Miriam Grant, Class of 2024
Third-year LSU Law student Miriam Grant wanted to use her award-winning litigation skills to make a difference for disadvantaged communities this summer. She was particularly excited about her internship with the Brevard County Public Defender’s Office in Florida where she could help indigent defendants.
“I have been able to work on cases, interact with clients, negotiate with the prosecutors, and speak before the court,” said Grant, a recipient of the Spring 2023 Dudley DeBosier Annual Advocacy Program Award.
In her role as a Certified Legal Intern, Grant had the opportunity to sit second chair in trials and successfully defended her first case.
“It was a misdemeanor DUI, and I got to cross-examine the State’s chief witness, the arresting officer,” Grant said. “It was an amazing experience!”
But without her Public Interest Law Society fellowship, she would not have been compensated for her services.
“Funding the PILS fellowship is a way of thanking law students for their efforts to meet the needs of the people and ensure that everyone’s rights are protected, regardless of their socio-economic status,” Grant said.
From her internship, Grant experienced how trying but necessary public interest law can be and how it is directly linked to the exercise of our constitutional rights.
She also gained valuable trial experience with the public defender’s office. Grant says the skills she developed through her internship will increase her potential to present as a legal professional in court.
“Being a public defender is one of the best ways to become comfortable in court and in front of a judge.”
Grant plans to return to the Brevard County Public Defender’s Office to continue to develop her advocacy skills upon graduation.
