Dear TLF Donors,
Thank you for granting me a Texas Law Fellowship for this recent summer. I had the opportunity to intern with the Washington Defender Association in Seattle, Washington, which I otherwise would not have had the financial resources for without the assistance of TLF. I so appreciate the work that TLF does to fundraise and afford law students the experience of clerking with public interest or government organizations.
Being able to work in Seattle was particularly meaningful for me, because while I am happily attending school in Texas, I am from the Pacific Northwest and may very well return there to work after law school. Because WDA is a statewide nonprofit and works closely with a variety of criminal and civil legal organizations or firms, I got to meet and work with a variety of those lawyers, judges, and non-legal professionals like social workers. Even if I don’t return to practice in the PNW, it was at least an invaluable experience to see how the various nonprofits, government agencies, and private law firms interact in the realm of public defense. It was also invaluable to learn that the most effective public defenders do not simply focus on criminal law, but rather take a “holistic” approach, taking into account the various other criminal, civil, and non-legal issues that often befall their clients.
The main project I focused on dealt with the reliability of eyewitness identification. Currently, Washington State has no pattern instruction on eyewitness identification, and it is still not clear if an instruction (and one with teeth) would actually be approved, but I drafted instructions for attorneys to use in cases where the identification of the perpetrator is at issue. Previous instructions that have been submitted in cases have either ignored or misstated the science, so I used models from other states that relied on eyewitness identification research. A couple eyewitness experts are currently researching the effectiveness of cross-racial eyewitness identification jury instructions in particular, so it will be exciting to see what the data shows – and exciting to know that I was working on something that is a current issue. I also drafted sample motions to admit jury instructions and eyewitness expert witnesses. Thus, if an eyewitness identification case comes up for a public defender or defense attorney in Washington, my materials will be available (assuming the lawyer is a member of WDA) for use or guidance. Aside from that work, I also helped update parts of a model search and seizure motion. I also was able to sit in at the federal district court, the mental health court, and the county court; attend CLE trainings on minority justice, juvenile justice, and holistic defense; attend task force and committee meetings regarding public defense in King County and Washington; and attend brown bag lunches hosted at a number of civil legal nonprofits in Seattle. These experiences were educational in themselves, and they also allowed me to further get to know the legal community in Seattle.
I had a full summer experience, and I owe that in great part to my fellowship from TLF. I am so appreciative of your support, and I hope to continue to contribute and share that support so future law students may have the same opportunity. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Nora Gay