Externship Experiences: Kat Walker
Q&A Heading link
Externship Program: Provide examples of some projects you have completed and areas of law you have been exposed to in your externship. Please do not include any confidential information.
Kat Walker: Illinois Prison Project does primarily post-conviction, clemency, and reentry. They help clients who are trying to get their sentences reduced and clients who have been recently released from prison. As a law clerk, I wrote lengthy clemency petitions on behalf of clients who were asking the Prisoner Review Board and the Governor to commute (shorten) their sentences and be able to return home or simply have the
possibility of parole.
Externship Program: Throughout the course of your externship, which existing skills have you utilized the most? What are some of the skills (legal and non-legal) you have developed and/or strengthened?
Walker: The majority of my externship was spent writing, both legal and creative writing. A large part of clemency petitions is essentially writing a client’s life story and articulating some of the worst moments of someone’s life. At the same time, I also had the job of articulating the clients’ transformation, healing, and rehabilitation. My job was to write these clemency petitions so that the reader believed in the client and believed they deserved a second chance.
Before writing these petitions, I had to schedule client interviews where we talked about a client’s life story. Interviewing was challenging at first. I felt uncomfortable at the idea of clients explaining committing certain crimes to me. I felt even more uncomfortable having to ask specific questions about certain crimes. I was certainly timid at first. But interviewing quickly became my favorite part of the job and something I became good at. I realized it became a very grounding experience for me. I realized how easy it is to judge someone for their worst actions and their worst
moments. But I was constantly surprised at all of the things the clients accomplished since, who the clients had become, and who the clients really were. Interviewing allowed me to not only write the petition for their second chance, but for me to truly believe they deserved a second chance. It was an exercise in empathy and humanity for sure. These skills will be very valuable as I continue working with clients during law school and in my career to come.
EP: Describe your relationship with your externship supervisor. Are there any specific skills (legal or non-legal) that your supervisor helped you explore or refine?
Walker: I would consider my externship supervisor Rachel a great mentor. I am so thankful for all she taught me, and I think she made my experience at Illinois Prison Project so much better. She is a very empathetic and creative writer. Law school tends to stomp out all creativity and emotion from writing and working with Rachel really helped bring some of that back to my own writing. She was very encouraging and was not afraid to have tough conversations. Law school also tends to foster feelings of imposer syndrome and working with Rachel helped alleviate mine. Illinois Prison Project as a whole is very encouraging, and I was included in most parts of the process. I was able to go to prison visits, write petitions, and speak at the Prisoner Review Board public hearings. I was very nervous for public speaking at the Prisoner Review Board hearings, but Rachel helped me practice over and over until I was comfortable. Rachel really made me feel like a colleague instead of just a student.
EP: Has your externship influenced your plans for legal practice, including practice area, practice setting, etc.? Has your externship shaped your sense of the justice system? If so, how?
Walker: Before working for Illinois Prison Project, I was not interested in policy work but now that is an area I would like to explore. Although I didn’t work on anything policy related at IPP, I was introduced to that work and I am interested in learning more about how policy change can directly affect the justice system.
EP: What surprised you most about your externship?
Walker: I was surprised at how independent my position as a law clerk was. I had so many great resources and colleagues there to help me but I was very independent as far as my day to day work. I scheduled my own client interviews, interviewed the clients alone, compiled exhibits, spoke to family members, and did a substantial amount of writing alone. The level of independence let me know that Illinois Prison Project trusted me to get the job done and I appreciated being treated like an equal while able to learn.
EP: What was the most meaningful part of your externship experience?
Walker: The most meaningful part of the externship experience was being so involved in the process and being treated like a colleague. I never felt like I was looked down upon for being a student or for being new to the field. Being able to collaborate with attorneys and being asked for my opinions made the experience meaningful. The attorneys, supervisors, and program directors were always around to offer help and advice and were very encouraging.
EP: What advice would you give to students pursuing an externship at your externship site?
Walker: My advice to someone with an externship at IPP is be as involved as possible. Besides clemency, Illinois Prison Project does such great work in other areas like community outreach and policy and they host many events throughout the year. I would specifically recommend being involved in the Prisoner Review Board hearings, either presenting or watching and taking notes. Public speaking and advocating for clients are essential skills for lawyers no matter what area of law you enter.
I would also recommend staying for longer than one semester if possible. I volunteered for two semesters which made my experience so much better. I was able to work on additional campaigns and was exposed to more legal issues. I was able to work with veterans, medically vulnerable, seriously mentally ill, and three strikes clients. My first semester at IPP I wrote petitions, my second semester at IPP I was actually able to present at the Prisoner Review Board hearings. The clemency process as a whole is very long, especially with Covid-19 delays, and I felt that staying for two semesters allowed me to get a well-rounded experience