Chloe Wain – a fourth-year student triple majoring in Political Science, Economics, and Editing, Writing, & Media – recently served as an Intern Investigator at The Public Defender Services for the District of Columbia.
The Public Defender Services for the District of Columbia provides and promotes high-quality pro-bono legal representation and zealous advocacy to indigent defendants facing a loss of rights and liberties. In this position, Wain learned fundamental investigative techniques and relevant criminal law knowledge.
“As an Investigative Intern for the Trial Division & the Civil Division, I learned fundamental investigative techniques and relevant criminal law knowledge by performing on-site field work,” Wain said. “I was assigned tasks in assisting clients with their criminal and civil charges, which may arise out of an arrest.”
In her role, Wain performed criminal background checks, served subpoenas, prepared court exhibits, diagrammed crime scenes, wrote reports regarding investigative activities, and participated in jury selection.
Wain decided to attend Florida State because of the variety of scholarship, leadership, and service opportunities available.
At FSU, Wain has been involved in the DeVoe Moore Center (DMC), a public policy research institute housed within COSSPP. In her time there, Wain researched the City of Tallahassee and Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency’s use of eminent domain to construct the Capital Cascades Trail.
“My experience at Florida State University has exceeded my expectations by effectively preparing me for a career in legal public service as a Public Defender,” Wain said. “Providing the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom and applying that knowledge to experiential opportunities.”
After graduation, Wain plans to earn her Juris Doctorate specializing in Social Justice & Human Rights as she pursues her dream to become a Public Defender advocating for mitigating social inequalities within the criminal justice system.
To learn more about the DeVoe Moore Center, visit coss.fsu.edu/dmc. To learn more about the FSU Department of Political Science, visit coss.fsu.edu/polisci. To learn more about the FSU Department of Economics, visit coss.fsu.edu/economics.