Name: Olivia Gallant
Class Year: 2025
Major: Classican and Near Eastern Archaeology & Literatures in English
Hometown: Bay Area, California
Internship Organization: Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program (CCVLP)
Job Title: Family Law Volunteer Intern
Location: Vancouver, Wash.
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
I am primarily working through the CCVLP’s call logs – I am calling back potential clients who have left voicemails in the past few months and doing intakes with them. I am also going to nearby courtrooms (either physically or on Zoom) to watch previous clients’ dockets, and looking up people's case numbers in the county records so that we know what happened in their case. The CCVLP only takes on civil cases, meaning that their clients usually do not have the constitutional right to a lawyer. While the CCVLP often cannot fully represent people, they can help to answer clients' questions and get people as ready as possible to represent themselves. My job is usually to be the first person from the CCVLP that these people speak to, and to ascertain whether we can help. I also did a few odd jobs around the office in my first couple of weeks to help set up for a fundraising event.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I applied for this internship because I was interested in law and in learning about the law, but I had never really come face-to-face with it– I was only interested in an abstract way. I thought that working in a law office would help me to see if that is what I actually wanted to do for a career, while also helping me to gain experience working in an office setting. I liked what the CCVLP does in particular because they help those who cannot otherwise afford a lawyer’s advice, and I agreed with their mission statement of equal access to the legal system for all, including those who don’t speak English, or those who simply don’t understand the intricacies of a legal system that they are expected to navigate alone.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?
Learning how to speak with people (and with quite distressed people, in particular) on the phone has been a big personal challenge for me, especially when we are talking about heavier topics. As I am nothing more than a voice on the phone to them, it can be very difficult to be a kind presence. I learned quickly when to just let people talk out their problem with me, and how to listen quietly instead of pushing forward to the next question. I am lucky that most of the clients I was working with were understanding of my limitations in personally being able to help them– although I was one step closer to their getting to speak with a lawyer (I would put them on the list to be scheduled), I myself could never give legal advice.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
By far, the most rewarding thing about this internship is being able to help people who might otherwise be let down by the legal system. In the U.S., it is expected that everybody be held to the same standards in a court of law, but that can be an obvious challenge when one person has access to representation by a lawyer, and the other party does not. I feel like I am doing something worthwhile with my time and energy this summer, and I am also happy to be getting some small experience in the legal world, and beginning to understand more completely how it all works.
Through the Career and Civic Engagement Center Beyond Bryn Mawr Summer Internship Program, Bryn Mawr students pursue opportunities in fields such as nonprofits, government and law, health care, research, sciences, business, and the arts. Thanks to the generosity of our alumnae/i and donors, over 150 students across all academic departments are funded to pursue unpaid internships or research experiences in the U.S. and abroad each year.
CAREER & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT CENTER CLASSICAL AND NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY LITERATURES IN ENGLISH