Landing the Job
When Suzi Bass started applying for summer internships in the fall of her 2L year, she decided to cast a wide net: 20 public defender’s offices and three legal aid offices received her cover letter and resume, from Pittsburgh to Portland. What she didn’t anticipate is that she would receive offers from 15 of those spots.
“I think the thing that set me apart was probably my cover letter and my work experience,” said Bass. “I definitely knew that I wanted to be in the public defender’s office.” And she described that passion in her application materials. “Our constitution requires that everyone, no matter how much money they have … is entitled to representation. And I think that means not just adequate representation; I think that means good representation.”
Bass narrowed down her choices to Public Defender’s Offices in Philadelphia and Denver, but ultimately chose the latter because it would give her the opportunity to work closely on a couple of cases throughout the summer. Plus, she would be able to make use of her Third-Year Practice Certificate in Denver. “I wanted to have some real practice,” said Bass. She also took into consideration each employer’s hiring practice when it came to interns.
When rising 3L-student Enyonam Enninful considered internship opportunities, her focus was on developing skillsets. Enninful hoped to secure a judicial clerkship, because “it’s one of the best ways to sharpen your research and writing skills,” she said.
Enninful came to Richmond Law through the two-year J.D. program, after receiving her L.L.D. degree in her home country of Ghana – which proved to create an obstacle while she considered internship positions. “If you’re coming in as an international student, you’re not technically a first-year or a second-year student,” said Enninful. If an organization was hiring students from a specific year of law school, she did not fit in either traditional category.
So Enninful got to work with the law school’s Career Development Office, where she honed her interview skills, performed mock interviews, and refined her resume. She tapped into the resources of Just the Beginning, an organization that promotes diversity among judicial externs. And she persevered to secure two federal judicial internships: one with the Hon. Paul Grimm, district judge for the U.S. District Court of Maryland, and the other with the Hon. Joel Hoppe, L’02, a U.S. magistrate judge for the Western District of Virginia.
“I could not have done it without the [Career Development Office],” said Enninful. “Seeking an internship is a long process, and very competitive. It takes persistence and perseverance.”
Rising 2L student Brad Michelle agrees: Persistence was key in his job search. After consulting with the Career Development Office, he started a series of cold calls to judges in and around the Richmond area. And if a particular judge wasn’t hiring, he’d ask for additional leads or recommendations for other potential summer positions.
One helpful tool at his disposal was the fact that, thanks to the law school’s summer stipend program, Michelle was willing to accept an unpaid internship. “It makes you a really attractive candidate,” he explained.
The persistence paid off through two summer internships, one in the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in Colonial Heights and one in the Public Defender’s Office in Petersburg. Several weeks into the first position in Colonial Heights, the job is off to a good start. “It’s a small office,” said Michelle. “You get to see a lot, observe a lot.” Halfway through July, he’ll transfer to Petersburg.
When it comes to landing the right fit for an internship, Michelle offered two pieces of advice: Use the resources from the Career Development Office, and be persistent. “Even if you get a ‘no,’ ask for other options,” said Michelle. “[You’ve got to] keep trying.”