Michael P. Pest
Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services
Washington, Pennsylvania

This summer I am working as an intern at Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services in Washington, Pennsylvania. The organization represents individuals from Washington, Greene, Fayette and Somerset counties in a variety of civil legal matters. During my internship, I have had the opportunity to work directly with clients in several different types of cases, conduct research and draft pleadings, and even assist with the representation of clients in court. The internship has been a very important and meaningful experience, not only in terms of developing my legal skills, but also because it has allowed me to provide service to the southwestern Pennsylvania community.

While Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services handles many types of cases, the primary focus of my internship has been in the area of family law. The majority of my typical work day consists of handling divorce, custody and protection from abuse cases in their various stages. For divorce cases, I typically interview the client, during which I obtain information about their specific situation. After analyzing the information that I gather during the interview, I determine which type of divorce to pursue. I then discuss this information with the client and explain the procedure for obtaining a divorce, as well the general timeline associated with each type of divorce. Finally, I draft a complaint and review it with the client.

I conduct the initial client interview for custody cases as well. During the interview I describe the custody process generally, explain some of the central concepts of custody law, and discuss the client’s goals. At the end of the interview, I draft a custody complaint and proposed custody agreement that address the client’s major goals.

I also have spent a great deal of time working on protection from abuse cases. As with divorce and custody cases, I conduct the initial client interview. This mainly consists of the client describing his or her relationship with the defendant and any incidents of abuse that have occurred, as well as the client detailing what type of protection they require. Every Thursday, a staff attorney and all the interns in the office represent our protection from abuse clients from that week in court. We first attempt to negotiate settlements with the defendants and their attorneys. These settlement discussions can last several hours, and in some cases, an entire day. If a case does not settle, it goes to a hearing before a judge, and we represent the client in this hearing.

Aside from family law issues, I have also had the opportunity to work on mortgage foreclosure cases this summer. Again, I conduct an initial interview with the client, in which I gather information about the client’s mortgage, financial situation and foreclosure goals. After the interview, I draft a stay order and file it with the court, which gives the client time to attempt to correct the problem. During this stay period, I also contact the mortgage lender and the attorneys representing them in order to discuss potential settlement or modification options. At the end of this period, I draft Preliminary Objections and an Answer to the lender’s complaint.

My daily routine at Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services has provided me with a great deal of practical experience. My internship has helped me to vastly improve on my legal research, writing and negotiation skills. Additionally, I have developed my interviewing skills a great deal. I have felt progressively more confident answering clients’ questions and providing them with advice as the summer goes on. However, I feel that the most significant thing I will take away from my internship is the realization of just how important an attorney is to his or her clients. In the typical summer experience at a law firm, law students rarely do more than research issues and draft briefs. The lack of direct interaction with clients makes it difficult to realize the importance of the work you are doing their behalf. However, interacting with a client face-to-face creates a connection with the client and makes one realize the significance of his or her work on the client’s behalf. Almost all of the clients that I have seen this summer have required assistance with substantial, immediate problems. Being able to help these individuals, and in many cases acting as their last line of defense, during such major life events helped me to really understand the importance of the lawyer’s role in society.

My experience has been very beneficial, but also challenging. Because of the nature of the cases that I typically handle, clients are often angry or upset during their interviews. This often makes it difficult to conduct the interviews and effectively communicate with the clients. The work that I do can also be frustrating at times, particularly in protection from abuse settlement negotiations. These negotiations are often very contentious and can drag on for several hours, sometimes over the most minor detail. Negotiating with mortgage companies is also challenging, as it can be extremely difficult to get in contact with the lenders or their attorneys. However, walking out of the courthouse knowing that I have helped to guarantee my client’s safety, or hanging up the phone and realizing that I have helped my client to remain in his or her house for a longer period of time always remind me that all the work I do on my client’s behalf is worthwhile.

My experience this summer was also particularly rewarding because I was able to serve the community where I grew up. I was born in the city of Washington and lived there until I was eighteen years old. Having grown up in Washington, I was well aware of the problems that residents of this community face. It has meant a great deal to me to be able to give back to the community that has given so much to me over the years.