3L Claudia Brock, a 2019 and 2020 NPILF recipient
by Claudia Brock
The Nebraska Public Interest Law Fund (NPILF) provides a limited number of stipends to University of Nebraska College of Law students who secure unpaid public interest positions with a host organization that serves an unmet legal need.
3L Claudia Brock, a 2019 and 2020 NPILF recipient, spent each of her two summers working with Nebraska Appleseed in Lincoln. Nebraska Appleseed is a nonprofit organization that combines legal work, policy work, and community organizing to combat systemic issues within the State that threaten Nebraskans’ access to justice and opportunity. It does this work within four main program areas: Economic Justice, Immigrants and Communities, Healthcare Access, and Child Welfare.
Claudia, who will be clerking with Nebraska Court of Appeals Judge Frankie Moore upon graduation, shares more about her second summer with Appleseed below.
What were your main responsibilities as a Summer 2020 NPILF Fellow? How did you spend your time?
This summer I worked closely with the child welfare team and assisted them in preparing for upcoming litigation. I conducted legal research and drafted memos related to discovery and affirmative defenses. I was also able to participate in various child welfare trainings, including those offered by Project Harmony’s Legal Summer Institute.
Additionally, I had the opportunity to observe meetings of child welfare stakeholders. One such meeting was the Supreme Court Commission on Children in the Courts, where various juvenile court judges, county attorneys, and policy experts convene to share updates on progression standards, education outcomes, and tribal/state collaborations, among others.
What drew you to this type of work and how did you secure this particular opportunity?
I have admired Appleseed’s work since I was an undergraduate, and clerking for them during my 1L summer was my first choice. I have worked in community organizing and policy and I was excited about working at a non-profit which integrated my past experiences with opportunities to learn about impact litigation. I secured an on-campus interview with Appleseed’s Legal Director the spring of my 1L year and was hired shortly thereafter. I have continued clerking at Appleseed since and the experience has been a true highlight of my time in law school.
What did you most enjoy about the experience?
What really makes Appleseed an exceptional place to work is the people. Everyone is so welcoming and is willing to pause a meeting to make sure you understand, break down an acronym or legal jargon, and offer their time and support to you. You are not just a summer law clerk; you are a member of the team and your impressions and perceptions on legal matters and projects are both sought out and valued by the staff attorneys. Also, during a summer of social isolation, political unrest, and so much suffering, it was very grounding to be working for the common good with talented professionals.
What was the biggest challenge you faced as a summer fellow?
My biggest challenge was not unique to my placement at Appleseed but rather to working during a pandemic: working from home. As an extrovert who has enjoyed working in a social office, adjusting to working for Appleseed from my kitchen table required changing my habits and expectations. Thankfully, my supervisors at Appleseed encouraged taking breaks and were available in several digital modalities.
What, if any, impact did COVID-19 have on your summer experience?
Appleseed has an active Wellness Committee that puts on a variety of programming centered around workplace wellness. The committee pivoted to provide a lot of Zoom get-togethers, which were a fun way to connect with other staff members outside of traditional meetings. The Wellness Committee hosted an event on tips for working from home, an office-wide talent show, as well as a cooking demonstration filmed from a co-worker’s kitchen.
Appleseed also created Zoom rooms throughout the week that you could enter to enjoy a 15-minute coffee break with other staff members. Because Appleseed has such a strong office culture and values togetherness, the intentional programming over the summer helped to build that connection and add some levity to what was otherwise a heavy summer.
Nebraska Appleseed's 2020 law clerks (clockwise from top left): Alicia Christensen, 2L; Claudia Brock, 3L; Henry Dobson (Creighton Law); Nick Grandgenett, 3L; Becca Human (Harvard Law); and Rachel Tomlinson Dick, 2L.
How has your summer experience impacted you or your view of public interest work/the legal system?
One of the most satisfying parts of clerking is integrating what you learned in the classroom with real situations. Because I had the opportunity to take Civil Rights Ligation, State and Local Government, and Constitutional Law during my 2L year, I was able to understand and engage with our various legal claims and theories. Being able to integrate what I learned in the classroom and at the office has made being both a student and a clerk a more enriching experience.
Do you have a favorite anecdote or project from your summer work?
I really enjoyed shadowing the Supreme Court Commission on Children in the Courts. I am now in the Children’s Justice Clinic and having that primer on who the players are in the child welfare system and how it can be improved has been so helpful as I’m now engaging with the system from another angle as a Guardian ad Litem.
Would you recommend this placement to others? Why or why not?
I can’t recommend working at Appleseed enough! Whether you are interested in a specific program area such as healthcare or immigration or are generally interested in learning how to create access to public benefits, clerking at Nebraska Appleseed will surely be an educational, stimulating, and fun experience.
What would you say to someone who was considering donating to the NPILF fund?
I came to law school with a passion for working in the public interest and NPILF has been so important in allowing me to follow this passion into the legal field. My experience at Nebraska Appleseed has taught me about creating change through various systems: in the community, in policy, and in the courts. The best part of my law school career would not have been possible without NPILF.
What do you hope to do with your law degree?
I hope to have a career in the public interest field, either in policy work or in impact litigation. I am particularly interested in child welfare and civil rights. I have appreciated learning how to be an effective advocate during my time with Appleseed.
You can learn more about the Nebraska Public Interest Law Fund (NPILF) and make a donation here.