2025 Summer Public Interest Fellow

How would you describe your experience?

I have had transformative experiences at the district attorney's offices in Erie and Niagara County this summer. I have had what I now regard as confirmation that I will pursue a career in criminal justice. I was able to witness, and, importantly, work on, a variety of motions, hearings, trials, conferences, and sentencings. I received lectures and insights from attorneys with decades of experience from both the prosecution and defense bars. I was given tours of law enforcement institutions, laboratories, and the holding center. In Niagara County, I mostly worked for the second assistant district attorney. For him, I did extensive research on novel legal issues. I made training presentations for law enforcement on legal traffic stops and evidentiary standards, translating statutes and court of appeals decisions into tangible guidance. I got an intimate look into how a district attorney's office works, as a team and as individuals. In Erie County, when I was not being presented to from experienced attorneys, I was stationed at the prosecutor's table in Cheektowaga town court. It was there that I achieved my primary objective for this summer; seeing how plea negotiations actually work. I also worked on a variety of motions, most of which had a very technical and procedural focus. I know that that specifically will be useful in practice.

What impacted you the most?

I was most impacted by the lessons I learned about plea negotiations between prosecutors and defense attorneys. I would characterize this knowledge into two main categories: strategy and equity. Firstly, most of the leverage in plea negotiations comes from how easy or hard an indictment is to prove. This analysis is wholistic, looking at the elements and the evidence. Through language, I have watched attorneys balance risk and reward in determining what pleas to advise their clients to take, and what pleas are offered. The category, equity, is also broad. Across the board, even if a case can be proven dead to rights at trial, there is often a lower charge offered in exchange for a plea. I have consistently seen mitigating personal factors, most frequently childcare considerations, taken into consideration when making these offers. Something that I did not anticipate was the offer of drug court or other probationary considerations during plea negotiations. These programs do not just act as something applied at sentencing but offered as part of a plea. If the defendant did not have an extensive record, I frequently witnessed these programs and conditional discharges offered. Witnessing these negotiations was so impactful to me because I realized how paramount personal tact and politeness on the part of attorneys can be to defendants, and to the interests of the people. From what I have seen, I believe that when negotiations are conducted tactfully and morally, the criminal justice system is at its best.

What would you like to share with our donors?

I would like to express my profound gratitude to the donors to the Professor Suzanne Tomkins '92 Women Children and Social Justice Advocacy Fellowship for making this opportunity a feasible option for me. This experience has kicked off my career. I now anticipate starting with the Erie County district attorney's office, and then transitioning to criminal defense counsel when my skills are honed. I pledge that I will use the experiences I have had this summer to protect the rights and safety of those who are most vulnerable, whether they are vulnerable at the hands of a perpetrator or the government. I was already convinced of the profound consequence of courtroom attorneys. Now I am convinced it is my calling to be one.