The Bernstein District Court Fellows Program, which was established in 1996 at the University of Maine School of Law, enables selected students to clerk for participating Maine District Court Judges during the summer. Students are sometimes also invited to participate in special projects as assigned by the Chief Judge of the Maine District Court.
During her summer at the district court, Kilgore was granted the opportunity to observe court proceedings, debrief about the proceedings, and discuss the relevant laws in each case with the involved judge. Her responsibilities included conducting legal research and writing for a number of judges. In addition to working under Hon. John B. Beliveau, she also worked with Hon. Rick Lawrence, Hon. Valerie Stanfill, Hon. Daniel Driscoll, Hon. Paul Cote Jr., and other judges who were present at the courthouse.
According to Kilgore, each day at the courthouse brought something new. “District Court has bench trials in a wide range of legal matters including divorce, parental rights and responsibilities, protective custody, protection from abuse and harassment, foreclosures, small claims, money judgments, traffic violations, arraignments, and minor criminal offenses, to name a few,” says Kilgore, further noting that family law matters are the most common issues brought forth at the Lewiston District Court.
Overall, Kilgore describes her summer clerkship as a valuable experience that enabled her to meet many attorneys and allowed her to see how each one handled him or herself in the courtroom. “It was also interesting to see the process that goes into making judicial decisions. I enjoyed getting to learn so much about a multitude of different areas of law in a short amount of time,” said Kilgore.
Kilgore, a Maine native, has also been active within the community through C.A.S. A. Guardian ad litem, the Maine Association for Public Interest Law (MAPIL), the American Bar Association- Law Student Division, her local Habitat for Humanity's Family Selection Committee, the University of Maine at Augusta's Alumni Association Board of Directors, and as the student liaison to the Katahdin Counsel Recognition Program, which was established by the Main Supreme Judicial Court to acknowledge the pro bono work of members of the Maine bar.
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