Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).

I have a mentor. He is the same mentor that I’ve had from the beginning. regarding the interview i have not scheduled it with him yet but I hope to interview him next week.

2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.   

Right now I’m looking into the chapters of the bankruptcy code that are used when a debtor is filing for bankruptcy. The Chapters I hear about most often is chapter 7 bankruptcy and chapter 13 bankruptcy. These are the types of bankruptcy most individual file for.

3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?

One type of resource that I think will be very helpful is a book that my mentor recommended to me. He has already shown me where I can find the book. He showed me a website that is used to find a lot of helpful resources on law so I plan to order it online.

4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

What is the best way a bankruptcy lawyer can help his client?

Blog 8: Independent Component 1 Proposal

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

For my independent component I have decided to use the experience from the mock trial the mock trial. This gave me some good experience on how lawyers work in court. I got a good idea on what lawyers have to do in court. As a defense lawyer I hope I did my best to guide my client through the court process. It was my job to put any reasonable doubt into the minds of jurors.

I could also do more research on how bankruptcy lawyers have to do and know to help their client. I can study some techniques that they for when they negotiate. I want to try and make some flow chart or step-by-step guide on what bankruptcy lawyers have to do.

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

The mock trial only completed part of the hours. I had a week of preparation and I spent it looking over the witness information and client information. With all that information I was able to strategize on how I can advocate for my client. I have a criminal law book that I will study. I found some articles on what a lawyer should do in court.

As for the guide I’m thinking about doing, I’ll research what a bankruptcy lawyer has to know, then I’ll start creating the steps on what a bankruptcy lawyer should do and how to handle certain situations.

3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

It really helped me sharpen my critical thinking skills. I had to plan ahead and know what to say. I would also say that I sharpened up my research skills. In a collaboration with the prosecution we got the witnesses to answer some question. Most of this was done outside of class. I got an idea of what the witnesses were going to say. This helped me prepare for a cross-examination.

The guide will help me get a better understanding of bankruptcy lawyers. I’ll have more knowledge on how to advise people in debt. I’ll know what I’d have to do in certain cases.

4.  Update your Senior Project Hours log.

I'll update the link on the blog.

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?