Every summer, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida welcomes a sizable group of summer interns from law schools across the country. In years past, a summer intern’s experiences would vary depending on the particular judge’s chambers in which they worked. The COVID-19 pandemic required an innovative approach, converting the traditionally in-person experience to an entirely virtual one for the summer of 2020, and a hybrid program for the summer of 2021. The adjustment has had some positive effects — making the program more uniform, and allowing interns from outside the district to participate. This year, over 200 interns, mostly rising second-year law students, took part. Interns were not only here in the Southern District of Florida, but also in the Southern District of Ohio, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Southern District of Texas, and the Southern District of New York. The interns began the program with an Internship Orientation session, consisting of an overview of the federal court system and the Southern District of Florida, a crash course in ethics, introductions to the many components of the court family, including the Clerk’s Office, human resources, computer services, the 11th Circuit Library, and the United States Marshal’s Office, and a session on mental health and wellness in the legal profession. The interns then spent their summer completing assignments for their judges and law clerks, observing proceedings in both state and federal courts, including the Court Assisted Re-Entry program (CARE Court), attending and participating in discussions with prominent lawyers and judges, career development and networking workshops, and observing a naturalization ceremony. The following article describes some of the highlights from this past summer.

“Learn, learn, and then learn some more.” This was the advice imparted to us by Judge Beth Bloom on the first day of our internship. After navigating the first year of law school online during a worldwide pandemic, we were eager to begin what would be, for many of us, our initial experience in the federal judicial system. Eight weeks later, with our internship coming to a close, it is safe to say that our experience embodied Judge Bloom’s advice in every way.

Engaging in a hybrid internship meant splitting our time between in-person and remote work. We had the opportunity to meet many renowned attorneys, judges, and other distinguished professionals via Zoom. We also attended virtual hearings in both state and federal courts. We were able to attend Judge Bloom’s hearings in-person and immerse ourselves in the courtroom’s grandeur. We had the privilege to work with, and learn from, Judge Bloom’s law clerks, courtroom deputy, court security officer, and court reporter — all of whom answered our questions and pushed our knowledge of the judicial system to new heights. This article includes some of the lessons we learned during our internship with Judge Bloom.