5 Wayne Law students placed as Levin Center Legal interns this summer to work on Congressional Oversight committees

Levin Center at Wayne Law has selected and placed five Wayne Law students to work as legal interns for 10-12 weeks this summer in congressional committees engaged in bipartisan oversight efforts.  The students and their assignments are:

• Marie Carp (Grosse Point, MI) – Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) Ranking Member

• Nick Jakymowych (Sterling Heights, MI) – House Energy and Commerce Committee/Oversight Subcommittee, Representative Brett Guthrie (R-KY)

• Katelyn Maddock (Canton, MI) – House Oversight and Reform Committee/Subcommittee on the Environment, Representative Harley Rouda (D-CA)

• Steve Nelson (Dearborn, MI) – Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE)

• Jacob Stropes (Canton, MI) – Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) Ranking Member

The Levin Center program offers these Wayne Law students a real-life experience doing bipartisan oversight work for a congressional committee examining the effectiveness of federal programs and how they can be improved.  Given the trillions of taxpayer dollars spent in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this oversight work is more important as ever, but it will also expose the legal interns to a different experience from prior years by requiring them to work remotely on committee assignments until congressional offices reopen.

The Levin Center annually provides stipends for a select number of students to work for a minimum of 10 weeks over the summer under the supervision of an experienced congressional attorney engaged in conducting oversight on behalf of a House or Senate committee.  The students observe and participate in such matters as oversight issue development, document requests, witness interviews, memo and report writing, the organization and conduct of congressional hearings, press interactions, and staff briefings.  Their duties include research, writing, document management, hearing preparation, and logistical support.

“As in prior years, Wayne Law has provided us with an impressive group of legal interns,” said Jim Townsend, Levin Center Director.  “Each year we receive glowing reports from Capitol Hill on the contributions made by Levin Center interns to advance committee oversight work.  At the same time we are able to offer these upcoming attorneys the opportunity to see Congress from the inside, so they can consider a public service career or just better understand all the elements that come into play when Congress carries out its constitutional duty to oversee the programs it has established.”

This is the fifth year in the Levin Center summer legal internship program.  Collectively, fourteen Wayne Law students have participated in prior years since the program’s inception in 2016, serving under both Republican and Democratic Members.  During the summer, the legal interns are under the guidance of the Levin Center’s Washington Office Co-Directors, Elise Bean and Linda Gustitus.

The legal internship program is part of the Levin Center’s mission to strengthen the integrity, transparency, and accountability of public and private institutions by promoting and supporting bipartisan, fact-based oversight; advancing good governance, particularly with respect to the legislative process; and promoting civil discourse on current issues of public policy.