Name: Claudia

Year: Junior

Major: Communication Studies

CFS Program: Legal Field Studies

This quarter I am interning at a small civil rights law office called The Blake Horwitz Law Firm. Despite having spent less than two weeks at the internship so far, I have already become fully immersed in the work the firm is doing. The majority of the cases the firm handles are related to civil law, specifically police misconduct. I have drafted medical summaries for several clients, analyzed audio of police radio, and sat in on a deposition. The attorneys and paralegals at Blake Horwitz have made me feel welcome, needed, and engaged. They’ve exposed me to a side of law I hadn’t seen or thought about.

The CFS class is excellent. Prof. Llorente is passionate about the law but also about her students. She is going out of her way to keep us engaged and learning. In the last two weeks, she has helped us identify goals for ourselves, the course, and our individual internships. She arranged a visit to Northwestern’s law school that included sitting in on a law school course. She has also scheduled a visit to the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, for which the entire class is excited. It is incredible to have such unique experiences and opportunities through this course. I have explored the legal world in a more comprehensive and personalized fashion than I have in any other class at NU.

I think the most meaningful aspect so far of my CFS experience has been working full time paired with the weekly seminar. Everybody talks about getting ready to enter the workforce and being an adult, but actually doing that this quarter has really opened my eyes. Working at the law firm has challenged me in ways that my regular courses haven’t. I’m immersing myself in legal research of topics I am becoming increasingly interested in. The seminar is helping me reflect on my experiences and myself, and is enriching my overall experience. My CFS experience is simultaneously making me more certain and uncertain. I am certain that law is where I want to end up. If I had any doubts about applying to law schools and becoming an attorney, they have been dissipated with this internship. But the exposure to so many different areas of the law is only making me less certain of which type of law to specialize in. I am suddenly realizing how many options and areas exist, and I’m excited, overwhelmed, and fascinated by it all. I know I will be eternally grateful to the CFS program for opening my eyes and mind in so many ways. I am so glad I have this opportunity.