I am currently experiencing the real-time events of a very controversial and widely-covered court case in my hometown through my internship. What has been called “The Black Swan Murder Trial” by the local media and even an episode of 48 Hours is currently being tried by the felony attorney’s at my office. I have gotten to attend the trial, hear the perspectives of the attorney’s working on the case, and what the media has had to say. I even talked with someone from the defense’s side the other day. It has been very interesting to get so many perspectives, and while you would think that would help in my own personal opinion of the situation, I have no idea what I think! The situation is very sensitive and nuanced, and it has resonated with me so deeply because of this.
On the other hand, there is so much that hasn’t been getting much coverage in my office. With the amount of cases I see pass through the different lawyers desks everyday, it would be impossible for the news to feature them all. This is disappointing though, because each of these events impact the victims and involved other’s so deeply, even if the media doesn’t consider it “news worthy.” I think the least the lawyers can do, and I can do as their intern, is to listen to people and at least let them be heard by us.
My capstone is going well. I am very passionate about my topic which has to do with a local specialized court system that has done work to combat mental illness and homelessness. It is so interesting to write about something you see in real life, and see the actual evidence that it is working to help the local community.
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