Ever since I decided to go to law school I have been interested in public interest law. So, when I began searching for a job to keep me busy between my 1L and 2L years of law school, I was excited to come across Nebraska Appleseed. While I wanted to work in an area of law that I was interested in, my first priority was to find a job that would allow me to practice the skills that I learned in my first year of law school and provide me with substantive legal work. Fortunately, Nebraska Appleseed allowed me to do both. This summer, I have been able to work on issues that I am passionate about as well as challenging legal work. I got to help write and then give testimony at a public hearing on Medicaid managed care, research the state’s ability to limit access to Medicaid, and observe as an Appleseed attorney argued in court.
The legal experience I gained at Appleseed will truly benefit me in law school and in my future career as a lawyer. However, I also had the unique opportunity to work on issues that I care about with attorneys who have put their careers towards helping individuals who may not otherwise have a voice in public policy debates. I also got to see first-hand the challenges and rewards that come with a career in public interest law. Nebraska Appleseed works every day on important issues that affect all of us, and I am grateful that I got to be a part of it this summer.