NCLA Internship Spotlight

Bryan Poellot

Summer Law Clerk

Law School: Harvard Law School

Expected Graduation: May 2022

Hometown: Somers, NY

Campus Activities: Federalist Society, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Harvard International Law Journal

Hobbies: Road trips; hiking; visiting national parks

What were your duties as an NCLA intern?

Conducted legal research; drafted memoranda for litigators; contributed blog posts; assisted with cite-checking for briefs and complaints.

What did you most enjoy about your internship?

Learning the art of litigation from NCLA’s talented team! It has been thoroughly rewarding to learn from such passionate and hardworking team members, especially while applying my efforts towards a cause I care deeply about.

What interesting thing(s) did you learn about Administrative Law?

I was surprised to learn exactly how far-reaching administrative power can be. Agency action and excessive regulation is not just a concern for large corporations and industries, as it is often portrayed to be. Rather, NCLA’s work highlights how individuals and small businesses are frequently the ones most hurt by the erosion of due process rights and civil liberties.

How might you use what you’ve learned later in your professional career?

Even though we worked outside of the office environment (thanks, COVID), we were still involved every step of the way–from case intake, to research, to briefing, to participating in moot argument. Having these opportunities to exercise and improve my legal research and writing skills will undoubtedly make me a better lawyer in my career ahead.

Any advice for other students who want to intern at NCLA in the future?

Prof. Hamburger’s books and law review articles are an obvious starting point for someone looking to understand the long history behind our constitutional structure of government. But there are many competing perspectives out there as well, and becoming familiar with these administrative law debates will greatly improve the value you can get out of an experience at NCLA. Read up!