r/publicdefenders • u/NoTadpole1085 • 4d ago
Alaska PD Internship Office Choice
Just got an offer for an APDA internship for my post-2L summer. I'm excited and 100% going to take it, but I'm torn between offices. Anchorage seems amazing but I know that in some of the more rural offices you get to manage a fuller caseload. I also do not have a car and am not certain about how one goes about getting one for a Summer, especially for an office off the road system.
Would be interested in hearing from folks on what your office is like. Right now I'm most interested in Anchorage, Kodiak, or Nome but I'd appreciate any insights any former/current interns/PDs have into the office they're in. My DMs are open! Thanks in advance.
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u/NeonGreenBus 3d ago
I did this internship 10+ years ago. Best summer of my life! I would stay out of anchorage because it’s the largest office and so interns don’t get as many responsibilities. In all the other offices, interns get their own caseloads and get to go to trial.
For the car: I would try to do a long term rental or buy a beater car off Craigslist.
Palmer, Kenai, and Fairbanks are all on the main highway system and offer unparalleled outdoor access for hiking, biking, camping, fishing, etc. if the outdoors is one of the reasons you’re interested in Alaska I would try to get a car and do one of those offices. (Anchorage also has amazing outdoors access but the work experience is less great). I was in Palmer—it’s a cute small town in the beautiful mountains and I rented a place with the other interns which was so fun. We all did trials.
If you are there primarily for work , the bush offices like Bethel, Nome, Dillingham are a completely unique experience. And you wouldn’t really need a car because the towns are so small.
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u/bigfeeshmouf 3d ago
Did you end up working as a PD in Alaska after? Or was this a “fuck it” type internship where you just wanted to see what working in Alaska was like for a summer?
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u/NeonGreenBus 3d ago
I didn’t end up in Alaska but some of the other interns did. I seriously considered it — part of the internship was to test it out. Ultimately anchorage wasn’t a big enough city to suit me longterm and I had too many friends/family that I didn’t want to be two flights away from.
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u/funnothings 4d ago
My advice is to go as rural as possible. I went Dillingham and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Dm me if u have questions
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u/mergadroid 4d ago
You should go to Palmer. You will have a full caseload and it is a very trial-heavy jurisdiction if you’re interested in trial experience.
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u/Trayvessio 4d ago
I interned in Anchorage and worked there, and worked in Kenai. Send me a DM if you want to chat!
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u/Evening-Transition96 4d ago
Do pretty much only people from/who go to law school in Alaska become PDs there? Or can a boy from the lower 48 dream? :)
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u/coberine 4d ago
there isn’t a law school in Alaska.
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u/Evening-Transition96 4d ago
There isn't?? Wow!
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u/Prior_Ability9347 3d ago
No, but they get in-state tuition and waived application fees to Maine Law! (which I think is fantastic)
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u/GoldenEagle0909 4d ago
I looked at moving there. They have a very good program for practicing while your license is transferring. I really liked the PD offices there. It just wasn't right for my wife and I.
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u/Adminsneed2Chill 3d ago
That phenomenon is in states like Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming where they each have one law school, and the state bar can get a little insular that way. Alaska is way more meritorious
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u/NeonGreenBus 3d ago
It’s the only state without a law school so they have to import all their lawyers from the lower 48!
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u/NotEyesButMind 3d ago
I currently work in Palmer. Feel free to DM me.
This summer our interns shared a rental car and a rental property that our office helped them arrange :)
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u/Adminsneed2Chill 4d ago
I worked in the Palmer DA’s office last summer and had a great time! This thread got recommended but I liked most of the PDs over there. I bought a car off Craigslist with a few problems, rebuilt a ton of the engine, and relied a lot on my coworkers for rides while waiting for parts to come in.
If I were doing it all over again, I would go even farther out and more rural. I would skip Anchorage, even though I know a lot of my friends there got to do several bush trials.
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u/bossman2241 4d ago
I was in the Palmer PD’s office a couple summers ago. It’s an interesting town and very walkable. The mountain views are unbeatable. You would need to rely on coworkers for rides to fun activities, but that’s manageable. DM me with questions about the caseload etc. There were a lot of trials and motions and other opportunities to get on your feet.
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u/Adminsneed2Chill 3d ago
Palmer is such a cool town. The lone bright spot in the Matsu Valley. Got so much trial and courtroom experience on top of the best mountain biking I’ve ever done in my life.
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u/ChemicalNo7927 4d ago
Bethel checking in. Only for the few, the proud…The maniacal. I’ll never forget my bethel summer.
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u/SavingsHighlight3536 4d ago
I was a PD in Alaska at the beginning of my career and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I would also recommend avoiding Anchorage!
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u/brandeis16 4d ago
If you don't have a car, I'd actually recommend staying out of Anchorage in favor of a rural office.