My Summer at Baltimore Witness

By Connor Driscoll [former] - August 19, 2021
Intern Highlights |

My internship at Baltimore Witness can best be described as engaging, informative, and at times, challenging.  The very first issue I faced was adjusting to a new writing style. Coming from a background in legal education, I had to change from legal and jargon-filled, to an active, journalistic style. However, after over three months of writing articles in this style, I have come to appreciate the increased level of preciseness of my writing. 

Additionally, I did a vast amount of data entry, expanding my technical skills with databases, including learning how to extract data into excel, and analyze it. While challenging and time-exhaustive sometimes, working with data is a crucial ability for anyone to learn in today’s world. It also allowed me gain, albeit from an observer’s perspective, some legal experience.

For the first time, I was able to observe high-level criminal litigation, including two murder trials. I learned about the voir dire process, witness examination, cross-examination, as well as rules of evidence and other criminal procedural law. During the aforementioned murder trials, I remember speculating with fellow interns as to what the outcome may be. The experience provides crucial insights into my future career plan once graduating law school. 

Lastly, the internship allowed me to meet new friends and acquaintances at a time where our country is finally coming out of a pandemic-induced isolation. Overall, it was a great experience, and I am glad to have interned for Baltimore Witness.