Checking in with our summer associate, Christian Fricke, as he reaches the midway point of the summer.

• What is a ‘day in the life’ for you at Lane & Waterman so far this summer?
  • Generally, a day involves researching an issue and giving my written analysis to the partner working on it. Each day, however, brings different issues and I have had the opportunity to work on a range of problems from evidentiary standards in litigation to securities regulations. I have also had the opportunity to observe some of the partners and associates in mediation, hearings, and depositions.
• What area of the law are you most interested in?
  • There is not really one specific area of the law in which I am most interested. If I had to specify my interests, I would probably say that my interest is in business. On the one hand, I would say that generally business transactions and counseling businesses seem very interesting to me. On the other hand, commercial litigation or maybe just litigation more broadly is also very interesting to me. Generally, though, I have not  found an area of law I did not find interesting after digging into it a little bit.
• What partners are you working with at a firm/what are you doing with them?
  • I have had the opportunity to work with several partners. Recently, I’ve been able to work with Josh McIntyre on some litigation matters, Maegan Gorham and Tim Gulbranson on compliance with securities regulations, Doug Lindstrom on analyzing association documents, and Eric Hartmann and Jenny Juehring on various research projects.
• What has been your favorite part of this experience so far?
  • My favorite part of the experience has been getting to work with experienced attorneys and seeing part of how they solve problems for clients.
• What are you reading/listening to right now?
  • I’m in the middle of reading a few things. This week, I just started a book called Point Made by Ross Guberman I’m in the middle of reading The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win by Joel Trachtman Additionally, I took a contract drafting class over a weekend this summer, and it was fairly brief, so I’ve been spending some time digging into the book that was used in the class, Drafting Contracts: How and Why Lawyers Do What They Do by Tina Stark.
• Favorite thing to do/eat in the Quad Cities.
  • My favorite thing to do in the Quad Cities has been going to the different golf courses in the area. Additionally, my favorite thing to eat so far has been the Bison Burger at Me & Billy’s.

The firm’s Summer Associate program offers law students practical legal experience following their first and second years of law school. During this program, Summer Associates engage in active client matters, and assist by, among other things, drafting briefs and transactional documents; participating in depositions, arbitrations, and mediation sessions; attending client meetings; and observing courtroom procedures.