Giving Voice to Survivors: Inside a Client-Focused Legal Internship

Shweta Shankar ’26 wants to be a lawyer. “Anyone who knows me, will tell you that.” But not everyone knows why: she wants to advocate for individual stories.

The Macalester senior recently interned at Tubman, a Twin Cities nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence, homelessness, and trafficking. While on the job, Shankar worked with dozens of clients and attended hours of court hearings—lending a listening ear and becoming a voice for domestic violence survivors.

“There are some people whose name will pop up in the database, and I’ll just be able to tell whose story it is that I’m looking at,” Shankar said. “These are experiences that I’m taking with me to law school—that individual stories do matter.”

Working as a criminal legal advocate for Tubman in Washington County, Shankar’s responsibilities included client-facing work, data entry, and court advocacy. Supervisors worked with her to gather data on cases and then connect with clients. As their work progressed, Shankar would often find herself in the Stillwater courthouse with a case list. Sometimes she would take notes in court and report back with case updates. Other times, she would work alongside prosecutors, advocating for domestic abuse no-contact orders in front of a judge.

“I was surprised by just the amount of work I got as a college student,” Shankar said. “Being able to interact with prosecutors and judges and be at court—these are experiences I’m pretty sure only full-time law school students get.”

A double major in political science and international studies with a legal studies concentration, Shankar first spotted the Tubman internship on Handshake, Macalester’s career and internship services platform. Legal internships for undergraduates can be hard to find, which makes the experience much more meaningful for the senior.

“Tubman was a place where I felt like I could actually get my foot in the door,” Shankar said. “Being so centered in the courtroom, it was really cool.”

Personal connections

Growing up in a South Asian community, Shankar learned early on that domestic violence was often something kept very private and considered ghar ki baat or talk of the house. At Tubman, she quickly was expected to face and discuss taboo subjects, bringing the voices of victims to the forefront. Bringing that lived experience to the legal professional, she believes, will soon benefit others.

“There are not many people who look like me that work in that courtroom,” said Shankar, a first-generation American whose parents immigrated from India. “As a South Asian woman born in America, I have to work twice as hard to get half as far.”

Losing her father at the age of seven, and more recently, her grandfather, Shankar says she knows how trauma can shape a life.

“I can only imagine how domestic violence can impact somebody as trauma,” she said. “This entire experience has taught me that I am where I’m meant to be.”

Building a foundation in advocacy work

After spending weeks in a courtroom, Shankar says she’s learned a lot about what it takes to be a lawyer. From client communication to data entry, she’ll bring new skills to whatever comes next. One of her biggest lessons, after working on cases involving serious trauma, was how to compartmentalize work and prioritize practicing self-care.

“Being able to focus on a tough case, and saying, now I have to move on, taking those skills and moving forward will be super important,” Shankar said. “And also the importance of surrounding myself with people, who may not always understand exactly what I’m going through, but are always going to be my support system.”

The pre-law student is headed to American University this September to pursue her J.D. But first, in her final semester at Mac, she will intern at the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office. After working alongside prosecutors at Tubman, the new opportunity will offer Shankar a look at how defense teams represent their clients.

No matter where she ends up, Shankar believes that every voice deserves to be heard. And she’s on the right path to supporting those in need.

“That’s where I think my experience with Tubman came at such a great time,” Shankar said. “I understand the value of an individual’s story and advocating for that client. So when I do end up practicing law, I’ll now have that as a foundation.”