Legal Intern, The Law Offices of Darlene Wright Powell
Investigative Intern, Maryland Office of the Public Defender for Prince George’s County
Major: CCJS & PLCY
Class Year: 2022
What was a typical week like in your internship position?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my internships are fully virtual. Even though I have never physically been in the office or had any face-to-face conversations with the managing attorney or coworkers, it has still been such an amazing experience so far.
The Law Offices of Darlene Wright Powell
The Law Offices of Darlene Wright Powell is a small law firm in Bowie, Maryland. My position title is Legal Intern, and I have a lot of different assignments. A typical week in my position involves examining discovery, examining legal documents, examining the law, etc.
Maryland Office of the Public Defender for Prince George’s County
My position title is Investigative Intern, so a typical week for me involves investigating different cases. I am also involved in a variety of other tasks that have nothing to do with investigation. I like this position because I am working on multiple cases at one time. I am never just assigned to just one case, which is very realistic to the day-to-day life of an attorney. I get to work with different attorneys, performing a variety of tasks, working on a variety of cases, providing me with real-life experience as to what it means to be a criminal defense attorney.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
The Law Offices of Darlene Wright Powell
What I really like about this position is that I work very closely with Ms. Powell. I get to witness firsthand what it is like to be an attorney while remaining focused on school. Ms. Powell emphasizes that an internship is a learning experience, but she also understands that I am still a student.
Maryland Office of the Public Defender for Prince George’s County
I like this position because I am working on multiple cases at one time. I am never just assigned to just one case, which is very realistic to the day-to-day life of an attorney. I get to work with different attorneys, performing a variety of tasks, working on a variety of cases, providing me with real-life experience as to what it means to be a criminal defense attorney.
How did your coursework help you in your internship?
Being part of BSOS has given me the confidence to continue my professional journey; the CCJS courses that I have taken have given me the knowledge to succeed in my internships.
How did you locate your internship position?
The Law Offices of Darlene Wright Powell
When looking for internships, I knew that I wanted to work at a law firm. I searched for local law firms online and reached out to Ms. Powell by email, expressing my interest in law.
Maryland Office of the Public Defender for Prince George’s County
I located this internship by contacting their office by email, expressing my interest in criminal law and criminal defense.
Advice for students:
When looking for an internship, it is critical to remember how you will get there, whether you can get academic credit for it or not, what you want to do, and how much time you have to dedicate yourself to the internship.
