Finding a summer job or internship seems to be one of the most stressful aspects of law school. The craziness starts in January, when law students begin scheduling interviews, attending job fairs, and putting their fall networking to use. For me, the experience was a little different because I knew what I wanted to do: intern at the Pennsylvania Innocence Project (PIP).
The Pennsylvania Innocence Project works to exonerate innocent people who were wrongfully convicted of horrible crimes. While an undergraduate student, I had done some research on different innocence projects and the great things they were able to accomplish. At the time I applied to PIP, I was also listening to the Serial podcast on the subway every morning, which increased my desire to help people who may have been wrongfully convicted. When I began my search for summer jobs on the Career Services Management website, the minute I saw the listing for PIP, I had my heart set on getting an internship there. Luckily, I had an interview in the beginning of February and about two weeks later I got the call that I was chosen to be one of the summer interns.
I did not know what to expect on the first day of my internship. Did I really learn anything as a 1L that would help me? Would I be prepared? Would it be hard? Would the people be nice? To add to the stress, I started the internship a month after most people because I participated in Temple Law’s Rome Program at the beginning of the summer. Thankfully, my first day was easy because it was moving day for PIP, which relocated to their new home at Temple Center City. I spent the day organizing files and learning about the system of PIP with its unique numbering system and staging process.
“One of the most memorable days was when a client’s attorney sat with us during that meeting and was ecstatic that the case was going to move forward with PIP. He could not wait to call the client and his wife to tell them the good news. This was why I came to PIP.”
As I continued through the rest of the summer, I truly loved my time at the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. The office is like a little family with everyone yelling to one another, sharing stories, and learning new information every day. Whenever you need help or just to talk, one of the staff members is there with an open door, and the interns all sit together, which is a great way to meet and learn from students at other law schools.
Each PIP intern is assigned at least one case to work on and I immediately felt a special bond with the client I was assigned. You are an advocate for your client, who does not have access to daily conveniences like we do. Whereas we can easily search on Google “How to write a PCRA petition” (Post-Conviction Relief Act petition – this becomes a frequent part of your vocabulary at PIP), PIP clients have no access to internet, have to wait for the times the prison library is available, and then have to look through the books and other files they have on record to find the answer.
Once assigned to a case, it is the intern’s responsibility to read through all of the files, correspond with the client, and create an Investigative Report detailing our thoughts on the case and a comprehensive study of everything that has gone on in it. Everything at PIP is hands-on; instead of just showing us how it is done, the PIP staff have interns do the tasks with them. From editing briefs to attending client meetings and court dates, PIP lets you take part in everything.
The Pennsylvania Innocence Project only takes clients who are done with their direct appeal process and works towards their exoneration and release from prison. The cases must be from Pennsylvania and have an incarceration period for at least ten years. After writing to PIP, a client is assigned a case number and goes through a four-stage process to decide if PIP will take their case. This multi-stage review and evaluation determines if a client meets the mission of PIP.
When the report is complete, students have an opportunity to present their case to members of the board with a recommendation for how the case is to proceed. The case can either move forward into investigation, with the hopes of uncovering exculpatory material, or be closed for various reasons and PIP will decide not to move forward with the case. I had the opportunity to attend one of these sessions, in which my fellow interns presented three cases. One of the most memorable days was when a client’s attorney sat with us during that meeting and was ecstatic that the case was going to move forward with PIP. He could not wait to call the client and his wife to tell them the good news. This was why I came to PIP; I wanted to help people, impact change, and see that the injustices of our criminal system don’t always have a bad ending.
Another unique moment came when we visited one of the state correctional institutions and met with our clients face to face. The group we met with were some of the most inspiring and amazing men I have encountered. Hearing their stories and about their daily lives put into perspective how important the work of PIP is. The client who I spoke to told me about his daughter and his new job as a barber at the prison. We joked about how to work an iPhone and I told him about the television shows I watch, which prompted a joke about Sofia Vergara from Modern Family. There is a stigma attached to working at a place where your clients are prisoners convicted of murder, rape, arson, and other heinous crimes. But being able to meet these people face to face just made me want to help them even more. It broke my heart to know that some of these men have been in prison for over thirty years for crimes they did not commit and have little chance of ever getting out.
“Everything at PIP is hands-on; instead of just showing us how it is done, the PIP staff have interns do the tasks with them. From editing briefs to attending client meetings and court dates, PIP lets you take part in everything.”
When summer came to a close, I found my work at PIP was not done. That is the case for the majority of students who work with PIP – the work of PIP can take years, not just a few weeks. The work is hard and time-consuming and although it is rewarding it can also be frustrating. PIP can’t help everyone and even when we want to, there are not always legal avenues to help or the court continually denies our petitions. I decided to stay on with PIP as a clinical student because I felt a pull to continue working on my cases and learning from the staff at PIP. It’s a small office – there are seven employees, only two of which are staff attorneys. But, I’ve learned something from every person in the office that I can’t get in the classroom. I am grateful for this experience and plan to continue working with PIP throughout law school.
Of course, there is so much work to do and PIP could always use more help. Even if you can only volunteer for a few hours a week, you can gain valuable experience and make a difference in our clients’ lives. Summer internships are the most productive and worthwhile of the options and there is a posting every summer through career services. PIP also offers a clinical and takes volunteers throughout the semester. If you want to truly make a difference and help people while gaining first-hand experience of the post-conviction process, PIP is the perfect place. For more information, contact Nilam Sanghvi or Marissa Boyers-Bluestine.
