-Compiled by the Public Interest Law Foundation
Each year, PILF provides grants to fund summer public interest internships. It is PILF's hope that all grant recipients end their summer with a strong commitment to give back to their communities through pro bono service for the rest of their legal careers. PILF would like to thank the alumni, donors, faculty, students and staff of USC Law for their generous support of this program. Due to this support, PILF funded 19 summer grants for 2006. PILF hopes the following stories of grant recipients will reaffirm the necessity of the grant program, as well as inspire current and future students to consider public interest for their summer and their career:
"At the L.A. Gay and Lesbian center's legal department, my job gave me a lot of client exposure and helped me learn how to serve clients better. It also exposed me to a lot of current civil rights issues in the LGBT community. Additionally, I learned practical things like how to write a will, how to file civil harassment orders, and what goes on in a courtroom during domestic violence and civil harassment hearings."
-Kerri Sparks, Class of '08
"Last summer, I received funding from the Public Interest Law Foundation and the Sonnenschien Scholars Fund to pursue a summer opportunity working at Centro de Mujeres Ixchen in Masaya, Nicaragua. Ixchen is an NGO whose mission is to provide free and low-cost legal, medical, and psychological services to women. It was a summer full of challenges and small successes. I will never forget the incredible bravery of the women I was lucky enough to serve."
-Lindsay Toczylowski, Class of '08
"Last summer, I worked at the L.A. Public Defender's Office. It was eye-opening to work with people charged with the most serious felonies. It was a truly invaluable experience because it solidified in my mind not only my desire to be a public defender, but also my conviction that every person deserves zealous representation, and I can feel sympathy for even those charged with heinous crimes. Overall, my summer experience was outstanding."
-Marissa Gonda, Class of '07
"Last summer I went home to Albuquerque, and worked for New Mexico Legal Aid. The second half of the summer, I was assigned to work with battered women. There is a need to help these women with issues they cannot face on their own. Whether you were indigent yourself and can empathize, or were brought up wealthy and can sympathize, we all have a responsibility to lend a hand."
-Eric Guerrero, Class of '08
"As part of my internship with the L.A. Public Defender's Office I was assigned to work at the Juvenile Division in Compton. I had the opportunity to conduct arraignment interviews on a daily basis, and interviewed juveniles regarding their progress. Every morning, I was able to help the attorneys run calendar in court. In addition, I assisted my supervising attorney in writing subpoenas, pitchess motions, motions to suppress evidence, and investigation requests."
- Ruby Mejia, Class of '08
"I spent my summer working at the Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School in Boston. I was privileged to be able to assist some of the 1,200 low and moderate income clients the Legal Services Center sees each year. These groups of people would not otherwise have been able to afford legal assistance, and their needs are not adequately addressed under state or federal statutes or regulations. During the course of the summer, we were able to take at least 20 domestic violence cases, not including general advice and counsel, and hopefully those clients continue to do well, free of their abusers."
- Lindsay Jester, Class of '08
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