This summer, the most challenging part of my internship at Nichols Law Offices has been to have patience when working with clients. My boss, Craig Nichols, seems to have an endless amount of patience to explain things to clients. Client meetings over simple matters can sometimes stretch well over an hour. Meetings over complex matters, like Department of Homeland Security interviews, can last half the day. Even in difficult cases, Mr. Nichols never gets frustrated or irritated. I have met this challenge by putting myself in the clients’ shoes and realizing how difficult it can be to express thoughts and feelings while facing life altering realities, like possible deportation. When I find myself running out of patience, I simply take a deep breath, refocus, and dive back while trying to explain the problem in a different way.
The most rewarding part my internship goes in hand with the most challenging. Giving our clients the legal service that they need to stay in the U.S. makes the marathon meetings worth it. When our clients give us their stories, it makes me so grateful to be an American. The poverty, violence, and struggles that many of our clients have dealt with are almost unimaginable. Helping these people find a better life in the U.S. makes all the challenges worth it.
Colin Sommers
History/Political Science