Hometown: New Iberia, Lousiana
Major and class standing: Humanities Pre-Law, Junior
Facebook: Amyra Walker
Where you interned: 30th Judicial Circuit Court
What was your internship title and role/responsibilities?
I was a summer intern for the 30th Judicial Circuit Court. My role/responsibilities were to prepare the courtroom in the morning for hearings, sentencing, trials, and jury selection. I also conducted legal research, created bench memos, and edited brief reports. Lastly, I handled jury management and jury selection.
How did you obtain your internship? What resources did you utilize to secure your internship?
I went downtown Lansing searching for an internship, and I ended up at the 30th Judicial Circuit Court because I had in mind that I wanted to shadow a Judge. The resources I utilized to secure my internship were keeping track of my emails, and I prepared myself for my interview.
What did your daily routine include?
-Tuesdays: Preparation for jury selection
-Wednesdays: Jury selection day
-Thursdays: Trial starts
Your favorite experience from the internship?
My favorite experience from the internship would be jury selection day even though it was busy/hectic. I loved communicating and interacting with the jurors. I loved taking control of bringing them up and down stairs for breaks. I also enjoyed saying “All rise” when the judge would enter and exit the courtroom to show respect/ give honor to where it’s due.
What was your least favorite part of the internship?
When Jury Selection was canceled/ No trial because of the defendant pleading guilty.
What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?
-Communication skills
-Analytic skills
-Technological skills
-Listening skills
-Note-taking skills
What did you learn about the industry or your career path as a result of the internship? What are your future plans?
What I learned about my career path as a result of my internship was that being a lawyer requires hard work, passion, and dedication because an attorney is a voice for the voiceless.
What advice do you have for other students seeking out internship opportunities?
The advice I have for students seeking out internship opportunities is to never give up, the sky is the limit, fight for what you want, take a leap of faith, go for it, and do everything your heart desires. Also, while using all of the available resources you could think of like researching information on Google, using transportation to physically talk to someone at the internship of your dreams, or calling the internship of your dreams as many times as you want.
