Shore Legal Access recently bid goodbye to its Winter 2024 Sandy Brown Public Interest Interns, Daisy Holder, of California, Maryland, and Lydia Shreves, of Easton, Maryland, who spent the last three months learning firsthand the ins-and-outs of providing free legal assistance to residents of the Eastern Shore facing civil legal issues like eviction, bankruptcy, and divorce.
“Daisy and Lydia brought fresh insights, dedication, and positive energy to their roles,” SLA’s executive director Meredith Girard said. “They demonstrated empathy for our clients and contributed to the life-changing benefits that free legal assistance can have on people. We are so happy to have been a part of their journeys.”
During their time at SLA, Holder and Shreves assisted SLA’s housing team at rent court with providing legal representation to tenants facing eviction; helped the criminal record expungement team prepare expungement petitions for clients; attended Life Planning clinics, where SLA’s attorneys prepared wills, powers of attorney, and advance medical directives for clients; conducted legal research; and reported on bills from the state legislative session relevant to SLA’s work.
The Sandy Brown Public Interest Internship, created in honor of former long-time Shore Legal Access executive director Sandy Brown, offers a stipend to undergraduate and law students as they gain invaluable experience in the field of public interest law at a respected non-profit organization. The Internship is supported by the Campbell Foundation, with the goal of expanding the pool of diverse, qualified, and committed candidates for career positions in public interest work on the Eastern Shore.
Holder, an accomplished student-athlete at Salisbury University, was selected to work at SLA’s Salisbury office, which serves the residents of the Lower Shore, because, as Senior Paralegal and Lower Shore Manager Juanita Sutton said, “Daisy already had unique insight into what we do.” This stemmed from Holder’s having interned last summer at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, where she helped attorneys prepare defenses for clients of limited means, which inspired her to pursue a career in public interest law. Her time at SLA was the next step on that path.
Holder was an editor at SU’s undergraduate research journal as well as a member of the Clarke Honors College and the university’s varsity swim team. She graduated in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics; she double-minored in Political Science and Law, Justice, and Advocacy.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to intern with Shore Legal Access this past semester,” Holder said. The experience was invaluable and provided me with a deep understanding of public interest law and the impactful work that supports our community. I am appreciative to have worked with such a great team and I hope to carry forward the lessons I have learned into my legal career!”
Eastern Shore-native Shreves, who graduated from University of Maryland last spring with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Government and Politics and Cinema and Media Studies, worked at SLA’s Easton office, which serves the Mid-Shore counties.
As an undergraduate, Shreves was a member of student-led community-focused organizations Combatting Overdoses in Rural Areas, Empowering Women in Law, and Peanut Butter and Justice. She also interned at a private law firm, where she conducted legal research for pro bono cases, and plans to attend law school within the next two years.
SLA’s legal director Laura Chafey, Esq. said Shreves was chosen for the internship because of her “clear passion for public interest and the law,” and added that Shreves’ connection to the region was a “big plus.”
For her part, Shreves said, “My time with Shore Legal Access has been an extremely valuable experience. This internship has helped to strengthen my passion for the law, and specifically legal justice, as well as providing me with a hands-on experience and newly learned skills that I will carry with me through my personal and professional future.”
Shore Legal Access connects Eastern Shore individuals and families in need of legal representation with volunteer attorneys to ensure that justice truly is for all. Civil legal services include family law, housing, life planning, and economic stability. For more information, call 410-690-8128 or go to shorelegal.org.
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