in law, and the sole purpose is to communicate your argument. I was also able to collaborate with different lawyers, as they helped me understand the process better and show me aspects of their job. I was able to also see the collaboration of my mentor and another lawyer whom he was working with on his case. I learned that collaboration does not end with this project, and will...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 10, 14 April 2017

For my last time meeting with my mentor, we just went back to his law firm and he introduced to more people who worked there. We sat down and he showed me his schedule, and future cases he had coming up. He said some of them were in San Jose, and said that part of being a lawyer is commuting to a lot of places for your trials. He taught me how to file some of his papers and how to make some calls to the clients. He told me communication is huge aspect of being a lawyer, and if you don't know how to communicate then you're not doing your job. He told me it's mixed with a lot of time management, pressure, and a sense of competitiveness. He said it's a lot of commitment to become a lawyer, but in the end he enjoys his job. He showed me what you need to do to become one. You have to get bachelors degree, then you have to go to law school, pass the bar exam. It's a lot of work to become one, but he seems to like it. From this I was able to learn the steps to take to actu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Nine, 10 April 2017

Another brief yet interesting day. My mentor and I went back to the courthouse in Hayward to speak with one of the judges about his current case. He simply needed to make an appearance with his client and ask to reschedule some dates. The other lawyer failed to have his client show up, which is why the dates needed to be changed. My mentor, however, was busy on all available days, so the judge asked my mentor to hire someone to show up in his place. My mentor then asked me to wait inside the courtroom as he went to the back of the room to get some files. As I sat down, another trial was happening before me. It was those glass windows again, and there was an inmate in his orange jumpsuit standing behind the glass window. He was speaking to the judge directly and he asked his lawyer to hand the judge a handwritten letter. The judge quickly skimmed through the letter and put it down. The man then asked if he could say something. He said something along the lines of "I don't deser...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Eight, 7 April 2017

This day my mentor needed to meet up with a lawyer he was working with for a case. So we drove down to a courthouse in San Francisco, and went through the same process. We sat in the lobby and they explained to me the premise of this new case. I began understanding the legal aspects of it more, rather than just the "story" that comes with a case. I learned more about the options each side has, and what my mentor, as a lawyer, is trying to do to get the better end of the stick for his client. They told me about the different statements made by each side, and how it all comes together in the end. The case he had received dealt with a group of people living in a certain area facing discrimination based on race. Those people had been living in that area for years, and recently faced violent confrontation from security in that area. The people are pressing charges for the treatment, and my mentor is defending them in it. It's more complicated then it seems, but I've been a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Seven, 23 March 2017

This day with my mentor was brief, as he just needed to file a paper at one of the courthouses. He wanted to show me the process of filing the case paper. So we walked into the courthouse in San Francisco, and we went to this part of the lobby that had signs that read "Criminal" and "Family." My mentor told me the case he was filing for was criminal, so we waited for them to call our number to go file the paper. When we finally went inside, there was a lady behind a glass window sitting in her desk. My mentor handed her the paper, as the lady simply needed to stamp it and turn it in. However, she said she could not stamp it, because it was not the original file. My mentor told her that the prosecutor had taken the original file, but the lady said she still needed it. So my mentor explained to me that he needed to speak to the district attorney in order to get the original file with the signature. So we walked back into the courtroom, and my mentor had to try to get ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Six, 16 March 2017

Today my mentor and I drove out to Hayward for the court case involving the woman supposedly killing her business partner. On the drive there, my mentor gave me more insight on the case, and he explained to me how the courtroom would be set up. He told me in the courthouse in Hayward, his client would be behind a glass window, rather than with him. When we arrived into the courthouse, the regular procedure began. You go through this metal detector, so we had to remove some of our items and place it on the tray. Afterwards, we find the courtroom and check the paper that is taped on the wall next to it. His case was last on the list so we waited outside the courtroom. Later it opened and we both went inside. I sat next to a couple of other lawyers in the room. From across the room, on the right of the judge's podium was the glass window my mentor had mentioned. Behind the glass window were inmates in their orange jumpsuits speaking to their lawyers. Tony Serra and my mentor spoke to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Five, 26 March 2017

Today I went to my mentor's law firm to discuss another case he has received. His client is a woman who is charged with murder for supposedly hiring hit men to kill her former business partner. Apparently she and her business partner sold marijuana and recently were facing issues with the business. My mentor explained that his client could also be sentenced to the death, so the case is pretty serious. He explained that there is no direct connection between his client and the hit-men, just a phone call that was illegally uncovered.While he was explaining the premise of the case, he received a phone call. After he hung up, he explained to me that it was the mother of his client and she was asking him how everything was. It's crazy to imagine having your own kid be sentenced to death, and this rests on the case and how the lawyers perform. My mentor then introduced me to Tony Serra, a lawyer he is working with on the case. My mentor explained to me that Tony Serra is a very famous...
1 comment
Read more