Judicial Intern Academy Paves the Way

By Leat Perez and Shannon Mau, Judicial Intern Academy interns, with Hon. Beth Bloom, U.S. District Court – Southern District of Florida

Leat Perez is a second-year law student at the University of Miami School of Law. As a first-generation student, Leat graduated with Honors from the University of Pennsylvania. Shannon Mau is a first-generation, thirdyear, part-time law student at Florida International University School of Law. There, Shannon serves as a staff member of the FIU Law Review and volunteers as an admissions coach for FIU Law Path Scholars.

Federal judicial internships are highly competitive and selective. As a result, well-qualified and motivated students with similar qualifications are often denied the opportunity based on availability. For other students, a full-time, unpaid summer internship is infeasible due to financial constraints or family obligations. United States District Judge Bloom and her staff recognized that many more students should be given the coveted opportunity to learn and created a common-sense solution—the Judicial Intern Academy (JIA or Academy): a part-time, hybrid program designed to allow more students to participate in the federal judicial internship program in the Southern District of Florida. In addition, these students receive the benefit of individualized feedback on research, writing, and advocacy skills. The JIA pairs interns with former federal judicial law clerks, Law Clerk Advisors (LCAs), who volunteer to help guide the Academy interns through the writing and oral advocacy assignment. The interns’ assignment involved researching and drafting a bench memorandum regarding a motion pending before the court. Then, the interns were afforded the opportunity to participate in a mock hearing and argue their positions in the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse before Judge Bloom. Throughout the program, Academy interns were also encouraged to attend court proceedings in state and federal court, including civil, criminal, family, juvenile, and bankruptcy proceedings. The Academy also featured the “Learning From the Legends” and “Conversations With the Court” series, in which interns participated in discussions with prominent attorneys and judges in the South Florida legal community. The JIA 2022 inaugural class consisted of 18 rising second-year law students from one private school (University of Miami) and from one public school (Florida International University).

Student Perspective

As law students, we are bombarded with emails about networking events, interviews, internships, and clerkships, all pulling us in different directions. After hearing from Judge Bloom’s present and former law clerks—Ana Kauffmann and Tal Aburos—about the new Judicial Intern Academy opportunity, the path forward became clear.

“Employed as a full-time law clerk and a part-time law student, I never considered a judicial internship,” stated Florida International University Law student Shannon Mau. “Applying to the Judicial Intern Academy was undoubtedly the best decision I’ve made in my nascent legal career.”

Excited, nervous, hopeful, anxious, motivated, intimidated. These are just some of the adjectives that could describe the gamut of emotions experienced on the first day of JIA. Checking our outfits one last time, we walked up to the courthouse, passed through security, arrived on the 10th floor, and pulled open the giant wooden doors of Judge Bloom’s courtroom—the entire sequence felt surreal. While sitting in the gallery awaiting instruction, it was impossible not to imagine being an attorney, arguing in front of a jury, and pleading for justice. For many of us, that day marked the first time entering a courtroom, which is a truly memorable experience for any aspiring attorney.

The 2022 JIA interns represented a wide range of interests, backgrounds, and experiences. The speakers were equally diverse, offering different perspectives, life experiences, and personal philosophies. The JIA unlocked opportunities that were otherwise impossible for us and countless other students. “Find a mentor,” advised Judge Bloom. “Mentorship is an essential building block to a successful career in the legal profession.” Law school teaches legal theory, but that is only a scintilla of what it takes to become a good attorney. Trevor Jones, a prosecutor and leader in the Broward Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, recruited the LCAs for each of the selected interns. They volunteered their valuable time and tremendous talent to help strengthen interns’ research and writing skills and sharpen their oral advocacy. Each LCA provided career advice and insight into their understanding of the South Florida legal landscape. “This program is amazing, and I cannot wait to mentor again next year,” proclaimed Ana Romes, senior counsel at Foley & Lardner LLP. “Mentoring creates a ‘two-way street’ where we both can learn from each other and now have yet another connection within the community.”

“You will never regret being kind,” commented

Judge Bloom. This simple, yet often overlooked, tenet for good legal practice was echoed by many other respected leaders.

Throughout the summer, our schedule was filled each week with several remote sessions of Learning From the Legends and Conversations With the Court. During the Legends series, we were privileged to hear from some of the greatest legal minds in the United States. While many entered the Academy as first-generation college graduates or law students, we all left with generations of knowledge from highly esteemed attorneys who are the “firsts” of so many, including Chief Judge Laurel Isicoff, the first female bankruptcy judge in the Southern District of Florida; and H.T. Smith, Miami-Dade’s first African American assistant public defender and assistant county attorney. When asked how he did it, H.T. Smith declared, “By redefining ‘impossible’ as ‘having never been done before.’”

Past President of the Florida Bar, Herman J. Russomano, encouraged us to “be addicted to justice” but to respect our profession, and remember “civility is not a sign of weakness but a badge of courage.” Patriot, fierce litigator, and newly appointed South Florida U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe called on each of us to fight for our own success, for “it is passion with courage that distinguishes you from everyone.” U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams emphasized compassion and reminded us that “everyone is more than the worst thing they’ve ever done.” Interns were invited to witness this truth as Senior Judge Patricia Seitz, who formerly sentenced one man, Mr. Richardson, to 30 years in federal prison, now presented him with his diploma from the Court-Assisted Re-Entry (CARE) Court. The two planned for a similar exchange at Mr. Richardson’s upcoming graduation from culinary school. JIA, like CARE Court, is about showing individuals who they are and who they can become.

Through countless anecdotes, interns learned to accept discomfort, tap into uncertainty, and welcome the unknown. U.S. District Judge Rodolfo “Rudy” Ruiz explained that we should lean into challenges and accept mistakes because “it’s called the practice of law for a reason.”

After researching the issues, drafting our legal memoranda, and practicing with our LCAs, interns entered the federal courtroom ready for oral argument before Judge Bloom. Where we once hesitated about where to sit, we now stood tall at the lectern—confident and prepared, papers in hand, eyes on the judge, taking deep breaths. “Good afternoon, your Honor, and may it please the court…” It was a terrifying and wildly exciting experience. To share that success with our LCAs made it all the more meaningful.

On the final day of the Academy, we attended a naturalization ceremony, and a group of interns took the stage to join in singing our national anthem with 100 men and women who turned to our flag and took the Oath of Allegiance. Nothing quite compares to the joy and excitement that a naturalization ceremony brings. “This is one of the best moments of my service as a federal judge,” exclaimed Judge Bloom. It was one of the greatest privileges to welcome our newest citizens to our country. Many of us are first-generation students who heard our own families’ struggles in the stories the courageous speakers shared that day. Our new brothers and sisters bring with them different languages, religions, customs, and traditions, all united in a dream that is now a reality. The ceremony is a symbol of courage and commitment, inspiring faith in our system and fervor to serve it.

Now, we return to our respective law schools with new passions, meaningful connections, and the spirit of justice to carry us through the remainder of law school and into our careers. “The JIA is about more than inspiration; it’s about aspiration. We left Judge Bloom’s courtroom filled with many hopes—the greatest of which was to master our craft,” gushed University of Miami student Leat Perez.

“It is rare in law school to get more exposure than one or two firms, lawyers, and practice areas. But a taste is all you need. If it’s really for you, and you have never heard of it, that will change your life,” explained LCA Jeffrey Crockett, former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, and now a partner at Coffey Burlington. “I have no doubt that Judge Bloom will hear, 20 years from now, that ‘I went into criminal law because I heard so-and-so’ or ‘I looked into working in domestic violence because of the Academy.’”

The interns are already placing their bets on that one. 

For more information about the Judicial Intern Academy, please contact Judge Beth Bloom at 305-523-5770 or Beth_Bloom@flsd. uscourts.gov

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