Pendrey Trammell

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to work at the Washington County District Attorney’s Office as a 2L Law Clerk. While in this position, I was able to learn a great deal about how to be a prosecutor and further the public good through that. I worked on several different projects including writing motions, intake of reports, a restitution centered project, and several others. This experience gave me the chance to see how a case works its way through the criminal justice system and how prosecutors handle each step. I was also fortunate enough to observe several trials and was able to learn advocacy skills from many different attorneys.

              This externship gave me an excellent start to my legal career. I gained experience in criminal prosecution in several practical ways, and I feel that I am set up for success going forward. Through externing at the Washington County DA’s Office, I had opportunities that I would not have otherwise had in a classroom, and I got the chance to learn from many experienced prosecutors who were ready and willing to teach me. Even though most people don’t think of this type of work as “public interest” automatically, this experience showed me just how much prosecutors work on behalf of the community to uphold the law and provide recourse when needed.

              Being a part of PILP certainly made a positive impact on my first year at Lewis & Clark, and, I’m very grateful to have received one of the summer awards. PILP is a fantastic organization that gave me and several other students the ability to being working in the public interest sector and find our passions in the legal world!