I spent this past summer as a legal intern in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of North Carolina. I have always been interested in public interest, as well as in the role of defense attorneys, and thanks to the $1,000 scholarship provided by the North Carolina Bar Association’s Government & Public Sector Section, I was able to gain invaluable experience in both public interest and in criminal defense.

Over the span of ten weeks with the Federal Public Defender’s Office, I was able to participate in a wide variety of opportunities. In just the very first week, I traveled to a county nearly two hours from Raleigh for an evidence viewing and began to assist with a pending suppression hearing on an Assistant Federal Public Defender’s Motion to Suppress. Additionally, I completed several research and writing projects, including drafting two Motions in Limine regarding Federal Rules of Evidence 403, 404, and 804, and writing an article for the Zealous Advocate, the biannual newsletter published by the Federal Public Defender’s Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Beyond experiences related to ongoing cases, interns in the Federal Public Defender’s Office had the opportunity to shadow attorneys in duty court, where they represent various clients for initial appearances and detention hearings. In fact, perhaps the most meaningful day of my internship occurred while shadowing an Assistant Federal Public Defender in duty court. A client, who was being represented in a detention hearing, had identified an impeccable third-party custodian, and was granted release.

These experiences would not have been possible had it not been for the generosity of the Government & Public Sector Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. I am deeply thankful for the opportunities that this scholarship made possible, and I am now even more interested in pursuing a legal career in government and public interest.

March 10, 2022/by GovernmentandPublicSector