Preparing for Public Defender Internship Forum

[Anonymous User]

Title says it all, but I am a 2L going to intern at a state public defender. Do not have the ability to handle my own cases, but I will be doing a criminal defense clinic next year if that makes any difference.

I want to make sure I get the most of of this experience which means three main things to me: 1) see if I like it before I dedicate a career to it; 2) position myself to hopefully get hired post-grad by doing a good job and being likeable; and 3) learning all I can.

Advice on things to do a) in the next couple weeks before I start and/or b) things to during the summer?

Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

bump

[Anonymous User]

1) Ask for work if you're not getting any, but do it in a way that doesn't make you look needy or pushy.

2) Do the best job you can with whatever work you're given, and have a good attitude about it. If they give you a copy job, make it the best damn copy job they've ever seen. If you do a good job with the small things, they'll start to trust you with bigger things.

3) If you have down time, try and find trials you can observe.

There's really not much more to it. Do those things and you'll be in a good place.

[Anonymous User]

1) Ask for work if you're not getting any, but do it in a way that doesn't make you look needy or pushy.

2) Do the best job you can with whatever work you're given, and have a good attitude about it. If they give you a copy job, make it the best damn copy job they've ever seen. If you do a good job with the small things, they'll start to trust you with bigger things.

3) If you have down time, try and find trials you can observe.

There's really not much more to it. Do those things and you'll be in a good place.

I think it's also important to be up front with your supervisors about your prior experience and goals for the internship. If you let the attorneys know that you have experience writing suppression motions, for example, they will feel more comfortable assigning you that type of work rather than just pawning off crap like copy jobs. In my experience PDs love it when students are really passionate about PD work, and most of them will go out of their way to help get you meaningful experience if you are open with them about what you want to accomplish and seem confident.