Carley Pouland

As a recipient of a PILP Award I was able to spend the summer at the City of Sherwood City Attorney’s Office. While there, I drafted multiple resolutions for review by the City Council and I was given the opportunity to present one such resolution myself. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I am grateful to have had the chance to see a project through from beginning to end. I worked on proposing changes to chapters of the municipal code that directly impacted the community, such as restrictions on dogs in public spaces and cannabis regulation. I was also able to assist in preparation for litigation to enforce a CC&R, which was the first issue the City has had to bring to court in many years. Working for a city gave me great exposure to many different areas of law that I could not have gained in other workplaces. The City Attorney was a fantastic mentor, both in providing detailed feedback on my work and finding projects that fit my interests. He and the City staff were welcoming and friendly, and I am lucky to have spent my first summer of law school in such a supportive environment.

The City of Sherwood has a rapidly growing residential population but does not yet have a strong commercial tax-base. My first weeks in the office saw a revision to the City’s five-year plan that included eliminating City positions and moving the City Attorney’s legal assistant to part-time. It was clear that having an unpaid internship position is very important to the City and the City Attorney, and as such, I was given a variety of interesting and substantive projects. It was very rewarding to be working toward making the City a better place for its residents and I am grateful to PILP for making it possible for me to gain this invaluable experience.