Liam Commons Summer Internship Reflection

It’s easiest to reflect on something when it’s over, and even then, we often won’t fully know how an experience has affected us until well into the future. Regardless, this will be my best attempt at reflecting on my time at the Indiana Bar Foundation and the ways in which it has shaped me personally and professionally.

The first thing I want to highlight about my time at the Foundation would be the relationships I’ve built with those I’ve had the privilege of working with. First, my co-intern, Norah Wills, has been an absolute joy to work with as someone who is endlessly kind and intelligent. Whether it be making social media posts week after week or asking for silent auction donations together, she’s made otherwise daunting tasks collaborative and fun. Next, my two direct supervisors, Rachon Lucio and Megan Clarke-Richter, have both been incredibly easy to work with and have found the perfect balance between providing specific tasks to be completed and allowing some freedom to find our creative voice in the process. 

Two examples that come to mind for this in particular would be creating a one-pager to be used by the civil legal assistance team and making regional silent auction donation requests. In both cases, we had a general premise to follow, but were allowed to take control of the projects and complete them as we saw fit. This kind of mentorship from Rachon and Megan has helped me grow and have more confidence in my abilities than I did when the internship began, and being able to take charge of future projects is a crucial skill that I’ve gained. Finally, while the internship was mostly contained to this subgroup, I have felt completely at home with everyone else on staff due to the sense of community at the Foundation. There is a passion for helping others shared by everyone at the Foundation that has inspired me to not shy away from my career aspirations, but instead to seek out opportunities and environments where people truly care about what they do and believe in the impact they can have on others.

As a product of both the We The People and Mock Trial programs, my relationship with the Indiana Bar Foundation continues to be one of the most consequential parts of my life. I grew up with the civic education lessons promoted by the Foundation, but it wasn’t until learning more about the other half of the mission—to inspire and lead change to improve access to legal assistance for all Hoosiers—that I really began to consider law as a career. I’ve always known that I wanted to help others, but my time at the Foundation has helped me realize that pursuing a legal career does not necessitate the typical corporate monotony and greed that might come from working for a big firm. Rather, there is room—a need even—for people to practice law solely to help those who are most vulnerable in our society, who have otherwise been neglected. I believe I can help fill that need.