Reianna Dieter – Internship

My name is Reianna Dieter and I’m currently interning at the Magisterial District Court in New Holland. I work alongside my mentor and office manager Dawn in addition to working with Judge Heisse and his clerks. I decided to pursue this internship to be able to gain more knowledge about law and criminal justice.  Through the course of my internship, I got the opportunity to interact with many different kinds of people including police, private attorneys, clerks from other offices, and even attorneys from Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office. When my internship first started, I was hesitant due to not knowing much about the courts. I later learned you didn’t need much experience to catch on to different concepts quickly and understand them fully.

Every day when I walk in my daily routine is to check my desk for work the other clerks have given me. These tasks include, counting all the checks and money and writing the deposit slip out, weighing mail that needs to be sent out and put postage on it, file and pull cases for the next day, observing hearings, and lastly making the Judge a document with all details of the upcoming hearings for the next day.  The types of hearings I sit in on consist of criminal cases, civil cases, traffic hearings, non-traffic hearings, emergency PFA’s, and bail modification hearings. Other duties I have that are making certified first-class mail, observing how paperwork is done for cases the next day, shredding confidential files and papers, and making copies/ scanning documents from printer to clerks.

Some of the more exciting opportunities that have experienced included observing DUI court, divorce court, and going to the local prison to observe arraignments. Getting the opportunity to intern at the District Court is extraordinary. Having no background with law and only having what I learned in high school, to the amount of knowledge I know now is amazing.

This internship has allowed me to grow in several ways.  I know how a professional office works and runs.  I’ve gained valuable people skills by working with professionals and community members, I’ve learned how the criminal justice system works, and I’ve learned about myself and have a better understanding if this is the right career path for me.

At the beginning of this internship, I was unsure how well this internship would fit me and my passions.  As it turned out, I found that a career in the criminal justice system is an excellent fit for me.  This internship was extremely influential in helping guide me in my search for a career as it taught me I definitely want to go into the criminal justice field.