Temple Law students use their summer months to relax, catch up on reading, take classes, study abroad, and to gain necessary skills and experiences by working outside of the law school. We asked three law students where they worked this summer and what they learned:

Adetola Ajayi, LAW ‘19

There is no substitute for real legal experience. My summer experience was nothing short of amazing. I split my summer at the Philadelphia City Law Department and Archer Law in Haddonfield, New Jersey, through the Temple-Archer Diversity Scholarship program. Archer’s program provided me the opportunity to gain insights into both the public and private sectors of law. At the City Law Department, I worked in the Civil Rights Unit and was able to attend state and federal trials, write memos, and observe settlement conferences and depositions. I learned about topics such as 42 U.S.C. § 1983, qualified immunity, and the spoliation of evidence. During the second half of my summer at Archer, I conducted research and drafted memos. My assignments were from various practice areas including bankruptcy, personal injury, commercial litigation, e-discovery, trusts and estates, sports law, and employment and labor law. My summer was also filled with many professional networking events, which allowed me to make new connections and catch up with old colleagues. The most important thing I learned this summer is that as a young associate, finding mentors and building relationships is just as important and impactful as producing good work product.

Abbey Bryman, LAW ’20

This summer I worked at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania as a judicial intern for the Honorable Gene E.K. Pratter. I conducted legal research that was vital in drafting memoranda, including opinions. I also watched trials which allowed me to better understand how the court system works. I gained valuable skills that I couldn’t have learned in the classroom. I would recommend interning with a judge to all incoming students.

Jonah Fish-Gertz, LAW ’19

I spent my summer in the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, in the Office of Aviation and Admiralty. As that is a mouthful, we normally called ourselves Splash & Crash. It was a wonderful experience working with several veteran litigators in a new area of law. Maritime law is a separate jurisdiction, and its interactions with state and federal law change depending on the circumstances, so each case presented new and interesting areas to research. Aviation cases fall under the Federal Torts Claim Act and are thus simpler only comparatively. Most of work in both areas was focused on civil procedure, I wrote many memoranda on choice of law and pleadings. By the end of the summer I was also able to dive into ongoing discovery. I learned a great deal, not only of the substantive law, but also what working at the federal government is like.