Rising 2L Justice Shannon is a legal Intern with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Policy and Licensing Division in Washington D.C. He recently shared his thoughts on the experience with Minnesota Law.

How did you connect with this summer opportunity?

My career counselor Wendy Griak helped me to find interesting internship opportunities in the Arizona Handbook.

How does your experience connect with what you currently envision doing with your law degree?

I would like to begin my legal career in telecommunications at a federal agency, so this is the greatest start that I could imagine. It is a dream internship.

Please describe a “typical” workday on the job.

On a typical work day, I draft 911 fee diversion memos with the intent of keeping 911 dollars from being diverted from 911 operators across the country or draft emails to clarify legal questions about various telecommunications laws such as Kari’s law.

What is something you learned or experienced that was surprising or particularly compelling during this summer position?

Writing with the FCC’s style guide has been a great learning experience, which has allowed me to diversify my writing techniques.

What are a couple of your key takeaways from the experience?

· This is the type of work I want to do after law school.

· There are a wide variety of legal opportunities that exist. Finding my niche at the F.C.C has been a very fulfilling experience.

How has your summer experience compared with your expectations? 

This may sound very bland to some and it is some days, but it lines up perfectly with my expectations. I am reading and drafting memos about federal policy that has a valuable effect on human beings and American Infrastructure. This is the dream, and I love it!

What advice would you offer another law student thinking about working in a similar position next summer?

Try the write-on process so that you can get your feet wet with footnotes. Be ready to spend most of your time reading and don’t be afraid of redlining. It is your supervisor’s way of showing love and making you a better writer.

How are you spending your free time this summer?

Exploring D.C., no offense Minneapolis but it is the most beautiful city in the union.

What are you most looking forward to in returning to Minnesota Law this fall?

BLSA, Administrative Law and law journal! I am looking forward to both Admin Law with Professor Hickman and the new Admin Law writing course with Professor Roberts in the spring.

Anything else you would like to share about your summer experience?

Thanks to the remote nature of this year’s internships I have been fortunate enough to do a decent amount of traveling this summer. The United States is a visually stunning country with many wonderful states to visit. To my peers I recommend finding the time to travel in the summer.