All In a Day's Work

I (David) have now been hard at work for my summer job for a month! The time has flown by. So far, I have really been enjoying my experience at Bingham. All the people I have met and worked with are very friendly. I've been impressed with how committed they are to the training and development of their new attorneys. Although it's a large firm, I don't get the feeling like I'm just a number or some nameless peon intern. One of the perks of being at a big firm is the quality of work I get assigned to. Since the 'little guys' can't afford to pay for a big firm, the cases and issues that come to Bingham are usually more complex or noteworthy. I don't think I could deal with fender-bender cases all my life. So far I've worked on a lot of different projects, which has been great to get a variety of experience. I should have a much better idea by the end of the summer what kind of law I want to practice.

This week we just finished up our mock trial. The firm split up the summer associates into two groups to try an actual case the firm had a few years ago. I was on the plaintiff's side. It required a lot of work and preparation. On Thursday we went to a mock courthouse and had a judge, jury, witnesses, and everything. My job was to cross-examine the defense's main witness. It was kind of intimidating and nerve-wracking, but ended up being a really good experience. I had a fun time, and got some positive feedback. I don't know whether or not I want to be a litigator, but it was good to have a 'real' experience and see what it would really be like.

They're working us pretty hard, but we also have time for fun. The firm treats us well. I've only had 2 or 3 days this summer so far where I haven't had lunch provided, usually at a nice restaurant nearby. We'll be able to save up some money this summer to pay for our time in the Netherlands. The worst part is having to be apart from Julia much more than I'm used to. Even though law school is busy, I do lots of homework at home so we can be together. Another reason to look forward to the Netherlands. It's been a fun summer so far, though, and I definitely feel blessed to have the job experience that I do.