Clinic Connections: Lucy Flores JD ’10: Legislative Externship Paves the Way to a Career in Politics

Some students catch the political bug in law school. For Lucy Flores (BSL 2010), the legislative externship was a stepping-stone on her pathway to a political career. As a 2L in 2009, Flores participated in the legislative externship, which is offered every odd year during the biennial Nevada Legislative Session. A year later, Lucy graduated and successfully ran for the Nevada Assembly in 2010.  This fall she is a candidate for Nevada Lieutenant Governor.

For Flores, externing at the Nevada Legislature was a shot in the arm: “As a legal extern, I had the opportunity to successfully lobby wrongful conviction reform legislation during the 2009 legislative session. This experience introduced me to the legislative process and inspired me to run for the Assembly, representing District 28 -- the very same community where I grew up.” 

This spring a new crop of UNLV law students will spend the semester in Carson City, learning lawmaking first-hand. They will work as legislative externs for the Legislative Counsel Bureau, the Nevada Hispanic Legislative Caucus, Washoe Legal Services, public defender offices, and lobbying and government affairs firms. Most students work full time so they can experience as much of the Session as possible, and all participate in a one-credit seminar that provides an opportunity to reflect on the externship experience.

Flores is not alone in catching the political bug during the legislative externship. Omar Saucedo (JD ’13) and Silvia Villanueva (JD ’14) were legislative externs during the 2013 biennial session, and each chose to pursue a career in government affairs fresh out of law school. Saucedo is External Affairs Coordinator at Nevada System of Higher Education, and Villanueva recently joined Griffin Rowe, LLP, a lobbying firm.

This immersion experience enables students to absorb the legislative process with all its characters and twists and turns. Although the role of each placement in the legislative process differs, students can expect to research public policy issues and legislative history, track bills, participate in strategy sessions, draft proposed legislation, attend committee meetings and floor hearings, and interact with members of the Nevada Legislature.

For Lucy Flores, the legislative externship opened the door to a career in politics. “I would absolutely recommend the program to current and future students,” says Flores. “It gives students the opportunity to experience first hand what it takes to create policy through the legislative process, and maybe even discover a passion for public service, as I did.”