Internship Highlight: Bluebell Ward - U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Thank you so much to Mr. Davies for funding the Davies Family Arts International Internship Award for making my internship possible this summer. I am heading into my final semester at McGill studying History, and this internship has turned my budding interest in the legal field into something that I am seriously considering as my path after I graduate. In choosing this internship, I was able to be involved in a legal setting while also maintaining my passion for public-interest driven work, and be close to family in New York.

My office, the Office of Pro Se Litigation at the federal courthouse for the Southern District of New York, was composed of staff attorneys who receive pro se civil complaints (complaints from people representing themselves), and reformat them using their legal knowledge and case law to ‘screen’ the cases and then enable them to move along in the legal process and be heard before a judge. The office receives many cases from correctional facilities within the district, as well as low-income litigants that are not able to access the courts with a lawyer. Since I’m not a law student, I worked alongside the staff attorneys in other fields, such as the court’s Pro Bono Program (which the office is in charge of), research on evolving pro se terminology, collation of up-to-date correctional facility information, and work in collaboration with the court’s mediation office. I had five main projects throughout my internship in connection with these topics.

The research, writing, and communication skills that I have developed during my time at McGill were essential to my ability to successfully complete my internship. As mentioned, I had some projects that were explicitly research-oriented, while others relied on my coordination and time management skills. Additionally, much of what I have learned in my history classes specifically was able to ground my perspectives on current legal issues and allow me to back up my contributions to both meetings with my peers and the work that I produced.

One of the most amazing things about the internship was simply getting to see how the courthouse operated and how all the different departments worked together. The office coordinated tours of different departments, meetings with other interns from other offices and chambers, and lunches throughout the summer where interns could get the chance to ask panels of judges about their work and lives. I also was able to get to know the staff attorneys in my office, who have all had such amazing career experiences that led them to where they are today. It was amazing to learn about all the organizations they had worked at that are out there, most of which were legal-aid based and doing amazing work. One of the more challenging aspects of the internship was the office’s annual visit to one of the New York State correctional facilities. Although this was an amazing and unique experience, nothing could have prepared me for actually walking the halls of the facility, something most people would not get to do or see. It was a really hard and emotional day just as a privileged visitor, and it really showcased how much work there is to be done in order to fight for a more equitable and humane justice system.

This internship will undoubtedly shape the path I choose to pursue in the future, and the work I seek out starting in January–it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I can’t believe how fast it went. Having the internship funded made such a difference in how much I was able to commit to it mentally and physically. I was able to make the internship full time instead of part time in order to work another job, doubling the experience I was able to have. It also made it so much easier to navigate New York City and thus be fully immersed in learning all that I could and doing the best work possible.

Thank you to Mr. Davies for making this experience possible and for their generous support!