Jason Blakley University of Notre Dame Law School J.D. Candidate, Class of 2014
My summer at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boise was the most stimulating and enjoyable legal experience I have had. During my ten weeks, I worked with the lawyers in the criminal division on a variety of intriguing issues ranging from complex white-collar fraud charges to the investigation and prosecution of complex drug conspiracies.
The attorneys here value the work the externs perform, and I feel like all of the research and writing I completed was meaningful. By that, I mean that my research influenced the cases I worked on and my writing was incorporated into the documents that were submitted to the court. For example, I wrote a 9th Circuit answering brief on a bank fraud case, and the final draft that was submitted to the court included a substantial portion of my research and writing.
The highlight of my summer was the opportunity to appear in federal court. Sitting first chair, I appeared before a district court judge and offered the Government’s sentencing recommendations on an immigration case. I also appeared before a magistrate judge in a pretrial detention hearing and presented a search warrant to a judge for approval.
In addition to the valuable legal knowledge I obtained over the summer, I also had the privilege of getting to know the lawyers at U.S. Attorney’s Office. I rode mountain bikes with my supervising attorney and developed relationships with others that I know will benefit me as I move forward with my career as a young attorney in Boise.
I would recommend this externship to any law student who desires to have a meaningful, rewarding, and engaging summer.