Jeremy Thomas

Mrs. McMennamy
Capstone
August 24, 2016
Summer Track Hour Reflection #3
The second portion of the class, for purposes of organization, was about the various
actors and agents of trial in addition to the people who comprise it (judge, attorneys, witnesses,
and the jury). Individually, these pieces have drastically different meanings and significances,
than when they are compressed into a high pressure environment where they interact with not
only each other, but the law as well.
Over the course of the class, we had two guest speakers discuss the importance of
different intricacies of the legal system and how they contribute to trial. Anthony Venditto spoke
about the merits and detriments of expert witnesses, and Dante Mills poke on the process of
Cross Examination. Seeing as both of the speakers are seasoned attorneys in their own rights and
colleagues of my professor, hearing about their experiences and learning form their knowledge
was nothing short of insightful.
A lot of what we actually learned in class helped us within the specific framework of our
cases. So, as acting attorneys, myself and my classmates learned how to examine facts, frame a
story, put that story into a reasonable presentation, and then deconstruct the whole thing just for
preparation purposes. Furthermore, the continuos reading and rereading of the case and the
textbook revealed information that we might not have had time to cover in class, or simply
needed to know for the purposes of trial. Also, as tacky as it sounds, the experience of working in
a team (that didnt always pull its weight and wasn't always prepared) was something that I
greatly appreciate and have a newfound understanding of. Unlike a school project, where
everyone has an intrinsic motivator to work on a school project, this project had no impact on
one's GPA or anything that would drastically cause harm to them, so recognizing who those
people were and knowing how much work I had to do to compensate for their lax attitude is
something to be sure that I dont associate myself with when I do attend college. However, if I
am faced with this challenge, I now am confident that I could handle such a challenge, as
distasteful as it might be.
The process of trial itself was as good of as learning from Professor Altshiler was.
Learning through experience was a phenomenal and unique experience. Being in the Federal
Courthouse, to present our cases came with its own degree of gravity. The understanding that we
were in an actual courtroom where cases had been tried before, and would continue to be tried,
was absolutely invigorating. Then, being able to take part in the process, and display all of my
three weeks worth of hard word was great as well. However, the largest lesson that I learned

while in trial was to expect the unexpected. Honestly, that phrase could not bear more relevance
to how trial went for my team. As I alluded to previously, my team was not the most competent.
Due to ta combination of arrogance, laziness, and disorganization we were a train wreck. On
lunch break we quite literally rewrote half of our case to accommodate the inappropriately
lengthy opening statement one of my co-counsel decided was appropriate to give, and the cross
examination of a medical expert that lasted nearly and hour and a half. It was absolutely absurd.
Yet, at the same time, some strange part of me loved it. Being able to reflect on it now, I know
for sure that this is what I want to do with my life. In the end, as the Closer, I was able to try and
present a cohesive front, and we ultimately, effectively tied the trial, however it is an experience
that is invaluable to me, because it not only gave me a wealth of knowledge that is both practical
and technical, but also a greater degree of self-confidence to back up the persona I enjoy
displaying.