Reflections from the Field (Part 8)

This past summer, UBSPI (in conjunction with the Maryland Legal Services Corporation and the University of Baltimore School of Law), funded 15 UB Law students to intern at public interest organizations to gain first-hand legal experience serving a variety of communities.  Over the next few months, their stories will be highlighted on Out in the Streets.

1Ls and 2Ls:  Are you interested in applying for a $4,000 grant to support your public interest work this summer?  Applications for 2012 grants are available here.  Remember:  Much of our funding comes from our annual public interest auction, to be held this year on March 9.

Katie Walsh, 2L, University of Baltimore School of Law - Maryland Office of the Public Defender (Northwest Neighborhood Defender Division)

 This past summer I worked for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in the Northwest Neighborhood Defender Division. It was hands down one of the best experience of my life. Not only did I gain a lot of legal knowledge but I also discovered that this is what I would like to do with my career. All summer I had the opportunity to work with indigent clients who live in Northwest Baltimore. Perhaps some of the most important things we do at the Office of the Public Defender is figuring out where are clients are coming from. We gather school and medical records, we talk to their families, we go to visit them in jail, and we paint a picture to the judge of who this person is and what brought them to this position that they are in today. We want the judge to realize that there is a person behind the charge and that there are mitigation circumstances to consider in each case. I enjoyed my summer position so much that I have continued to work there and hope to stay on more semesters in the future. I found my home at the Office of the Public Defender, and I am so thankful that UBSPI granted me the wonderful opportunity to work there.