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Summer Internship 2010LA&S 470Final Portfolio
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Table of ContentsAbout the Firm
3Learning Objectives
4-6Resume
7-8Samples of Work
9-17
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About the Firm
Located in the Lumber Exchange Building,
Downtown Minneapolis
Attorneys From L to R: Charles Clippert, Joeseph Tamburino, Debbie Lang, Allan Caplan,
Dave Risk
Founded in 1983, Caplan Law Firm is recognized for its criminal trial practice successfully representing clients in criminal matters including DWI and DUI, white collar crimes, traffic violations, drug offenses, assault, domestic assault, theft, sex crimes, homicides, felonies, gross misdemeanors and misdemeanors. With over 20,000 successful criminal defense cases to our credit, we strive for new heights in the practice of law and getting the best results possible for each of our clients.
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Learning ObjectivesObjective #1: By July 1st, I will be able to handle any phone request that anyone has of me in the office. The phone systems in our office are quite complex, and involve a lot of transferring and conference calls. Since I share phone duties with a few others, but do the majority of the answering, precision in working the phone system will allow the attorneys in their office to not have to talk to people that will waste their time, or have to deal with errors in the transfer system.Learning Activities: Each day, I will make an attempt to answer the phone more, building up my experience screening calls, as well as experiencing all sorts of conferencing scenarios.Evaluation: My performance will be judged on my ability to self sufficiently operate the phone service. If I am never being forced to ask for help, and never making errors in operating the phones, I will have met my objective.Reflection:I have achieved my objective of mastering the phone systems. I now can answer the phone with confidence, and have not made a mistake since the beginning of my internship. I have been able to conference call all sorts of requests, and have not transferred people to the wrong attorneyssince very early on.
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Learning Objectives ctd. Objective #2: By July 31st, I will have delivered company phone books to all major police departments, county jails, and state trooper offices around the metro area. These phone books are put in booking or intoxilyzer rooms, which people use to contact an attorney when they are in trouble, bringing business into the firm.Learning Activities: Each week I will attempt to take one or two full days to leave the office and deliver phonebooks, planning an efficient route, and making sure every location gets an ample amount of books.Evaluation: My performance will be judged on how quickly, and how efficiently I can deliver all the phonebooks. Though this requires a lot of driving, I will try to complete all stops before July 31st. If I am able to hit all my stops by July 31st, I will have met my goal.Reflection:I have achieved my goal of dispersing phone books around the metro area. I was able to hit every police station, state trooper station, and county jail within the county’s that the firm serves, dispensing phone books to jail cells and intoxilyzer rooms for potential clients to contact our firm if they are in need of an attorney.
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Learning Objectives ctd.Objective #3: By the week of June 29th, I will make it a point to start sitting in on at least one client in-take or meeting a day. When I do this, I take notes for the attorneys on the case, which not only allows them to be more involved in the meeting, but it also gives them better notes and allows me to get an understanding of the case.Learning Activities: Each day, I will check the calendar in the morning, and ask the attorneys which meeting they would like for me to sit in, as some of the meetings are not appropriate for me, and others they would really prefer to have a note taker.Evaluation: My performance will be based on how much of a point I make to sit in on client meetings. I will make it a point to sit in on at least once a day. If I can do this, I will have met my objective, increasing productivity for the attorneysReflection:Since early on in the summer, I have drastically improved the amount of client meetings I have sat in on. This has given me a better understanding of what it is like to work on a case, as well as the unique facts that make each case different and exciting. I have also been able to make it out to court on a more frequent basis. This has allowed me experience litigation sessions first hand, and see what attorneys do in the court room on a regular basis.
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Samples of Work - Advertisement
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Stamp
Advertisement
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AdvertisementThe previous pictures were images I
designed for an ad that is to run in the local papers and phone books. It will also
be mailed out to law firms that do not practice criminal law, asking them to refer clients they have with criminal matters to
us. This should allow the firm to get its name out more efficiently, especially to civil firms that have paying clients. This taught me a great deal about marketing
services, rather then goods. Before I started I didn’t realize how important
marketing and advertising is to Caplan Law Firm, being this is how they are able to find
qualified clients that they will not waste their time, and are more likely to become
clients rather then people just seeking free legal advice.
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Witness Statements
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Witness Statements
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These witness statements I prepared have not only allowed attorneys to focus on other, more important things, but they have allowed me to work closer on cases, and to get a feel of what is going on in the case. I have been able to contact witnesses, get their statements, and then report them and the results of the statements to the attorneys. This has been added responsibility on my part, as I am sending legal affidavits that can be used in a court of law. It has allowed me to get more in tune with technical legal writings. I also have learned how to be more precise by doing this, as I have to take down statements almost word for word, as this could be drawn upon in a possible jury trial. Overall, preparing witness statements is a task that allows me to get more in touch with the cases, and also can provide something that can be fun and interesting, as certain cases bring out interesting facts.
Note: Due to lawyer-client privilege and confidentiality reasons, all names and relevant information included must be eliminated from the document.
Witness Statements
Client Intake Notes
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Client Intake Notes
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Taking notes on client intake meetings has allowed me to get a sense of what people deal with when being prosecuted by the government. I get to see the attorneys analyze the facts of the case, and inform potential clients what sort of penalties they are facing, as well as what type of outcome could be attained if they hire the firms services Also, I get to see the business side of a private law firm, seeing how lawyers make a sales pitch to potential clients. I also get to see how lawyers advise potential clients of what steps they should take for damage control, as well as proceeding with the process. Through this I get a chance to see unique facts of the case, and have been able to work more closely on the cases, acting as an assistant more than an intern. This has allowed me to get to know clients on a more personal level, and feel connected to them and the case. I have learned by far the most from these experiences during my time at Caplan Law Firm
Note: Due to lawyer-client privilege and confidentiality reasons, all names and relevant information included must be eliminated from the document.
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Summer Internship 2010LA&S 470The End
