2012 Legal Intern Fellowship Program Report

The Massachusetts Bar Foundation Legal Internship Fellowship Program (LIFP) enjoyed a very productive year in 2012. Three exemplary law students were awarded stipends for their work in the public interest arena. The LIFP Review Committee selected the three from a pool of 27 diverse applicants.

This year's Legal Intern Fellows demonstrated an admirable work ethic and solid dedication to integrating public service into their career paths. Below is a summary of their experiences.

 

INTERN: Julia Hall

LAW SCHOOL: Boston University School of Law                     CURRENT YEAR: 3L

ORGANIZATION: AIDS Action Committee of MA

PROGRAM: Legal Services to HIV+ and At-Risk Communities

INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION: Throughout her internship at AIDS Action Committee of MA, Julia Hall was exposed to a wide variety of legal issues, strengthened her advocacy and writing skills, and built on her social work foundation to gain expertise in providing legal assistance to particularly vulnerable populations. Julia worked on cases related to housing, employment, family law, and public assistance issues at free clinics for AAC clients, who are HIV+ or members of at-risk communities such as the transgender population.

Julia reports that she is most proud of her contributions to an asylum case she worked on this summer. She interviewed the client, a transgender woman from a Central American country, and assisted in drafting the asylum affidavit, the most important part of the asylum application. Both this experience, as well as that of writing a reply brief in a Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination employment discrimination case solidified her decision to practice employment law with some focus on immigration.

Of Julia, her supervising attorney Richard Juang said, "Ms. Hall's work and energy were exemplary… In short, she was an essential team member in some of our toughest cases with some of our most destitute clients."

 

INTERN: Rachel Smit

LAW SCHOOL: Boston University School of Law        CURRENT YEAR: 3L

ORGANIZATION: Greater Boston Legal Services

PROGRAM: Employment Law Unit

INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION: Based on the number, diversity, and complexity of the assignments Rachel Smit completed during her internship in the Employment Law Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services, it's hard to believe she was there only ten weeks. Rachel gained extensive experience interacting with clients as she spent hours interviewing immigrant workers and sensitively documenting their experiences.

Rachel also helped prepare two wage and hour cases for litigation. This project involved: interviewing the clients in Spanish; analyzing documentation of hours and wages; legal research; and investigating the employers. Rachel also made time to attend weekly clinics at the Chelsea Collaborative, ultimately exposing her to an even wider range of immigrants' employment issues.

Lastly, Rachel worked on a number of policy-related legal research and writing projects, including drafting a section of a legal brief challenging the Department of Unemployment Assistance's interpretation of Massachusetts' Unemployment Statute.

Rachel found her work experience this summer to be "invaluable." In her final report, she writes, "my direct client interaction reinforced my commitment to represent immigrant workers in my future career as a legal services lawyer."

 

INTERN: Kristen Wekony

LAW SCHOOL: Boston University School of Law               CURRENT YEAR: 3L

ORGANIZATION: Harvard Legal Aid Bureau

PROGRAM: Housing Law Unit

INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION: Kristen Wekony's experience at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau's (HLAB) Housing Law Unit gave her a glimpse into life after law school and prepared her with real world experience. As is the intended design of the HLAB summer program, Kristen did a great deal of independent decision-making as she autonomously managed ten active eviction cases in the Boston Housing Court - with the supervision and support of the Harvard clinical instructors. Kristen counseled her clients about their rights, represented them at hearings at the Boston Housing Court, drafted and responded to discovery requests, and negotiated settlements on behalf of her clients. Kristen also volunteered every other week at the Lawyer of the Day program at Boston Housing Court, providing advice and limited assistance to pro se litigants on housing issues.

Kristen reports the highlight of her summer was winning a reasonable accommodation for a disabled low-income client which reinstated her section 8 voucher, thus avoiding homelessness for the client. In addition to the many positive aspects of daily client contact, Kristen's summer internship helped her learn to manage the more challenging components of being a legal services attorney, including the importance of keeping emotional distance from your clients while remaining a zealous advocate for them.

In her final report, Kristen writes of another important facet of her summer experience: "[My internship] helped me start to develop my own style of lawyering. After working with different supervisors and different opposing counsel, this summer has shown me that there is a diverse array of practicing styles, all of which have their strengths and weaknesses. After this experience, I am on my way to fostering my own [style]."

For more information about the MBF's Legal Intern Fellowship Program, click here.