GEORGIA COUNTY INTERNSHIP SPOTLIGHT

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Over the past summer, law students Stephen McCarthy and Virginia “Ginny” Calhoun applied their legal studies to real world situations in county government through internships with the Macon-Bibb County Attorneys’ Office. Both students are currently pursuing their J.D. at Mercer University School of Law.

Though neither McCarthy nor Calhoun had previously worked in county government, both students had unique individual knowledge of local government. Calhoun formerly worked as a student reporter for a local newspaper and was tasked to cover Schley County commission meetings, where she gained a general understanding of county operations. McCarthy had also learned about county government operations through his undergraduate studies in law and public policy. Still, the internship with Macon-Bibb provided both students with first-hand insight into the operations of the county attorney’s office and how attorneys work with other county departments.

During their internship, McCarthy and Calhoun shadowed attorneys and assisted with all facets of work in the county attorney’s office. They helped draft ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and grants and improved their legal writing skills. Additionally, McCarthy and Calhoun attended court proceedings and other litigation meetings in-person with the attorneys. They also performed legal research and prepping case files for hearings. Through this work they learned how to use necessary legal tools such as Municode, a search application for county codes, and Public, an online access tool for public records.

Though they shared some responsibilities, McCarthy and Calhoun were assigned individual tasks to complete during their time with the county. McCarthy assisted with drafting a new provision of the Macon-Bibb County Policies and Procedures Manual and learned about Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints. Calhoun worked on a blight affidavit preparation project, where she prepared affidavits for over 250 properties and performed over 600 title searches to verify owners of blighted properties.

Both students enjoyed the collaborative nature of the office and working alongside the attorneys during the internship. Calhoun noted that she appreciated "having the opportunity to observe critical behind-the-scenes processes that are critical to the municipality." McCarthy echoed her sentiment, saying that his favorite part of the internship "was getting to participate in the real work that my supervisors did on a daily basis and being able to see how that affected other departments and areas of government."

This fall, McCarthy and Calhoun will return to complete their respective third and second year of law school. In class, they will be able to draw upon their experience with the county, whether that be from research or drafting legal documents. Looking ahead, both students noted that the internship equipped them with skills to succeed in their careers. “In addition to gaining knowledge of substantive municipal and state law, I have also fostered significant interpersonal and management skills that will easily translate into my future career,” Calhoun said. Upon graduation, both McCarthy and Calhoun said they would highly consider a career in county government.

Learn more about the GCIP, please visit our website at https://www.accg.org/caf_index.php.

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