Shadowing an attorney wasn't my first option for this capstone project, so I wasn't too sure how to feel about shadowing a lawyer in the beginning. However, throughout the project, I learned so much about the career that really got me thinking. My paper really helped shape my views on becoming a lawyer. My main goal for this project was to determine what type of law I want to study in the future. And by doing my research paper, I actually found out what type of lawyer I want to become: a Juvenile Delinquent Lawyer of Defense. I'm not too sure if I want to be on the defense side, but that's what I'm leaning towards to so far. The reason for that is because as I was researching juveniles and the social factors that affect their inadequate behavior, I learned the understanding that minors have a story as to why they behave a certain way. And I believe that all teenagers should get the opportunity and chance to share their story and be heard.
Personally, I gained a new perspective on becoming a lawyer because I realized how much hard work it is to become a successful attorney and that's what fears me the most. Socially, I developed better focus and better social skills with other people as my mentor brought in his clients to talk to. At times my mentor would ask them about their personal life which made me feel overwhelmed to hear because I never thought such things could be true. Another aspect that I gained was new knowledge such as cross examination and direct examination. I also attained the knowledge of the judicial system and small facts such as: did you know that only the District Attorney is allowed to choose which side is being charged? I really didn't know that!
Some challenges that I encountered is actually public transportation because I'm afraid to ride public transportation alone. So since my mentor was all the way in Redwood City, I always had to take Caltrain there. I'm still really scared of it, but I think I've gotten better at it. Another challenge that I faced is the abundance of reading I had to go through. I enjoy reading, but I have the tendency to stop when my eyes feel tired and heavy, but because I would have to read many cases and some police reports, I couldn't necessarily stop and I found that very difficult. I still have yet to overcome that but I'm sure it wont be much of a problem in college.
This capstone project really helped me because it made everything feel so real to me. I can't believe that I really got the feel to be a lawyer. I'm excited to study these majors in college. I still have the fear of being successful or not, but I know that only hard work and dedication will get me to where my mentor is now. I'm really glad I got to know my mentor as well because he became a really big inspiration to me. And I want to be just as successful as he is.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Mentor logs #7
May 13, 2013, 5pm-9pm
Today I read over a two books that my mentor had given me. They're called the Practical Guide to Juvenile Law. One book was from 1997 and another is from 2009. He gave them to me so I can compare the two and observe how much has changed in 10+ years. It was pretty interesting to read because things are pretty different from 1997. One thing that I can name that's different is the age limit as to what age you can arrest someone. My mentor actually told me that he defended a seven year old kid once before because he was convicted of a crime. Its so overwhelming how young a child can be to commit a crime. That seven year old child was in prison for at least 7 years or so.
Reading is a pretty big obstacle for me to overcome. I don't really enjoy it and I get really sleepy. I have to find other ways to keep myself up, but then again, I also have to adapt to the fact that I have get used to reading a lot if I really do want to pursue the career of becoming a lawyer. Total Time: 26 hours
Today I read over a two books that my mentor had given me. They're called the Practical Guide to Juvenile Law. One book was from 1997 and another is from 2009. He gave them to me so I can compare the two and observe how much has changed in 10+ years. It was pretty interesting to read because things are pretty different from 1997. One thing that I can name that's different is the age limit as to what age you can arrest someone. My mentor actually told me that he defended a seven year old kid once before because he was convicted of a crime. Its so overwhelming how young a child can be to commit a crime. That seven year old child was in prison for at least 7 years or so.
Reading is a pretty big obstacle for me to overcome. I don't really enjoy it and I get really sleepy. I have to find other ways to keep myself up, but then again, I also have to adapt to the fact that I have get used to reading a lot if I really do want to pursue the career of becoming a lawyer. Total Time: 26 hours
Monday, May 13, 2013
Mentor Logs #6
May 13, 2013, 9am-12pm
Today I met up with Attorney Jeffrey Hayden in Redwood City. We actually did some cool stuff today! He took me through the steps of the court system such as right when you get arrested and the different types of hearings that you have to go through if something happens in your favor or not in your favor. He told me the difference between a preliminary hearing and a preliminary trial and also the settle conference! The coolest part was as he was telling me the process of the court system, he suddenly began questioning me like a defense attorney. He told me the difference between direct examining and cross examining. Direct examining is when the attorneys ask you questions where you'd have to explain your answer, more in a broad way where you're telling the jury your story. Cross examining is when the attorneys ask you simple questions like yes/no questions as if the attorney is telling the jury the story instead of you. I found it really cool because it was really different and he caught me off guard when he began questioning me. Afterwards, he gave me some paper work to take home like an article on how to do a closing argument. I'm really excited to read that because I can hopefully start on it and make one for my physical project.
Total Time: 22 hours
Today I met up with Attorney Jeffrey Hayden in Redwood City. We actually did some cool stuff today! He took me through the steps of the court system such as right when you get arrested and the different types of hearings that you have to go through if something happens in your favor or not in your favor. He told me the difference between a preliminary hearing and a preliminary trial and also the settle conference! The coolest part was as he was telling me the process of the court system, he suddenly began questioning me like a defense attorney. He told me the difference between direct examining and cross examining. Direct examining is when the attorneys ask you questions where you'd have to explain your answer, more in a broad way where you're telling the jury your story. Cross examining is when the attorneys ask you simple questions like yes/no questions as if the attorney is telling the jury the story instead of you. I found it really cool because it was really different and he caught me off guard when he began questioning me. Afterwards, he gave me some paper work to take home like an article on how to do a closing argument. I'm really excited to read that because I can hopefully start on it and make one for my physical project.
Total Time: 22 hours
Mentor Blogs #5
May 12, 2013, 10am-2pm.
Today I took the time and read another case that my mentor gave me. Its another Romero Motion, but this time it's about a person with a DUI. This one was a private case so I cant talk much about it because it is client privileged just like most cases, but it was a really long case. It took a while to get through the reading because I wanted to make sure that I got a thorough understanding of the case and background of the person. It took me about two hours to finish the reading and then took me another two hours to analyze the case as to why the person did it or why it happened. As I analyzed it, I summed up my thoughts as being a defense attorney that the person who did the crime doesn't necessarily have to do the time.. in jail. In fact, there are other alternatives for them such as a rehabilitation center or community service.
I've come to the understanding that by becoming an attorney comes with the joy of reading because you do a lot of reading. This is something I would really need to work on because although I do enjoy reading, it's not something I consider my hobby.
Total Time: 19 hours
Today I took the time and read another case that my mentor gave me. Its another Romero Motion, but this time it's about a person with a DUI. This one was a private case so I cant talk much about it because it is client privileged just like most cases, but it was a really long case. It took a while to get through the reading because I wanted to make sure that I got a thorough understanding of the case and background of the person. It took me about two hours to finish the reading and then took me another two hours to analyze the case as to why the person did it or why it happened. As I analyzed it, I summed up my thoughts as being a defense attorney that the person who did the crime doesn't necessarily have to do the time.. in jail. In fact, there are other alternatives for them such as a rehabilitation center or community service.
I've come to the understanding that by becoming an attorney comes with the joy of reading because you do a lot of reading. This is something I would really need to work on because although I do enjoy reading, it's not something I consider my hobby.
Total Time: 19 hours
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Mentor Logs #4
April 30th, 2013 - Total time: 3 hours
Today I spent time working on one of the cases that my mentor gave me to read. It's a Romero Motion. He replaced the names and everything so I'm allowed to share it here this time. This lady basically had a really messed up life. She was married twice, widowed both times and in those two marriages, both her husbands beat her. In her life, she did drugs and became a prostitute. She was introduced to heroine during her teenage years and finished her GED in prison. I thoroughly read through this case and analyzed it. I realized that life can be really messed up for some people. And that I really should appreciate the things I have because others aren't as lucky as I am, even if life gets hard for me.
Today I spent time working on one of the cases that my mentor gave me to read. It's a Romero Motion. He replaced the names and everything so I'm allowed to share it here this time. This lady basically had a really messed up life. She was married twice, widowed both times and in those two marriages, both her husbands beat her. In her life, she did drugs and became a prostitute. She was introduced to heroine during her teenage years and finished her GED in prison. I thoroughly read through this case and analyzed it. I realized that life can be really messed up for some people. And that I really should appreciate the things I have because others aren't as lucky as I am, even if life gets hard for me.
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