I came into law school completely certain that I was going to be a public service lawyer. I had absolutely zero exposure or experience to public service lawyering, however. Though I had a large collection of community service hours, mostly centered around working with kids in impoverished, inner city communities (my motivation for attending law… Continue reading A Week at Public Defender Service in DC
Author: law&publicservice
From “Serial” to Law School: A 1L’s Exploration of Innocence Work at UVA
One of my first introductions to UVA Law was in Fall 2014. I had gotten hooked on the popular podcast "Serial" during my commute to work. On episode seven, the Virginia Innocence Project Clinic at UVA Law partnered with the host, Sarah Koenig, to work on Adnan Syed's case. By the seventh episode I was… Continue reading From “Serial” to Law School: A 1L’s Exploration of Innocence Work at UVA
Winter Break Pro Bono: Charlottesville-Albemarle Public Defender’s Office
As fellows in the Program in Law and Public Service, we—Corey Parker and Ray Gans—know that we want to devote our careers to public service. We have also been eager, as 1Ls, to dive in and gain experience in public service. Volunteering pro bono hours with the Charlottesville-Albemarle Public Defender’s Office over this past winter… Continue reading Winter Break Pro Bono: Charlottesville-Albemarle Public Defender’s Office
In Support of Non-Traditional Lawyering
One of the most exciting and overwhelming aspects of public service is that there are so many different career paths to explore. While many of my peers in public service pursued laudable careers in prosecution and public defense, I sought out less traditional experiences. Though choosing less common paths can be risky, it can also… Continue reading In Support of Non-Traditional Lawyering
LPS Fellow awarded the Powell Fellowship
The University of Virginia School of Law has just announced that Maya Iyyani '18, a current fellow and the student co-president of the Program in Law and Public Service, is this year's recipient of the Powell Fellowship. She will be working with Bay Area Legal Aid to address the rampant housing crisis in the San… Continue reading LPS Fellow awarded the Powell Fellowship
Thinking About Externships?
Externship application season is quickly approaching, and you may be wondering whether an externship is right for you. Externships might seem scary because they take up your entire semester and/or may be located outside of Charlottesville. This past semester I had the pleasure of completing a full-time, individualized externship at Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal)… Continue reading Thinking About Externships?
Shaping Justice Conference Inspires, Activates Students
It’s not always easy to keep in mind why we’re in law school. However we plan to use our education, the daily demands associated with getting that education often distract us from our goals and the values that inform them. The law school institution itself, for better and for worse, can feel isolated from the… Continue reading Shaping Justice Conference Inspires, Activates Students
Get Out: Becoming a Practice-Ready Lawyer
Law school is an ivory tower. It exists hundreds of miles above our clients’ on-the-ground experiences. We sit in these rooms—divorced from reality—deriving “holdings” from age-old judicial opinions. We theorize, contemplate, and speculate about principles of law from our aerial view. And in the “elevated” exercises of the traditional law school class's Socratic method, we… Continue reading Get Out: Becoming a Practice-Ready Lawyer
Reflections from a Courtroom
I had never walked into a courtroom before law school. The only people I knew who had been in courtrooms entered as defendants. For me, courtrooms had a very serious and almost terrifying power about them. And yet this year, I have walked into a courtroom at least once a week. To say the experience… Continue reading Reflections from a Courtroom
Convincing the Skeptics
As a law student who arrived at UVA knowing that I wanted to do public service immigration work, I have at times felt like I was swimming upstream. Most 1Ls either plan to work in the private sector or have not yet found their niche within the legal community. As someone who did not fit… Continue reading Convincing the Skeptics
