From Law School to the Courtroom: My Second Summer at CT Law

Written By Stratton White

My end of my second summer at CT Law is drawing near, and it’s been quite a wild ride yet again! It could be argued that I never actually left (aka Casey couldn’t get rid of me) so when I “rejoined” the team full-time in May, it felt like coming home.

Some things have stayed the same, like the daily Starbucks “field trips” and the stunned expressions from the courtroom gallery when something outlandish is said.

Naturally, another year of law school brings more skills/knowledge that I can utilize in my role. Therefore, my role at CT Law has been able to evolve. Your first year of law school (aka 1L year) focuses on acquiring a basic understanding of how things work and developing legal research skills, which basically describes most of my work last summer. In 2L year, you learn more about applying those skills to practice through evidentiary rules and trial work, and this has matched my work at CT Law this summer accordingly. This growth has allowed for me to really get into the weeds of the cases, identify and understand the issues, and strategize with Casey, rather than be an objective observer (and sponge).

For example, last year, I usually had no idea what the opposing attorneys’ evidentiary objections meant or how to anticipate Casey’s responses. This summer, I not only understand the objections, but I could think of my own response and compare it to Casey’s. Next year (hopefully), I should be able to spot those objections coming from a mile away like Casey. (It will probably be more like 10 feet or so, but I like to aim high.)

During 1L summer, I was in drivers ed, and this summer, I got my learner’s permit. My hands aren’t shaking when I’m gripping the wheel that steers my role here at CT Law, but I have a lot more learning to do before I can drive without Casey in the car (with her hand on the e-brake).

While this may be the end of my 2025 summer, it’s nowhere near the end of my CT Law journey. (Yes, that’s a threat…)

-Stratton White, J.D. Candidate 2026

Stratton White

Stratton is working with CT Law during the summer of 2024 to expand his knowledge in the field of family law and immerse himself in the local legal community. He graduated from University of South Carolina in 2022 with a degree in broadcast journalism, and he just completed his first year at the Charleston School of Law. There, he is a member of the Children’s Advocacy and Family Law Society and the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity.

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