Fourth-year student Greg García, originally from Tulare, Calif., is pursuing a triple major in public policy, Spanish, and Latin American studies—a fitting background for his legal internship position during the summer of 2023 with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).
MALDEF is a national non-profit civil rights organization that focuses on impact litigation cases, with five regional offices across the United States. According to its website, MALDEF is committed to protecting and defending the rights of all Latinos living in the U.S. and the constitutional rights of all Americans.
As an intern, García worked alongside law students on a variety of different projects, including deposition outlines, intake calls, research and a larger project involving a tenant protection case.
Learn more about his experience last summer by reading the Q&A below.
What stood out to you about the position as an applicant?
The first thing that stood out to me was the range of issues that a MALDEF internship covers. I was able to work on issues that interest me, while also exploring new realms of the law. MALDEF allowed me to venture outside what I was comfortable with and embrace new learning.
The second thing would have to be that MALDEF also hires law students as interns for the summer, as well. I would be able to work alongside individuals who are in the law school process and learn from them and their experiences. The law students served as significant mentors to me.
What did your internship entail, and in what ways did it prepare you for your professional career?
At MALDEF, every day was different! On a given day, I could be working on deposition outlines, assisting with intake calls, researching state legislation or translating documents into Spanish. MALDEF encourages its interns to acquire experience in all of its domains, including education, employment, voting rights and immigrant rights, even those that might not interest you at first.
The primary project I undertook at MALDEF revolved around an Immigrant Tenant Protection Act case, where tenants took legal action against landlords who had threatened to call immigration authorities on them. This experience provided me with invaluable insights.
For one, I acquired a comprehensive understanding of various elements within a lawsuit, from the initial filing to the discovery process and the settlement procedures. Additionally, I gained insights into how the outcomes of cases like this can set important legal precedents for future proceedings.
What advice would you have for future students pursuing similar internships and/or careers?
If you are unsure if you want to pursue law, I would highly recommend doing a legal internship. At the beginning of the summer, I was unsure what I wanted to do following graduation, However, my recent internship experience with MALDEF has illuminated a promising path in the field of law. This internship has been instrumental in helping me envision a future career in law.
What are your aspirations?
I plan to pursue a master's in either international relations or education at a Mexican university. I will then return to the U.S. to attend law school with a focus on international and education law. After that, I plan to either become a foreign service officer in the State Department, or return to MALDEF as an attorney. Many years down the road, I am determined to achieve the role of U.S. Ambassador to México.