Category: Internships

Washington State Legislature

Sid Morrison (R) was a member of the Washington State House of Representatives for many years, representing the 15th District in the Yakima Valley. In 1971, I was a student at Central Washington University and learned that the Legislature was, for the first time, allowing college students to become volunteer interns and receive college credits. I applied and was selected by Sid to be his first intern. I stayed in contact with Sid over the years and later became a campaign volunteer when he ran for Governor of Washington.

Internships

During my college years, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to intern for two legislators. Both men had represented the central Washington State area, where I had lived for most of my youth. They were generous and patient mentors who worked hard to represent their constituents.

Representative Sid Morrison was a farmer and fruit distributor in the lower Yakima Valley before being elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1967 and the Senate in 1975. He successfully ran for the United States House of Representatives against Mike McCormack in 1981.

Congressman Mike McCormack was a scientist who worked for the Atomic Energy Commission before entering politics. He served in the Washington State House of Representatives and Senate and subsequently was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1970.

Both of these men were Army veterans, which doubtless helped in my application to work as an intern in their offices.

During law school, I interned at the Clinical Law Program, offered by Gonzaga Law School. The Washington State Bar Association grants a limited license to practice law to law students through the Rule 9 program, as outlined in the Admission and Practice Rules. A licensed WSBA lawyer must supervise the interns. You can read more about my experience here.