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Every summer, law students at William H. Gates Hall head out to law firms, government offices, nonprofits and businesses across the country. For a few short months, these students work side-by-side with practicing attorneys, getting a firsthand look at the ins and outs of the legal profession. It’s a chance to move beyond theory and see how the law plays out in everyday life.

This new series catches up with rising 2L and 3L students as they briefly step away from their work and share their thoughts, surprises and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

This week, we met up with Emma Tolliver, a rising 2L.

�鶹���� Law: Where are you working this summer?

Emma Tolliver (ET): I'm working at Purpose. Dignity. Action., which is supported by an Equal Justice America fellowship. I am a legal extern working on the LEAD division, which is short for the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion. It’s also referred to as Let Everyone Advance with Dignity. It's a community-based pre-booking diversion model designed to address low level offenses related to substance use, mental health issues and poverty.

�鶹���� Law: How did you find out about this employment opportunity?

ET: I found out about it at the Fall Public Interest Career Fair. I was able to talk to one of their HR folks at the table. I really thought that my work — and the work that I wanted to do with my legal degree — really aligned with the work that they do.

�鶹���� Law: What type of projects are you working?

ET: I’m working on quite a few different projects. I'm assisting with an asylum case for one of their clients, doing some research into SSI eligibility, committed intimate relationship property division and warrant-quash assistance and post-conviction relief.

�鶹���� Law: How long will you be working there?

ET: My externship is for 11 weeks, but I will be working for 10 weeks because during one of those weeks I'm actually going to be in Guadalajara with the University of �鶹���� of Law Immigration Clinic.

�鶹���� Law: Do you work as part of a team, and if so, how many people do you work with?

ET: I work on their legal team, and it's pretty small. I believe the team consists of six attorneys, two paralegals, one legal fellow, and then me, their summer extern.

�鶹���� Law: Have you had any type of networking opportunities since you've been there?

ET: I started recently, so I wouldn’t say I've had one yet. But tomorrow I will be attending a lunch and learn with Maya Szalavitz, who is a writer and thought leader on addiction. She's going to be discussing her book Undoing Drugs.

�鶹���� Law: If you could plan any type of event or outing for you and your coworkers, what would you do?

ET: I would love to go on a hike. I'm a Washington transplant, so I would love to explore more of the nature that this state has to offer us. I would love to do a little retreat somewhere.

�鶹���� Law: Any place in particular?

ET: Mount Rainier, I think, is classic.

�鶹���� Law: What do you think will be the most memorable part of your summer employment experience?

ET: I think the client interviews. Something that was important to me when I was applying to summer jobs was that I wanted to be able to engage in direct service. My background is in direct service and service provision — I was a youth worker before starting law school — and the things that I remember about my previous job was when I was able to work directly one-on-one with individuals. I think that will be the most meaningful part of the summer.

�鶹���� Law: What's one superlative you would give to your office coworkers as a whole?

ET: I think Most Chill Office. I've never worked in a legal office before, but this is surprisingly chill.

�鶹���� Law: What's one positive surprise you've had since beginning your summer employment?

ET: I think the amount of independent work that I do. It feels a little surprising to be trusted with this much independence as I've only completed my first year of law school, but it's a welcome circumstance.

�鶹���� Law: Are there any practice areas you've been exposed to at Purpose. Dignity. Action. that you hadn't considered before?

ET: The warrant-quash assistance and post-conviction relief work is something I hadn't previously thought about that does makes a tangible difference in people's lives, and is something that I think I'm become more interested in.

�鶹���� Law: How did �鶹���� Law best prepare you for this employment opportunity?

ET: I have to sing the praises of my writing professor, Professor Butler. I love her and think she's amazing. Being in her class prepared me for the legal writing and research that I'm doing. I have a couple memos to work on this summer and I know I can do them. And I can do them at a level that I think will be sufficient for my work.

�鶹���� Law: If your office had a talent show, what would your talent be?

ET: I don't talk about this a lot, but I played piano for eight years, including competing in local and national competitions. So, I’d probably dig back into my piano bag and play something. I do feel the need to qualify that while I played for eight years, I haven't played for longer than that, so if you put a piano in front of me right now, I wouldn't know what to do. I might need to brush up a little bit.

�鶹���� Law: Do you have any other plans for the summer outside of your employment?

Et: Yeah, as I mentioned, I will be going to Guadalajara with the Immigration Clinic. It's a collaboration with the Rhizome Center for Migrants. They do this semiannual learning experience for lawyers and law students and other legal practitioners to learn about U.S. and Mexico border relations, particularly as it pertains to immigration law. And, as I mentioned, I'm a Seattle transplant, so I'm just excited to have my first summer in Seattle as well.

�鶹���� Law: If you could have a cameo in any legal TV show or movie, which one would you pick and what would your role be?

ET: Maybe in the classroom of “Legally Blonde.” I think that would be fun.

�鶹���� Law: What has been the most rewarding aspect of your summer experience so far?

ET: It was important to me when I was applying to summer jobs to work in the public service sphere because that’s the reason I decided to go to law school. Then, with the 2024 election, it became important to me to make sure that I was providing some sort of aid to people that are affected by poverty, systemic violence and instability — people that exist at the margins of society and don't receive the assistance and support that they need from our government. And it’s been extremely rewarding to know that I've been able to accomplish that goal that I set for myself.

�鶹���� Law: Final question, what's one interesting fact about you that people may not know?

ET: I was actually planning to be a basketball coach or do sports medicine. I was going to play basketball for college, but then I broke my leg and tore several tendons, which led to my basketball scholarship offer being revoked. From there, I realized I had to apply to real college and not just go through the recruiting process. That's how I ended up in undergrad studying political science and English, which set me up to do this. So, if I didn’t break my leg in 2017, I'm probably not here.