Expectations vs. Reality: Perspectives From a Summer Extern on the Strange Summer of 2020

The summer of 2020 has not gone as planned for anyone, summer externs included. When I signed on to work for Judge Debra Walker, I envisioned a summer in the city observing not only her court proceedings but proceedings in other divisions as well. Like the night before Christmas, visions of potential trials danced in my head. Researching and writing would fill my days. Happy hours with fellow externs would fill my evenings.

Needless to say, that is not how this COVID-19 summer has gone. At the onset of summer, I experienced mixed emotions; gratitude that I still had an externship but disappointed it was mostly remote. I quickly realized, however, that I may be in for a rare treat. While I was expecting this summer to mainly be a third-party observer with some research and writing, I was immediately brought in to help troubleshoot the court’s remote situation. I was able to assist judges in setting up Zoom meetings, running their status calls, and preparing orders for pro se litigants. Instead of observing, I was participating. I was helping. For me, there is no greater feeling than feeling useful. Not to mention as a non-traditional law student, it was also great being the most tech-savvy in the room.

The summer of remote courthouse operations did not only affect the externs; judges were also disappointed in how the summer proceeded. As a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board, Judge Walker plays a key role in connecting University of Illinois College of Law students with judicial externships and routinely hosts social events throughout the summer in order to get to know the students and help them further network. To wrap up the summer, she arranges for the externs to gather for Music in the Park at Millennium Park and orders pizzas and salads for everyone to enjoy. This summer, she won’t have the opportunity to put names to faces, to help make connections for next summer, or swap Illini stories. As someone who knows how important mentoring is, it feels like a missed opportunity, not for her, but for the students.

As a rising 2L and the newly elected U of I Student Bar Association president, I would like to take a moment to thank all the judges who took on an extern this summer when they normally don’t. A number of my classmates were left scrambling when their original placements were cancelled. We understand that having an extern onboard adds work to your already busy remote workload, but we cannot thank you enough for giving us this opportunity to peak behind the curtain. And for those judges who always take an extern, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Looking back, it is not the summer I envisioned, not by a long shot, but I still did everything I expected. I researched annulments (which is some fascinating caselaw), helped draft a judgment, and still got to observe a trial with the added benefit of observing it from the comfort of my couch.

Lauren Eiten has experienced an unusual summer 2020 judicial externship with Judge Walker due to COVID-19. She is a rising 2L at the University of Illinois College of Law where she is the newly elected president of the Student Bar Association.