My time at Taylor, Minnette, Schneider, & Clutter P.C this summer was incredible. My knowledge of the law expanded greatly. I was able to grapple with areas like municipal, estate, tax, and criminal law. I went to court, I sat in on litigation, met with government officials and private clients alike, and learned so much from just being in the office. My days began with a review of the daily schedule. I accompanied my supervisor, Dan Taylor ’83, to many meetings with clients. Much of my time was spent here in Crawfordsville. Many days we would go to the County Government Center to meet with the county commissioners or the county administrator. There, I would observe as Mr. Taylor would give legal advice to these officials over countless issues. Some of these were related to access to government and how to ensure that the people of the city or county could easily view public documents or meetings. Another issue heavily discussed was the upkeep of government facilities. In these meetings I learned about the issuance of bonds and the countless hours it takes to prepare bonds to be sold in order for the government to pay for its projects. I also spent time in schools, as the firm I worked at has many education clients. I helped deal with issues relating to teacher compensation, student and teacher discipline, and the challenges that a new school year brings. I spent time in depositions, learning how to fully analyze an issue from every angle. Part of my experience also included hands on work. I assisted in writing wills and other estate planning documents. I spent time doing legal research to find best practices for new ordinances, and I briefed court cases and other documents to aid the firm in its tasks. This summer and its countless experiences have shown me what a successful private law practice looks like and has confirmed that I want to be an attorney after Wabash. Thank you to the Coons family for funding this experience and making my summer happen.
