This week I completed the last stage of my final product and I couldn't be more excited. I also pressed my final presentation speech in a dress rehearsal setting. Looking back on all of the research that I have done throughout the journey of completing my Final Product and thinking about which topics were instrumental in the creation of my product I think about topics such as, questioning, Texas Family Law Code, opening statements and closing statements. To highlight a few, I took a closer look at how to present a case at trial. I believe that it will also be instrumental in the creation of my final product to learn more about how to question the respondent, plaintiff, and witnesses. Knowing that my project is presenting a court case, research will be something that is essential to me effectively composing the project. I will be required to conduct research from the Texas Family Law Code, with an emphasis on the child custody sections. Some of the skills I was able to acquire throughout the course of this project include mastering analyzing documents, gaining a greater understanding of how to present a case at trial, breaking down the family law code, and assessing the case as a whole. Over the course of the past few weeks, I have been able to stay on track with conducting research to help in adding me in the creation of my final product. Although I have not been able to meet with my mentor over the past few weeks, I still feel confident that I am moving in a positive direction in terms of progress. A major part of the creation of my final product and the preparation before presenting the case in a mock trial setting, is through in depth research on tips for preparing a case for trial. I have conducted research on questioning, how to present a child custody case, and tips for presenting an opening statement. During trial, the attorney must give an opening and closing statement. This week I have chosen to direct my research towards gaining a better understanding of how to present an opening statement in court as well as what are some key factors that play an integral role in the opening statement. Reading the article,“Tips for Developing an Effective Opening Statement”, written by Sherilyn Pastor and published by The American Bar Association answered many of the remaining questions that I had as well as further developed my knowledge of how to go about the process of presenting an opening statement argument, as well as, enable me with the tools I need to be successful in court. Evidently this will help with my final product. Family law is a field that has a very unique nature due to the fact that each case requires the practitioner to develop a different strategy and approach. Simply put, the nature of being in the field of family law is completely dependent upon what is going on in the moment, a lot of that is due to the fact that you are always working on different cases and constantly talking to different clients. Reading the article entitled,“Deciding Custody” answered many of the remaining questions that I had as well as further developed my knowledge of what a child custody case looks like and how to prevail in cursory battle cases. Reading the article entitled, “How Courts Work,” helped in furthering my knowledge on questions clients and witnesses in court. I am so excited to present my final product next week!