Experience Spotlight: Allison Hermann ’26L Allison Hermann participated in the general externship program, working in the Augusta County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in Staunton.

Allison Hermann ’26L

Allison Hermann ‘26L is originally from Mount Laurel, New Jersey. She attended Gettysburg College, where she received a B.A. in classical studies. After college, she worked as a medical billing associate for two years in Voorhees, New Jersey. At W&L, she has served as the secretary of OUTLaw and as the 3L Justice on the Student Judicial Council. Allison spends her free time experimenting with different styles of cooking and watching movies with friends. This year, Allison participated in the general externship program, working in the Augusta County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in Staunton.

Describe your work experience and daily schedule.

For the most part, I went into the office twice a week as my schedule allowed. In the fall semester, I was in from 9am-5pm on Mondays and from 9am-2pm on Wednesdays so that I could return to campus for a 3pm class. In the spring semester, I usually go in from 9am-3pm on Mondays and 9am-5pm on Fridays. On the days I was in the office, I generally worked on research and writing assignments or prepared for 11:30am bond hearings. When there were proceedings in Circuit court, I would observe those proceedings, but more often than not, I would spend the morning reading cases.

In the afternoons, I would often attend General District Court proceedings to either observe, present guilty pleas, or argue in probation compliance reviews. No two days are the same, so it was always exciting to see the types of cases going on every week.

What are some skills you developed?

My primary goal with this externship was to build my confidence with public speaking. Prosecution is a great opportunity to gain experience with public speaking because there is always another case that needs to be handled, and the Commonwealth attorneys are nothing but supportive. I have also gotten more practice with preparing research memoranda on short notice with quick turnaround times. Speed is essential with prosecution, in part due to case volume, and it has been very rewarding to see how my research has been used in court.

What surprised you about the work you did during your externship?

I was surprised by how much negotiation continues even when court is in session. This occurs more often in General District Court than in Circuit Court, but I was surprised by how many defense attorneys would approach the prosecution table for hushed discussions with my mentors while the judge is interviewing a defendant or another defense attorney is presenting his argument to the judge. Most of my prior experience was observing federal court, where speaking during any proceeding seemed out of the question, but state court was completely different. State court had been previously described to me as the wild west, but it wasn’t until I experienced it myself that I realized how accurate that description was.

What was your favorite aspect of your experience?

My favorite aspect of my experience was having the opportunity to see so many different styles of prosecution. For example, one attorney I worked with on VASAP compliance reviews sought conviction on most noncompliance charges but would ask the court to simply revoke and resuspend all of their suspended sentences unless the violation was particularly egregious. This was so a person who was noncompliant, but at the time of the hearing had returned to compliance, would have a record of the violation but not receive further punishment. Other attorneys sought punitive action such as a partial resuspension, requiring the noncompliant individual to spend a few days in jail. The variety of approaches has helped me develop a better idea of how I want to approach prosecution in my future career.

Has this experience helped you figure out your post graduate plans, and if so how?

It has. I knew going into this externship that I wanted to work for the State, but I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do so in a civil or criminal capacity. This experience offered me the chance to experience the criminal system in a more hands-on way and learn how rewarding the work is. I hope to continue doing similar work in New Jersey after graduation.