Lawyer in Training Finds the “Happy Job” . . . in City Hall

By Cassandra Saxton

Going into law school, I always intended to practice in the public sector. In fact, my mother and I had a dream about it right before I decided to go to law school. However, I had no idea what practicing as a public sector attorney would look like. It wasn’t until I had the privilege of interning with the City of Greensboro’s City Attorney’s Office that my vision for a career in government and public service began to take shape.

The decision to embark on a career in the public sector was deeply rooted in my desire to contribute to the betterment of society on a large scale. I had various ideas of what such a career could be like, yet when I entered law school, the realm of public service law remained an abstract concept, and my precise role within it was far from clear. During my first trimester at Elon, I wrote down what I was looking for in a career. I wanted my legal career to:

  • Allow me to have my hands in various pots at once;
  • Encompass work that has a tangible impact on the surrounding community;
  • Include transactional work, projects, and potentially some litigation;
  • Provide a healthy work-life balance; and
  • Offer secure and consistent benefits (i.e., salary instead of fees, insurance benefits, etc.)

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A Summer Intern Receives Lessons on How to Be a Good Federal Prosecutor

Zaria, a Black woman, has black hair and is wearing a white blouse and black jacket.By Zaria Graham 

This summer, I had the pleasure of interning at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina. To preface, the United States Attorney is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation that involves the United States. In the Western District of North Carolina, U.S. Attorney Dena King leads a number of Assistant United States Attorneys and support staff in both Charlotte and Asheville. I cannot speak highly enough of this experience, which was simultaneously challenging, rewarding, and eye-opening. Despite the serious nature of the work, I am able to say that the ten weeks I spent at the United States Attorney’s Office were also fun. It was hard to go back to school!

As an intern for the office, I was able to work on a number of exciting projects. These projects included writing a sentencing memorandum, a prosecution memorandum in preparation for grand jury, and a brief on a particular issue requested by a judge after trial. I also helped with projects that were more investigative — for example, watching police officer body-worn camera footage to note any possible Fourth Amendment issues that could have occurred during a traffic stop and surveillance footage of a robbery, noting timestamps that may be useful for playback during a hearing.

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Swinging for Justice: Navigating the Fairways of Law in a Public Defender’s Internship

Alexandra, a white woman with blond hair, wears a dark grey blouse and matching blazer.

By Alexandra Bentley  

Prior to entering law school, I served as a police officer for seven years, witnessing firsthand the impact of legal representation and developing a strong desire to advocate for justice. After my 2L year at Elon Law, I had the incredible opportunity to intern at the Forsyth County Public Defender’s office this summer. This experience not only provided me with valuable insights into the inner workings of the court system but also deepened my understanding of the importance of government and public service law. In my spare time this summer, I also embraced new challenges by learning to play golf which helped me frame this new experience.

Picture teeing off at Augusta National – a scenario much like delving into the complexities of the public defender’s office. My journey from being a police officer to a law student set the stage for a unique perspective. This perspective allowed me to approach my internship with the precision and dedication of a seasoned golfer.

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How To Find Federal, State, and Local Government Jobs

ByKayla, a woman with auburn hair, is pictured in a white shirt and dark blazer in front of a dark background. Kayla Britt

Did you know that there are a variety of websites where you can find government jobs in North Carolina? Whether you are interested in federal, state, or local government, these resources are readily available to you!  While this list is beneficial to all attorneys in our state, it is particularly useful for law students and young lawyers.

State of NC

This website provides a list of careers with the state of North Carolina. Jobs range from the different North Carolina Departments (i.e., Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, Department of Revenue, etc.), Administrative Office of the Courts, Innocence Inquiry Commission, Office of State Human Resources, district and superior courts across the state, and magistrate positions, just to name a few.

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Government & Public Sector Section Awards Four Summer Scholarships

ByKayla, a woman with auburn hair, is pictured in a white shirt and dark blazer in front of a dark background. Kayla Britt

The North Carolina Bar Association’s Government & Public Sector Section annually awards scholarships to law students serving in unpaid summer internships in federal, state, or local government offices throughout North Carolina.

Eligible candidates are currently enrolled in an accredited ABA law school, are working without compensation in a government law office located in North Carolina at least one-half of the summer of 2023. Successful candidates demonstrate a commitment to serving in government or public sector law offices. Each recipient must write an article describing their experience and the benefits of their summer internship. Each article will be considered for publication on the NCBarBlog.

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Government & Public Sector Section 20th Anniversary: Part 2

Terri, a woman with brown hair, wears a black, white and gold blouse and is pictured smiling.By Terri Jones

In Part 1, you were introduced to the past Chairs of the Government & Public Sector Section. I had the privilege of interviewing seventeen past chairs of the section. In addition to telling us what they remember most about their time as chair, they also responded to these three questions:

What impact has the GPS Section had on your career in public service?

What do you tell law students about careers in public service?

What could the GPS Section do that it has not done already?

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Government & Public Sector Section 20th Anniversary: Part 1

Terri, a woman with brown hair, wears a black, white and gold blouse and is pictured smiling.By Terri Jones

We celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Government & Public Sector as a section of the North Carolina Bar Association! Many talented and dedicated attorneys have chaired this section over the years. The section was the brainchild of Jeff Gray, who also served as the 2005-2006 Chair. In 1998, Jeff originally pitched the idea to NCBA Leadership, and an exploratory committee was created. At the time, Jeff had been in the Attorney General’s Office for 11 years and saw the benefit of NCBA membership, but there were very few active government attorney members. Jeff reports that Dan McLawhorn was one of the few active members, and so Dan became a member of that exploratory committee. Dan recalls that at the time, there was a 100-member threshold. Dan went on to be the first chair of the section.

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A Unique Government Internship – Focusing on Neutrality

Christine, a white woman with curly black hair, wears a white shirt and black jacket. By Christine Marolda

This past summer, I interned with the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission. I first learned about the Commission at a meeting of the Campbell Law Innocence Project, where Gregory Taylor was the guest speaker. Mr. Taylor was exonerated by the Commission’s three-judge panel after spending seventeen years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Mr. Taylor’s case was immensely impactful, and I am grateful that he and his attorney came to speak at Campbell that day.

Months later, I saw that the Commission was looking for a summer intern. Because of my interest in investigations and post-conviction relief, I immediately knew this was how I wanted to spend my first summer as a law student. After sending in my application, I attended an interview before being offered the position. I began working at the Commission the week following final exams in May and finished my last week in July. Read more

NCBA Government & Public Sector Section Scholarship Experience

By Jericho Cook

I spent this past summer as a legal intern in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern District of North Carolina. I have always been interested in public interest, as well as in the role of defense attorneys, and thanks to the $1,000 scholarship provided by the North Carolina Bar Association’s Government & Public Sector Section, I was able to gain invaluable experience in both public interest and in criminal defense.

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NCBA Government & Public Sector Section Scholarship Experience

MaryAnne HamiltonBy MaryAnne M. Hamilton

I spent part of this past summer interning with the North Carolina Department of Justice, in the Land, Groundwater and Waste section of the Environmental Division. I was pleased to have this opportunity to combine two of my core interests – public service and environmental law. I am very grateful to the North Carolina Bar Association Government & Public Sector Section for supporting my interest in public service with a $1,000 scholarship to help cover my expenses for the summer.

I am a law student who has entered law school after changing careers, and the impulse to serve others drove my decision to go to law school. I joined the Navy after high school because I was drawn to its ideals of service and leadership. My time in uniform built the foundation that allowed me, a few years later, to build my own business as a freelance editorial manager, writer, and editor. In choosing law school, I returned to those ideals; I was seeking a way to deploy my writing and research skills in service to others, and to society at large. Working with the Environmental Division allowed me to combine that impulse to serve others with my deep personal concerns about environmental issues, including climate change and the vast amount of waste humans create.

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