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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 Gabby McGann, a rising 2L.

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

Gabby McGann (GM): I’m working at the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation in Washington, DC.

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

GM: I first heard about it at the Fall Public Interest Career Fair and then it was also posted on 12Twenty. So, I just went through the application process from there.

�鶹���� Law: How many interns in all are there this summer?

GM: There are five total, and we are each assigned to a different subcommittee. And one of those five is assigned to the front office and doing communications and press work.

�鶹���� Law: What types of projects are you working on?

GM: I am on the Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing team. We deal with issues around the Coast Guard, NOAA and then the Maritime Administration, or MARAD. We were talking about the various amendments that were going to be offered up for the budget bill. I've also been working on projects related to the Senate confirmation hearings. We just did some interviews for the NOAA Administrator and the undersecretary.

I’m also looking up the various statutory authorities for NOAA because it's an agency within the Commerce Department, but it doesn't actually have its own authorization bill. And I’m going through all the legislation that's been passed, all the authorizations, and trying to figure out what exactly has been authorized explicitly by Congress for what NOAA does.

�鶹���� Law: How many people do you work with on the Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing team?

GM: There are two full-time employees that are professional staffers employed by the Senate. Then there's two Coast Guard fellows as well as a NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Fellow, and we all work together under the oceans team.

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

GM: My internship is nine weeks long, so we just finished our third week, and I'll have six more to go after this.

�鶹���� Law: What type of networking opportunities have you had while working there?

GM: I’ve been getting to know other interns that are working on the committee and have had opportunities to meet with interns on the majority staff. I’ve also been getting to know all the various staffers for the different subcommittees.

�鶹���� Law: If you could have any song played every time you entered the office, what would it be?

GM: Sometimes the days can be a little long, so I feel like you'd really need some pump-up music. So, I feel like either channeling my inner Trevor Hoffman with “Hells Bells" or do an “All Star”-Smash Mouth kind of thing.

�鶹���� Law: Have you been able to visit any of the landmarks, museums or attractions in Washington, DC?

GM: I’ve been able to go to Rock Creek Park, which is this big, underutilized park in the middle of DC. I’ve also been able to spend a little bit of time exploring the various Senate office buildings, and I’ve also gone to the Capitol.

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

GM: I feel like a really fun one would be going to Nationals Park and doing a baseball game in the summer. It's pretty close to where the capital is, and baseball is always a fun outing.

�鶹���� Law: Have you had any “aha” moments about the law or legal practice during your time working there?

GM: In a somewhat roundabout way related to legal practice, I’ve seen how the reconciliation process works and how folks put together a bill — and, more importantly, amendments to the bill. That has been a really interesting process, because I have always heard about it, but have never actually seen the thought process or strategy that goes into it.

�鶹���� Law: What do you think will be the most memorable part of this experience for you?

GM: I think the thing that's going to be the most memorable is just the knowledge I’ve gained about the actual legislative process. Before law school, I worked at an agency, so I kind of saw the impact on agencies of congressional mandates and things like that. But having a better understanding of how our lawmakers — and their staffers — actually put together bills and what goes into that process is really the biggest takeaway for me from this experience.

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

�鶹���� Law: I think Most Passionate would be a good superlative. You can really see the passion that people have for the different subcommittees, or whatever it is that they're working on. So, that's definitely a good way to describe everyone.

�鶹���� Law: What's the most lawyerly thing you've caught yourself saying outside of work?

GM: Definitely, “It depends.”

�鶹���� Law: Are there any practice areas or types of law you've been exposed to that you hadn't considered before?

GM: It’s been interesting to see how the law informs the legislative processes. We're not doing depositions or filing motions or things like that. But we’ve interviewed nominees for political positions, and there are typically a few lawyers in the room that are helping lead those interviews. So, I’ve seen different ways to use your J.D.

�鶹���� Law: Pop quiz, who is the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation?

GM: It's Senator Cantwell.

�鶹���� Law: It sure is! How did �鶹���� Law best prepare you for this employment opportunity?

GM: Having the career fair was really important to finding out about this. But also, reading some of the Supreme Court decisions and understanding what they mean when they're talking about something. I now have an idea of what this is supposed to be saying because I know the underlying rule behind it. That’s been a really validating thing to see and to realize I took away some important things from my 1L year.

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

GM: I have two weddings that I'm going to, one in California and one in Maine. So, I'm excited to see friends and get to explore the areas where the weddings are being held.

�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?

GM: This is a little bit legal-adjacent, but it fits more with the role that I have this summer. So, I’ll go with Parks and Rec. I would be some sort of general counsel to the city of Pawnee for when Leslie wants to try to do some crazy initiative for the city.

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

GM: Being able to learn from the folks around me and seeing the hard work that the staffers are putting into the bills and the amendments and things like that

�鶹���� Law: What's one interesting fact about you that people may not know?

GM: I'm part of the Best for Last Club, which is when you’ve visited all 50 states, and you leave North Dakota as the last state you visit. You can go to Fargo, North Dakota, to their welcome center — or you can send away for it online — and you get a t-shirt and a certificate.