Summer Experiences: Ellie Maltby, ’24, Summer Clerk, Advocates for the West (Boise, Idaho)
Ellie Maltby, ’24, is spending the summer as a clerk for the Advocates for the West, which fights to protect the West’s most treasured natural landscapes and native wildlife.
How did you connect with this summer opportunity?
I was looking for environmental law organizations and wanted to spend my summer in the western region of the country. I found Advocates for the West through a combination of conversations with professors at the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic at UChicago Law and Google searches. I was really excited by the work they were doing and applied for their summer clerkship program in early September.
How does your experience connect with what you currently envision doing with your law degree?
I plan on pursuing a career in environmental litigation at a public interest organization. Working at Advocates for the summer has given me a window into what that career may look like and reaffirmed my interest in the field!
Please describe a “typical” day at work.
My day usually involves working on a couple different research projects—some are longer and more ongoing, and some are more discrete questions. I spend a lot of time reading through cases and regulations and drafting memos with my findings. We have weekly meetings to check in on how our projects are going, and weekly seminars to learn more about the organization and the field of environmental law. Atypical days at work have involved hikes where we get to explore and learn about the areas Advocates is working to protect.
What is something you learned or experienced that was surprising or particularly compelling during this summer position?
I’ve really enjoyed seeing how varied the work can be within the field of environmental law. Some of my research has been more technical and required looking into the environmental impacts of proposed actions, some has been focused on administrative law questions, and some has involved questions of constitutional law. This variety has surprised me and has been exciting!
What are a couple of your key takeaways from the experience so far?
I’m coming away from the summer feeling very grateful for the opportunity to work with amazing attorneys who are passionate about the same issues as I am. The attorneys at Advocates are all terrific, and because the office is small, I’ve gotten the chance to work with many different attorneys on a variety of cases. Getting to talk through legal issues with attorneys who are doing the type of work I hope to do someday has been an engaging and rewarding experience.
What advice would you offer another law student contemplating working in a similar position next summer?
Spend time familiarizing yourself with your organization’s past and current cases. If you go in with an understanding of the kinds of cases you are interested in, and skills you want to work on, you will likely get more out of the experience!
How are you spending your free time this summer?
I’m trying to spend much time outdoors as possible! I’ve been going on a lot of trail runs through the Boise foothills, swimming in the river, going on camping trips, and hiking. I had not been to Boise before this summer, and it has been fun exploring a new area.