My summer at the firm so far has been exciting, to say the least. Every day brings new learning opportunities. The workdays go by extremely fast; it doesn't feel like work because I am learning so much and am genuinely excited to take on new tasks. After only being with the firm for two weeks, I have already had the pleasure of meeting so many colleagues. Everyone is eager to assist us, whether by explaining their practice areas or helping us set up our technology.
One experience that stands out thus far happened within my first week of accepting assignments.
"A Partner reached out to me in the morning asking if I would be willing to attend an Examination for Discovery (ED) and take notes."
This would be my first ED (and proceeding), so I was very excited to attend.
After three hours, the deponent abandoned the discovery, citing previous commitments that they could not postpone. Three lawyers were placed “on hold” and would have to reschedule the proceeding. Watching the Partner handle this matter taught me a lot. I saw strong advocacy in action. The Partner was not willing to continue with the EDs as scheduled for the following day because this would be prejudicial to the other parties, including our client, if the order of EDs was changed. Even though it was inconvenient to have to reschedule all the days, that is what was best for the client and therefore how we needed to proceed.
After that, there were some laughs about this unusual scenario. I am told that the abandonment of an ED does not happen often, yet this was my very first experience. I am looking forward to attending the EDs whenever they take place. Plus, I've already come to appreciate that in litigation the only thing to expect is the unexpected."
by Alexis Z.