Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

My mentor is Daniel Benitez an admitted lawyer since December 2014. He works at the Pool Law Group Firm. His office is at 3633 Inland Empire Blvd #550, Ontario, CA 91764. There are of course other lawyers at the office. My mentor has an assistant that deals in bank law. There are also paralegals that deal in other things like immigration. The office has boxes full of documents from previous cases.

Mr. Benitez goes to court to deals with cases. He has told me about how he has won a case before. He has given me a few documents to read and has told me where to look when it comes to resources.

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1. What is your education background?
2. What did you study?
3. What was it like for you in law school?
4. Is there any other previous experience you had before you officially became a lawyer?
5. What can you tell me about the firm where you work?

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

Working with a mentor is working out pretty well. When I interviewed him I learned some pretty interesting things about how he feels about his career. He has been a very helpful to me and he has already done a lot for me.

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

I need to figure out a schedule that will allow me to visit my mentor more. I also need to figure out what else I can do for an independent component. In order to solve this I should talk to my mentor and figure out when are the best times to see him. I could also ask him about independent component ideas. regarding the independent component the senior team has already helped me with the mock trial. I’m not quite sure how the senior team can help with me seeing my mentor more.

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

I learned some things I can do to be a successful lawyer. For example I was told to sharpen my writing skills to help me communicate my arguments on paper. I also learned what to expect in Law school regarding the first year,.

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

Yes I got additional resources and contacts. I was reminded of a resource he gave me along time ago. It’s a Criminal Law book that gives some examples and explanations of Legal terms. The most useful contact is Javier Castillo because he is another attorney that can offer some insight and his experiences.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me?

The interviewee is my mentor. He passed the bar exam and is a licensed attorney with experience in court. before he officially became a lawyer he worked with the District Attorney on some cases. He currently works at the Pool group law firm.

Interview audio

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep 1

Through my senior topic I hope to understand what the career of a lawyer is like. I want to know what is great about being a lawyer and what is not so great. I’ve been interested in being a lawyer for sometime now and I know that it is going to take a lot of hard work to become one. The senior project gives me the chance to get some first hand experience. I want to learn all of the hard and complicated things a lawyer has to do to win cases in court and get good deals for their clients.

Blog 3 - First Interview Preparation

Interview

1. I plan on interviewing mentor. When I went to his office he was always giving me good information about being a lawyer. Now I feel like I can get other good information from him about his career..
2. Additional Questions
1. What can you tell me about your experience being a lawyer?
2. What advice to have for anyone interested in being a lawyer?
3. What are the best and worst parts about being a lawyer?
4. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?