Starting my Internship at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Sex Crimes Office!

Hi! My name is Elizabeth Doski! I am a sophomore at Tulane double majoring in Political Science and Sociology and minoring in Psychology. In the fall I will be studying abroad in London! On campus I’m involved in Women in Politics and Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE). I’m originally from Los Angeles and will be back home for the summer.

This summer, and for the last three summers, I have had an internship with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. I started in my local office when I was a junior in high school. At the time one of the district attorney’s needed a lot of help, because she was working on a case that involved dozens of robberies committed by twin brothers at various Starbucks locations. It was a very confusing case with lots of witnesses so I helped her organize the testimonies. Last year I was lucky enough to move to the Major Crimes Division, which is defined as cases that receive media attention. This year I am so excited to be in the Sex Crimes Division. I will be working on cases that include sex crimes, human trafficking, and domestic abuse. In the past my internships have included reading transcripts and summarizing them, listening to prison phone calls and transcribing them, and organizing case files for the attorneys. This year my responsibilities have been expanded to sitting in on interviews with victims. Also, my supervisor will pair me with an older law clerk–someone who is in law school–so that I can work on more advanced projects under the guidance of someone more trained in legal procedures. The more advanced projects include writing memos that the attorneys turn into judges.

My five learning objects are:

1) Learn the most effective way to interact with victims of sexual assault during difficult moments, such as when they are being interviewed about their experiences.

2) Be able to review sexual assault cases and understand which direction the District Attorney should take the case in and why. (During my interview Ms. Link stated that interviewing victims and reviewing cases are skills she likes to have her student workers develop).

3) Apply my knowledge from my Politics of Rape class with Dr. Sally Kenney to real-life situations in the Sex Crimes department.

4) Further my connections within the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office and reconnect with the District Attorneys who have mentored me in past summers.

5) Explore this aspect of the law to see if it’s something I could see pursuing later in life. More importantly, to see if I will be able to handle the horrifying nature of the Sex Crimes cases.

This internship fits with NCIs mission of educating women and helping them excel in the workplace. So many of the cases that I will deal with will involve women, so I think it is important that there are women advocates for the victims. Additionally, my supervisor is a woman with a very high position within the LA DA’s Office, so it will be advantageous for me to watch the way she juggles her work and her family.

I prepared for this internship by working for the LA DA in past summers. For example, there is a law clerk training that I do not have to do, because I have done it so many times before! I also took Dr. Kenney’s Politics of Rape classic this past semester, which was a perfect introduction to what I will be dealing with over the summer. The class gave me information about the history of laws regarding rape, the history of anti-rape activism, and the history of rape on college campuses. It also gave me new insights on how victims feel in the aftermath of a rape, which I feel will help me immensely this summer. This will be a challenging summer, one where I will have to learn a lot and go out of my comfort zone, but it is so exciting to be taking this next step toward a career in law that I intend to pursue!

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