Over the past summer, Georgia College and State University student Elizabeth Peters interned with Meriwether County. Peters, a rising sophomore studying political science, worked in Meriwether’s Probate Court. In her role as law clerk, Peters worked closely on court cases and assisted in a variety of legal tasks.

In their second consecutive year participating in the GCIP, the Meriwether County Probate Court was an ideal first workplace for Peters. Though she had no experience in government prior to the internship, Peters was eager to jump into the legal field. Peters began college as a psychology major, but gradually developed an interest in law. Her internship in the Probate Court provided her with a range of legal activities to build and cultivate her interests.

During her time with the county, Peters worked on several legal tasks. She helped with managing court notices, giving oaths, and validating wills. She also worked on issuing and renewing gun permits, reviewing the ticket paying process, and fielding questions from the public. However, Peters’ favorite part of the internship was observing and assisting in court. She had the opportunity to witness the court process firsthand and, as she grew more comfortable, began assisting Judge Rasnick with retrieving case files and completing other tasks during trial.

Peters noted that her intern experience was not limited to the courtroom. Following trials, Peters and Judge Rasnick would often debrief together. She got the opportunity to ask questions and provide her own opinions on cases. In addition to the hands-on work completed in court, Peters also started conducting legal research with direction and support from Judge Rasnick. She learned how to look up cases and worked through problems assigned by Judge Rasnick. She applied her research and organization skills to a major project: organizing the law library, which had not been organized in over 15 years. “I learned a lot about the ins and outs of the court system,” Peters reflected. “As a political science major, I’m so happy I’ve been able to learn things that you don’t even learn in law school.”

The experience gave Peters a new perspective on legal work and her future career choices. Peters said she learned about “dealing with the ups and downs” of working in a legal setting and knowing how best to collaborate with different people on projects. She also noted that her coworkers made her internship even better.

“Everyone in the office is so kind and understanding. I’ve honestly never worked with better people,” she said. When asked whether she would consider a career in county government, Peters responded emphatically: “Yes! Absolutely!”