Julia Byrne is a graduate of University of Maryland Baltimore County and a third year law student at University of Maryland Francis Carey School of Law. She has previously worked as a community organizer, a policy intern for her state senator, and a student attorney for the University of Maryland Gender Violence clinic. While working at the Public Access Unit, Julia assisted with legal research, sat in on multiple mediations, and assisted in drafting reports and trainings.

Julia relates the following as her “Proud Moment” during her internship: “Near the end of my internship, I had the chance to sit in on a discussion of a case I had assisted with the research for. I really enjoyed following the conversation and discussing what to research next with Lisa afterwards. Lisa, Sara and Spencer were incredibly kind and supportive, and I learned a great deal from them. I’ve also been using the research skills I developed this summer in my classes!”

Andre is a graduate of the University of Maryland. He enlisted in the United States Army following graduation and deployed twice to Afghanistan. After leaving the Army, Andre continued his education at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he earned a Master’s in Public Administration. During his time with the Public Access Unit, Andre helped the Ombudsman with mediations and researched exemptions in the Public Information Act, using various sources of law to write a memorandum on the exemptions.

Andre relates the following as his “Proud Moment” during his internship: “I was proud to participate in several mediations and learn more about alternative dispute resolution from the Ombudsman. Lisa trusted me to take an active role in a mediation and this role led to a final determination of an open matter. I am happy to have gained such a valuable experience, working toward a solution after weeks of research and communication and to have contributed to the PAU’s work. I enjoyed working with Lisa, Sara and Spencer. I learned a lot from them that I will continue to use throughout my legal career and I am thankful that I had the chance to work with them doing this important work.”

Dennis is a native Georgian and graduate of the University of Georgia. He earned a master’s from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and worked in international development. Later, after working to assist incarcerated people, Dennis decided to change directions and attend law school. During his internship, Dennis drafted Public Information Act regulations, conducted research on whether public agencies’ denials of public record requests were allowable under state law, and researched practices from other jurisdictions related to the management of conflicts of interest in mediation proceedings.

Dennis relates the following as his “Proud Moment” during his internship: “I was most proud to draft regulations to implement changes to the Maryland Public Information Act. In general, I believe in a public right to information about the affairs of government and the official acts of public officials and employees (recognizing appropriate exceptions). I was proud to help define the process by which Marylanders will seek to obtain such information.”

Trey is graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, and is now a second-year student at the University of Maryland School of Law. Over the summer, he provided the Ombudsman’s office with comprehensive research on inmate rights and the impact of lawful access to documentation held by state agencies. This research was factored into the Ombudsman’s comments to the Office of the Attorney General and PIACB on inmate issues. Trey is a staff editor for the University of Maryland Law Review, and expects to receive his JD in May 2019. Good luck with the Law Review, Trey, do well.

Trey relates the following as his “Proud Moment” during his internship: “As a summer intern, my proudest moment came with the submission of my final research project at the end of the term. During my time with the Ombudsman, one of our primary concerns was questionable file retention practices and the potential access issues they could present to inmates attempting to identify exculpatory Brady material. As the culmination of weeks of research, it was gratifying to present the finished product to the Ombudsman with the knowledge that the work I performed would enable her to better serve the public. Thanks to Lisa, Karen, and Janice for providing me with the support and guidance I needed to develop my legal skills, and the opportunity to contribute to the great work being done at the Office of the Attorney General.”

A native Marylander, Esther provided valuable insight to the Ombudsman’s office in her review of Maryland court decisions affecting the MPIA and document review, as well as providing helpful and candid reviews of the Ombudsman Office’s program and policies.

Esther relates the following as her Proud Moment. She noted that while she was working with the Public Access Ombudsman, she had an opportunity to use the PIA first hand. “When a steam pipe exploded in Baltimore, causing damage over multiple blocks, I used the PIA to request information regarding air quality and health implications for residents who were exposed to the damage. I now have another tool to advocate for those who have been unfairly treated.”

Sarah worked extensively on the Ombudsman’s H.B. 1105 investigation and report during the critical last 4 months of this project. She demonstrated extraordinary attention to detail, as well as creativity in tackling legally and factually complex issues. The culmination of her work was published in the H.B. 1105 Final Report, in December 2016. Sarah expects to receive her JD from the University of Maryland, School of Law and to receive her Masters of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in May 2019.

She relates the following as her “Proud Moment”: “I just wanted to check in and tell you that I used my PIA/records retention knowledge from the HB1105 investigation in my confidentiality agreement negotiations last week. We had a potential vendor who wanted to retain a copy of all confidential information exchanged over the course of the agreement for records management purposes but I wanted to ensure that the information would stay confidential while they were storing it. So I made a language suggestion to the attorney that confidentiality information should remain confidential in perpetuity according to the company’s retention schedule. And they liked it and are adding it as standard language to our agreements!”

From the Ombudsman’s Office, all we can say is: “Way to go! Sarah”.

Jimmy played a critical role in assisting the Ombudsman with all phases and aspects of program start-up and development, and helped in planning and carrying out of the initial stages of the Ombudsman’s investigation under H.B. 1105 (Final Report published December 2016). Jimmy expects to receive his JD from the University of Maryland, School of Law in May 2018. Among his many talents, Jimmy is a wonderful colleague, collaborator, and a very talented guitarist.

Jimmy noted the following as his “Memorable Moment”: “Lisa and I went to Howard County for our first meeting with public school staff and to pick up the files we would need to review to complete the H.B.1105 investigation. As we were loading boxes of files into her car, it dawned on me how much work it was going to take to do a thorough analysis on these files. I hoped I could get the job done.”

The Ombudsman remembers that moment as well. She said, “You did a great job on the file analysis. We couldn’t have written that report without you.” Thank you, Jimmy!