I was initially assigned to the Boston Municipal Court, the District Court for the downtown Boston area. This is an extremely fast-paced environment where it is literally trial by fire. I was immediately learning the facets of district court procedure, plea-bargaining, bail arguments, arraignments and pre-trail hearings. Although the volume of information is initially daunting, this was an incredibly valuable learning experience. Having a basic, working knowledge of how district court operates and what actually gets accomplished at that level is extremely helpful in understanding how higher levels of the criminal justice system work, and in understanding the nuances of various charges, motions, and other details leading up to trial.

To give me a wider range of exposure to different parts of the office, I was reassigned to the Appellate Division after my initial experience in the Boston Municipal Court. Here I was able to work wit a senior level appellate attorney on an intricate murder appeal. There were several issues that needed to be addressed in the appeal, from motions to suppress all physical evidence, to a motion to suppress the confession of the defendant, to charges of prosecutorial misconduct. Not only were the legal issues fascinating, but the writing experience was tremendous. My supervisor had worked in the appellate divisions of both Norfolk and Middlesex Counties and had written and argued numerous appeals. She gave me an incredible amount of responsibility, and was an excellent writing coach and mentor. Beyond writing about such exciting and serious aspects of the law, I feel my legal writing really improved under her direction. I was also able to work on special projects, including researching the history of the Single Justice Appeals system in Massachusetts for a Law Review article District Attorney Martin is writing, and analyzing drug asset forfeiture cases to ensure that the forfeiture program is being effectively utilized at the district court level. I was able to go back to the Boston Municipal Court at the end of the summer to refresh some of the skills I learned earlier in preparation for the upcoming Prosecutor's Program. By the time I was reassigned back to the BMC, I really felt as though I had grown a lot both professionally and personally.

The experience I had this summer was invaluable. Not only did I learn a tremendous amount about the practice of criminal law, and the Massachusetts criminal justice system, but the guidance and mentoring I received from all of the assistant district attorneys I work with was incredible. I was constantly amazed by the willingness of everyone around me to answer my questions and help me learn. The people were tremendous, helpful and friendly in every way imaginable. I also enjoyed learning more about Paul, the cases he tried, and the influence he had on younger attorneys who are now practicing in the Superior Court and on specialized task forces. One ADA told me that when he first started working at the office, very few people knew his name, and even fewer of the senior trial attorneys had the time to talk to him. However, Paul remembered him from one of DA Martin's Campaigns and always took the time to say hello and ask how he was adjusting to his new job. That ADA makes sure he volunteers at the Golf Tournament every year because it meant so much to him that Paul took the time to be nice to him when he was first starting out as and ADA.

I hope that as I finish school and pursue a legal career I can proceed with some of the integrity and talent that Paul had. Thank you again for this wonderful opportunity, I am sure it will be a highlight of my career for years to come.