The Atlanta Lawyer August/September 2019 | Page 19

Since 1993, through the long-standing
support of the Atlanta legal community,
the Internship Program has made over 775
paid internships available to talented high
school students from across the region.
We had 112 applications for 54 spots.
Our goals for the 2019 interns were the
same as when SLIP first started in 1993:
1. To provide a valuable work
experience
2. To further the student’s
understanding of the law
3. To provide a mentor relationship for
the students.
To accomplish these goals, SLIP is
structured to prepare the Interns for the
rigor of their six-week work experience and
to educate them about important aspects of
the legal system. Prior to beginning their
spoke to the Interns were exceptional.
Our guest speakers this year were:
Thank you. Thank you guys, for truly
changing my life. I feel like this program
is my testimony, because going into this
program I felt defeated. I allowed my
negative thoughts to scare me from seeing my
true potential, I thought that the other kids
were smarter than me. I thought I wasn't
capable, and it showed all over my attitude
and the words that came out of my mouth.
The Atlanta Bar Association internship
pushed me off of a ledge and I was forced to
learn how to fly (I mean that in the best way
possible), entering into the orientations and
hearing how the leaders believed in every last
one of us, no matter where we came from,
our skin color, sex, religion etc. I would
recommend this internship to anyone, it is a
once- in-a-lifetime phenomenal experience
... but only if you're truly ready to receive it.
• Paula Frederick, Esq.
• Tori Silas, Esq.
• Roma Amin, Esq.
• Karolina Majewski, Esq.
• Harold Franklin, Jr., Esq.
• Dean Monique McCarthy
• Prof. Margaret H. Vath
• DeMark Liggins
• Kameisha Binns, Esq.
• Robert Augustin, Rising 3L at
University of South Carolina
School of Law
• Andrew Boyer and Courtney
Taylor, Former Interns and Rising
2L at Georgia State University
College of Law
• Shadaisa Wilcox, Rising 3L at
Mercer University School of Law
I would recommend this internship
to anyone, it is a once-in-a-lifetime
phenomenal experience!
summer internships, the Interns attended
four mandatory Orientation sessions
that focused on important topics such
as client confidentiality, professionalism,
punctuality, attention to detail, and attire.
Once
the
six-week
internships
commenced, interns were required to
attend mandatory weekly meetings.
During these weekly meetings, interns
discussed their internship experiences,
various legal topics, and relevant current
events. The interns were introduced to the
“Socratic Method” and required to give
extensive oral presentations to become
more comfortable with public speaking.
The interns also completed written
enrichment (which is called “homework”
during the regular school year) and took
Progress Tests to assess their knowledge.
During the summer, interns heard
remarks from several guest speakers,
including lawyers, law students, former
SLIP interns, and SLIP supporters. As in
previous years, the Guest Speakers who
we are for the tremendous support of
Atlanta’s lawyers and legal organizations.
In one such letter, an intern wrote:
We continued our tradition of having
the interns write a 750-word essay on a
topical legal issue as part of the Terrence
Croft Essay Competition. This year’s
competition was on the Supreme Court
of Georgia’s 2017 decision in Henry
County Board of Education v. S.G.,
No. S16G1700.
The interns wrote
outstanding essays that explored the
factual and legal issues underlying the case.
Our 2019 interns thoroughly enjoyed the
mock law school class Professor Maggie
Vath conducted at the Georgia State
University College of Law on June 26, 2019.
The interns were subjected to the Socratic
Method and very much enjoyed the robust
discussion and law school library tour
with Professor Vath after the class. We are
thankful to Professor Vath for generously
sharing her expertise and time with SLIP.
Each year, we receive several wonderful
letters from interns at the conclusion
of the Program that remind us of the
importance of our efforts and how grateful
A byproduct of the internship program
is that it motivates interns to consider
becoming lawyers. Numerous former
Interns have become attorneys and are
practicing in the Atlanta area. We are also
delighted that several of our former interns
are in law school and in the pipeline to
become attorneys. This year, we have three
former Interns starting law school. Thirty-
three (33) former interns have either
graduated from law school or are currently
enrolled in law school. We have nine former
interns attending law school this Fall.
In order to expand our support for Interns
who aspire to become attorneys, in 2016,
we launched the Highest Heights Forever
Initiative, a $100,000 fundraising effort to
provide financial support to former interns
taking LSAT preparation classes and/or
Bar Review classes. To date, the Initiative
has raised over $75,000 and has provided
funds to sixteen former Interns (4 Bar
Review; 12 LSAT Prep). Our ultimate goal
will be to provide 80% of the costs of these
courses for our Interns. Currently, we are
providing approximately 50% of such costs.
Thank you to everyone who dedicated
their time and support to the 2019 Atlanta
Bar Association Summer Law Internship
Program. It was a summer to remember.
We are
planning
already hard
for 2020 –
at work
SLIP 28!
www.atlantabar.org THE ATLANTA LAWYER
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