By: Ann-Michal Dyer
The time I spent at Steptoe & Johnson in Columbus, Ohio was both fulfilling and a valuable learning experience. My supervising attorney works closely with the Freedom Business Alliance (FBA) whose mission is to provide business with the resources and expertise to train and hire human trafficking survivors. Additionally, they support nonprofit corporations that run businesses to fund domestic and international safe houses and vocational centers for human trafficking victims.
Because my supervisor does this type of work pro-bono and secondary to his billable hours as a business attorney, he gave me the opportunity to take on his FBA clients and address their needs. Most of the workload consisted of setting up nonprofit corporations and helping them apply for tax exempt status through the IRS. To complete this, I worked on Bylaws, filed Articles of Incorporation and amendment, and helped the clients with the IRS forms for tax exemption. There was also some legal work to be completed for FBA in the form of analyzing and amending an unfavorable and complex contract. Other attorneys in the firm also asked for assistance with some of their pro-bono projects such as helping a fellow church member with a landlord who was violating their lease agreement, as well as re-writing a Code of Regulations for a catholic school.
Thanks to my internship through the Center for Global Justice at Regent, I felt I was able to contribute meaningfully to the attorneys at Steptoe & Johnson while simultaneously doing fulfilling legal work.
This post was written by a student at Regent University School of Law. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.