Last week, DPD’s summer interns concluded their 10-week program representing clients through Washington’s unique Rule 9 license, which allows closely supervised law students to speak on the record in court. With the support of experienced supervisors and in partnership with attorneys in DPD’s misdemeanor units, interns gained invaluable experience defending clients from their first appearance following arrest to trial.

Ava DeSantis, a rising 3L at Columbia, said she chose to intern at DPD based on her classmates’ endorsement of the training and support interns receive – though she did not expect to put that training to use at trial in just the third week of her internship.

“It was a very collaborative experience,” Ava said. Sarah Lubiner, her co-counsel, and supervisor Micol Sirkin trusted her to deliver the opening statement, cross examine the lead detective, and direct their client’s testimony at trial. The hours of preparation she put in with Micol and Sarah paid off – Ava got to stand next to her client as the jury delivered a not guilty verdict.

“Being able to advocate for someone and sit beside them, it was truly incredibly moving and one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had,” Ava said.

Mick Guile, a rising 3L at the University of Maryland, also found it deeply rewarding to have their advocacy at trial help restore a client’s faith in public defense.

With just five days to prepare for trial, Mick recalled their client’s doubt that he would receive fair treatment from city prosecutors – especially in a case that Mick felt captured so many aspects of the criminal legal system’s bias against Black people like their client.

He had been charged with assault after a White security guard in plainclothes accosted him for reselling tickets to a concert, but the arresting officers had neglected to take statements from several witnesses of color who contradicted the alleged victim’s version of events.

After Mick’s opening and the first two witnesses testified, prosecutors decided to drop the case. “It felt really good to tell [our client] they decided to dismiss.”

Striking a balance between autonomy and support

In addition to trying cases, DPD’s interns get experience building rapport with clients from the very beginning of a case and then advocate for them in a variety of court hearings – all with the close support of experienced supervisors.

Jeremy Williams, a rising 3L at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, recalled an interview with a client he represented during an arraignment calendar as emblematic of what he viewed as the ideal balance of trust and support from supervising attorney Brandon Davis.

The client initially appeared lucid, but as Jeremy progressed through his interview to gather information to support the argument he planned to make for the client’s release from custody, something didn’t feel right. Brandon stepped in, guided Jeremy through the process of identifying the client’s previously unknown mental health condition and helped him challenge the client’s competency to stand trial.

In reflecting on the interview, Jeremy said it represented how supervisors provide interns with “as much autonomy as you want, but also as much support as you need.”

Larissa Archondo, a rising 3L at NYU, also found arguing for clients’ release from custody to be the most memorable part of their internship. With the encouragement and training they received from supervising attorney Vince Hooks throughout their internship, Larissa said they felt confident in their ability to deliver for clients in dire circumstances.

For a few clients, Larissa’s advocacy made the difference between pre-trial incarceration and going home. But even when the judge ruled against them, Larissa said they could tell clients appreciated the effort to make them feel seen in a system indifferent to their humanity.

“A great leveler”

Many interns cited DPD’s commitment to a paid internship program, in contrast to many other public service law offices’ unpaid programs, as a key part of their decision to spend their summer in Seattle. For interns like Larissa Archondo who depend on scholarships to defray the ever-rising cost of a legal education, a paid internship allowed them to explore the possibility of relocating to the Pacific Northwest after graduation without adding to burdensome student loans.

In addition to making a summer in Seattle affordable, intern Nick Delehanty said the paid nature of DPD’s internship program clearly contributed to the diversity of this summer’s cohort and sent the message that DPD values the department’s interns.

“In the world of public interest programs, being paid for your labor is very rare,” Delehanty said. “It’s a great leveler in terms of where interns are coming from, because the funding available from schools to subsidize public interest work varies significantly.”