The 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr. Summer Internship Program is underway at legal aid programs across Pennsylvania. This year’s class includes law students from Penn State, Penn State-Dickinson, Widener Commonwealth, Pitt, Washington University (St. Louis), Temple, and Florida International law schools. 

The students attended a two-day orientation program in Harrisburg on May 17-18 and are beginning their summer of service at many PLAN programs. 

Pictured above is this years class:

Back row: Glory Brown - Regional Housing Legal Services, Harrisburg; Supriya Phillips - Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, Philadelphia; Daniel Cortes - Community Justice Project, Reading; John Ukenye - Neighborhood Legal Services Association, Pittsburgh; Sara Planthabar - Legal Aid of Southeastern PA, West Chester; Queenette Echefu - MidPenn Legal Services, Harrisburg 

Front row: Giovanna (Gio) Brackbill - Pennsylvania Utility Law Project, Harrisburg; Alexandra (Allie) Robinson - Pennsylvania Health Law Project, Philadelphia; Juliana (Juli) Vergara - Friends of Farmworkers, Philadelphia; Cykhira Walton - Philadelphia Legal Assistance, Philadelphia

The MLK Internship Program is an integral part of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network goal to initiate new lawyers to the lifelong commitment of providing access to justice for all individuals regardless of their ability to pay. 

Law students experience the real world of legal aid advocacy and engage in unique situations providing them an opportunity to understand the special legal issues facing individuals who live in poverty and low-income communities. MLK Interns experience direct client contact, participate in court and administrative hearings, and conduct legal research and writing on actual cases under the supervision of seasoned legal aid attorneys.