Jordan de la Garza is a firebrand. The third-year Boyd School of Law student and ardent member of its Public Interest Law Association (PILA) burns with passion when talking about how lawyers can be a force for good and ensure that all people are treated equally under the law.

And so it was just a little surprising to hear that her interest in becoming a lawyer was sparked not by dramas like To Kill a Mockingbird or Inherit the Wind, but Legally Blonde and My Cousin Vinny. Nonetheless, by age 13, she’d decided to become a justice warrior.

“I’ve always been outspoken, always questioned why things had to be the way they were,” de la Garza explains. “Adults told me ‘You ought to be a lawyer.’ I’m not sure it was meant as a compliment.”

Now, after three years of law school and two summers interning with the Clark County District Attorney's Office, she holds lawyers — and particularly those in public service — in the highest regard. “Attorneys have power, privilege, and authority,” she observes. “When you see how the legal system actually works, you understand that lawyers make a real difference in peoples’ lives.”

She’s learned that the Las Vegas legal community vigorously promotes pro bono work, ensuring that free legal services are available to anyone who needs to appear in court.

De la Garza credits PILA with giving her, and other law students, an invaluable glimpse into the workings of the judicial system. “Interning in the DA office was the best gift as a new law student,” she reflects. “By observing court proceedings, doing research, drafting arguments, you learn what a good lawyer looks like. You learn how to problem solve. I couldn’t imagine how great an impact the legal system has on everyday people. The experience gave me time to come into my own as an advocate and do work that helps raise the community up.”

She also feels that law students are uniquely valuable to public interest organizations they serve. “We’re not exhausted yet!,” she says. “Students bring creativity and zeal to the table. They change the tone in the room.”

She also argues that PILA internships build empathy, knowledge, and confidence. PILA is Boyd Law’s oldest student organization and relies on donations to fund its summer internship program. Its grants allow interns to devote 40 hours per week to public service – an opportunity that would be impossible to pursue without financial support. This semester, with de la Garza serving as director of donations, PILA’s 26th Annual Silver State Auction raised $22,000 for the program.

“A public interest internship lights a fire under you,” de la Garza adds. “It shows law students that there are immediate, real consequences to a person’s encounter with the judicial system. It can be heart-rending…and it’s also electrifying.”

Support PILA internships by contacting Heather Rappaport at 702-895-2796 or heather.rappaport@unlv.edu.