As the summer comes to a close, so has our annual Summer Law Clerk Program. This year’s law clerks came into our program with passion and a desire to help others, and they left with an in-depth understanding of how important legal aid and access to justice are in our communities.
Over the past ten weeks, our cohort assisted clients with a variety of legal needs, gained experience in court, strengthened ICLS training and education materials, and helped broaden our reach through community outreach and collaboration.
They are proof that the future of the legal community is bright, and we are excited to see the next generation of attorneys continue the progress we’ve been striving for at ICLS since 1958.
This year, it is our privilege to thank Ash Khorasani, Jade Spallina, Joseph Madere, Kelly Houlihan, Levi Bevis, Lindsay Waters, Madison Thomas, Ryleigh Flores, Taylor Hawkins and Victor Bao for their grace when navigating the intricacies of public interest advocacy and for their commitment to serving the underserved communities in our region.
“My experience at Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS) has been incredibly welcoming, supportive, and insightful. The team’s dedication to fostering a collaborative environment and their commitment to community service has made my time here both professionally rewarding and personally enriching,” Flores said.
Three core tenants of ICLS’s law clerk program are education, mentorship, and service. Of course, our clients are at the center of what we do, but we also recognize the importance of building a strong foundation and strong support system for our law clerks as they finish law school and enter the field.
Our legal staff have a strong focus on education: each law clerk finished a research project on an area of the law, participated in client interviews and court hearings, and heard from a range of professionals in the legal field.
“My perspective has expanded a lot since working with ICLS,” Victor said.
As impactful as a summer of service and learning can be, we don’t want our law clerk experience to end when the program does. At ICLS, we have attorneys and leaders who are first generation law students, who are people of color, who are women, and who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, so we recognize the importance of mentorship and professional connection.
Our law clerks were encouraged to set meetings with staff attorneys across the organization, to ask questions, and to keep in contact through law school and beyond. We can’t wait to support these students are they grow into amazing attorneys, advocates, and leaders.
While thanking her team for all she learned this summer, returning law clerk Taylor Hawkins said, “This summer with ICLS has reignited my passion for making a difference in my community through legal assistance.”
