Baker & Daniels Summer Associates Work on Death Penalty Case

Two summer associates at Baker & Daniels spent two weeks of their 10-week summer employment working on a fellowship for the Death Penalty Resource and Defense Center in South Carolina, the Indiana Lawyer reported in its story "Real World Experience: Summer Associates Had Appealing Assignments at Firms."

Marvin Liang, starting his third year at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, and Connie Wilson, beginning her fourth year at the evening division of Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis, traveled to South Carolina to met with two death row inmates - Freddie Owens and Jonathan Binney - as well as other prisoners who knew Owens, prison guards and jurors on Owens' trial, according to the story.

"I had done a year's worth of pro bono in the Marion County Prosecutor's Office in post-conviction relief," Wilson told Indiana Lawyer. "I wanted to see what it's like from a different perspective of criminal defense."

"I'm very, very grateful for the experience," Wilson added. "Because we had got involved relatively early in (the center's work with) Freddie's case, we needed to begin at the very beginning. So we got to see what the prosecution had already presented and what the defense side would have to do."

Liang told Indiana Lawyer, "At the firm, you're at the office doing legal research and writing for attorneys. In South Carolina, we did a lot of field work, applying communication skills that (would apply to) firm work, just with a different group of individuals. At a firm, you still have to interact with people outside the law firm and speak with other people on behalf of the client."

Emily Paavola, director of the Death Penalty Resource and Defense Center, developed the fellowship with Baker & Daniels, where she previously worked as an attorney. Because Owens' case is still somewhat new to the center, Paavola told Indiana Lawyer that it is difficult to say what will happen next. However, she plans to keep the summer associates informed and if they eventually work for Baker & Daniels, they will likely be asked to continue their involvement with the center, the story reported.

When Liang and Wilson were in South Carolina, they heard an oral argument for Binney's case, according to the Indiana Lawyer story. Also there was Kristin Glazner, a Baker & Daniels attorney who has been involved with the Binney case in researching and writing an amicus brief about attorney-client privilege issues. Glazner and Paavola worked with the summer associates to bring them up to speed on death penalty cases, the story reported.

"What is exceptional about the opportunity is they got to practice an area of law they wouldn't be able to otherwise," Glazner told Indiana Lawyer. "I think this will affect their practice in ways we haven't fully seen. It will probably motivate them to do pro bono work throughout their career and affect how they work with clients (and) their level of compassion (for clients). I'm excited to say Connie and Marvin fully embraced it."