A Day for Broadened Perspectives

Today, our interns got to put the week's lessons into practice. Working in small groups, they spent the day building out their congress one-pagers. Alongside that, interns took part in a "Meet the Client" exercise with attorney Brandi Harden, sitting down with a real client to practice the conversations that sit at the heart of criminal defense work. Learning how to build trust, ask the right questions, and truly listen to a client is not something a textbook can teach. It has to be practiced, and today, our interns did exactly that.

The day also turned toward the future, as interns heard from a Legal Careers Panel featuring Kevin Hagan, Brian Levine, and Rebecca Bloch. Each panelist brought a different path into the legal field, and the conversation gave interns a chance to ask the questions that matter most to them: how these people found their way into law and litigation, what surprised them along the way, and what they wish they had known when they were just starting. 

Interns also had the chance to hear from prosecutor Lauren Castaldi, whose perspective added an important counterweight to a week largely spent immersed in the world of defense. Understanding criminal law means understanding both sides of the courtroom, and Castaldi's insight into the role of the prosecution,  how cases are built, what factors weigh into charging decisions, and what the job demands gave interns a fuller, more balanced picture of the system they are learning to navigate. It is a perspective that sharpens everything else: the better interns understand how a prosecutor thinks, the better advocates they will become.

The interns closed the day with time to connect, a reminder that this program is building relationships as much as it is building legal skills. After days of hard work in the courtroom and the classroom, that connection matters just as much. They went out in groups and explored Georgetown for the first time today. This team bonding experience is crucial to our program and crucial to teaching healthy team relationships.