This summer, I have not only played a part in representing the needy, but have also worked alongside the mostly genuinely kind people I have met. The Legal Aid Society of Louisville aims “to pursue justice for people in poverty” by providing free legal services to the most disadvantaged in the Northern Kentucky community. I began my internship at Legal Aid amid a busy fundraising season. Though the Legal Aid Society represents thousands of Kentucky’s citizens, they do no collect any fees or payment from clients. Consequently, Legal Aid depends of generous fundraising in order to continue helping the needy. This internship fortunately let me gain hands-on fundraising experience, instead of limiting me to making coffee and stapling papers. Among maintaining contact with clients, creating new & engaging marketing tactics for fundraising, or drafting grants & learning how to present the most relevant information with limited resources and time, I’ve expanded my skill set under Legal Aid’s Development Director, Julia Leist. The annual Justice for All campaign was looming, in which Legal Aid “aims to continue [their] mission to help low-income people resolve legal problems affecting their basic human needs and meet our commitment to securing justice, promoting economic and family stability, and reducing poverty in our community.” While working on this vital fundraiser, I’ve been able to meet some of Louisville’s prominent attorneys, who head the fundraising committee alongside Legal Aid. The board meetings for the campaign reaffirmed my aspirations for my hopeful career; lawyers happily and willingly working towards ensuring proper civil legal help by working on the Justice for All Campaign. I hope that I would become such a genuine and respectable lawyer who could break the modern stereotype so often associated with the profession The Small Business Internship Fund’s Legal Aid Wabash internship has helped me examine my desired career choice, allowing me to see inside a non-profit law firm and the legal world.
Some of my engaging experience happens while shadowing the overwhelmingly welcoming attorneys. Heading off to court with a Family Law attorney fills me with excitement in the morning and occasional sadness in the afternoon, after witnessing cases and clients. Bankruptcy teaches me how the law is not only for punishing, but also helping. Lastly, expungement reminds me that sometime people deserve a second chance. Shadowing these attorneys demonstrates to me how a lawyer can empathize with a client, and truly want to help those in need. I am thankful to Wabash, the SBIF, and Jeff Been ’81 for creating this internship and continuing to trust and reward Wabash men for accepting this position. My peer interns are all enrolled in law school, and, fortunately for me, have shared valuable opinions on law school and its atmosphere. These conversations force me to think critically about the next move after graduation. In addition to my colleague’s insight, attorneys also offered their experience after law school and practicing law. I’ve gained an improved impression of law school and the profession while working at Legal Aid and speaking with prominent attorneys in the greater Louisville area. I now feel more confident heading into taking the LSAT and actually beginning the search for Law School.
At Legal Aid, I can leave work and feel accomplished after helping others. This internship teaches me how a collective force of good can actually impact the world around it, which offers some hope for me during troubled times. I would like to thank the lovely people at Legal Aid, Eric Graninger, Jeff Been ’81, and the SBIF, who have all influenced my perspective of the world around me, and helped me reflect on my upcoming choices in life.
