Madison Law, APC believes that it is of fundamental importance to give back and be a part of our local youth development. This summer, Madison Law, APC had the opportunity to participate in the 2019 Project SELF (Summer Employment in Law Firms). Project SELF is a program that provides motivated rising high school seniors in the city of Santa Ana with a paid, eight-week summer internship at local law firms and businesses. Project SELF affords qualified youth, many of whom live in moderate to low-income communities or are minorities, with an opportunity to explore various careers within the legal field. Once hired, the student interns work directly with attorneys, paralegals, clerks, and other staff to gain hands-on work experience, access to professional and career environments they would not otherwise be exposed to, and the support of positive adult mentors.
Madison Law, APC had the pleasure of hiring Karen Resendiz as our summer intern. Ms. Resendiz was provided with a wide range of work experience ranging from administrative tasks to assisting our attorneys with drafting legal documents. Reflecting on her experience, Ms. Resendiz said, “Interning at Madison Law really helped me see myself becoming an attorney, which was good to see right before I began my senior year. I feel a lot more prepared to work in an office setting that hopefully is as fun as it was here.”
At the end of the eight-week summer internship, Project SELF hosted its 2019 Recognition Dinner. Madison Law, APC and other leaders throughout the legal community (including Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP, Paul Hastings LLP, Snell & Wilmer LLP, and many more) were in attendance. I was fortunate enough to attend Project SELF’s 2019 Recognition Dinner. It was awe inspiring to see so many students from very diverse backgrounds who are in need of mentorship and role models to guide them and inspire them to reach their goals. These students come from limited resources and often feel that their goals are unobtainable. The entire Madison Law, APC family agrees that it was not only an honor to participate in Project SELF through hiring and working with Ms. Resendiz, but it was also very rewarding to know that our firm can contribute to our local community while making a direct impact on the lives of Santa Ana youth. To learn more about Project SELF, please visit the following link: https://projectyouthocbf.org/
“None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody – a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns – bent down and helped us pick up our boots.” – Justice Thurgood Marshall
