Internships with legal aid nonprofits cement University of Richmond seniors’ interest in law careers

Senior Jordan Hemmerdinger loves solving puzzles. And that is exactly what she is doing this summer as an investigative intern with the Queens criminal defense office of The Legal Aid Society, the nation’s oldest and largest provider of legal aid.

Thus far, she has investigated 20-plus misdemeanor cases. The process can involve hours scrolling through online databases and knocking on doors to find evidence to support clients’ cases — or even to find the clients themselves.

“Early in my internship, my partner and I got an email from an attorney who needed to speak to their client,” the leadership studies major said. “The attorney sent us the client’s rap sheet, which included a physical description, mug shot, last known address — a large apartment building but no unit number — and an inoperative phone number.

“We went to the apartment building and followed a resident in after they unlocked the building’s front door. Then we questioned the building superintendent and residents until we found our client’s apartment. The client answered their door only after we knocked several times. They seemed fearful, but we assured them that we wanted to help. We reminded them of their court date and asked them to get in touch with their attorney.”

Hemmerdinger said that the investigative process is a key component of the constitutional right to legal counsel. “An investigator’s job is to find as much evidence as fast as possible to support an attorney’s defense of a client,” she said.

Yet despite the need to move swiftly to avoid losing evidence, investigators often must follow circuitous paths and frame questions in multiple ways to elicit answers. “Learning how to extract information is an important skill in this work,” she said.

Her internship with The Legal Aid Society has bolstered her understanding of justice for all and affirmed her interest in law. “I hope to become a trial lawyer who explains the puzzle to a jury and judge,” the senior said.

Some 350 miles south of Queens, New York, two other University of Richmond seniors also are learning the ins and outs of public interest law. Emerson Lewis and William Martin, both leadership studies and philosophy, politics, economics, and law (PPEL) double majors, are interning with the nonprofit Legal Aid Justice Center in Richmond, Virginia.

Lewis fulfilled his Bonner Scholar service commitment by working at Legal Aid for the past two summers. Martin became acquainted with the center when he co-founded the University student organization Spiders Supporting Access to Justice, which partners with the nonprofit to provide advocacy for underserved communities in Virginia.

As interns, the seniors have analyzed data on geriatric parole board decisions in Virginia. They have researched how other states removed jury fees charged to criminal defendants, with an eye for how Virginia might do the same. And they have researched how best to file record-sealing requests from ex-offenders who have completed their sentences and don’t want their criminal records to remain public.

Some of the most poignant moments of their internship have come when clients call or visit the office. Martin recalled one such moment: “A man in a wheelchair told us about his experience living in public housing. Neighbors were breaking into his house, stealing his belongings. He fired a gun into the ground for self-defense, to scare them away.

“Now he faces eviction, because you can’t have guns in public housing. He knew we couldn’t help — rules are rules. But sometimes people just need someone to listen to them.”

After a summer of listening to clients’ and attorneys’ stories, Lewis and Martin, like Hemmerdinger, are convinced they want to pursue legal careers.

All three are grateful for the financial support they received to undertake their Jepson School of Leadership Studies credit-bearing internships: The Jepson School awarded Burrus Fellowships to Hemmerdinger and Martin. The fellowships are part of the University of Richmond Summer Fellowships program and the Richmond Guarantee, which offers up to $5,300 of support for undergraduates doing a summer internship or faculty-mentored research. Lewis received funding from the Bonner Scholars Foundation. 

“The motto of the Legal Aid Justice Center — ‘more justice, less poverty’ — sums up my thoughts on the importance of public interest law,” Lewis said. “Law is the best way to tackle society’s economic, social, and racial issues.”