Laura Bachmann ’16
Summer Associate
Crag Law Center
Portland, Oregon

Describe your summer work experience.
I spent the summer in Portland, Oregon, at a small nonprofit law firm that does environmental litigation. As a summer associate, I drafted motions, memoranda and briefs for federal court. My research projects mostly involved the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Forest Management Act, and the Endangered Species Act. The firm included summer associates in staff meetings and took us to hearings when the chance arose. We even went whitewater rafting.

What is the most interesting thing you've worked on this summer?
I researched options to push for faster listing of the Alexander Archipelago wolf, an animal endemic to Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, as an endangered species. This would not only offer the wolf greater protection, but would also require timber industries operating out of the forest to meet improved standards.

It was interesting to see what level of protection the Endangered Species Act can actually provide wildlife, as well as the number of species, like the wolf, that haven't yet been listed simply because the Fish and Wildlife Service lacks the resources to process all the petitions.

What classes have been particularly useful in preparing you for your summer job?
I was lucky that I had taken two courses that were very applicable to my work: Administrative Law and Natural Resources Law. Thanks to these courses, I had already studied the statutes I needed in the job. Civil Procedure I and II have also helped, and had I taken Evidence, it would have been useful as well.

How do you think this work experience will shape the rest of your time at UW Law School?
This summer was an opportunity for me to experience the nonprofit side of advocacy. In the fall, I'm interning at the Wisconsin Department of Justice to see the government side as a contrast. Nonprofits and the government are often on opposing sides, so it’s important to understand the mentality of each.

Submitted by Law School News on September 4, 2015

This article appears in the categories: Summer Job Series, UW Women in Law - Featured Profile