Dear TLF Donors,
My name is Kenneth Bier – I am a 3rd year student at UT Law. I am writing this letter to express my gratitude for your donations to Texas Law Fellowships this year. Through your donations, I have been able to complete my internship at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston this summer without the stress of worrying about compensation or living expenses. I believe that it is important that individuals working for the government and nonprofit public interest organizations are rewarded for their selfless hard work, so I will be sure to do my part to donate in the future as you have been kind enough to do. This letter highlights some of my experiences this summer.
The internship at the DA’s Office was very interesting and rewarding, and I believe I gained invaluable work experience. I worked in the Organized Crime Division under the supervision of experienced Assistant District Attorney Ed McClees. I interacted with police investigators, judges, witnesses, defense attorneys, and other important players involved in the criminal justice system. I was assigned work that included legal research and writing, viewing and organizing evidence, attending trials, drafting subpoenas, contacting investigators and agents, and even transcribing a murder confession. More importantly, I feel that I gained firsthand insight into how the law operates in reality, rather than in theory. I saw how different lawyers approached problems differently, and how each one has their own style and strengths.
Further, I was able to participate in interesting trips outside of the DA’s Office. For example, I was taken on a tour of the Houston Police Department’s drug lab. On another occasion, I was asked to participate in field sobriety testing at the Houston Sheriff’s Academy. I also was able to witness interesting events, such as protests against the Trayvon Martin verdict that occurred outside the Criminal Justice Center in downtown Houston. Yet, the most interesting and memorable parts of my experience occurred inside the courtrooms, where I was able to witness a wide variety of cases, ranging from misdemeanor crimes to high profile murder cases. Many of these cases were even covered by the local news. Needless to say, there was no shortage of excitement this summer.
In sum, I had a great experience this summer, and I owe it all to Texas Law Fellowship donors. I greatly appreciate every donation, and I will be sure to donate to TLF in the future as you have been so generous to do.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Bier