Today at co op it was really hectic. I started out filing new warrants that came in, which wasn't many, so that was pretty fast. After I had to do the dockets and then pull the exhibits that go with each docket. Following the dockets, my supervisor thought it would be a good idea for us to take a break and go watch some court. So, I went to court for about an hour until they took a break at around one. After court I had to photocopy two copies of a file of charges, making sure everything was in order. Then something I thought was really cool, was I got to learn how to do a probation sentencing sheet, where I would pretty much give the peson the probation order and tell them what they are and not allowed to be doing and their curfew and all that fun stuff. Following that, I had to fax interpreter lists to the Crown Attorney's office and the court in Milton. And that was my day.

Weekly Journal

Things that happened that makes me feel I would want to become a lawyer are just the enjoyment I have doing my work and being in court. Another reason the feeling I get when I think about the fact that I could be standing at the front of the court representing someone. To succeed in this career I would have to be a lot more dedicated and then focused on getting to top. Additional education I would need to get to achieve this career is after high school I would have to go to university get my Bachelor of Arts degree then following that I would have to go to law school and go through all steps such articling then after I graduate I can then go out and look for a job as a lawyer. My supervisor has talked to me about a career when I asked her for advice on what I should do to achieve my career. People at my placement enjpy their chosen career because they get to experience different situations and witness bizzare cases each day. An example if Pauline. She is the other lady that works in the same office as I do, but she's incharge of small claims whereas my supervisor is incharge of the criminal stuff. Pauline has been working as a small claims clerk since she was 15 years old which is a pretty long time to be at one job. I hope that I will be the same way after I graduate from law school. So far I can see that happening.

Thursday May 24, 2007

Today at co-op I had to file the new search warrants that came in as well as document more interpreters. I also learned how to find out what would be happening in court, or coming to my location. I also learned how to check up on people and see if they're staying out of trouble. Today I also learned how to make a small claim which is pretty simple when you see it but for it to be explained it really confusing and hard.

Wednesday May 23, 2007

Today at co-op there were some more interpreters to be called. So the other girl called the interpreters made sure the one's that said they were available had the dates written down and remembered when they were to come. After that I documented it in the database then faxed it over to the Crown Attorney's office then to the court in Milton. I also had to photocopy requested search warrants then the send it to the lawyer, court clerk or judge that requested it. Then it was back to documenting the interpreters.

Tuesday May 22, 2007

Today at co-op all I did was file the dockets that came in from Milton. To file the dockets I have to make sure that all the documents are in their respective folders in alphabetical order, then look through all the pages and see if there are any exhibits needed. If the there are then I would highlight the person it goes with. Then if not then I would put "nx" on the front of the folder. Following that we recieved interpreter requests from all the other courts then the other girl would call each interpreter and find out whos available and then I would record in the interpreter database and then fax it over to the Crown Attorney's office as well as to the Court in Milton.

Weekly Journal

I have contributed to the placement when I show up on time and ready to work. As well when I get everything that I is asked of me done. For example, when I am asked to do photocopying I do it all without complaints and there are a lot to photocopy and it gets boring after about the first page. Another example is when my supervisor asks me to go back in the evidence room and organize all the evidence. That is a job I don't like doing at my placemen. This is because they room is a small cramped space with shelves and no where to sit, so it's really uncomfortable and gets really boring because it can only fit pretty much one person so there's no one to talk to when working in there and nothing to entertain you, also the room is very heated.

Thursday May 17, 2007

Today was much like tuesday. All there was for me to do was file new warrants that came in then I organized the one's that were already there. And that ended my day.

Wednesday May 16, 2007

Today was pretty much the same as yesterday, except after we were finished working, we went to watch some court which ended our day.

Tuesday May 15, 2007

Today was a little bit different than yesterday, there wasn't much to be done so I was only at co-op for about an hour or hour and a half. All I did today was file some new warrants and pull a search warrant that was required and photocopy it, then fax it to the Milton court as well as to the crown attorney's office.

Monday May 14, 2007

Today at my co-op placement it was really busy. The day started out with filing dockets and search warrants and the reports. Following that, I had to do interpreter stuff, but because I cannot talk, the other girl at my placement would call and I would enter if they're available, the date and time and what kind of case it is, etc. After doing all that, we got to go on a little lunch break. And after lunch, we went back to the office and made files for the court in Milton. After that was finished, we went to watch some cases in the courtrooms, which would be the end of that today.

Unfortunately, today I still wasn't 100% to go to co-op. However, I should be able to go tomorrow.

It's Friday and my blog today is going to be the same as it has been all week. I didn't go to co-op today because I'm still sick. But the doctor's said I should be up and going by Monday, so let's see how that goes.

Once again today I didn't go to co-op =(

Today I still wasn't 100% so I didn't go to co-op once more.

Unfortunately, today I missed another day at co-op because I am not feeling very well. I have hopes that I will, however, return tomorrow.

Today I will not be going to co-op because I am sick. I hope I will be going tomorrow because missing two days of my co-op is horrible, and I don't want to fall behind on my hours.

Wednesday March 7, 2007

Today was pretty interesting, and A LOT more busy than it was on Monday and Tuesday. Today I got to call a lot of interpreters for different languages such as Vietnamese, Punjabi and French. As well today I did a lot more photocopying and a lot more faxing and a lot more organizing and a lot more learning. Each day I feels like I learn something new and interesting which is great because it helps me make my decision on becoming a lawyer which by the way is still a for sure thing. Today, when you stopped by was really good because it felt good to share my good experience with someone other than over the blog. I also got to watch some cases, one about fraud and theft and another one about impaired driving. Those were okay, kind of getting boring now. After being at my placement for three weeks and reading about all the different cases, I am a lot more interested in the more juicer cases such as sexual assault and murders. Those seem to have a more indepth discussion and argument.

Tuesday March 6, 2007

Today I arrived early to get a head start on everything. Which, however, was a BIG mistake because by the time it was 2 p.m., I ran out of things to do. My duties today included faxing things to doctors and other courts, a whole lot of photocopying and the probably the biggest thing I did, putting all the search warrants in chronological order, and marking down the one's that were missing. So because there was no court, and my supervisor thought I did a very great job, she sent me home early. That was well needed, but I still wish that there something to keep me busy because I love my placement.

Monday March 5, 2007

Today was a very weird day, it wasn't busy but there was still a lot to do. When I arrived, the courts just finished so I had to do a lot of photocopying and faxing, as well as organizing more search warrants and tracking down where the one's that were missing were.

Week # 2 Journal Entry

Being ready at my placement means being prepared for all the work that is thrown at you as well as being organized in a professional manner. This placement was what I hoped it would be, even though I don't get to argue with the judge and all that fun stuff, I get to sit in on the cases and see what they do and the steps and preparation they need to win their cases. The highlight of my week I would have to say was when I interviewed Crown Attorney, Richard Garwood Jones. Talking to him gave me more of a push in the direction of becoming a Crown Attorney/prosecutor. Watching him in court that day was like inspiration and now I know for a fact that if I do get in the field of criminal law, then a prosecutor is who I would want to be. Situations that made me feel good is when I get someting done with time to review everything and make sure that I did everything right. And the feeling that I didn't mess anything up makes me feel a lot better. Each day I learn something new about being a lawyer, and I also find something that pushes me to want to fulfill my dream. And each day I feel like I'm getting closer. I'm really enjoying it here, I hope it didn't have a time spand on it.

Friday March 2, 2007

Today we didn't really do much. We made more boxes and transfered more search warrants from the old boxes to the new ones. This took a lot of work and it would be really boring job if there was no one there to do it with and it is very frustrating.

Thursday March 1, 2007

Today I was given somewhat a free day because my supervisor thinks that I worked hard enough. So I had a little bit of a layed back day, but I got to watch two different cases. The first one was about impaired driving and the second one was about sexual assault. The sexual assault case really touched me and I felt really sad for the person that it happened to and I hope that the offender goes away for a VERY long time because he deserves it. I was also sent home early as a result of the bad weather.

Wednesay February 28, 2007

Even though I love everyday at my co-op today was even better. Today I got to call interpreters for three different languages, Twi, Somalian and Albanian. At first I was nervous then I kept telling myself that it's ok you can do it. Then when I actually picked up the phone to call the first person I'm pretty sure they could tell that I was nervous and that I was a first timer because if I were them I would so be able to tell as well. Then after that I went to a case of assault where which was pretty interesting then I went to a robbery case, which was a lot more interesting. Then after that at the end of the day I got to interview the Crown Attorney, Richard Garwood Jones, from the robbery case. I found it really interesting because it made me want to be a Crown Attorney in the future, it I become a criminal lawyer. Heres how the interview went:

1. Schaunda: How did you become interested in being a lawyer/the field of law?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• I went to University to finish my Bachelor of Arts also known as B.A.
• My childhood hero, Ken Dryden, who was a hockey player but is now a politician/lawyer.

2. Schaunda: What steps did you have to take to become a lawyer?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• I went to undergraduate for politics.
• Then after I went to Law School for 3 years.
• Then I did my Bar Admission Test for 6 months.
• Then I did articling for one year.

3. Schaunda: Did you always know you wanted to be a Crown Attorney?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• No the criminal defense attorney I was articling with recommended it to me.

4. Schaunda: How many year did you spend in police school?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• Police schooling took me 2 1/2 years

5. Schaunda: Which did you like better, being a police or a lawyer?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• Being a police were the greatest years of my life.
• Being a lawyer is very interesting, so are the working conditions.
• The field of law is also a lot of sacrifice.

6. Schaunda: What made you switch over?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• Well, Crowns work with the police very closely.
• The first year I wanted to try being a police so I tried that.
• Second year I wanted to try being a lawyer then I tried that.

7. Schaunda: Do you miss the days of being a police?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• Yes, it's a different experience and different working environment.

8. Schaunda: Would you say being a criminal defense attorney/Crown Attoney a lot more dangerous than being a police officer?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• Not at all. Being a police is at a higher risk than being a defense criminal lawyer.

9. Schaunda: What influenced you to make these decisions?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• Experience, it opened my eyes.
• Going on the overnight cruiser.
• Reading about what lawyers do, how they have to be organized and be prepared.

10. Schaunda: How many cases does a lawyer have a day?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• Depends where they are assigned. A lawyer has multiple trials a day such as sentencing, bails hearing and in quest hearings (which is when some is killed/dies during a hearing. They work ALL the time.

11. Schaunda: Do lawyers get to travel a lot?

Richard Garwood Jones:

• Crown Attorney works away all the time, 24/7 like a police does. They also work very closely with the police. But no, there is not very much travelling.

And of course I thanked him for his time and that was the end of that. I found that to be a great eye opener because now I know I definately want to become lawyer. Now all that's left is for me is to choose what time of lawyer I want to become, family or criminal lawyer.

Tuesday February 27, 2007

Today was good. Myself, my supervisor and the other co-op student had to transfer all the search warrants from the other boxes to new one's so they could be shipped to archiving company. That took a lot of time but we still managed to get everything done. It was fun and felt like the first time I started all over again, took a while to do everything but still managed to get it done. During this process they taught us how to make the boxes and how to enter new documents that come to the courts it was really interesting. But I won't be using that for a while, so the when the time comes I will be taught or refreshed on how to use it again.

Monday February 26, 2007

Today in co-op I finished filing/archiving all the search warrants from the 1980's to 2004. As well, I watched a case about assault once again. It was pretty interesting because it was kind of like the modern teenage high school relationship drama, also it kept my interest and kept me hanging because each second I kept thinking, whats going to happen next and I couldn't wait for the lawyers to make the next move, it was good case, one that I would love to see the outcome.

Week #1 Journal Entry

The first few days are over and I feel more comfortable in my environment and so far more encouraged to be a lawyer. I learned many new things from the people that I work around. When I first got there I thought that I was going to fail at everything and that I was going to have a hard time going what was expected of me, but I proved myself wrong. I found that when you have more confidence in yourself you have the ability to a lot more than you and others thought you could do.

I made a good first impression when I showed up 25 minutes early for my interview and kept showing up early throughout the week. As well as when I called in to notify them because I thought I was going to be late. I really liked it when I went there and they greeted me with open arms and accepted me gladly in their working environment.

At my placement appropriate dress and grooming means dressing professionally, appropriate and comfortable as well as for the occasion. My duties as I already mentioned include filing, working on the computer (with Microsoft office tools, all of them), calling in for interpreters when the time comes, organizing and showing up on time and keeping my role at my placement.

There are two different sizes in courtrooms at my placement, the smaller courtroom


and the larger courtroom
.

One courtroom doesn't have any hierarchy over the other about what case goes to what courtroom. The process to enter a courtroom is pretty simple. You open the doors quietly, then walk in quietly. Following that you bow at the Queen's crest which is above the judge's head then you may take a seat. Then when you're leaving you get up quietly, bow then you leave the room quietly. A major rule is to NEVER discuss anything you heard or saw with anyone when you leave the courtroom as there will most likely be witnesses sitting just outside the doors.

Friday February 23, 2007

Today I arrived at co-op a little bit earlier than usual. When I got there I went straight into working. Archived about 6 boxes and then started a new one. There were no cases going on today, but hopefully we will be getting some newer more interesting ones next week.

Thursday February 22, 2007

My day at co-op started out like every other day did, arrived at around 11:15, ate lunch and at approximately 11:30 it was time to work. Today I managed to finish organizing all the exhibits and started a new box of search warrants. Unfortunately there were no cases going on in court. Nevertheless it was still a good day, and once againg I managed to make a fun day out of it. After leaving english and math, not that theres anything wrong with them, it was good to go to something that I'm very passionate about. After I finished organizing, I got to do some paper stredding which was interesting because they let me read pver some stuff before I shredded them, but of course it was my decision if I wanted to or not. Following that, I went to the room with all the boxes of search warrants and I started filing again. But because I got a hang of what I had to do this box took a little less time. As a result, that allowed me to start more boxes so that I won't be spending everyday of four months to be doing filing of the same thing. Then at 3:15, I was allowed to go home. Which is a good, because filing and have to put everything in chronological order is REALLY hard, never thought so before, but it is 100% true.

Wednesay February 21, 2007

Here is the third day at the law office, well i FINALLY finished filing one box and I'm starting a new one. But one REALLY interesting new job that I have gotten was organizing all the exhibits used in cases before and cases that are going on now. Although the working space isn't so comfortable, it is still really interesting because I get to actually visualize the different exhibits that have been used and trust me you name it, it was there. At first I was kind of scared because everything that ran through my mine was "will there be guns, oh my gosh what go I do if there is?" "What if I touched the trigger and it goes off." Stupid little things like that. But it was all good, because my supervisor re-assured me that even if there is, theres nothing inside them anyways but just be careful because they are pretty heavy. And again, the work space was a cramped little room, but I still made the best out of it. Today was different because I never knew how much fun it would be to actually work around lawyers. Before I usually thought, "why do I wanna become a lawyer. All they do is work, work, work and they so boring and have no fun." But the lawyers that were around me were nothing like that. They were all laughing, telling jokes enjoying themselves. It was kind of like they weren't even lawyers, or even professionals. Until you see them in the courtroom.

Tuesday February 20, 2007

It is now Tuesday the 20th a start to a new day, the second day of my co-op. This day was a little different from yesterday's day. This is because I was a bit more familiar with the atmosphere and the people, who seem to be very kind, supportive, helpful and nice. But there was no time for "chit-chat" because in a law office you HAVE to get your work done in an organized and neat way. But it was nothing I couldn't handle. But they aren't as hard on co-op students as they are on the people who actually work there, nevertheless, I still do play an important role at my placement, because they depend on me to be there to get all their filing done and all the other stuff they are going to throw at me, so my duties are basically similiar to secretarial duties. Anyways, today I got to finish watching the cas I was watching yesterday, but I also had to keep in mind that I have other responsibilities like finishing everything I started before I get to go home. Overall, I'm really enjoying myself so far. I hope it stays the same. As well, so far I D E F I N A T E LY still want to be a lawyer, a family or criminal lawyer those have been the most interesting ones I've come across so far.

Monday February 19, 2007

On Monday February 19, 2007, it was my first day ever being in a law office as apart of the "working crowd". It started out pretty slow, at first I was shy, wasn't really familiar with anyone there, except really my supervisor, who I have only met once before. There wasn't anything planned for me that so I was told to go watch some case going on in court, there was a choice of an impaired driving case or an assault causing bodily harm case. I went to the first one which wasn't really anything I was interested in, so I went to the second case after it had returned from recess. It was quite interesting. After the case was finished I talked to my supervisor and asked what I would be doing then she told me over the course of the four months that I would be there, I would be doing filing. And man were there a number of serious boxes in one little tiny room that I have to share with another person. So, I decided to get a head start on the filing of one box, which by the way consisted A L O T of search warrants from the 80's. By the time it was three I was barely done one box, so Cheryl, my supervisor told me to just continue with it another time.

Today was fairly different from my other days in co-op.

Today I went to my placement for an interview,

which went well. I got accepted and will be starting on Monday.

I am looking forward to starting and getting the experience I need

to reassure myself that being a lawyer is the career

I really want to persue. My responsibilities will include filing

and most likely working on the computer. I am also

responsible for keeping confidenciality. The people I

will be working with seem to be really nice and supportive.

Therefore, I don't think being at my placement

is going to be a horrible experience.

Work Update

Today in class, we worked on and finished

our cover letters and resume's.

It was a hard but manageable task,

but I managed to get it done.

Following that, we worked on an assignment

that tells us the advantages and disadvantages

of having a union, as well as the definition of a union.

Today in class we had guest speakers came in

to teach us how to make a proper resume,

as well as a cover letter,

as well as what to do and what not to do during an interview.

This was beneficial,because it helped me sort of prepare myself

for my interview as a lawyer's assistant. it was very educational,

and was also something I could take along with me in the future

for great help and advice.

Today's Work

Today in co-op we did the passport to safety test.

We also learned how to make a blog.