Blog 7- Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

My mentor is Noreen Barcena she is a criminal justice and immigration attorney. She works at Law Offices of Noreen L. Barcena along with her father and other associates. Noreen graduated in 2012 from University of La Verne College of Law. Although she hasn't been practicing law for a long time she has so much knowledge of her field. Her father is Gustavo Barcena who was the former president of the Mexican American Bar Association. She grew up having her father as a guide into the critical world of law. Now Noreen is a member of the Mexican American Bar Association. She is an expert because she not only can share her knowledge with me but has a web of connections.

Mexican American Bar Association
(Noreen Barcena is the first one on the first row.)

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1) After you graduated from law school, did you know what your next step was going to be?

2) What was your first experience in court like?And was it what you expected?

3) Did your fathers background give you any advantages or disadvantages? What was your experience like?

4) How did you first start out with the Mexican American Bar Association?

5) How did you transition from your first major to specifically law? How did you explain to your friends, mentors, and family?

Blog 6: Advisory House Prep

1) What has worked well for you senior project this year? What has made it a positive experience for you?

I didn't really think I was going to be able to actually find a mentor. There was just issues about how i would get there and when she was available, but I'm really glad it was worked out. I was a little bit concerned when I figured out I had mixed up the due dates for the interview. I didn't know if i was going to be a be to get it done. My mentor was super cool about it and made the time for me to see her which was great! I think the way we treat each other is something thats worked out really great. Even though she's so put together she doesn't treat me like I'm any less compared to her. I'm still adjusting to senior year. In my opinion all the support we get from everyone has been a really positive experience. Theres so much effort that goes into the senior project and its really great that everyone has a part to play.

2) What are you finding difficult concerning senior year? How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you? How might the senior team help? 

Coming back for my senior year I didn't really know what to expect. I always heard it was going to be a lot of work. I think my biggest issue is the fact that almost everything is done on the blog or turned into turn it on. I personally can say I'm not the best with technology! I have all these amazing friends that can help but as soon as I attempt it on my own I get all confused. The woking bibliography is the real issue right now for me. I know it's important to cite your sources so that the senior team can make sure you're doing your research. I am doing my research every week I'm just struggling to do the WB. Something I'm going to do is have one of my friends help me out so that I can feel more comfortable working with the blog. Well the senior team were the ones to advise me to ask a friend for help so I really appreciate that they always offer support and suggestions.

Blog 5: Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

I was actually pretty nervous to interview my mentor just because I didn't feel like I would come up with good follow up questions. Once we started though it all just came so naturally. My mentor was so informative and really brought up some good points. Something important I learned from the interview was that you really have to be prepared. Know what you're talking about and be able to be clear about it and not over complicate. Of course though that's something I always do. The most important thing I learned though was that everyone has the right to be defended no matter the situation. During this interview I was kind of hesitant to interrupt and ask a question if I was confused. My mentor actually told me that its good to ask questions because that's the only way to learn. So for my next interviews I definitely want to pause and ask a question if I didn't understand something.

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

My mentor actually gave me the names of two resources I can use. A book called Smart on Crime by Kamala Harris. From what I was told shes a great attorney and my mentor admires her philosophy. She also recommended me a film called Lincoln Lawyer which I'm looking forward to watch. Luckily my mentor has many contacts that she can put me in touch with. Her father is actually a really good attorney who I met during my interview with my mentor. I'm really happy that they are as excited for this journey like me! I think the fact that my mentor has so many contacts is the most useful because there's just so much more possibilities with an opening like that.

Noreen Barcena
(Mentor)

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 

My mentor has experience, and a variety of connections she can contact me with.  She really is leader that wants to make a difference with what she is passionate about. Not only that but shes just such a humble person and genuinely wants to help me. 

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep 1

This year I will be learning about criminal justice and 

what a criminal justice attorney does. Senior year is 

about figuring ourselves out. We're getting the opportunity 

to explore a topic we might end up doing for the rest of

our lives. Some of us will find our passion with in our topic.

Others will realize that they want to go in another direction.

For the next few months I hope to learn as much as I can

from my mentor. I want to be able to experience the field and

learn from my mistakes. I want my perspective to grow 

along with what I'll be learning.  My topic has a variety of

different situations! I can't wait to see what I'm going to be put up against in the future.

Blog 3 - Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?
I plan to interview Noreen Barcena, she is an attorney with experience in Criminal, Immigration, and Family Law! She also has experience with DUI and Asylum trials. I plan to interview her so that I can get a better understanding of what she does and how it works. In the world of Criminal Justice there are so many areas in which you can speacialize in and devote yourself to making it better. I personally would like to speacialize in an area where I can work with people who have been charged with attempted murder or murder. Working with minors is also something that would intetest me. The crazy thing is that a crime can be ranked as a misdemeanor like a simple assault to a felony leading to life in prison. Don't you ever wonder how the legal system came to be? What seperates you from life in prison to only 12 years in a state penitentiary when both cases are so similar? I have so many questions and I hope that Noreen can answer the many questions I have.

2. Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask. What additional questions do you plan to ask? Ask open-ended questions.
- Why did you decide to major in this field? If you dont mind me asking Do you have a personal connection to this specialty?
- Do you feel that there is a fault in the system i which there can be improvement?
- Have you ever had trouble handling a case because it was such an emotional impact?
- What happens after a case is done? How does the outcome affet the process?