Oct 24th

How has your perception of the internship/organization changed since you started the internship?

 I have come to understand more about how private public attorneys think.  At first, I assumed that the attorneys I would be working for were stern, scary people.  However, over the course of my internship thus far, I learned that the attorneys I work for are very nice people who wish to help people through tough times.

What is surprising you about this internship?

How interesting it is and what I'm allowed to do.  I had at first believed that I would be a "coffee boy."  But this is not the case.  I run all over Georgia going to different courthouses to deliver pleadings, I research laws and previous cases that could be used in a current client's case, and I file and do other day-to-day activities that are not as fun.  

What have you learned from the routine or boring parts of the internship?

I have learned that while going to court and speaking with clients and doing the more interesting stuff is a big part of being an attorney, another big portion is a great deal of paper work and other somewhat tedious tasks.  

Reflection: Oct 17

Reflection

How does the book or article fit into your potential research?  What does it add to your paper or ideas?

The article I chose, which was over the lack of public defenders for the state to use, fits into my research over if I really do want to be an attorney.  It adds the possible control the state and condition of the city has over an attorney's employment and freedoms over his own work.  While this isn't a magnanimous issue because it only effects areas that are impoverished, I have seen, in my own internship, how even private public defenders help the state.  So, the article adds to the deciding factors of not going into law.

Was the source helpful to you? Does the source relate to your potential topic?

Yes, the source shed light on a subject I had never thought of, previously.  Yes, while the article is not preciously about going into law and more-so about the condition of a few counties in Louisiana, it still provides plenty of information for my topic. 

How and where can you use this source in your potential research project?

I can use this source as a factor in my against section.  My research question, is going to be something similar to: Should I become an attorney?  The article I found will be used to give a negative perspective on public defenders, therefore it will say why I should not become an attorney.  To be precise, the article says that public defenders are underfunded in the judicial system, which leads to an unjust judge and an unjust trial system.  The people in this unjust system are either stuck in judgement purgatory never to be given a trial or rushed through their own trial and not given a fair chance to prove their own innocence.  Also, because of the unjust system, private attorneys are being used to work on public cases.  

Graphic Organizer Oct 10

Name: Kyle Butler                “In Louisiana, the Poor Lack Legal Defense”

Source #____ Bibliography (MLA or APA) 10 pts	Robertson, C. (2016). In Louisiana, the Poor Lack Legal Defense. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/us/in-louisiana-the-poor-lack-legal-defense.html?_r=0
Annotation: (Describe ALL info. that might be important for your paper. Explain to the reader and/or summarize what might be found in this source) 35 pts	Poor cities are losing funding for public defenders, so the cities end up with an extreme lack of attorneys.  Because people do not have an attorney, they’re court dates are postponed indefinitely.  In the town of Abbeville, LA, the list of people who are waiting for their public defender is over 2,300 people.  Judges are ordering private lawyers to represent people for free.  Courts are reviving less money.  Judges are rushing to finish cases, one case lasted 1-2 minutes and ended with a 52,000-dollar bond.
Potential Quotes: (Are there any significant quotes you can use or paraphrase from this source?) 15 pts	“I’m the public defender in Vermilion Parish, right now the only public defender,” “because he had no lawyer, had no court date scheduled for the foreseeable future” “The number of tickets filed in Louisiana courts dropped by more than a quarter between 2009 and 2014” “Without a lawyer, he cannot make the case for a bail reduction. Without getting out of jail, he cannot go back to work. And so he waits.”
Assessment: (Analyze and explain why this source is credible) 15 pts	This source is credible because of the news company, The New York Times, the statistics used and quotations of individuals in the community.  The article gives information by using a quote from a man who has gone through the system with no attorney, it gives the statistics on how many districts in LA have attorney waiting lists, 7 of 42, and how many people are on those lists, 2300. The article also uses well known and respected people, for example the Orleans Parish chief public defender is quoted in the article.
Reflection: (How will you potentially use it?) 25 pts	I will use this article to say why you should or shouldn’t go in law and what the possible future is for any lawyer.  This article points out how even private attorneys are at risk of being affected by the state’s lack of funding, which being the area I want to go into, is a big issue.  The article also shows how unfair the justice system can be and how people go with an unfair trial that is biased against them, solely for the purpose of saving time and money.

Ethics Assignment

   The work ethics assignment was taking a survey that asked what you thought of yourself when it came to having certain qualities, such as being devoted, pleasant, and conscientious.  In truth, this wasn't a very good way conducting a test, because no one would put that they are not dependable or that they are not pleasant.  You don't think ill of yourself, typically.  However, the test did make you think about how you truly are to others around you, so score aside, you do earnestly look at yourself and judge whether what you do is ethically right or wrong.
   I learned, based of the readings provided and the test, that I am an ethically good person.  I am dependable and hard working.  This will help in a professional environment because my employers will be able to trust me and keep me on their team as a valued member.  If I continue my current values I would be able to help any company and act as a good employee.

Communication

   Why is Each Situation Different?
With communication, each situation that you communicate to someone in will always be different.  This is due to the medium used to communicate, i.e. if you are using a phone to text, an in person, verbal conversation, or even if you are using an abnormal way of talking such as morse code or sign language.  Beside the medium, each conversation you have will be different because the topic will vary, the way you feel at the moment determines how reprehensible you are to other's ideas, the person you are communicating with may change, and the way other's feel changes how they communicate.  For example, if someone is in an angry mood, they typically aren't going to want to communicate for a long period of time and generally do not want their ideas questioned.  However, on the flip-side, someone who is nothing but happy, he will communicate with others for long periods of time, if need be and be open to topics and ideas.
   What are the expectations of each person?
The expectations of the receiving end of communication changes per person, and more broadly the type of person.  A friend would expect to communicate using a less formal tone and with open honesty about the topics.  A family member would expect to hear the truth of a situation but with a more formal tone, yet loving, tone.  A potential employer would expect a very formal tone that says only good things that would help their company.
   Points to consider when talking to your mentor
Points to consider when talking to your mentor would be to be calm, loud, and clear in your speech.  In actual conversation, you should speak formally and to-the-point to best not take up too much of your mentor's time.  Also, you should be cheerful and not too serious to the point where you ruin the atmosphere of the company.

Sunday, September 11th Getting Ready for your Mentoship

Summary and Reflections on "Getting Ready for your Mentorship"

Summary- The article starts out by telling the reader to do everything he can in his upcoming internship because doing so will only help you in the long run.  The article then leads into tips about your beginnings on the job, which include simple tasks such as being on time, talk to your employer, figure out what you will be doing, and how to act professionally.   The article also points out the obvious "dos and don'ts" of an internship.  The "dos" consist of being on time, working hard, being positive, respect others, etc, while the "don'ts" include being late, being laze, disrespectful, dress inappropriately, and so on.  Finally, how to end your internship is appropriately the last topic in the article.  It tells the reader that you can possibly earn credit for your internship and that you should leave with all paper work completed, at least a week's notice, and and "in the works" projects finished.

Reflections-  The article is pretty obvious for the most part.  Your internship matters because you can use it on a later resume to help get in colleges or jobs.  Everyone knows you should be on-time, show respect, and work hard in a professional setting.  I have had my internship for a few months now and have tried my best to adhere to this code from the get-go.   It is true that you should use your internship to learn about what it is you want to do in the future, so doing your best work and immersing yourself in the job will allow you to understand better what your future job may entail. One new thing I learned from this article was that you can get a certificate for your internship at career.fsu.edu/cip.  So, overall the article is good for general notes about an internship and how to act.

Aug 29th Kyle's Blog

     In this video, I am showing that I am a leader because I take the initiative to do work, put information into an excel spreadsheet, that I was not told to do.  I also am able to see that doing this work would help the entire workforce and help improve the job.

2A-

Reflection:   In Russo's talk, he mentions how people do care about the problems plaguing society, however the reason why no one chooses to change the world is that they don't care.  I don't believe you should care about everything; if you do than you wouldn't be able to focus on one problem and solve it.  So, you must choose one issue that you devote yourself too in order to help change the problem and find a solution.  This is the only way for things to change, and if everyone finds that one thing then the world will change as a whole.

Statement-  I hope to be able to change how people are treated by going through the court systems and challenging the current laws and limitations that bind us.