The Federal Defender Program Inc. and the Center for Access to Justice are partnering to offer a paid internship in memory of Jake Waldrop (J.D. ’85) to rising Georgia State Law second-year or third-year students. The selected student(s) will receive $5,000 (before taxes) for a 10-week summer internship with the Federal Defender Program in Atlanta.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, December 16, 2022. Download the application instructions and email completed applications to [email protected].
About the Waldrop Internship
Thomas “Jake” Waldrop (J.D. ’85) was a part of the first graduating class at Georgia State Law. He interned with the Federal Defender Program Inc. in Atlanta as a rising third-year student and joined the office as an attorney after graduation, where he worked until he died in February 2013.
Waldrop dedicated his life to indigent defense and tirelessly fought for those who were considered outcasts of society. While an outstanding trial lawyer, Waldrop’s real skills were best displayed in his advocacy for clients in settings other than the courtroom. He approached his passion with the idea that they were people first and clients second.
Waldrop would give his clients the shirt off his back, get them into treatment, drive them where they needed to go, hug them when they cried, and always listened to their fears, hopes, and their needs. Waldrop never met a stranger and was loved by everyone who knew him.
From defenders to prosecutors to judges to courthouse staff, he knew everyone by name, he knew the names of their kids, and he knew if a parent or spouse was sick or struggling. He always offered to help. You could always count on Waldrop to light up the room with his laugh or an inappropriate joke. Nobody could be mad at him; the goodness in his heart could not be ignored.
The student selected for the Waldrop internship will have a demonstrated commitment to a career in indigent defense and will embody the ideals and philosophies of Jake Waldrop.