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Externships provide students with practical experience in multiple aspects of legal practice. Many students also report that their externships have been an invaluable resource upon entering the job market. Past externs have related their experiences with the program below.
by Matthew Covello, Class of 2006
Taking an externship should be a required part of law school. After two years of studying case law and arguing mock motions and appeals, I spent a summer making decisions that directly affected the lives of other people. I averaged over twelve hours per week actually “on the record” in a courtroom and had an opportunity to view both the criminal justice system and the day to day lives of prosecutors from a front row seat.
One interesting aspect of working at the Kent City Attorney’s office is that, although you have one supervisor on your rule 9 card, actually four different prosecutors are available for guidance and assistance. The actual work was varied for a criminal practice. I represented the city in several traffic infraction calendars as well as researched issues involving warrantless searches, defendants’ admissions, and DUI-related issues. After observing the prosecutors for several days, I was given my own calendar where I would represent the City of Kent in various criminal proceedings. Eventually I was able to handle these calendars by myself without supervision.
An awesome part of working in Kent was that I actually felt like an attorney. The staff at City Hall and at the Court treated me like I was one of the prosecutors. This treatment allowed me to focus on my work instead of on how I looked doing it.
Municipal prosecution is a very busy and complex area of law. The case load in south King County is exceptional and Kent is no exception. Because of this, it was often difficult to feel fully prepared for an anticipated court appearance. However, this experience gave me the confidence and ability to think on my feet and to adequately advocate in any situation.
I spent most of my time in a courtroom; however, at the office, there was always at least one attorney available to answer any questions I had. I did not take Criminal Procedure before taking this externship, which put me at a severe disadvantage. Yet the prosecutors were open to talking with me about basic criminal rules, motions, and law. Each attorney had a different expectation level for my performance. At times this hurt my self-esteem a little, but it taught me to cope with a diverse office environment. And when I did successfully complete an assignment or an argument, my confidence grew exponentially because I was actually functioning as a lawyer.
I have recommended this externship to several of my friends both for the reasons stated above and because I feel like a different law student now than I did before taking the externship. For me, working in Kent transformed me from a naïve second-year law student to a confident soon-to-be lawyer.
Rachel Winship, Class of 2006
The Department of Assigned Counsel in Tacoma will forever be etched in my mind as the agency that first exposed me to the practical and emotional aspects of criminal law.
While working at the felony division at DAC, I researched various legal issues, discussed these issues with attorneys, wrote the relevant briefs, and watched numerous court hearings and trials. During this time, I learned a great deal about Washington criminal law and the criminal court system.
In addition to important legal experience, I gained valuable experience communicating with clients. Through my contact with DAC clients, I learned the importance of being able to communicate without using complex legal terms. Further, I learned the difficulties of dealing with the indigent population. Specifically, many of DAC’s clients had much more pressing concerns than their pending cases. These are things that you just do not learn sitting in a law school classroom.
Besides my felony work, which involved mostly research and writing, I also had the opportunity to appear in Fife Municipal Court, doing pre-trial hearings. This experience gave me much-needed court exposure. Although I was initially very nervous and unsure of myself, repeated exposure made me much more confident.
I would recommend working at the Department of Assigned Counsel to anyone who is interested in working on either side of criminal law. My experience was extremely positive; the attorneys were incredibly accommodating, and the cases involved vast and varying issues. I personally believe any law student would be lucky to be an extern at the Department of Assigned Counsel.
by Abbie Hurd, Class of 2005
My externship at the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) was, without a doubt, the best experience I had during law school.
The externship involved a lot of research, writing and analytical work but each assignment was so intriguing I actually wanted to do the work. The issues I researched ranged from bank robberies, to kidnappings, to international homicides, to drug smuggling from Canada into the U.S., to U.S. corporations bribing foreign officials for business contracts.
I also had the opportunity to write a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Brief. This was a very daunting task, but equally satisfying to complete. Not to mention, I can now tell prospective employers that I have written a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Brief!
As far as my time in court, I conducted three sentencing hearings. These were also daunting experiences, but it was thrilling to argue before a federal court judge, representing the United States.
My supervisor (Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Redkey) was awesome. He introduced me to many of the federal court judges, invited me to participate in interrogations of defendants and witnesses, and gave me time to sit-in on some high-profile federal trials. He also checked in with me on a regular basis to make sure I was not too overwhelmed.
Every Assistant U.S. Attorney that I worked with was supportive of me and of each other. It was really refreshing to be in an environment of intelligent, self-assured, and kind attorneys who seemed genuinely excited about their careers.
Most importantly, this externship was instrumental in helping me decide that I want to be a prosecutor. I learned that prosecutors have the exceptional opportunity to weigh the defendant’s motivations, criminal history, and remorse, against the impact of his/her crime on society and then, from that balancing test, to ask the court for that which is fair.
If you are like me at all, at some point during law school you start to question why you have paid all this money to go into such a boring profession. My externship at the U.S. Attorney’s Office taught me that there is an exciting and rewarding alternative to working at "a big firm." For this knowledge, I am forever grateful.