草榴社区

In the study of law, there is no substitute for real-world experience. And when it comes to giving students hands-on opportunities, 草榴社区 Law excels in providing over 250 externship opportunities, including many government placements. Colin Milon 鈥�18 and Alyssa Pooler 鈥�19 took advantage of the law school鈥檚 close proximity to Washington, D.C. and landed coveted externships on Capitol Hill.

For Milon, a DC native, returning to the area to work on the Hill was a longtime goal. With two stints working with the Senate under his belt, his most recent experience was as a law clerk for the US House Committee on the Judiciary for the Minority. Milon鈥檚 work required careful preparation before hearings and to be a self-starter, which gave him the opportunity to work on cases that interested him.

鈥淚 had to be somewhat of a 鈥榡ack-of-all-trades鈥欌�攁nytime counsel needed something, I would be there to help out,鈥� Milon said. 鈥淭he analytical abilities, issue spotting and legal writing that I learned at 草榴社区 Law really came into play during my externship. Things move fast on the Hill and people don鈥檛 have time to read a 10-page memo. But, they do have time for two paragraphs. I was able to provide a summary on topics that succinctly captured the issue and was easy to digest.鈥�

Pooler spent her time working in the fall for the House Committee on House Administration, Minority Staff, where she helped write a report on election cybersecurity for the Congressional Task Force on Election Security.

The Committee has jurisdiction over all matters related to the functioning of the House and is also responsible for oversight of federal elections. The Task Force鈥檚 work coincided with her course in Administrative Law.

鈥淭aking Administrative Law during this externship gave me practical hands-on experience of what I was learning in class,鈥� Pooler said.  鈥淥n Monday, I was researching the Election Assistance Commission and on Tuesday, I was learning how agencies function in class. By the time I was writing about the Election Assistance Commission halfway through the semester, I was able to understand the legal issues surrounding the EAC鈥檚 limited power and what Congress could do, through the EAC and other agencies, to secure our election.鈥�

Pooler and Milon both agree that a mix of perseverance along with the foundational elements of legal education is needed to land a position on Capitol Hill. Through the convergence of their in-class work and the wide ranging externship assignments, the students were given tangible preparation for their future careers.