I have always been interested in law, and when I got the chance to speak with a public juvenile defense attorney, I thought that may be the path I want to take. So this year I decided to see if this area of court is actually something I would be interested in working in. In March, I left my resume at the Juvenile Justice Center with a note that I was looking for a summer internship opportunity. In May, I finally got a response. Alex Momany from Howes Law Firm reached out to me to talk about working with him over the summer. We decided that I would work with him to get an understanding of how the law intersects with juveniles. For the most part that would mean reading cases and attending court hearings. I agreed and started last Monday, June 2nd. Since then, I have attended four court hearings and have many more planned for this summer.
Where I’ve BeenThis week my time has been split between the Linn County Juvenile Justice Center and the Howes Law Office. While in the courthouse, I have followed my supervisor as he talks with clients and attorneys before hearings to determine what the best course of action is. While at the office, I spend my time reading the cases for upcoming hearings and taking notes so I remember each case when I get to the courthouse. I’ve been told that reading cases is a big part of the process of starting juvenile work. I’m excited to continue to read cases and watch how they unfold in court. I also appreciate how I’ve been given the chance to see what the process for attorneys is before walking into the courtroom. I’m starting to learn what things in a case may help each side make their case to a judge.
This week I also took the LSAT, which is a standardized test used to apply to law schools. I am at Cornell following a pre-law track and hoping to go through the 3+3 program. That means that I will be applying to the University of Iowa College of Law this upcoming fall, and if I get accepted, I will start attending law school during my senior year of undergrad. I’ll get my results back in July, and then, along with my experience at this internship, I’ll have a better understanding of what I want my future career to be and how to achieve it.
When I’m not at the office or in the courthouse, you’ll often find me at one of my two jobs. I’ve worked the night shift at Home Depot for two years and just last month also started working at Mister Car Wash in order to help pay for school next year. In order to keep my schedule balanced and fun, I also like to add in time to journal and scrapbook. Every month, I put together pages in a notebook that show pieces of what I have done that month. This picture is the first page of May. I use these pages to look back on the accomplishments I’ve completed each month and help me stay motivated for the future. I am looking forward to adding the next three months to my journal as I complete this internship and learn more about a future job possibility.