Internship Opportunities

Olivia Quinn, Class of 2021

ArchCity Defenders Internship

"My time at ArchCity Defenders helped me realize that even as undergraduates, WashU students can have a direct impact on the surrounding community through participating in service-oriented opportunities.The emphasis of ArchCity on assisting clientswho live in primarily low-income, segregated neighborhoods prompted me to think more critically about the geographic and socio-economic divisions between St. Louis City and its neighboring counties. My experience at ArchCity strengthened my interest in the Legal Studies minor here at WashU because the firm provided me with an off-campus setting for learning more deeply about topics that I began to explore on-campus in classes. As a pre-law student here, I also became fascinated with learning about policy as a result of my time at ArchCity. The firm advocates for steps towards greater equality through impact litigation, which includes spearheading class-action cases to challenge oppressive institutional practices. The social work side of the firm additionally investigates how increasing resources in underserved communities may propel change through lowering incarceration rates. Going forward at WashU, my selection of courses within the Legal Studies minor, and potentially in law school, will become shaped by my work at ArchCity due to my increased interest in understanding how broadscale policy changes directly affect residents in specific neighborhoods and in the city as a whole."

 

Max Klapow, Class of 2021

ArchCity Defenders Internship

"My interest in the minor really comes from wanting to intergrateperspectives on legal history, policy, and research into my current major, Psychology-Neuroscience-Philosophy. This is what helped inspire me in my current work: collaborating with the Prison Education Project to develop a positive psychology-based curriculum to be taught with incarcerated persons. This work came from an inspirational internship at ArchCity Defenders, a non-profit civil rights law firm, which taught me both the importance of and need for systemic, interdisciplinary change. Though I originally became an Legal Studies minor as a pre-law student, my work both in the minor and at ArchCity Defenders has truly demonstrated how essential a working knowledge of policy and the law is to any advocate. I certainly can’t imagine my time at WashU without it, and it’s propelled me towards a career in applied clinical psychology in vulnerable populations."

 

Megan Lafferty, Class of 2020

ACLU of Puerto Rico Internship

"Although I have always been interested in the law, my experience in the Legal Studies program has given me greater context with which to interrogate our legal system – how it informs and imposes culture, protects and infringes upon individual rights, and codifies the values of our countryinto law. These lessons have grown me as an advocate and a scholar and have helped me succeed in work beyond the classroom. During the summer of 2019, my studies prepared me for a life-changing internship with the ACLU of Puerto Rico where I was lucky to bear witness firsthand to Puerto Rico’s social and political revolution as a legal observer.With the support of the Legal Studies program, I have been able to continue working for the ACLU of Puerto Rico remotely. Sitting around the office conference table that summer debating the constitutionality of Puerto Rico’s territorial status with my bosses, I saw my course work transcend the bounds of classroom and transform into a glimpse of a potential future career I would be incredibly grateful to occupy. Whether taking classes from law school professors or participating in direct service learning, I will forever carry the knowledge this department has given me as I develop my advocacy skills and pursue a dual degree in Law and Social Work."