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By: Ian Hoock ‘24
This summer, I was selected to receive the 2022 Kaplan & Reynolds Fellowship. This fellowship allowed me to make the most of my first summer as a law student with two unpaid internships. The fellowship is part of the Summer Public Interest Funding and Fellowship Program at the University at Buffalo School of Law, and is a foundational building block for students set on working in the government. My sincere thanks to them, my patrons.
My first internship was with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office. Being a part of that institution means working for victims and representing justice. District Attorney Flynn stated this at our orientation. I represented justice by assisting with arraignments, felony hearings, and pre-trial motions at Buffalo City Court, working with Domestic Violence Assistant District Attorneys.
My second internship was with State Senator Timothy Kennedy, and it was an honor. Initially, I was unsure what to expect—what would I be working on? Would I retrieve coffee for Senator Kennedy and chauffeur him around New York State? Neither. I worked under the Senator’s Legislative and Committee director, Rick Rodgers. My first project was to analyze Buffalo’s Paratransit system, and compare it to other cities within New York, or like-sized cities around the country. I also got to be part of an exciting time in legal history. Bruen, Dobbs, and West Virginia v. EPA were all brand new decisions this summer, and I was tasked with writing memoranda summarizing them for Senator Kennedy!
Above all, this summer taught me about myself: who I want to be, and how I can help in Buffalo’s development. I also began practicing law, and for that, I could not be more grateful.
Name: Ian Hoock, ‘24
Name of Fellowship: Kaplan & Reynolds Summer Fellowship
Placement: Erie County District Attorney’s Office & State Senator Timothy Kennedy
Location: Buffalo, NY
One important lesson I have learned from this fellowship: “Above all, this summer taught me about myself: who I want to be, and how I can help in Buffalo’s development. I also began practicing law, and for that, I could not be more grateful.”
UB School of Law Responds 