Harpur Law Internship Increases Opportunities for Students

Celine Nehme ‘16 always knew she would have a career in law, but was unsure if law school was for her. “I always thought I wanted to go to law school,” said the master’s student. “[However] I really wanted to get more of a firm answer on what I wanted to do.”

That’s where the Harpur Law Council Pre-law Public Interest Law Internship Summer Program came in. The program, which is sponsored by the Harpur Law Council, gives juniors and seniors the opportunity to experience the practice of law in the public sector with the goal of helping students make an informed decision about their choice to pursue a career in law. The pre-law interns under their attorney supervisor draft legal memos and other correspondence, conduct and present legal research, help prepare for and attend court proceedings, depositions, conferences and settlement meetings, obtain legal documents, draft summaries and get the opportunity to work alongside law school interns. Students receive 1 credit and a stipend ranging from $2,500 to $4,000.

This summers’ internship locations included three new sites, New York State Homes and Community Renewal in NY, the Gangs and Organized Crime Bureau, NJ Division of Criminal Justice in Whippany, NJ, and Volunteer Legal Services Project in Rochester, NY. Additional site placements included Legal Services, NYC-Bronx, NYC Department of Education, Waterfront Commission of NY Harbor and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Chief Counsel in Arlington, VA.

“It’s such a good program [to have] with the school,” said Nehme, who was placed in one of the three new sites for summer 2016. “They place you at really prestigious sites.”

Nehme was placed with the Gangs and Organized Crime Bureau of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice in Whippany, NJ. She was pleasantly surprised with how often she worked with detectives. While the list of things she did over the summer included visiting a wiretap room, reviewing police reports and documents for the attorney she worked with. Nehme said the most interesting thing she took part in was observing an autopsy.

The summer internship gave Jacob Tesch ‘16 a real world experience before starting as a 1L at Fordham University School of Law this fall. “One of the most rewarding parts of the summer was my third week when I drafted an opening statement for a hearing I had been second seating,” said Tesch, who interned at the Administrative Trails Unit at the NYC Department of Education. “My supervising attorney thought it was very well written and used a lot of it on the record. It was really nice to see my hard work pay off.”

Senior Jaclyn Schulze interned at Legal Services in the Bronx in their educational unit and learned what was required of a lawyer from her time in the program. “This opportunity was amazing, I had never really understood what it meant to be a lawyer in public interest,” she said. “So coming into it this summer was eye opening and insightful.”

For Nehme she said she is still undecided on her future. “I think if I do go into law it solidified that I want to go into public law. It’s just something that I’m drawn to,” she said.

Help support our pre-law interns

Over 50 students have interned at public interest agencies since the program’s inception in 1998. This past summer we hit our all-time record and offered 7 placements for our pre-law interns. After the internship, students are better informed about the legal field as they prepare for life after Binghamton University. In order to maintain and expand the program we rely solely on the generous support of our alumni and donors. Please consider showing your support for our pre- law students by making your gift today.

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Please go to the Binghamton Foundation secure webpage to make an online credit card gift.