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WARREN -- For many law students, an opportunity to work in the prosecutor's office is a rite of passage.
Over the past few months, a University of Akron law student from Brookfield has been given behind-the-scenes access to witness the law in action.
Throughout the summer, Julianne First, 22, has worked closely with assistant prosecutors at the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office helping to gather research and observe her colleagues during high-profile cases. She's the first intern the office has taken on since the pandemic put a hold on the program in 2020.
First said her father, a retired Brookfield police officer, influenced her pursuing a career in the criminal justice system, and interning at the prosecutor's office gives her a firsthand look at the system's inner workings.
First said the experience has been helpful because she is trying to figure out what kind of law she wants to practice.
However, she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the process, having once shadowed Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Diane Barber after high school before deciding to pursue a law degree.
"Afterwards, Dennis (Watkins) told me to come back after I got more schooling and learned legal research and he kept that promise," First said.
Watkins, who has been county prosecutor since 1984, said the young intern has left a strong impression on him the past few months.
"Knowing her background, she fits into the prosecutor's office for her professionalism, ability to get along with people and a great work ethic," Watkins said.
The longtime prosecutor is familiar with the path First is taking. Early in his career, Watkins said he was a legal intern at the prosecutor's office in the early 1970s. The experience he said was "invaluable" for law students to see the rule of law applied in real time.
"The real-world experience is different from academia, and we need to understand that practice and theory don't always match, which means there's a benefit to understanding the practical application of your job," Watkins said.
First has worked closely with assistant prosecutor Ryan Sanders, whom she has observed handling criminal court days in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court or watching him argue before the 11th District Court of Appeals. Oftentimes, First said in her role as an intern, she would conduct hours of research to help inform responses from the state used during court proceedings.
Sanders himself started as an intern in 2018 before becoming licensed the following year.
"I was absolutely nervous. As a law student, you don't always have a full grasp of what's going on or how things function. You only have some schooling that teaches the background and basic principles of the legal system," Sanders said.
Working alongside First, Sanders talked about her willingness to learn, noting that she's never afraid to ask questions to make sure she's on the right track.