Name: Yuri
Current Year: Junior
Major: Journalism & History
Minor: Economics
CFS Program: Legal Field Studies

I enjoyed going to class at the law school and interning four days a week. I had a great experience at the office, and I learned a lot about the criminal justice system. From class time, I was able to learn about the legal field in general. By taking a class and completing an internship, I feel as if I received a comprehensive, well-rounded legal field studies experience.

I really enjoyed being in [my instructor’s] class. She really cares about the class and spent hours doing one-on-one meetings with us. She’s very well-connected and set up field trips to various legal organizations. She’s very experienced and has worked in the private and public sector. I loved going on the field trips; I really feel as if I learned a lot about the legal field as a whole, even though I interned only at the public defender’s office. I liked going to the law school. Because we had to travel to class, I think I took the class more seriously–like a job.

On my first day, one of the investigators told me that the public defender’s office is a great place to get training for it “exposes you to a smorgasbord of cases.” And it’s true; I read so many cases, from DUI cases to attempted first-degree murder cases. This way, I feel as if I was introduced to many social/legal issues. Applying for CFS has to be one of the best decisions I made at Northwestern. I learned so much not only from my internship at the public defender’s office, but also my legal field studies class. CFS helped me decide that I want to pursue a career as a lawyer.