Amanda Rekow
University of Idaho College of Law

My summer externship at the U.S. Attorney’s Office was one of the highlights of my time in law school. The attorneys genuinely cared about my summer experience, and made sure that the projects I worked on involved an area of law in which I was interested.

I worked on a variety of cases including criminal forfeiture, federal juvenile law, trademark counterfeiting, drug and gun crimes, tax and bankruptcy fraud, environmental crimes, illegal immigration, and federal misdemeanors. I wrote sentencing memorandum, indictments, a response to a habeas corpus petition, and a motion to dismiss an appeal to the Ninth Circuit. I also researched and wrote memos on a wide variety of legal issues.

I worked with agents from the FBI, ATF, IRS, Immigration and Citizenship Enforcement, and the Bureau of Land Management. The agents were great to work with and treated me just as if I were one of the attorneys. I appeared in federal court in front of the magistrate and district court judges, and represented the government in arraignments, plea changes, and sentencings. I also prepared an entire case for trial.

The attorneys I worked with are great examples for any law student. They were patient, and concerned with making sure I learned while I worked. Each attorney is exceptionally knowledgeable in their field, and each were willing to share this knowledge with the externs. The attorneys were also fun to work with, and each attorney made sure that I enjoyed my summer in their office.

The staff members at the U.S. Attorney’s Office are also helpful and friendly. Everyone in the office was willing to answer my questions, and to provide suggestions for how to handle situations when I was unsure of what to do next for an assigned project.

Part of the uniqueness of this externship is the opportunity to meet and to work with students from other law schools. The externs that worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office this summer came from four different law schools, and we were encouraged to get to know each other, and to discuss and share our work.

My externship at the U.S. Attorney’s Office significantly improved my research and writing skills, as well as my ability to analyze and apply the law; however the most valuable skill I improved was my judgment in managing the responsibilities assigned to me.

I highly recommend that any law student who is interested in spending their summer developing every skill that is important to the practice of law apply for this externship. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has the reputation for having one of the best externships in Idaho, and I completely agree with this description of their externship program.

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