20th Annual Howard B. Eisenberg Do-Gooders’ Auction–An Interview with PILS Fellow Mindy Nolan
The 20th Annual Howard B. Eisenberg Do-Gooders’ Auction on behalf of the Law School’s Public Interest Law Society (PILS) will be held this Friday, February 15, 2013 at the Law School. Proceeds from the event go to support PILS Fellowships to enable Marquette law students to do public interest work in the summer. Mindy Nolan, a current law student, shares her experience here as a PILS Fellow. Besides her work as a PILS Fellow, Mindy did outstanding work in soliciting and compiling donations for this year’s auction.
Where did you work as a PILS Fellow?
This past summer I served as a law intern at the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
What kind of work did you do there?
In my role there, I prepared legal memoranda, motions, and conducted research for the four Assistant State Public Defenders working in that office. I conducted client and witness interviews over the phone and in person at the county jails. I also attended court hearings in three northern Wisconsin counties.
How was the experience meaningful to you?
This experience was extremely meaningful to me for several reasons, in particular the amount that I learned about the everyday workings of the criminal justice system. It was interesting to witness the dynamic of how the criminal justice system interacted with the three Native American tribes that are located in the three counties. It was also meaningful to see how the criminal justice system itself functions in three very small counties where there would sometimes only be one judge, one prosecutor, and one public defender working together day in and day out.