Tuesday morning, Kyle Morabito and I had our first “tag-along” of the summer. The tag-along is an integral part of Bilzin Sumberg’s Summer Associate Program and provides each summer associate with an intimate view of the practice of law, whether it’s a court proceeding with the litigation practice, or closing a deal with the corporate practice.

Kyle and I had the pleasure of observing Stanley B. Price, a named partner of the firm in the land use practice, argue a case at the Third District Court of Appeal regarding the expansion of a private school.

Here’s how my work on the matter transitioned from the office to the tag along: 

  • Prior to the oral argument, I helped Stanley, Eileen Ball Mehta and Eric Singer, prepare for the argument by reviewing the pleadings and relevant case law, helping to conceptualize themes to be used at the argument.
  • A few days before the argument I participated in a fascinating strategy meeting with Stanley, Eileen, Eric, and Judge Gersten, former Chief Judge of the Third District Court of Appeal, who now chairs Bilzin Sumberg’s Appellate practice.

The hands-on experience of assisting the attorneys with their preparations for an appellate argument before the Third DCA and then being able to see the work come to fruition at the argument itself, has certainly been the highlight of Week 2. I’m certainly looking forward to more tag-along opportunities with other practice groups during the weeks to come.