2025 Summer Public Interest Fellow

How would you describe your experience?

My experience at the United States District Court for the Western District of New York has been transformative.  Working alongside the clerks in Hon. John Sinatra's chambers, I have been able to refine my legal research and writing skills as well as see the courtrooms in action on a daily basis.  Often, the clerks will assign a brief research project to assist them in their work, whether it be report and recommendations, pro se screening orders, or just simple legal questions.  I have also been able to observe several different types of court proceedings, spanning criminal and civil cases, and including proceedings such as oral arguments, status conferences, sentencing, plea hearings, and even jury trials.  Lastly, my fellow interns and I worked on a full-summer project, in which we drafted a Social Security decision and order.

Through this experience, I have learned how the courts function and the role that everyone plays in our judiciary.  I have also learned how seriously everyone on the court takes their responsibilities, and how carefully judicial decisions are considered and ultimately made.  Working in this role gave me a great sense of pride in our judicial system and seeing it in action opened my eyes to the need for speedy justice in our community.

What impacted you the most?

What impacted me most was recognizing how seriously the judges take their job in the court.  It became apparent to me very quickly how difficult the decisions are, and how important it is to the judges that they make the correct choice.  In my first week I watched a sentencing where the defendant was sentenced to a very lengthy amount of prison time.  The defendant's family was present in the courtroom, and I remember after seeing them, as silly as it may seem, being hit with the seemingly obvious realization that this was very much real.  Not only was the defendant's family affected by his actions, but also that the community was harmed, and that the judge had to do his best to right that wrong.

After these types of proceedings, the one part that I never took for granted was talking with the judge afterwards.  He would often discuss with us his rationale for his decision and tell us about the arguments he would contemplate in making his decision.  Most importantly, he would stress the importance of making the right call.  As an attorney in the future, it is inevitable that a judge may make a decision that I don't agree with, or does not go my way, and I will never get an answer as to why the judge may or may not have made that decision, or what he took into consideration in making that decision.  This experience has left me confident that despite the potential absence of understanding why a decision was made, I have confidence that whatever the choice is, it was not taken lightly, and it was considered in great depth.  That acquired confidence in our courts is something I will not forget.

What would you like to share with our donors?

I would like to thank Douglas and Grace Dimitroff for making it possible for me to work in this role this summer.  If not for their help, I likely would not have been able to take on this position and gain the insight and experiences that I have thus far.  I feel incredibly grateful and lucky for the opportunity I was given this summer, and I promise I made the most of it.