Throughout the internship I’ve enjoyed the internship and the coworkers I’ve gotten to work alongside with. The Attorney that I work with sublets an office space with another law group. When I first joined we were in an office in Long Island but moved to the new office in queen. The Attorney sublet in both locations but at least in the first location the other law group felt more open and welcoming. When we moved to the new location the Attorney mentioned how it would be helping each other out and have a shared space. However as soon as me and my coworker at the time started there it felt more like we weren’t welcomed. It was felt more on the manger and his wife and kids who also work with the law group. They at first never greeted me and my coworker, at first I just thought they weren’t the type to speak to others. Once a new person started working with us it was weird how they choose to only speak to her and address her. It wasn’t until I started making small chat with the other law groups paralegal and they mentioned how that manager always spoke down on their employees of color. The obstacle of racism was something I knew existed but never full experienced it to this extent. I have been always around people of color and always had bosses who were and weren’t white. Me and my other coworker have learned to just ignore it because at the end of the day there is people who behave that way just because of race and unfortunately its something that is very much alive especially when working in a setting that’s the majority. At least we are our own supporters and we help each other and are able to communicate with the Attorney.

Most days usually start with checking my email, scan in the mail. Some days we have deposition and if it’s a Spanish speaker I usually am there to translate and prepare the client for the questions that the defendants usually ask. They ask about the accident, how it happened their past ant heir medical treatment. Ive been in on the deposition so many times at this point that I feel like a robot when it comes to translating the questions, in a good way especially since the attorney had gone ver with me the reason they ask all these questions. Some days when there is no deposition for the day it usually consists of going through the cases in the NYSCEF which is the court website, and see if the defendants have answered our demands and/or if we need to send our demands and if we responded to the defendants demands. From there that’s when I assign tasks for myself to draft our demand, or responses. I mentioned earlier that I’m still working on drafting a Bill of Particular, which is the injuries and go into detail of the injuries body parts. The work is relatively simple once you get the hang of it but the constant following up can be a bit hard to keep track of. Some days I work on car accident cases which is this the basic demands but if it’s a new case and we have to do an intake. We have to send out both letters to the the clients insurance for something that’s called no fault insurance and to the person who hit her insurance. In some cases we can do a search of the license plate if no insurance was provided or exchanged. On a regular day the work is usually very calm obviously I’m still learning and the good thing is I keep learning and have great people working with me if I ever have a question.

Something that is an aspiration is eventually going to law school. I don’t have much of an aspiration specifically from the internship but I want to learn as much as I can, and take advantage of the opportunity so far. Ive been able to speak with a coworker who recently passed the Bar. She has been able to give me very useful advice on the LSAT, application, waivers and who I can speak with about recommendation letters. I appreciate all the help and guidance she has given me so far. I guess is some way I aspire to be able to help someone like me when I get to that point in my life, because not everyone has the sources or the knowledge the the specific steps of what to do during this process. Being a bridge to help fill that gap eventually would be kind of a way of repaying that favor she has been able to do for me. I’m currently on the same path as one of the other paralegals who is also starting her journey I the process of applying to law school. It is nice to have someone working on it with you at the same level and helping each-other out and even reminding each other of the important dates. To register and apply for certain things. Even the attorney is also supporting myself and my coworkers’ journey of the application process and has also provided great advice.

A interesting thing I have done so far is I attended the Trial I mentioned in my last submission, that started at the end of September. It was taking place at the Bronx Supreme Court, the first few days were jury selection and that was just the attorney who attended the first 2 days. After that each day for a week and half we had to be in the court house from 8am till most days 5pm. The whole process felt like a watered down version of “Suites”. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. Something many TV-shows and movies forget to display is the talking and the amount of time that goes on. Most of the time in the court room consists of the lawyers talking and presenting the information to the jury. There are some witness that speak but, that was the doctor who did the neck surgery. They are bought to the stand by the Plaintiff counsel. Going into detail on reason why the plaintiff needed the surgery and what the surgery consisted of. I did learn from the attorney before the trial was how much a doctor gets paid to testify in court. I won’t disclose the amount, but it was pretty surprising. Yet when you put it into context it makes sense since the doctor is in court all day they are losing out on patients, to be in court. Another aspect I enjoyed was actually taking notes on the defendants argument, doctors testimony, and plaintiff testimony. The attorney I was working with asked me to take notes on that and to give my opinion on how I felt about what they said. Basically he wanted to know from the perspective of someone that could be chosen as a juror. Since I don’t have too much knowledge of the proceeding in a court room, I believe the input I was giving was helpful to kind of have another set of eyes from a different view. I did find some aspects a bit difficult just on understand the “why”. I would ask myself why was this said or why something was done a certain way. I couldn’t ask the attorney at the moment but when we would have a recess I was able to ask him the different questions I had and was able to understand the reasoning and logic behind it. Towards the end of the trial and the jurors were deciding the attorney were able to come to discuss a possible agreement which is called “high, lows”. Its basically before the jury announces the verdict the attorney can discuss what is the lowest the plaintiff is willing to take and the highest the defendant is will to give. Fortunately they came to an agreement before the jury announced their verdict. Yet they jury actually decided on about 350,000 more than what they attorneys agreed on. It’s a bit unfortunate that the plaintiff missed out on an extra 350,000 but when it comes to the jury it is sometimes a risky situation and I can understand why they decided to settle, since they can decide “all or nothing”. Possibly out of fear or not wanting to be to cocky. Either way the plaintiff did get a large sum of money in the end and was left happy with what they were able to take home. The whole process from start to finish was really interesting to me especially seeing it first hand and learning the reasoning behind it and experiencing it first hand.

I’m I am excited to share some of the highlights of my internship at LaPenna Law Firm The experience was very interesting and informative. Something that was a bit intimidating was being in an office setting and just nervous overall about making a good impression, but so far I’ve had come to love and enjoy the paralegals that work in the office with all the help and advice they give me. One of the aspects of my role has been diving into the world of legal document drafting. I’ve been busy learning how to draft motions, responses, and demands, each with its own set of rules and different . It’s been fascinating to understand how each document plays a crucial role in the legal process. Drafting summons and complaints has also been something, I’ve been learning to draft however it’s still something I’m Still working on it and learning to draft as it requires some pre-production work. Another part of my internship was helping with client reception. Observing these sessions has given me insight into how attorneys assess cases and make crucial decisions. I’ve also had the chance to assist with translating for clients, which has been both a rewarding and eye-opening in the way that most people who work in construction and have accidents tend to be Spanish speaking. When they explain their stories and accidents, it kind of shows how the lack of the bosses and foreman care can cause or play a part in the reason for these accidents. Helping communication gaps has shown me the importance of clear and effective interaction in the legal field. I’m incredibly excited about an upcoming opportunity that’s just around the corner. At the end of this month, I’ll be joining one of the attorneys for a trial in Brooklyn. We’ve been preparing our client, and it’s enthralling to be a part of this process. During the trial, I’ll be in the courtroom, taking notes on the proceedings and testimonies. This trial is going to be an amazing experience, offering me a front-row seat to the legal process in action. This internship has only deepened my passion for the law and my aspiration to attend law school. Every day at LaPenna Law Office has brought new learning experiences and has brought me closer to my career goals. I’m immensely grateful for the support and guidance I’ve received from everyone here.