 Jessica Ehlers, "Hardest Working Group Member" of her mock trial's prosecution team |
Jessica M. Ehlers
Johnson Senior High School, Class of 2007
Saint Paul, MN 55106
"Objection, your honor—hearsay," I passionately announced. I was in a real courtroom as a mock trial state prosecutor. I would use this term at every opportunity, especially against my own parents, but today was the big day.
I had prepared for weeks for this mock trial with other high school students, law professors, law school students, and other hardworking individuals from all across Minnesota, and as you may guess this 'big day' didn't come easily.
Ever since I held a voluntary internship at a special needs school, I wanted to be a Special Education Law Attorney and fight for special needs learners.
When I was selected in William Mitchell Law School's Future in Learning Law Summer Program, I knew this was the first step to accomplishing my dream. This program encouraged me to aim for more than just a legal career. The program had a strong curriculum that covered financial aid, college applications, campus life, finding and winning scholarships, and above all, a law curriculum any aspiring lawyer would envy.
Ideas taught in class were reinforced through several different field trips to several different courtrooms and law libraries, and all on a comfortably air-conditioned bus. Concluding the summer program, I received the "Hardest Working Group Member Award" from my mock trial group's leaders. Although, the rest of the mock prosecutors and I lost to the defense, we gained an experience that we can reflect on our entire lives.
A week later, I started a law internship at the Law Offices of Sivertson & Barrette, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, through the federally funded Upward Bound Work-Study Program. Upward Bound is a federally funded program, dedicated to encouraging low-income and first-generation college students to pursue higher education and academic excellence. Upward Bound's Work-Study Program is a federally funded initiative, which places these students into a field of their choice for 90 hours, as a paid internship.
In just two weeks, I attended a high profile felony sentencing hearing, witnessed a wedding, viewed jail calendar and felony Omnibus hearings, observed several depositions, attended a continuing legal education class, answered phones and took messages, completed client Interrogatories and Request for Production of Documents, and even saw a demonstration of a police dog sniffing out marijuana.
A few weeks later, I learned Latin legal terminology. I discovered "Voir dire" is the legal term for jury selection. Not only did I learn the term, I was able to witness it, too. I viewed a jury selection that took several hours to select in a personal injury case. Although "voir dire" sounds interesting, I learned that it takes a long time to complete.
Whether I was meeting bailiffs, law clerks, lawyers, or even judges, this internship is an experience I will never forget. Perhaps, when I am a lawyer, I will be able to help others in the way they all helped me.