Nicole Gibson, L'20
Nicole Gibson, L’20, knew she wanted to be a lawyer from an early age. She also knew that her passion was in the field of criminal law. So her 2L internship with the Petersburg Public Defender’s Office was the perfect professional introduction.
Following graduation, Gibson landed back in the Public Defender’s Office thanks in part to a Bridge to Practice Fellowship. “It was a really good transition,” she said. “I was able to slide right in.” Gibson received an offer for full-time employment, and started as an assistant public defender in January 2021.
Transitioning from law school to life as a full-time attorney has provided a learning curve for Gibson. She’s spent her initial months working on traffic dockets and DUIs, spending time with clients both in court and in jail. In that work, Gibson feels the weight and responsibility of being a new lawyer. “You’re learning with people’s lives,” she explained. “I don’t want to mess this up.”
Luckily, her colleagues have been an exceptional support network. “Everyone I work with has been such a great mentor,” said Gibson. “You’re on a team of people who want to help you learn.”
Jonathan Walter, L'20
As a student completing his law school career during the pandemic, “May 2020 was a stressful time, to say the least,” said Jonathan Walter, L’20. The Bridge to Practice Fellowship helped add a level of certainty by offering four months of funding for a public service or non-profit position. The fellowship was attractive to Walter because of the flexibility it provided, opening the door to a variety of opportunities in the government and public policy sectors that attracted him. Walter put his fellowship to use at Public Knowledge, a D.C.-based nonprofit that “promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works.”
Public Knowledge “has a fantastic mentorship program,” said Walter. “They really care a lot about making sure the interns and fellows have a positive experience and have the opportunity to do substantive work.”
The network-building and experience with Public Knowledge set Walter up for success in his new position as the Media & Democracy Program Fellow at Common Cause, another D.C. nonprofit where Walter focuses on four key issues: broadband access, media consolidation, platform accountability, and net neutrality
