Defending Democracy Through Legal Advocacy
The following story is a first-person account of a student's experience.
This summer, I interned at the Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit public defense organization. I served under their Civil Action Practice (CAP) division as a civil legal advocate intern. My time with CAP made me realize that public defense is a part of a healthy democracy because it makes sure that people, no matter what their income or situation is, can get access to good legal help. My internship allowed me to see this idea in action by helping clients move through legal systems, learn about their rights, and speak up for themselves.
One of the clearest highlights of this experience has been participating in a Notice of Claim clinic. A Notice of Claim is a form required for state claims to notify the city of an individual’s intention to bring a lawsuit against a city agency in New York. At this clinic, we met with clients in person to help them draft and file their Notices of Claim. It was the first time our team had held an in-person clinic like this since 2020, which made it feel like a milestone. Sitting down with clients, hearing their stories firsthand, and helping them navigate an unfamiliar legal process showed me how much a single interaction can matter.
As an intern, I also worked with clients on a range of needs, from helping them enter a homeless shelter and retrieve property after an arrest to obtaining vital records from the courthouse. My day-to-day work varied depending on which clients I was supporting; however, a typical day consisted of calling clients to work through their cases and guiding them through next steps. I also coordinated with clients' attorneys to make sure every part of a case is communicated clearly between us, so we can support each client as effectively as possible.
Beyond direct client work, I also contributed to two projects. The first was compiling a comprehensive list of drop-in shelters across New York City and the services each one offers. The second tracked Fair Hearing decisions to identify new trends in these decisions. A Fair Hearing is an appeal process where a judge reviews a decision made by a local agency that denied, reduced, or discontinued a person's public benefits like cash assistance or SNAP, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
I'm a government major and I was given this project because of my experience reading and interpreting court decisions, which I developed in GOVT 203: American Constitutional Law at Wesleyan. One of the things that class taught me was how to read and interpret Supreme Court decisions and trace their connections to other cases. While the subject matter wasn’t directly related to my project, the analytical foundation has been essential to understanding and interpreting these Fair Hearing decisions.
Through my work with clients and on these projects, I learned a great deal about the civil legal system in New York City. For instance, entering the shelter system requires providing two years of housing history, a requirement that can be a real barrier for people who can't access those records or don't have anyone to vouch for their living situation. I also learned that while every person in New York City housing court has the right to an attorney, many don't have access to one, which puts them at a serious disadvantage with landlords.
Everything I've learned this summer has deepened my understanding of just how important a holistic approach to public defense really is. The Bronx Defenders created this model to meet the needs of as many clients as possible, and working directly with clients has shown me why that matters so much. If we only address someone's court case, we would leave clients unsupported in other areas of their life. That's why I believe the holistic public defense model is so essential.
After seeing firsthand the importance of both public defense and the holistic public defense model, I know that this is the work I want to continue in the future. My next step is to attend law school after Wesleyan so I can become a public defense attorney and continue serving communities like the one I grew up in. Before this internship, pursuing public defense was a path I was considering because I had seen the need in the Bronx throughout my life. Now, after working directly with clients and witnessing the impact this work can have, I know it is the career I am passionate about and want to pursue. This experience has reinforced not only the importance of holistic public defense, but also the urgent need for more public defense attorneys who are committed to advocating for and supporting these communities.
Cloe Santiago ’28 is a junior at Wesleyan.
