Week 9

This was a short week because I got a cold and had to take my LSAT on Saturday so I didn't want to chance being sick on test day. However, with what time I did have, I was able to get a lot accomplished. I began doing what I was doing for the other lawyer (catching her up, etc), for yet another lawyer. We'll name this person M. I've been trying to get all of her client contact information caught up and it has been an uphill battle. She doesn't have a lot of her contact information in the computer, so it's a matter of going in the physical files and pulling the information from there. It has been fun though talking to M's clients because she does a really good job keeping in touch with the ones that really care. Even though she may not have the best organizational skills, she does a great job with her clients. That is something to be admired.

I had another interesting moment with another client. He is from Louisiana and I once lived there so we have that in common. I've kept close tabs on this case so I know what has been going on. He thought he was going to be arrested for a battery charge, when he reality he was the one who got battered. He came up to me before we went to court for his child that day and he asked me about his battery trial that was coming up. He was very nervous, but I let him know that he was the one who got jumped and there was nothing to worry about. I could see that he calmed down quite a bit and he gave me a thanks. This was really cool because just by keeping up with his current events I was able to break things down for him and calm his nerves. If I ever become a lawyer that's one thing I will work on, trying to calm the nerves of my clients. Not only does it help them, but I could see how it could help me too.

Week 8

As mentioned in my previous blog I have been doing a lot of office work. I have found one thing really interesting about this whole experience. As I have probably stated before I have noticed that some people who work here, view their clients as mere numbers and not as people. I don't think it's a bad thing because it's hard to differentiate and number to a person. I have been going through removing these files and I began to look at some of them. I realized that each one of these files I am moving or closing, is a step in someones life. Not to get to sentimental, but I have been trying to imagine each child that might have grown up, or been adopted and think of the all the opportunities they have now. If I ever do work like this, I will try to keep this attitude of focusing in on each file as a person and not just a number. I can see how people can get stuck in the system with a file just being stuck in someone else file cabinet.

One other interesting thing this week was when we went to court to discuss a client with the judge. This client (Ms J) has been working so hard to get her children back. While meeting with the judge we were all trying to think of the best way to transition the child back with the mother. I recommend that she could watch the baby while the aunt, who has custody, goes to work so she doesn't have to find daycare. Everyone was in agrement and I felt pretty offical once I got the head nod from the judge. It's the little things that get me pumped during this internship because there are not very many moments like this were I feel like I make a direct impact. Hopefully this was the one suggestion that Ms J and everyone else was looking for to help make a transition home for the child.

Week 7

I am really starting to feel a draw here. The best way to describe it is to focus on my day off on Wednesday. Weird to focus on the day off, but you'll understand. I had a arrangements I had made previously and would not be able to go to my internship and I felt pulled away because of it. Usually when someone gets a day off from anything, they would be excited to not go in, not me. I had to miss court for some of my clients and I was upset because they are some that I really wanted to see. That's how I know I am really enjoying my time here at DAC. The coolest part about all of it was the fact that when I called one of my clients, she asked me where I was and that she missed seeing me there. When I first started here I thought I would be just another intern, or just another face to these clients, but I actually hold some weight with some of them. Just shows me what the power of a phone call can do.

Friday however was a horse of a different color. As mentioned before I have been working with another lawyer in the office which has been a different look at how people do the same things. This lawyer for example is a little computer-challenged and I have taken it upon myself to get her caught up. There is a program they use to keep track of how many clients they have and also used to assign them new clients. It is there job to open and close them, but this person had not done any in awhile. She had 147 clients open and when I finished with her she had 67. I have also been organizing her e-mail so she can keep track of each client a little better. Not to mention out of those 147, she had all of the files still. So, by doing one job I have created a monster and keep myself very busy. As a matter of fact I don't go to court with William as much because I am doing so much work in the office. It feels good to help get some of these people on track. Will they probably continue in their old ways, probably. But, I know I did my part to help them now.

Week 6

This week was a fun court week because of the different things I have been able to see. I was able to see two cases where both the mother and the father had to swear in to present the parenting plan. The first case was interesting because the father brought in all sorts of evidence including report cards, statements from teachers and daycare workers, stating their child was best in his care. He had the backing of his parents and other family members sat behind him. While our client the mother was by herself, but it did not matter because of the relationship she has with William. The judge saw all the evidence and decided to have the hearing at a later date because he had not filled it with the court. But, looking at the documents, William pointed that most of it was invalid because of either the time period or changes in the mother's lifestyle. William pointed out to the court just his mere relationship with the client, that she was strung out and unhealthy, but now she is self-sustaining and off drugs. The judge said she would take all the dates into accounts and work through the documents.

The second case I learned the opposite of having a solid relationship with one's lawyer. From the beginning of this case William told me how hard it was to work with this client and now he told me how much he enjoyed working with her. However, the father was not willing to work with his lawyer and stood up and told the judge he would rather work by himself. Up until going to court I never understood why everyone needed a lawyer. After sitting in courts every week I can that a lot of these people don't have a high school diplomas and aren't able to represent their own case. In this case, this client is still using drugs and couldn't come to a coherent thought. I've seen his lawyer work on cases and he does a great job with all of his clients, but because of the father's unwillingness to work, it cost him his child. Our client however left with tears of joy and thanks for William and all he did. It shows why everyone who is in legal proceedings should have a lawyer. But, also showed me the power of having a relationship with someone who can advocate for you.

Week 5

This week was very productive because of all the contacts I was able to make. Five weeks ago when I started this internship I was given a list of people to call and have contacted most of them. But, there were a few that I have been trying to call and finally got hold of them. The funny thing is, most of them are not clients, some were social workers. One of our clients who moved to Maple Valley has been trying to get her services set back up. I finally got a call from her to let me know she just set up her classes. I get that people are busy, but this client has been waiting on these services to get her kids back. It's sad to me to see how slowly people work to help get their children back. This has also made me realize that some people truly treat their jobs like any other job. This internship is really teaching me what not to do in whatever field I decide to go into.

Another client I have been trying to get a hold of since our this internship started is someone we will call SE. During this time I have called him every time I have been here and his phone has been turned off. I was just about to give up on calling him and I tried one last time and he finally picked up. He let me know that he has been using drugs again and has failed his last UA. He also let me know that he had a warrant out for his arrest and these are all things I took notes for William. William told me that he was starting to show some life, but now he has lost it. William is going to suggest that SE turn himself into the police, that way he can get clean. I asked if that would be the best thing and William told me that jail time is really good for people who can't quit. They can get free services they couldn't afford and get proper counseling. I always thought jail as a bad thing, but I am learing that it can be benefical to some. I also learned to not give up on doing the little things because it can make a big impact in the long run.

Week 4

This week was the first week I was able to see one of my clients who I've been working with since the beginning go to court. I should actually say his case went to court, not actually him. He has been one of the more frustrating clients when it comes to doing his court mandated services, but really easy to talk with. He has done all of his services except for one, which makes me think that he doesn't really want his children back that much. He refuses to do DV classes because he feels that if he does, he will be admitting guilt for something he believes he did not do. So simply put, his pride is in the way for what he says he wants. The judge ruled that he is not in compliance with any of his services, whereas he sees it differently. He butt heads with his last social worker and now he has a new one that hopefully will get the ball moving. It is interesting working with clients who say they are doing one thing and in the end the court's findings are all together different.

On Wednesday, I went to court to listen to motions presented to the judge. It intrigued me that everything that happens has to be approved by the court. For such things as changes in times for visits, medication changes for the children, lawyers removing themselves from cases and transportation for the children. It intrigues me because some of these things I do everyday and could not imagine having a judge/lawyers make these decisions for me.

Friday I worked by myself, making phone calls and checking messages for another lawyer. I was able to get all of her tasks done that she asked of me. One conflict that came up with her was some paperwork that had not been sent to her by a social worker. The social worker told her it was at her office, in an envelope, just waiting for her to pickup. I took the initiative and drove up to her office and picked up the paperwork. The nice thing is now that case can move forward because everyone is on the same page. I know paperwork may sound trivial, but it's the little things that can hold a case up.

Week 3

I got a lot of independent time this week which was a nice shift. I was able to get a lot accomplished because for the next couple of Fridays William has to do some outside work. I made phone calls to each of the clients I have been assigned. At first I thought calling people would be boring (probably because I worked in a call center for a year and that was boring), but it has been one of the more rewarding things I do in the office. One client I've been calling on a weekly basis, let me know how much it means to her because she didn't feel like her attorney cared very much about her. She thought this because she is a new client to William and her previous attorney did things differently.

Having these few Fridays to myself has been nice because it gives me an opportunity to work with different lawyers. As stated last week William has taught me the basics to almost everything, including filing. I have really enjoyed filing most my life, but especially for DAC. I like to read the different cases for each client because they are all truly unique. But, when I organize each of their files, I lay it out in a way that everything reads out as a story. In some cases it is good or bad to see the change in each client. The case I read showed a person who was doing all the necessary changes and now the case has gone into neutral and this lawyer can't figure out why. I am excited to call this client to find out why. Really productive week.

Week 2

Week 2 has stepped up the intensity level because of the more independence I get. Last week was basically shadowing William and getting familiar with his case load. This week I met some other people in the office and began helping them with their case loads. The most exciting thing that happened this week, was when I was asked to prepare a case binder for an on going murder trial. I was given the case by the head of the department, which is stocked full of details of a pretty gruesome murder. Not expecting what I was getting myself into, I have found myself engulfed by the images and details of the case. The client turned himself into police and admitted to the murder, which was interesting because he had been on the run for six months. What makes this interesting is the fact that he didn't leave a nine-block radius. This case enthralls me and I get excited every morning I get to organize it.

William is doing an excellent job making sure I get a taste of everything in the office. I am also working on Puyallup Tribe cases, which are completely different than what I have been involved with so far. Their laws are totally different, which is interesting because of how close we are in distance to the tribe. For example, with William I am allowed to go to court because it is open to the public, whereas with the tribes I am not allowed to go. Carolyn the lawyer on these cases is petitioning with the tribe to see if I might be able to go to at least one before my internship is over.

Lastly the one thing I learned is not all lawyers are created equal. On Friday William and I met with a client who is new to him, but has been with another lawyer at DAC. When she first came into the room she told us how upset she has been at DAC for not getting this case over with. She then went on to say all the lawyers at DAC were lazy and not willing to work. William didn't take offense and told her that wasn't the case. By the end of the appointment he had solved her issues with working with a lawyer, and we were actually laughing. It was nice to see that through the many unpopular stereotypes of lawyers, there are some that don't fit that mold. I can't judge for all, but William is teaching me techniques to become successful in whatever field I decide to go into.

Week 1

I am doing an internship for the Department of Assigned Counsel, under William Wolf. William works with dependency cases and includes me in every step along the way. I started last Monday and to say that this has been an eye opening experience thus far would be an understatement. Before we get to specifics about what I did last week, I should map out what we do. Everything I do is very hands on, ranging from meeting with clients, reading up on them, contacting clients and going to court. Oh I forgot the occasional paper work. Last week I was thrown right into the fire. It was basically a week of shadowing William and getting familiar with his case loads. He has assigned me certain clients to contact weekly to follow up with their court ordered services. Once I got all these files organized for myself, William and I went to court, for some review hearings. This week being Judiciary Conference week, there was no more than one case a day for William. Court was a big surprise because I thought it would be a whole bunch of people arguing about what kid should go where, but it wasn't. Everyone works very well together and the only drama that happens is from the clients. As mentioned earlier I meet with clients and I have three stories that really opened my eyes not only to the legal world, but what many people deal with everyday. For the sake of privacy I will be using false names or no names at all.
My first client I got to meet with was getting ready to go to court for a hearing about his unborn child. He did not know if it was his, but thought it was because he had been in this situation before. William and I learned through our interview of him that the child would be taken away once it was born because the mother was using drugs while carrying. William has been working with this client on three previous cases and learned for the first time that he has eleven other children. That was shocking to me because he was not much older than myself. We are still waiting on what will happen, but this first case was eye opening for me because these are things someone cannot makeup.
My second client was a first time meeting, where William and I sat down to figure out what his goals are for this case. He was court ordered to got to DV training and he refuses because he was never found guilty of the accusations and he feels like if he goes he is admitting guilt. This is the only thing he has to do to get his kids back and he refuses. After an hour of painfully trying to convince him William asked me to talk to him. I took him to the restroom and told him this is all he needed to do and that we are willing to work with him. I told him William would be willing to work with him if he did this. Once we came back to William's office, the client (we'll call him K) agreed to check into the classes and attend them. This case helped me realize that I can help even if I am not a lawyer.
My final client I worked with was at a pre-court meeting. This is when all parties involved get together and talk about what can be done to get their children back. We were meeting with two parents who lost their children because of drug abuse. During this meeting the mom shared a great story how she has been clean for seven months and is taking the proper steps to get their children back. The father was the opposite. He refused to take the proper steps, however once he heard this story he broke down in tears and realized he can do the same thing. In the matter of 30 minutes I saw a man change because he saw that he had both legal and moral support to become clean.
These are just some of the people I get to work with on a day to day basis. I am excited for the rest of this quarter to learn and to meet these different people. Furthermore, learning the legal ins and outs are helping me shape my mind for the future.