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  Jack Huerter

Jack Huerter ’17
Judicial Extern to Chief Judge John R. Tunheim
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Describe your summer work experience.
This summer I served as a judicial extern to Judge John Tunheim, a federal judge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I took part in some very interesting work in chambers, all of which has been heavily research and writing intensive. For instance, I drafted bench memoranda to prepare the judge on issues before his court. I also researched and assisted in the drafting process for orders and opinions on issues pending before the court, which helped the judge craft final orders and opinions issued from chambers.

What has surprised you about the work you are doing?

The degree of collaboration in chambers surprised me. Prior to the externship, I imagined that the externs would more or less do research and writing on their own. This was not the case. I regularly consulted with the law clerks and my fellow externs – there were three of us – about cases and motions assigned to me. We all worked together to get to the right result.

How do you think this work experience will shape the rest of your time at UW Law School?
I think this summer will give me a leg up on a few of the litigation-focused classes in my future. For example, I am taking Evidence and Civil Procedure II this fall. The topics covered in both courses have regularly come up in my work this summer. My summer experience helps me understand how the concepts covered in the class play out in the real world.

What classes have been particularly useful in preparing you for the work you are doing this summer?
Both civil and criminal cases are heard in federal court, so Civil Procedure I, Intro to Substantive Criminal Law, and Torts were three classes that provided a critical knowledge foundation for my work this summer. Civ Pro and Torts combine to inform the basics of the archetypal civil suit. Crim Law obviously provides the basics for a criminal case.

Submitted by Law School News on August 25, 2015

This article appears in the categories: Summer Job Series

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