Summer Reflections on Legal Aid

Editor's Note: Jeffry Johnson, a second year student at Dickinson Law School, recently completed a Martin Luther King Jr. Summer Internship at Northwestern Legal Services. Here are some excerpts from his journal:

My introduction to public interest law involved observing client intakes/interviews. Persons who were "knocking on their last legal door" came to NWLS with a personal story to tell. How their eyes glistened when the law worker listened and spoke with them compassionately! Yes, indeed, each law worker was careful to avoid extinguishing the flame of hope of each disadvantaged client.

There is a nagging stereotype that persons who work in the public interest law/legal services arena are "second-rate" law workers. This mindset partly springs from the fact that public interest law clients do not pay for the legal services they receive. Second rate? Nothing could be further from the truth! From my summer internship, I can testify that public interest clients would be hard-pressed to find more dedicated and knowledgeable persons to represent them.

In conclusion, working in public interest law may not be as glamorous as working in private practice, however, public interest law employees can have inner contentment and pride for jobs well done. I appreciated how public interest law workers empathize with their clients and genuinely display an interest in helping them. These qualities were exhibited many times over by my colleagues at NWLS.