From my view: Behind the scenes at a paralegal internship
by Henry Randolph |
Mark Turberville was one of the first paralegal interns ever to work at the Anchorage Municipal Prosecutor鈥檚 Office. Using what he learned in his classes, he quickly proved that a good paralegal can be indispensable.
Mark Turberville graduated in May 2018 with a post-baccalaureate certificate in paralegal studies. He came to the program after a career in the military and in industrial safety, and he brought with him a keen drive to learn more about criminal law. His internship at the Anchorage Municipal Prosecutor鈥檚 Office gave him a deep dive into the inner workings of Anchorage鈥檚 criminal courts.
Here鈥檚 what Turberville鈥檚 internship experience was like, from his perspective:
鈥淚 was really interested in criminal law, and I was able to get a paralegal internship with the Municipal Prosecutor鈥檚 Office, together with another student from the certificate program. Here was a chance for real legal work, and it was in a field that I enjoy.
"But the municipal prosecutor鈥檚 office had never had a paralegal before, and the attorneys weren鈥檛 familiar with what we were able to do. The first day, one attorney came by and said, 鈥業鈥檝e got this legal question that I鈥檓 trying to research, and I can鈥檛 find any good cases to support my argument. If you have time, would you mind maybe helping me with the research?鈥� And I said 鈥楢bsolutely鈥攖hat鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here for. This is great!鈥�
"So I did the research for her, then put my analysis into a legal memo, which I鈥檇 learned how to write in Professor Periman鈥檚 research and writing class [part of the certificate program]. I gave it back to the attorney and she was just stunned鈥攕he thought it was great. I said, 鈥楾ell everybody鈥攊f you need this kind of work, if you need research, we can do it. We鈥檙e good at it!鈥�
"That opened the flood gates鈥攚e started getting a lot more requests from different prosecutors to help them research cases and analyze legal questions.
"We were able to go to court, too, and that was enthralling鈥攖o be able to help a prosecutor prepare for a case, then go with her while she selects her jury, observe the jury and talk over strategy with her. We were involved in everything from preparing witnesses to testify, to drafting up motions for filing in court. We were able to follow these cases all the way through the verdict.
"The whole process was just fascinating. The municipal prosecutor鈥檚 office was a tremendous place for an internship, and a fabulous opportunity to get practical experience鈥攆or me, and for anybody who鈥檚 interested in criminal law.鈥�
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