Our legal assistant, Trinity, is moving on to law school after 3 years with us. We will miss her, but are so excited for what’s to come. Here she shares some thoughts from her time at the firm.
I first started working with the firm in 2019, during my second year of college in hopes of learning a bit more about the legal field. Some aspects of the experience were not as I expected.
I was surprised by the amount of time and effort that went into preparing for a court hearing—even those that lasted less than 30 minutes. At the same time, I was surprised by how quickly circumstances could change. In the middle of preparing for a hearing, another party might choose to settle, or the hearing could be continued. Prior to this experience, I had a perception of the court system as being slow and unhurried. And though that can be true at times, I was surprised to learn how often and how easily circumstances can change. I was also struck by the importance of collaboration. At the beginning of my time at the firm, I remember remarking to someone that I “never knew how many phone calls lawyers had to make.” It seemed like everyone was making phone calls… all the time! I understand now, though, that collaboration between all professionals involved in a case is vital, even when they do not share the same opinion or perspective about a case and may hope for different outcomes.
There are so many aspects of my experience with the firm that I will take with me into law school and eventually into practice. One significant thing is the importance of just listening to people. Sometimes, I found myself in a position where clients or other people involved in a case would talk to me about their apprehension, frustration, or sadness surrounding the situation. I struggled with knowing “what to say.” I realized, though, that my response often mattered less than the fact that I was listening actively and attentively.
Before working at Thompson Dove Law Group, I was not especially attracted to the field of family law. It seemed especially sad to me—and it can be. There were plenty sad, bittersweet, and conflicting moments. At the same time, I underestimated how much the field of family law can have a tangible, positive impact on individual lives. Helping people navigate tough situations and build their families is very rewarding.