#My100Days: Leo Chen supports veterans as a legal intern
Leo Chen knew he wanted to spend his gap semester interning in the legal field. The internship he ended up landing, with the SIU School of Law’s Veterans’ Legal Assistance Program, showed him how rewarding practicing law could be.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Liyang Chen, but my friends call me Leo, and I’m a member of the Class of 2023. I’m from Brooklyn, New York, but I currently live in Murphysboro, Illinois. I love to play basketball and read in my free time.
What major or school are you thinking about after CGS? Why does that interest you?
I am thinking about majoring in International Relations in CAS and minoring in Business Administration in Questrom. I plan on becoming a lawyer, as I have always been passionate about government, politics, and economics.
What made you chose BU and CGS?
Boston has a familiar city atmosphere like New York, but it also is different and has a new feel to it. BU has BU Law which is a great law school where I know I could gain invaluable experience by studying or interning there during my undergraduate years.
What did you do over your gap semester?
During my gap semester, I was a Paralegal Intern at the SIU School of Law’s Veterans’ Legal Assistance Program. From the start of summer to December, I interned for attorney and professor Martin Parsons. He specializes in military law, as he is a Marine veteran and had spent 20 years in the National Guard. I worked with him in the Law School’s Legal Clinic, where we helped Veterans with VA disability claims appeals and discharge upgrades.
Why did you choose this internship? How did you learn about it?
I started researching legal internships about a month before graduating high school. I reached out to Professor Parsons after being introduced to him by a mutual contact of ours, who also is a professor at the law school. I sat down for an interview with him and felt inspired by the program.
What was a typical day like for you?
I woke up at around 9 a.m., got ready and was out the door by 10. I drove about 20 minutes to the kaw school and officially started my day at 10:30. On a typical day, I would first check in with Professor Parsons in the legal clinic. He would give me an assignment or project, then I would go upstairs through the law library to my own office. There, I would work on a variety of assignments such as a research assignment or legal memos. I would also answer the office phone and speak to clients about their cases. I would leave at 4:30 PM every day. Time went by pretty fast when I was working on an interesting case, so usually I did not notice when my day was done.
What was the most rewarding part of your gap semester experience?
When I first started at the clinic, I had no legal experience. I knew that I wanted to become a lawyer, and I had some thoughts about what I wanted to major in, but I wasn’t completely sure. Professor Parsons and the law students that I have met and worked with have taught me a lot about the legal field. My first couple of weeks, my tasks were filing, creating lists, and other administrative work. I also attended some of Professor Parsons’ classes on military law. As I began to learn more about the field, I was given more chances to prove myself. By the end of my internship, I was writing legal arguments and memos to submit to the military boards.
What was your most memorable moment so far from the gap semester?
One of the cases I worked on was for a client who fought in Vietnam. He wanted to upgrade his discharge from dishonorable to honorable due to aggravations caused by PTSD. During this time, PTSD was deemed nonexistent by the government, which is why he was dishonorably discharged. We helped him gather medical documents and put together his personal story. This was the first case where I was given the opportunity to write his legal argument, and it was tremendously satisfying to hear the happiness in his voice during a phone call.
What advice do you have for future students about how to get the most out of their gap semester?
My advice would be to start looking for an internship in a field you’re passionate in right after graduating high school. Make those connections and get the experience. It’ll be your foundation once you begin studying your major.
How do you think the gap semester prepared you to take on college?
Working with seasoned lawyers in the clinic and meeting law students has definitely helped me grow as a person and mature into a college student. I have first-hand experience of a law school, and if I could perform well in a law school setting, then I believe that I can succeed as an undergraduate.
— By Natalie Seara