Johnnie Cochran, Jr. tells us about her mentor.
By Natasha Posey
Denver Bar Summer Intern

Since I was around 10 years old, , I have been geared toward being a lawyer, not knowing about the different types of lawyers or that they don’t start out making $100,000 a year.

Television made me believe that I would start out as a Junior Johnnie Cochran. WRONG!

"Fact is, most lawyers practice 20 years before making $100,000," said Dave Ells, director of public legal education.

Watching shows like "Judging Amy," "Ally McBeal" and "Judge Judy" can really make you believe that, but in life, lawyers had to climb rocks to get to the high points.

Here is my perspective for firms who have never participated in the DBA summer intern program or have discontinued the program at their firms:

In your career did you have a mentor? Did having a mentor there to bolster, advise, teach and help you in your career? If so, why not give that chance to your future? Us. Your future.

DBA 2001 summer interns.

We will go through the same obstacles you went through, and we need your wisdom to get us through those loops.

Even though I was given a reality check at professional development seminars and DBA training, I still would love to be an attorney or judge.

Even though I won’t make $100,000 that first year, or $70,000 the second, I learned and now believe that if you are in love with the work you do and you are dedicated, you might make $25,000, but you can feel like you made a million. Since I feel like I am dedicated and I hate to lose, I will continue to strive to be Johnnie’s shadow.

Here are some assignments I worked on and completed this summer: Worked on the Match Program, helped with grant summaries, compiled The Docket survey, helped format The Colorado Lawyer, and calculated and recorded member dues. Plus, I had a lot of Youth At Work assignments. The DBA kept me busy! It’s your turn to keep me busy. After working for the DBA, I can say that I can handle a lot more on my own.