What did I do my last day?

Sadly, today was the last day of my senior project.  I arrived at 9:00 to help Mrs. Cienfuegos at the office because Mr. Warren would be in Collin County until noon.

            Working with Mrs. Cienfuegos is always fun. She allowed me to answer calls and make the schedule for Mr. Warren. Taking calls was interesting because you deal with a variety of people. Some are happy to speak to you and some call very upset and take a few minutes to defuse.

Ultimately, I never had problems with any of the clients and Mrs. Cienfuegos did an excellent job in preparing me to work with the office’s database, so scheduling trials and consultations was easy.

For lunch Mr. Warren took me out to a nice restaurant were we discussed family and my future. He listened to me speak about my goals and offered advice. Mr. Warren told me about how he got to the point he is at in his career and the obstacles he overcame. I learned to cherish the moments I have with family and to be persistent in achieving my ambitions.

The day ended with the usual filing, but something very unusual did occur. Instead of waiting to have opportunities come, in which I can progress in my aim to become successful, I took the initiative and asked if I could work during the summer.

You know how at the end of some movies, the protagonist doesn't get the happy ending and you as he viewer are stuck feeling sad? Well this story doesn’t end that way. They said yes! I will start helping out at the Jackson Law Firm in June. 

What did I do the third day?

Unlike my mistake on Day 1, I did not stop by Fort Worth before arriving to the courthouse.  I was early and prepared to get to work.

The day started business as usual. Running around meeting with clients, attorneys, and judges. Like day one, Mr. Warren spent a lot of time filling out slips called PSI’s.  Too nervous to ask questions on Day 1, I finally found out what they were.

PSIs or Pre-Sentence Investigation Report is report that describes the background and character of the person being sentenced. PSIs are important because judges use the PSIs for aid in determining the sentence.

After a long morning at the Dallas courthouse, Warren and I took our talents to the courthouse in Rowlett. Warren had a hearing and the experience was exciting because I learned that in this field of work, one can be asked to serve anywhere instead of being stuck in a one city.

After a quick lunch, Warren and I returned to the office. There I was able to watch a consultation and gain knowledge of how to legally approach situations.

The rest of the day was spent filing and hearing more about cases. Today was a great day, but I am sad that tomorrow will be my last day.

What did I do the second day?

Today started off great. After a good nights sleep and a nice bacon and egg bagel from Einstein Bros. ®. Bagels, I was ready for a day of work. Today I will work with Mrs. Cristal Cienfuegos.

 Mrs. Cienfuegos is the senior paralegal at Jackson Law Firm. She graduated from McKinney High School with honors and is studying criminal justice at Dallas Community College. She has worked with the Jackson Law firm for three years and is the reason why everything is organized and goes smoothly at the firm.

Shadowing her, I started off the day filing and learning about how tickets work and the process attorneys, judges, and the individual pulled over goes through. She taught me a great deal of how things really work in court and how the Jackson Law firm tries to help people.

Today I talked to a political science professor and received advice regarding what classes I should take in college. Myrtle Freeman suggested political science and a minor in either economics or business.

Today I answered calls, made calls, and greeted clients. Mrs. Cienfuegos taught me how to use the calendar database and I was able to schedule events and document dates of past events regarding Mr. Warren. This gave me the opportunity to see how much work it really takes to be successful as a criminal defense lawyer and how busy a day can be.

For lunch, Mr. Warren, Mrs. Cienfuegos, and I ate at Good Eats. We had a more relaxed discussion on everyday life.

After lunch it was back to work. The rest of the day was spent filing and making calls to jails.

What did I do the first day?

It’s 7 a.m. and I haven’t slept. All I could think about last night was my senior project. I had no idea of what to expect. Was my mentor going to be old and boring or younger and fun to be around. Thankfully it was the latter, and luckily the day went well. Unfortunately, the day started out not so great.

            As a result of simply searching the internet for the address of my mentor’s firm and not asking over the phone where to meet, I spent an hour driving to Fort Worth to meet at his office when instead I was suppose to meet at the courthouse which takes less than half the time to drive to.

            Anyway, after arriving to the courthouse I immediately began a morning of moving from office to office and courtroom to courtroom. I met handfuls of public defenders and judges and gained a lot of experience and advice. I was able to witness portions of trials and learn about how everything works.

            For lunch my mentor treated me to shrimp at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen and we alongside his colleague had a great discussion on politics and how to be successful as an attorney.

            The afternoon was spent making calls to jailhouses and delivering paperwork to the front desk.

            I am excited to see how the rest of this week goes. Mr. Warren has provided a day experiences that I will never forget. From seeing real court cases to finding out how much work goes behind each case I have gained much from the first day. 

What am I doing?

For my senior project I will work with Kobby Warren, a highly experienced, successful trial attorney, who is quickly becoming one of the most recognizable criminal lawyers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. At the age of  25 Warren became an Assistant District Attorney for Dallas County, and earned years of trial experience. Since leaving the DA’s office and joining The Jackson Law Firm, Mr. Warren has litigated all kinds of complex criminal cases such as: murder, aggravated assault, aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, family violence assault, delivery & possession of controlled substances and DWIs. Warren’s aggressiveness, courtroom experience and passionate concern for his clients' best interests when litigating criminal trials are inspiring. I am extremely thankful to work with him and eager to learn.