Author: lohecht

Although the summer is ending, my internship is not! After the amazing experience I’ve had these last few weeks, I’m grateful, humbled and excited to be able to say that it is not yet over; I will be continuing my internship for the rest of this semester in conjunction with a Brandeis internship seminar.

While there is plenty to look forward to, it is crucial (not to mention enjoyable) to retrospectively analyze the crucial changes I have undergone by taking on the challenges that have accompanied this internship. These challenges, ranging from getting a taste of what it is like to be alone and away from home to forcing myself to gather my confidence and approach the inspiring lecturer who, within an hour, changed my outlook on my future career and built my character in a way I could not have foreseen. Looking back at my summer experience at the Criminal Bureau of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, I find myself to be an adult, a proud servant of the Commonwealth, and a fervent advocate of self-exploration via internships.

From among the main goals I outlined for myself at the beginning of my internship, I have truly surpassed the most important ones. I originally aspired to “mold myself into a meritorious and ‘civic-ly’ aware adult.” I could not have imagined the extent to which my dedication to civic engagement would solidify during my time in the AGO, but here I stand, a matured version of the person I was at the end of the school year, convinced that my career path would feel empty without some sort of community service which would allow me to benefit the society to which I belong. I hoped to “forge new connections,” and I am now fortunate enough to include a group of talented interns, law students, paralegals, lawyers, officers and financial investigators in my ever-growing network. I realized through my exploration of “the intricacies of my passion for law” that I am most interested in civil rights and anti-discrimination efforts within the context of the law and I know that the next steps I take towards my future will involve the study and promotion of diversification and acceptance. With all of these goals realized, I look forward to expanding my knowledge of myself and the legal world as I return to the office this semester and as I take on future internships.

https://www.ted.com/talks/verna_myers_how_to_overcome_our_biases_walk_boldly_toward_them?language=en – The AGO organized an event during which dozens of office members watched Vernā Myers’ inspirational TED talk about overcoming subconscious biases and then discussed the video to deepen our understanding of how it applies to us.

I am most proud of my work combating  human trafficking and my new interest in this field, which evolved from my involvement in the Human Trafficking Unit. My extensive involvement in the unit’s developing policy-implementation plan, which spanned almost the entirety of this internship, started with a request that I create a simple excel document and developed into an enriching and layered experience in the art of networking. The creation of the spreadsheet was an opportunity for me to aid the AGO’s Director of Human Trafficking Policy, Programs, and Education, who specialized in a field which I was eager to explore. My scrupulous efforts, paired with a genuine interest in the unique and kind woman I was helping, resulted in a rewarding networking connection which I now cherish. This woman mentored me by taking me to observe meetings with outside organizations, looking out for different events I could attend, and even asking me for input on how to move forward with the implementation of the policy I helped to create. I am both proud of and thankful for the working relationship I now have with her, and I look forward to collaborating with her in the coming months.

http://www.polarisproject.org – A wonderful anti-human trafficking organization which shares many of the same goals of the AGO’s Human Trafficking Division

http://www.polarisproject.org/storage/documents/hotelindustryfactsheet.pdf – a trusty reference sheet for the AGO’s Human Trafficking Division in its effort to increase human trafficking awareness in the Commonwealth

Thus, my advice to students interested in working in this office is to take this opportunity by the reins and make the most of the resources around them, be it the esteem of others, the unique events and presentations, the work experience, or just the boundless advice of the good, hardworking people of the AGO. In any internship context, including this one, my greatest piece of advice is to balance challenging oneself by stepping outside of one’s comfort zone with being conscious of oneself in one’s work-environment context. Branch out, but don’t seem too haughty; be confident but don’t forget the value of humility. While it is important to be sure of one’s merit, there is no disadvantage to asking and asking again to gain a complete understanding from those who have been doing this way longer than any intern. Remember that being memorable (in a good way) also requires being personable and receptive. This balance has helped me grow from this amazing opportunity in ways which, only three months ago, I did not believe to be possible. Though I am still perfecting this equilibrium and will continue fine-tuning it this semester in this familiar context, it has been my greatest ally and will continue to be in future classroom, recreational, and professional experiences.

Lilly Hecht ’18

 

At the beginning of my internship in the Criminal Bureau of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, I could not have imagined the extent to which I could be enriched within so little time. Despite the challenges that my novel experience of independence presents, such as budget management, humbling homesickness, and an increased sense of responsibility, these perceived difficulties are only augmenting the growth I am undergoing and I am thankful for this opportunity to learn how to overcome them. My initial apprehension has turned into a sense of pride as the weeks progress and as I am increasingly exposed to valuable information about workplace environments, networking, independence, justice, policy making, career development, the law, and myself.

The numerous projects which I have been assigned so far range from contributing to the office’s implementation game-plan concerning human trafficking policy (my favorite assignment so far) to scanning boxes of grand jury exhibits. I cannot truthfully say that they have all been as fabulous as those depicted in an episode of Law and Order; still, each of them is crucial to the process and fulfilling to complete. The kind and capable troopers, lawyers, paralegals, investigators, etc. who have assigned them to me make sure to explain how my work contributes to the bigger picture and to the eventual execution of justice, which gives me a greater appreciation for my role in the legal process. I do not shirk the seemingly menial jobs, because thorough completion of such tasks is important to the execution of law and also facilitates access to more fascinating projects such as checking bankruptcy dockets for patterns of criminal behavior or reading up on habeas corpus appeals in order to summarize them for the lawyers on the case.

 

In addition to the projects and cases in which I am involved, I am also exposed to unique opportunities for growth and enrichment due to the excellent programs set up for the office’s interns. Ranging from meet-and-greets to mock trials, these events allow the interns to network and to be exposed to the greater structure and goals of Attorney General (AG) Maura Healey’s office. With every event, I sense my networking skills expanding and my dedication to this line of work solidifying, and I know these social skills and passions will weave their way through my interactions with others and through career-defining decisions from this point forward. Already, I am making connections with interns and lawyers from both the criminal bureau and other bureaus in order to acquire some insight about their jobs and the steps they’ve taken to pursue their careers. I now have a better understanding of my options and preferences concerning things like law school (which, as of now, is a definite part of my future) and additional internship possibilities. The exposure I have had to some of AG Healey’s truly inspirational workforce has enlightened me about the configuration and function of the office I am serving as well as about what I would love to explore further, such as civil rights/anti-discrimination work, victim services, and executive work for Attorney Generals like Maura Healey.

http://www.mass.gov/ago/bureaus/executive/ – I was inspired by the bureau presentations set up for the interns and was especially enriched by the Executive Bureau’s presentation.

Thus, beyond my wildest expectations, I have come to know myself and the world of work I have entered better than I could have expected within just a few weeks. Although I am mostly proud of my work with the Human Trafficking Division, which encompasses my newly developed women’s and gender, civil rights and victim-aid interests the most, I am proud of even my smallest contributions, because serving this Attorney General, this bureau, and this Commonwealth gives me a sense of fulfillment I have never felt before. I eagerly look forward to my last few weeks here.

http://www.mass.gov/ago/docs/hr/transgender-rights-policy.pdf – Maura Healey’s newly introduced transgender rights policy (one of the many testaments to her greatness as a civil rights leader)

 

Lilly Hecht, ’18

Few are fortunate enough to be able to say that, during their very first semester of college, they were assigned to an “Introduction to Law” discussion session led by a lively, enthusiastic Assistant Attorney General. Even fewer can say that the following summer, with no prior employment experience whatsoever under their belt, they were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to intern in his office under his guidance as well as that of my supervisors and the rest of their equally kind colleagues in the Criminal Bureau of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in Boston. I am thus humbled by this chance to serve the Commonwealth and t­­o explore this prospective career path, and these first two weeks in the office have not disappointed.

http://www.mass.gov/ago/bureaus/criminal/

I have always been inexplicably drawn to the practice of law. Though my interest in legal issues was already very developed in high school, it naturally became more acute during my two semesters at Brandeis. Thanks to Brandeis’ unique opportunities to pursue an interdisciplinary curriculum, I began to see legal dilemmas through the lens of gender, race, culture, sexual orientation, and all the societally-defined categories which shape how different citizens experience the law, and developed a thirst for developing this more socially aware perspective of common law. For this reason, I could not have been more fortunate for this opportunity to work under this particular Attorney General (AG).

 

Attorney General Maura Healey

I could not be more inspired by the principles upon which AG Maura Healey serves her state. She is invested in many new policies which I admire such as fighting drug addiction with increased treatment and reduced incarceration as well as increasing sex education and women’s rights, but I am most stirred to action by her work in her preceding position as the Chief of the Civil Rights Division of the AGO. Ms. Healey fronted the Commonwealth’s challenge to DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, successfully leading the arguments which came to be the first to strike down the law and ensure equal marriage rights for all. I hope to one day emulate Maura Healey’s levelheaded potency when confronting whatever poignant civil rights cases I am faced with as a lawyer.

http://www.maurahealey.com/about

However, for now, I must concentrate on the tasks at hand in my current position, and am thrilled to be doing so. My internship is unique in that I serve not one division of an AGO bureau but rather the entire Criminal Bureau, and I am thus able to collaborate with dozens of lawyers, financial investigators, paralegals, etc. This ensures that I will be able to dabble in many different kinds of projects and determine my passions, strengths and weaknesses both within the field of law and outside it. Everyone I have met has amicably invited me to pop into his or her office any time to ask questions or to just chat, and this opportunity for office-wide connection has exposed me to a wide range of projects. These assignments include researching suspects, unearthing the evidence behind still secret financial scandals, and, most importantly to me, contributing to the state’s human trafficking awareness and training expansion efforts.

In essence, I hope to gain real world, legal experience while working diligently in whatever task is assigned to me in order to serve the office and the Commonwealth to the best of my abilities this summer, and it seems as though, in this friendly, dedicated, hardworking office, that won’t be too hard!