What went well?

• Knowing that I finished contacting my list of clients, this week I spent conducting secondary tasks dependent on the documents I received. As I started to get the paperwork ready for BiD and the partner firms, I quickly saw that the case I was actively working on were smaller than the initially listed quantity of 50 individuals. Eventually, I had a steady set of 20 clients of whom I had to get ready for court. Throughout the course of this week, I was eventually given the trust to conduct the B1 bail application for each person along with any bail grounds, witness testimony, and document bundle packages. From there, I would either join the client during their final court hearings on a CVP (an online cloud video platform) or in-person at the tribunal courthouse of the city they were being detained at. Come Friday, I finished 15 out of the 20 cases that were specifically assigned to me, leaving five for my last week in the office.

What could have been done differently?

• In terms of things I could have done differently, I wish I would have asked the partner firms more frequently what the capacities of their Pro Bono teams were. While these Magic Circle Firms are notorious for having large staffs and an instantly recognizable name, the number of attorneys who are willing to help a cause such as this at no cost to them but love for helping the misfortunate is slim. Hence why BiD had to eventually ask our partners if they would be willing to take on the extra caseload. The work being returned to us was either insufficient or just delaying the process so early in this week, Tara and I decided to divvy up the cases amongst the two of us and finish the project on our means and at our own pace. If I had known from the start that the firms were not ready to take on so much at one time, I would’ve given them less cases and or given the recommendation to split ties sooner. The more involved I get into this type of law, the more I realize how challenging it is. This reality ultimately explains why this situation happened in the first place, but it still doesn’t make it ideal nor right.

What did I learn about myself when working with others?

• When working with others, I learned that I exhibited extreme tenacity and bravery to step up into my leadership roles and be transparent on what I could and could not do with the limited time I had. Having this open stream of communication with Tara, the firms, and BiD itself helped immensely and only put me more in an ideal position for the remaining five days I have left.

What did I learn about leadership?

• As far as my leadership attributes, I was able to expand on my awareness and resilience skills. Beyond being able to reflect on how much knowledge I have and what my limits are in terms of working scope for this project, I didn’t let my thoughts define how I worked but more so used them as a vessel to learn more and lead in the manner that I wanted. I maintained my energy throughout the entire week and will use my last cases as motivation to finish out my tenure at BiD in the best way possible.

What do I want to develop or focus on next?

• Looking at what I can develop or focus on next, I want to focus on creating even close relationships with my colleagues and bosses so that I can leave a lasting impact in their lives and mine respectively after I leave.