My Summer With North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services: A Reflection on Public Service Law

Tavaria, a Black woman with black hair, wears a white shirt and black blazer.By Tavaria Smith 

This summer, I had the privilege of working with North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services (NCPLS), an organization committed to providing legal assistance to incarcerated individuals in North Carolina. My internship offered me a front-row seat to the criminal justice system, from observing court proceedings to directly engaging with clients and their families. This experience not only solidified my commitment to a career in public service law but also deepened my understanding of the challenges and rewards of advocating for those who are often voiceless.

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A Look Into My Internship With the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission

By Shane Murphy Shane, a man with black hair, wears a white shirt, black tie and black blazer.

Working as an intern at the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, I’ve had the unique opportunity to contribute to the critical work of investigating post-conviction claims of innocence. This experience has been both challenging and rewarding, offering insights into the complexities of the criminal justice system and the meticulous process of seeking truth and justice. This is the type of role that I believe is only possible in a public-sector position, where an agency like the Commission can operate on their charge without financial motives.

One of main responsibilities I had during my internship was assisting in the evaluation of innocence claims. This process is far more intricate and demanding than I initially imagined. Each claim requires a thorough, objective analysis that often involves sifting through mountains of documentation. When a new claim comes in, we would start by reviewing the initial application. This document provides an overview of the case and the basis for the innocence claim. From there, we dive into the case files, which include trial transcripts, police reports, forensic analyses, and any post-conviction filings.

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A Call to All Lawyers – Please Volunteer to Help Our Western NC Neighbors!

Will, a white man with light brown hair, wears a white shirt, pale green bowtie with darker green stripes, and a dark grey jacket.By Otis Walker

Friends and Colleagues,

Our mountain neighbors need our help to recover from the devastation caused by Helene, and there is a way that you, our state’s criminal justice practitioners, can provide critical legal services to our neighbors in need.

The North Carolina Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division, Legal Aid of North Carolina, FEMA, the North Carolina Bar Foundation, and Pisgah Legal Services, are coordinating a way for attorneys to help our western neighbors. The program is known as Disaster Legal Services (“DLS”).

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A Look Into My Internship With the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs Office of General Counsel

Sadie, a white woman with light brown hair, wears a navy blue sleeveless dress. By Sadie Pruett 

After previously interning with the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives and with the Department of Defense, I have actively sought internships involving advocacy for veterans since 2020. Four years later and in my 1L year at Wake Forest Law, I took advantage of the opportunity to intern in the Office of General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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A Look Into My Internship With the Alamance County Public Defender’s Office

Grant, a white man with brown hair, wears a grey shirt, black blazer and maroon, navy and pale grey tie.By Grant Gergen 

This past summer I spent my first summer as a law student interning at Alamance County’s newly opened public defender’s office. The reason I chose this opportunity truly began from my time in college and the long journey I took before entering law school. I began law school as somewhat of a non-traditional student, having graduated from undergraduate studies at the University of Florida in 2019. I spent the next fifteen months living in Ecuador as a teacher for the Peace Corps (unfortunately, cut short by the pandemic), after that, a year in Wyoming for AmeriCorps, then, two years of graduate school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and finally, choosing to attend law school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

The right balance of circumstances and chance brings someone to where they are now. My path to becoming interested in working in public defense began with the right professor, in the right class, in my sophomore year of college. This man, whom many University of Florida college grads who went on to law school came to know, was Samuel Stafford. Professor Stafford teaches part-time at the University of Florida, with most of his hours and responsibilities dedicated to his work as a judge in Alachua County. It was him, and as a sad testament to our society’s failure to educate on inequality and injustice, and him alone, who pulled the curtain back on the deeply classist and racist strands that weave the American fabric and that touch virtually all aspects of our country’s criminal legal system. There is a much greater amount of text that could be written here to talk about my experiences in Professor Stafford’s three college courses (Civil Liberties; Constitutional Law; Race, Law, and the Constitution), which all took place at an almost-impossible-for-a-college-undergrad time of 7:25 a.m. in the morning.

I believe that these courses enabled me not only to think more critically about the inequality built into our country but also to actually see it in the everydayness of life when I looked the right way. Perhaps I would have found myself down a similar path eventually, but it was these experiences in the classroom with Professor Stafford that likely stand as some of the greatest inflection points in my life.

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A Look into My Internship with the NCDOJ Medicaid Investigations Division

By Emily Jacobson Emily, a white woman with golden brown hair, wears a white shirt and black blazer.

I looked forward to my first summer for my entire 1L year. I frequently heard older students and mentors describe their first summers as the moment when all the pieces fell together. Heading into their second year of law school, they felt a deeper understanding and appreciation for the work they do while in school. Now, at the conclusion of my first summer and the early stages of my 2L year, I echo those sentiments.

I spent this summer interning with the North Carolina Department of Justice Medicaid Investigations Division. MID represents the interests of the citizens of North Carolina, particularly as they relate to the health care industry. The bulk of MID’s work involves investigating and prosecuting Medicaid fraud; they also handle patient abuse cases in Medicaid-funded facilities across North Carolina. MID’s work is critical for protecting the integrity of the Medicaid system and guarding state and federal funds from bad actors.

I was eager to work with MID and explore what I now know is an interesting, and often overlooked, area of law. My experience was enriching, and it allowed me to practice the skills I developed during my first year at Campbell Law. More importantly, however, this summer was the first chance I have had to engage in meaningful legal work for the benefit of my community. Since beginning law school, I have been eager to apply my developing legal skills in a practical and useful way. My internship with MID was an excellent opportunity to do so, and I am grateful I could spend my summer in this way.

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A Look Into My Internship With the Durham County Attorney’s Office

Alyson, a white woman with blond hair, wears a white shirt and teal blazer.By Alyson Hanlon 

This past summer I interned with the Durham County Attorneys who represent the Department of Social Services in the Abuse, Neglect, and Dependency (A/N/D) court. I spent time researching various legal, medical, and psychological issues. I was able to witness how collaborative the A/N/D court is, and how passionate each attorney is, in their representation of their parties.

My favorite research project was when I was able to research a medical disease that a child was allegedly diagnosed with. I had grown so used to researching legal problems, that I almost forgot that other research existed. I found researching medicine and diseases, and how that correlates with the legal system, extremely thought-provoking. In the A/N/D court, many of the attorneys need to become “mini” experts in medical problems, drugs, and other topics. This knowledge allows them to understand the facts from the cases more easily and come up with questions for the adjudication hearing. After spending time researching the disease I was assigned, I was able to talk with the attorneys about symptoms, and how to diagnose and treat them. This part of the research allowed the attorneys to recognize strengths and weaknesses in their argument. My research was a small part of one child’s case yet helped the attorneys further their understanding and strengthen their argument for trial.

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In Memoriam: Attorney Donald “Don” Kenneth Tisdale Sr.

Stacey, a Black woman with black hair, wears black-rimmed glasses, a white blouse, black jacket and gold jewelry.By Stacey D. Rubain

Retired Attorney Don Tisdale of Winston-Salem passed away peacefully at his home on April 30, 2024, with his devoted wife, Vicki, and son Ken, also an attorney in Winston-Salem, by his side. Don grew up in Saxapahaw, North Carolina, and graduated from Walter Williams High School in Burlington. He earned both his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University. Following his law school graduation in 1968, Don worked in private practice in Winston-Salem until 1974, when he was elected the youngest District Attorney in Forsyth County history, at the age of 32. He went on to serve three terms, and during his tenure, helped to establish North Carolina’s Victim Assistance Network (NCVAN). Don ended his career as a founding partner of the law firm of Grace, Tisdale & Clifton, in Winston-Salem. One of his greatest pleasures was when his son, Ken, joined the practice.

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O.J. is Dead, But Our Duty to be Zealous Advocates Endures

Stacey, a Black woman with black hair, wears black-rimmed glasses, a white blouse, black jacket and gold jewelry.By Stacey D. Rubain

The recent death of O.J. Simpson brought out reflections by many on the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, and the enrapturing period that ensued. From the white Ford Bronco slow-speed police chase to the image of Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., wearing a black knit cap while arguing before the jury, many of us were glued to our televisions for over a year because of the larger-than-life image that Simpson held in American pop culture. And while even in death, O.J. Simpson remains a polarizing figure, his double-murder trial, famously dubbed the “Trial of the Century,” remains one of the most fascinating trials in American history. It changed the public’s view of lawyers for a generation. And the names of so many people involved in the trial – Marcia Clark, Christopher Darden, Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, F. Lee Bailey, Barry Scheck, and Mark Fuhrman – are indelibly etched in our memories for their roles in Simpson’s trial.

From the moment the LAPD zeroed in on Simpson, his lawyers outmaneuvered the prosecution at seemingly every turn. Simpson’s defense team employed a strategy that was quite sophisticated, in that from the earliest days of their representation of Simpson, the defense team understood the intangible and tangible elements necessary to successfully defend Simpson: assembling a team of seasoned and venerable lawyers and experts; using defense experts to impeach and undermine prosecution experts; using publicity to shape the public’s perception of Simpson; frontloading defense theories into the public consciousness early and often so that those theories gained traction and acceptance prior to trial; challenging everything, no matter how minimal; disrupting the prosecution; and (almost) always presenting to the public as unified and supportive of Simpson’s innocence. Simpson’s defense team’s zealous advocacy was relentless and full throttle, and ultimately paid dividends, in the form of Simpson’s acquittals.

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Calling Criminal Defense Attorneys: New Date for Informational Lunch with Chief District Judge Catherine C. Eagles

Stacey, an African American woman with short brown hair, wears brown glasses, gold earrings and a necklace, and a black suit.By Stacey D. Rubain

The CJA Panel Committee for the Middle District of North Carolina and Chief District Judge Catherine C. Eagles cordially invite attorneys interested in learning about criminal defense work in the federal court for the Middle District of North Carolina to an informational lunch on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 12:30 p.m., in the Jury Assembly Room, Second Floor, at the John Hervey Wheeler Courthouse, which is located at 323 E. Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC 27702. Under the Criminal Justice Act of 1964 and the Middle District CJA Plan, the CJA Panel Committee works with the U.S. District Court and the Office of the Federal Public Defender to recruit, select, support, and oversee CJA Panel attorneys. CJA Panel attorneys are appointed and compensated on a case-by-case basis and perform a vital service not only to their clients but also to our Court and our community. Membership on the CJA Panel requires dedication to excellence in indigent criminal defense and is a wonderful opportunity for service as well as personal and professional growth.

If you maintain a primary, satellite or shared office in the Middle District, and are interested in learning more about becoming a CJA Panel attorney, please register for the luncheon by providing your contact information via email no later than Friday, May 3, 2024.

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