Intern News Archives - Commonwealth's Attorney Office

Thomas Lewis Community Service Student

As the school year begins to wrap up and my time here as an intern/ EBCE student is close to ending, I can definitely say that, coming here every B day has been very intriguing and incredible. At first, the closest I came to see or doing anything related to law was in my academy classes at Frederick Douglass High School. Over there I take; Criminal Law and Procedures, Business Law and Introduction to Law, but coming to the Attorney’s Office was very exciting for me. While I was here, I was able to; talk to attorneys from both sides, sit in on trials (the infamous Trinity Gay murder trial), listen to interviews done by the police (and transcribe them), and research cases in the computers database. When I graduate from Carter G. Woodson Academy later this May, I plan on continuing my academic career at the University of Kentucky, where I will major in Pre-Law and minor in Political Science. Early on, I realized how complicated and overworking things can be while being an attorney, having an advocate be appointed a case, contacting the victims and giving them status, going to either District or Circuit Court for certain hearings, and more, it was everything I expected. I have seen just about every case that can be brought to trial and a lot more, the firsthand experience I got from this site has truly helped me in my future plans of being an attorney myself. The type of lawyer I want to be, however, is a decision that’ll take time, as the field of law interests me enough that I would not mind being a lawyer for all sorts of situations. Being surrounded by victims’ advocates was a new experience for me, as I have never heard of that before. The work that these wonderful women do is extraordinary, they work for very long hours, stay on top of business, hold meetings every so often, contact their victims on a daily basis, and just all-around act as a voice for the voiceless. I have always seen myself as someone like that, an attorney who will focus on what really matters in a case, which is providing relief for my client in the promise that the perpetrator that harmed them in anyway, form or fashion, will be punished for the crimes they committed. From the time I was young, my great grandmother always thought I would be a lawyer, or take on a profession that involves me speaking, and being able to be a EBCE student here has helped me make that dream seem like reality. While others may have been here for more than just a year, my limited time here has influenced my aspirations of continuing a career in law, even after I graduate college. I want to thank everyone at this office, who I was lucky to meet and spend some time with and thanking them for allowing me to use some of their resources and for letting me sit in on some of their trials, where I got to learn more about how the courtroom operates and everything that goes on from within. I hope to take this experience, learn from it, cherish it, and let it guide me to be an attorney in the Commonwealth.

Meet the Summer Interns for 2019

[cf]intern2019[/cf]

Thomas Lewis 12/10/18

So far at the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, I have continued working on translating the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office website from English to Spanish. I am still getting back into my Spanish comprehension and have so far gotten one of the pages finished. I hope to get the rest done very soon. The interpretation of certain information from Spanish to English or vice versa helps me understand the judicial system from another perspective. It could be hard for individuals who only speak Spanish to get a good grasp of the court system and how it works when everything is usually in English. I think that the assistance of an individual who can either speak or write in Spanish not only builds on their resume for other job opportunities but is a skill that can help others. I will always try to broaden my mental Spanish dictionary, so I can use it in life situations; whether in court or other instances.

When I sit in on a hearing, it is usually a mix of either; status hearings, criminal cases, sentencing/probations, and any other disputes that the judge must decide on. Depending on the judge and the division, I usually hear about drug related cases and more status hearings. These are interesting to watch, which is what I enjoy seeing when I go to the Circuit Court. The Defense, however, does come prepared to argue their case. The Prosecution and Defense always refer to evidence and documents that they have obtained over the course of the case. If the case is taken to trial, this results in a more longer, detailed, and 50/50 trial where the jury will have to deliberate on their decision a lot tougher than they originally presumed. When I’m not in court and I’m in the Attorney’s office. I am usually calling victims and letting them know about their next court date. This process, to me, seems critical as am talking to someone I have never met, and they are a victim of a crime. I make sure that I speak to them in a calming matter and let them know when the defendant will have to appear in court again. I’m excited to learn more about the criminal justice system next semester!

Thomas Lewis 11/26-11/30

Last week I went to the Circuit Court where I sat in on a case where Kim Baird was the prosecutor that dealt with a man being charged with possession of drugs; the judge was Ernesto Scorsone. By the time I left, they were in the middle of cross examination where Ms. Baird asked the man questions. I thought the way she handled herself and how she managed to have a question after every statement he made was impressive and almost seemed easy for her to do. That was very intriguing to me. The other day I sat in on case hearings and with retired Judge Thomas Clark. It went by very fast and some criminals had interesting cases. I also came back to the office and began working on translating the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office website from English to Spanish, which I am still working on at this point.

Thomas Lewis 11/19/18

Last week on, Tuesday, me and the other EBCE student helped Kathy Phillips, transcribe an assault case where the defendants shot into a house where several girls were having a sleepover. One of the girls was shot and was permanently paralyzed. I was able to transcribe the interview of the detective and one of the defendants. Listening to the interview is one thing but typing everything they say (Or what I could recall) was another. It wasn’t the first time I had transcribed an interview, but the talking-over and slurred speech was hard to pick up on.

Thomas Lewis 11/13/18

Last week, on the dates; 11/7 and 11/9, I took part in helping make copies for one of the prosecuting attorneys and the copies were of a murder case. As myself and another EBCE student made copies, I did a quick skim of the information and was fascinated by the evidence and other court documents. I also sat in on a few court hearings for both defense and prosecution and made more calls to victims regarding their next court hearings with the other intern, Zach. I was really fascinated with the reading of the case I was given, since I plan on continuing my career in law as I get older, I believe that this will be helpful and it’s good that I get to know what case documents will look like and how detailed they are.

Thomas Lewis Updating Victims And Learning More About The Criminal Justice System 11/7/18

Last week, I learned about calling up victims and reminding them about court hearings. Although I was skeptic about it at first since I had to call strangers and remind them about the next court hearing, most of them did not pick up so I left messages. I also continued doing more research on cases, reading all the evidence and fact sheets, I feel more involved in the court system than I ever would have, had I not come here.

Community Service Student Thomas Lewis

Meet the Summer Interns for 2018

			Erik Young is a native of Lexington, Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a Management major. He is a veteran of the United States Army Military Police Corps, serving in San Antonio, Texas and Vicenza, Italy. Erik has a background in sales, professional photography and as a Series 7 stockbroker with an interest in option markets. Erik serves as Online Editor for the Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture and Natural Resources Law.
			Hello! My name is Anne Spalding and I am a rising 3L at the University of Kentucky College of Law. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Kentucky in 2016, graduating Summa Cum Laude. I am originally from Lebanon Kentucky but have spent the past 6 years living in Lexington while attending the University of Kentucky. After law school I hope to practice criminal law in some capacity. If I’m not working or studying, you will probably find me running (I just completed my 4th half marathon), spending time with family and friends, traveling, or cozied up with a good book.
			My name is Sydney Banks and I am from Washington, DC and attend the University of Kentucky. I major in English with a minor in Criminology on pursuit to become a lawyer. Additionally, I am a Board Director for the Student Activities Board, a member of the National Honor Society, and a new member of the Speech and Debate team. During my free time, I enjoy reading books by Zora Neale Hurston, listening to 90s music, and collecting bottle caps.
			My name is Jeff Buckles. I was born and raised in Lexington, Ky. After graduating from Lexington Catholic High School, I enlisted in the Navy. I served as a Corpsman (Medic) in Navy hospitals, and eventually served with a Marine Corps infantry battalion. While I was serving with the USMC battalion, I deployed to the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. After being honorably discharged, I attended U.K. College of Agriculture, and graduated with a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Science. I worked for the Post Office as a mail carrier for a little over a year before attending U.K. College of Law. I will be a 2L this coming school year. Professionally, I am interested in criminal law, litigation, family law, and I am fascinated with procedure. My other interests include: weight lifting, swimming, traveling, hiking, the Green Bay Packers, trivia, and podcasts. My goals for this summer are to learn from seasoned prosecutors, improve my legal writing and research, and to get legal exposer outside of the classroom.
			Hi, my name is Olivia Senter from Madisonville, KY, which is located in the western part of the state. I graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Strategic Communication (Public Relations) in 2016. I’m now a third-year law student at the University of Kentucky College of Law with the goal of becoming a criminal prosecutor. I love my dogs, watching sports, going to concerts, visiting new places, and I still like reading for fun. Go Cats!
			Michael Stacy was born in Paducah, Kentucky and went to undergraduate school at the University of Kentucky, majoring in History with a special focus on Classical Antiquity. I am currently attending the University of Kentucky’s School of Law. I’ve always been very interested in prosecution, as my parents are both prosecutors back in Western Kentucky, and want to pursue it as a career after finishing law school.
			Ellen Findley is a native of the Lexington area and a rising third-year law student at Penn State University, where she works as a clinical student at the Center for Immigrants’ Rights and as an Articles Editor for the Journal of Law & International Affairs. She graduated summa cum laude from Lipscomb University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. When she is not studying, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and spending time with her dogs.
			My name is Carlin C. Conway, I am a third-year law student at the University of Kentucky College of Law. I was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, where I attended Bryan Station High School. In undergrad, I studied Criminal Justice at Eastern Kentucky University. When I am not studying and preparing for class, I like to spend my free time hanging out with my friends and family. I also enjoying hiking, fishing, and traveling. After graduating law school, I hope to be practicing criminal law in Lexington.
			Jonathan Sedlaczek grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, but realized the error of his ways and left his hometown for Lexington after he graduated from high school. Jonathan graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2013 with bachelor’s degrees in history, political science, and psychology. After graduation, he left Kentucky to attend graduate school at Auburn University where he spent the next four years as a doctoral student in history. Jonathan’s experience in academia made him realize that what he really wanted to do was use his education to help society more directly and with that goal in mind he enrolled in the UK College of Law in 2017. He is now a rising 2L and lives with his veterinarian wife and their three cats and dreams of one day wearing clothes not covered in fur.
			Mason Hill is a Central Kentucky native who comes to the Fayette County Commonwealth Attorney’s office after completing his first year at University of Michigan’s Law School. At the University of Michigan, he is an associate editor of the “reflaw.org” (an online refugee law forum) and has been a student attorney in the Unemployment Insurance Law Clinic. Prior to law school he lived in Washington, D.C. where he graduated from Georgetown University. In his spare time Mason enjoys spending time with his family, walking his 16 year old Shetland Sheepdog, and running.