MEET OUR CLERKS
Each year, Baylor Evnen has the pleasure of working with intelligent, proactive, and talented law students. Through our internal clerkship program and the Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program (DAPP), Baylor Evnen strives to support and assist in the development of law students as they begin their careers.
DAPP is non-profit organization that addresses the continued and systematic decline of women of color lawyers in law firms and across other coveted positions in the legal profession. DAPP scholars are assigned an attorney mentor who assist in the transition into law school for the first year. DAPP works with law firms across the country to connect an exceptional candidate with a firm for the summer. Baylor Evnen is proud to support DAPP.
Through the Baylor Evnen clerkship program, each law clerk is given the opportunity to learn and grow through attorney supervised projects throughout the summer. Please meet Baylor Evnen’s 2020 law clerks.
Meet Sarah Meier
About Sarah | Sarah is originally from Wyoming and graduated college with a B.A. in History from the University of Wyoming in 2011. After graduating, she spent several years in Washington, D.C. working on Capitol Hill. She worked primarily on tax and finance, health, education, and labor policy before tiring of modern politics and coming to Nebraska for law school. She is entering her 3L year at the University of Nebraska College of Law. Sarah will be returning next summer as an Associate at Baylor Evnen.
What Sarah enjoyed about Baylor Evnen | Sarah is in her second summer with Baylor Evnen and has thoroughly enjoyed working on gray and developing areas of law. These projects involved COVID-19 related issues in litigation and employment law, rarely utilized Nebraska law for a Sanitary Improvement District, and a complex workers’ compensation project related to retirement and retroactive payment of permanent total disability benefits. In addition, Sarah appreciated all of the Baylor Evnen attorneys and staff that made her feel welcome, even with the new remote workforce.
What Sarah learned | Sarah learned a lot about her writing this summer. Transitioning to legal writing from other styles of professional writing she was accustomed to for years has been a challenge. She is thankful for the practice of writing formal memos and briefs because now she is more confident about identifying the specific relevant legal questions and communicating them well. Lastly, she learned creative new research techniques and analysis skills that were necessary for diving into those new and developing areas of the law.
Meet Makenzie Falcon
About Makenzie | Makenzie grew up in Aberdeen, South Dakota. She graduated from UNL with a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Criminal Justice and Criminology. Makenzie is starting her 2L year at the University of Nebraska College of Law. She is enjoying learning about different practice areas and particularly enjoys civil litigation. Makenzie will also be returning to Baylor Evnen next summer. When Makenzie is not attending classes, she spends time with her two Chihuahuas and taking care of her 42 houseplants.
What Makenzie enjoyed about Baylor Evnen | Makenzie enjoyed getting to know the attorneys while working on projects in a variety of practice areas at Baylor Evnen. Although she enjoyed the work from home environment that has prepared her for remote learning this fall, Makenzie really enjoyed attending in-person depositions.
What Makenzie learned | While Makenzie learned a lot this year, she particularly enjoyed enhancing her legal research and writing skills. She worked on several writing pieces, including memos and appreciated getting feedback from attorneys. Through her projects, she was able to familiarize herself with areas of law that she has not taken courses on yet, such as employment law and workers’ compensation. In addition, she was able to get a head start on subjects she will be taking this fall, like evidence.
Meet Desiree Wills
About Desiree | Desiree was born in California and has lived in several states since then—including Nebraska. Being an attorney has been her dream job since she joined the debate team as a high school freshman. Now she is about to start her 2L year at the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law where she will become a Junior Law Review member of the On the Cusp Law Journal. She has not nailed down the exact area she wants to practice, but enjoys civil litigation. She will also be returning to Baylor Evnen next summer. Desiree’s grandpa is a Nebraska farmer and has convinced her to grow vegetables on her apartment porch and her garden has become a fun hobby.
What Desiree enjoyed about Baylor Evnen | Desiree really enjoyed the socially distanced and outdoor law clerk meet and greet event at Glacial Till winery. She was happy to see everyone that she saw on Zoom in person, and the trip to Nebraska was nice to see her family and meet her Baylor Evnen colleagues. Desiree loves the culture of Baylor Evnen. Desiree stated, “Working here, even from home in Texas, I felt like part of the team and the attorneys genuinely cared about my learning experience this summer.”
What Desiree learned | Desiree learned that her legal research and writing classes were amongst the most valuable classes in her 1L year. She learned to research more efficiently. Lastly, she learned that writing is one skill that she will never perfect but can always work on. Desiree’s number one take away from this summer and COVID-19 in general is how to adapt to circumstances and be flexible.