Blog 22: Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement:
     I am most proud of my Block Presentation because I feel like I did really well. There quite a few people who approached me after my presentation to express how much they enjoyed it; one junior even asked for a referral for a mentor since her topic next year will also do something with law.

(2) Questions to Consider:
     (a)   AE
     (b)   P+

(3) What worked for me in the senior project is that I am more educated on my topic. I have always been curious about law, and doing a nine month project about it satisfied that curiosity. It was never a problem for me to go into my mentor's office, which is just a seven minute drive from iPoly, and ask my mentor or any other attorney any questions I might have that.

(4) If I had a time machine, I would go back and find more research. I already had a sufficient amount of research, but I still found myself looking for more information when creating my activities and power point. Another thing I would change would be slowing down when I talked during my Block Presentation. If I noticed I was talking too fast and Edwards commented on my time, I am pretty sure the audience also noticed and I am worried some people might not have truly understood the lesson.

(5) The senior project has been helpful in knowing more about the professional side of the world. Working with professionals has taught me to carry myself and appropriately approach a problem in such a way that does not offend a potential client (in any business), colleague, or competitor. For example, when I went in for mentorship, I had to wear professional attire. Talking with other associates at my mentor's office, I had to be courteous and clear with what I wanted to say, since they are on a time restriction.

Blog 21: Mentorship

Literal:

• Mentorship Log
• Mr. Ramiro Cisneros at the Los Angeles Pomona Public Defender's Office

Interpretive:

• One of the most important things I have gained is experience. It is very important for up and coming lawyers to have some sort of experience of what it is like in a court room if they wish to succeed. Another thing I have gained would be knowledge. I feel more  confident teaching a lesson now that I personally know what happens in court. Also, knowledge that if I or someone I know has to go to court, I am not "in the dark" on what is going on. 

Applied:

• This helped me answer my EQ because it was when observing my mentor at mentorship that I figured out what my best answer is. I learned for myself how often plea bargains are use. Also, whenever I went to his office, the amount of time all lawyers put into a case.

Blog 20: Exit Interview

1. My essential question is, What is the best way a defense attorney can defend her client in court? My best answer is, The best way a defense attorney can defend her client in court is to negotiate a plea bargain. This is my best answer because according to, Plea and Charge Bargaining Research Summary by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, it is used 90% of the time. I have witnessed it in my mentorship being used many times. Also, there is less risked involved compared to trying to win a court case. In addition, usually the defendants are arrested for good reason, so there would be little reason to dismiss the case in the misdemeanor courts.
2. I arrived at this answer fairly slowly. At first, I tried to research on what others thought the answer could be, but it was proven fruitless. It wasn't until I talked with my mentor on possible answers to my essential question that I realized this was my best answer. When he brought up plea bargains, it just made me realize how often it was used in court.
3. Some problems I have faced was finding enough information on my topic or my answers. There aren't a lot of articles that have to do with the judicial system that isn't already common knowledge. No one really says, 'Just the other day, I went to court and had a great public defender!' They would be to ashamed. I overcame this by narrowing down my search, and reading some memoirs of defense attorneys.
4. One of my significant sources would be my mentor, Ramiro Cisneros. Working under him gave me a lot of opportunities to ask questions and get first hand experiences. This goes without question that my next best few sources are my interviews with other defense attorneys. One of the articles that has best helped me so far is "Criminal Defense Strategies," from criminal.findlaw.com because it gives the reader a lot of advise that pertains to all of my answers.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

LITERAL:

• I, Nisa Legaspino, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work. 
• My mentor, Ramiro Cisneros, helped me complete my independent component.
• Click >here<, or the link to the right.
• Similar to what I have done in the last component, I helped out around the office as much as I could. I made copies, filed, shredded paperwork, and become a delivery girl. I also was able to look at old cases and work one on one with my mentor to see if how I would handle a case is in line with what the lawyer really did. I also helped out with small tasks of researching information for cases or going over documents and taking notes for the attorneys.

INTERPRETIVE:

This is me trying to file, with no room in any office...

Not even half the boxes that I need to make copies for and file away.

My best friend, the copying machine, reminding me to always be organized since lawyers need a lot of copies of paperwork.

Cover of Penal Code, 2013 edition.

APPLIED:

• This component has helped me answer my EQ in finding my third answer, to "win" a case. However, it is hard to prove your client not guilty if you yourself are not prepared or are not organized. The experience of going through the Penal Codes also showed me how serious it is to know what you are going to say and know how to appeal to the judge or jury. For example, when I was going over a suspect's phone records, it was my job as the :"attorney" to know how to interpret that information and to determine whether the information can help or hinder me. 

DONE!!

I am so excited that done with my mentorship hours! I know that it would benefit me to continue, but it has gotten to the point that there isn't much for me to do anymore around the office. It wasn't as "exciting" to follow my mentor to the courtrooms seeing that lately he doesn't have many cases by the time I come in. Recently, his boss is on leave and put Mr. Cisneros in charge. Thusly, he spends his time in meetings while I shred or copy papers.

Thank you, Mr. Cisneros for giving me this opportunity, but I'm just happy I'm done with the required amount of hours.

Blog 18: Third Answer

What is the best way a defense attorney can defend her client in court?

The best way a defense attorney can defend her client is to win a trial, proving her client is 'not guilty'.

• One way to do this is to disprove any of the prosecution's credibility as false.
• Challenging the believability of the witness's story
• #35 - Defense Strategies
• It is best to work with the client and do whatever he or she want.
• Some clients truly believe they are innocent and will make things worse for themselves if they are not on the same page as the attorney.
• #8 - Five Problems Facing Public Defense
• Do not get emotionally attached.
• It can lead to bad decisions and it can lead to "screwing" the client over. Whether you dislike the client or feel bad for him or her.
• Mentorship

It may seem obvious at first glance, but actually proving that your client is 'not guilty' is a complicated process.

Breaking News!

Do you remember this case?

   At my mentor's office, he has a new boss. Since he has the most experience, my mentor was made second-in-command. Because of this, my mentor was "in charge" or babysitting the case People vs. Olivia Culbreath. The reason for this is due to the family not knowing wether or not they could afford a private attorney. It was today at 3:10 when the defendant completed her arraignment, the official announcement that she will be using a public defender. An attorney will be assigned to her case by the end of this week. The reason the arraignment took a long time is because she waived it the first time to see if they could afford a private attorney. A thing that she had to be careful with in choosing a private attorney (if she so wishes to substitute in) is that the attorney might do it for free since it is a high profile case. With any lawyer, you want to make sure that they actually know what to do and not want to be in the spot light. 

   Inside the courtroom, we found out that there are over 800 documents that they need to go over, so Culbreath's next appearance will be on the May 21st at 11am. 

My mentor giving a statement on the status of the case.