Jubilee Dyer

Hometown: Belleville, MI
Major and class standing: Humanities Pre-Law, Senior
Where you interned: Ionia County Public Defender’s Office

What was your internship title and role/responsibilities?
I was a legal intern at a public defender’s office. I assisted paralegals in filing paperwork dealing with criminal cases. I answered phones, had access to confidential files, and contacted clientele.

How did you obtain your internship? What resources did you utilize to secure your internship?
I found my internship on Handshake and through my CAL internship advisor, Maggie Harris who sent out emails with internship opportunity listings.

What did your daily routine include?
On a daily basis I would access our case system that only we had access to. This was a database that held all information about our clients and the status of their cases. I would often have to answer calls from clients, some who would be calling from a prison needing information on their case. Or I would reach out to a client who was not in jail to get more info from them like how to contact them and any info we should know about them to present to the courts during their hearings.

Your favorite experience from the internship?
My favorite experience from my internship would be when I got to attend a high-profile trial that one of our attorneys was working on at the time. I got to sit in during the trial and even assist the acting attorney with bringing him the paperwork and whichever files he needed.

What was your least favorite part of the internship?
My least favorite part of the internship would most likely be speaking with attorneys or clients. They were equally intimidating to me. The attorneys are busy people and I was worried about bothering them when asking questions but I shouldn’t have been as they were helpful. Dealing with the clients was always nerve-wracking to me because I never knew if the person I was speaking with was going to be easily set off. I was only there for about 15 weeks but I have had my fair share of getting cussed out over the phone.

What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?
I learned communication an conflict resolution skills the most. Communication was so important at this job as we were a team working on multiple people’s cases. We had to keep each other notified and updated in case if anything new came up as all information is relevant when defending clients against the law.

What did you learn about the industry or your career path as a result of the internship? What are your future plans?
Without this internship, I would have never truly known what it is like in the professional world. I had no prior experience. It was good to get a taste of the profession that I have been studying for the past four years. I think I have learned that I do want to continue in law, but maybe not in the criminal field, as that job was very stressful even as an intern.

What advice do you have for other students seeking out internship opportunities?
I had the option to complete a capstone course or an internship to graduate and I chose to work for the internship credit. Choosing the internship route might be scary, but you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone to gain beneficial experiences in life. I have learned so much from working hands-on in the profession I wanted to pursue. I felt like I was working on something important and my efforts were not going to waste.