On Thursday, June 21, Regent Law Career & Alumni Services hosted a banquet to thank participating judges and court personnel who work with the law students throughout their summer internship. The opportunity for interns to network with judges and their administrative staff is invaluable as they prepare for their future careers as attorneys. This was the 21st anniversary of this event.
The Judicial Internship Program currently has 21 first and second-year law students who commit to serving at least 20 hours per week for a minimum of 8 weeks during the summer. The students provide local courts with research and administrative support and in return get experience in the courtroom.
During the event, Judge Patricia L. West (Ret.), School of Law Interim Dean and Associate Dean of Career & Alumni Services, presented Norfolk Circuit Court Judge David Lannetti the 2018 Judicial Internship Program Judge of the Year Award.
“I greatly value the relationship Regent has with the local legal community,” Judge Lannetti said. “We’re all members of the same profession and we have a responsibility to make sure that those who come behind us are well prepared.”
Judge Lannetti has been “instrumental in the success of this program,” said West. “[He’s] mentored countless interns in his courtroom and has made a positive impact on how law students approach legal practice.”
Keynote speaker and Chesapeake Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Chief Judge Larry Willis, Sr., shared a phrase he gives to his judicial interns: “You can learn an awful lot by watching: you will learn how people present their arguments in an organized and sometimes impassioned way; you will learn how they organize their thoughts in such a way as to sound logical; and you will learn how not to act based on the way that some of the lawyers behave.”
Judge Willis explained that interns in his court have been required to process court documents such as expungements. The court began doing so to provide experiential legal training and enhance the observation of court proceedings and cases. Judge Willis sees a large benefit to law students who are job searching. "When they get interviewed . . . they can say, ‘Well, I actually did expungements … and I have a pretty good working knowledge of the juvenile court,’” said Judge Willis. “I think that puts them ahead of a lot of other competitors when it comes to getting a job.”
The Judicial Internship Program currently has 21 first and second-year law students who commit to serving at least 20 hours per week for a minimum of 8 weeks during the summer. The students provide local courts with research and administrative support and in return get experience in the courtroom.
During the event, Judge Patricia L. West (Ret.), School of Law Interim Dean and Associate Dean of Career & Alumni Services, presented Norfolk Circuit Court Judge David Lannetti the 2018 Judicial Internship Program Judge of the Year Award.
“I greatly value the relationship Regent has with the local legal community,” Judge Lannetti said. “We’re all members of the same profession and we have a responsibility to make sure that those who come behind us are well prepared.”
Judge Lannetti has been “instrumental in the success of this program,” said West. “[He’s] mentored countless interns in his courtroom and has made a positive impact on how law students approach legal practice.”
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| L to R Amber Terry (1L), Judge Larry Willis and Kaytren Saunders (1L) |
Judge Willis explained that interns in his court have been required to process court documents such as expungements. The court began doing so to provide experiential legal training and enhance the observation of court proceedings and cases. Judge Willis sees a large benefit to law students who are job searching. "When they get interviewed . . . they can say, ‘Well, I actually did expungements … and I have a pretty good working knowledge of the juvenile court,’” said Judge Willis. “I think that puts them ahead of a lot of other competitors when it comes to getting a job.”