When I came to law school, I knew I was interested in criminal defense law. My 1L year deepened that interest, so when it came time to seek out a summer internship, I started looking for a way that I could get hands-on experience with criminal law cases. Last summer, I ended up working in two different positions: as a research assistant and as a law clerk at the Public Defender’s Office.
For the first month of summer, I worked with Loyola Professor Alan Raphael. Professor Raphael was writing a criminal procedure textbook, and hired two Loyola students to assist with the book. I researched, wrote, and proofread for the textbook, and learned a lot along the way. Criminal procedure is an area of law in which I am very interested, and so I’m glad to have had the chance to introduce myself to the topic before enrolling in the class during my 2L year.
During the summer I also worked as a law clerk for the Office of the Public Defender in Cook County, which is located at Chicago’s criminal courthouse. I was assigned to the felony trial division, and worked under the supervision of two attorneys. We worked in a courtroom designated as a drug court, so most of our clients were facing charges of possession or intent to distribute. The thing I liked most about working with the Public Defender was the large amount of hands-out experience that I was granted. I was in court three days per week, talked to clients daily, took frequent trips to jail, and was able to write and file motions. Nearly all of our clients were awaiting their hearings and trials while in custody, meaning that in order to speak with them, we either had to visit them in jail, or in the “lock-up” which is a cell directly behind the judge’s chambers of the courtroom. At first this was a little intimidating because I was often the only female in a room of 30 or more male inmates, but I quickly adjusted.
I probably talked to hundreds of clients throughout the summer, but on a few cases I got more deeply involved, to research their case and write a motion. I enjoyed this because after really studying a client’s file and speaking with them about their pending charges, writing a motion for them took on a much bigger significance. Searching through the file to find pertinent evidence and forming strong arguments sometimes felt like a treasure hunt, and I liked the responsibility that I was granted in determining what would be the best way to approach a client’s situation.
Probably the single most valuable part of this summer was the familiarity I developed with the criminal courthouse in Chicago. After spending a few months working there, I became acquainted with many of the judges and their courtrooms, I know the procedure for filing court documents, and I am comfortable with the process of visiting a client in jail. To have this level of comfort with the courthouse before even starting my 2L year will likely be invaluable for the future, as I pursue a career in criminal law.
– Meg Davis, 2L
