Each summer, the Raleigh City Attorney’s Office hires a law clerk or two. This past summer, thankfully, one of them was Lauren Ikpe.
Experience Lauren Ikpe Brought to the Table
Lauren had just finished her first year of law school, and had not worked in a law office before. So, like many first-year clerks, she was brand new to the the actual practice of law.
She had, however, previously served in the City of Raleigh in the Community Services Department, and in the interim had received a Masters in Public Administration from NCSU. So, she was already very familiar with the City of Raleigh in particular, plus she had the advantage of having studied the internal mechanics of local governments in general.
Specific, Outstanding Work in Eminent Domain and Sovereign Immunity
Lauren listened, responded, and performed very well. She fit right in and was able to quickly start actually helping out.
Lauren helped me prepare for and win a full-blown 108 Hearing in an eminent domain case by contacting and speaking with potential witnesses and by helping prepare and select the best exhibits.In another case, the plaintiff alleged that she had been hurt after stepping on a water meter box, which the plaintiff said the City owned and had negligently maintained. Lauren helped me investigate and prepare the City’s immunity defense. I also had her speak directly with a key City official and draft an affidavit with accompanying exhibits for the official’s signature. As a result, we were able to convince plaintiff’s counsel to simply dismiss the City from the lawsuit very early in the case.
Why You should Hire Lauren Ikpe
Over the course of the summer, Lauren impressed me with her ability to listen, to learn new, niche areas of the law, and to be of real help to me and my client.
I understand that since her summer clerkship ended she has not only joined the law review but has also worked for another, private practice attorney on other immunity issues.
You may represent a local government or a governmental unit or you may represent private clients in municipal law or other governmental matters. In either case, I highly recommend you speak with Lauren. She is, of course, very bright and very hardworking, but most importantly, she fit in very well and was a pleasure to work with.
P.S. You can, and should, download her resume here.
P.P.S. Lauren tells me that she is gong to be posting on her own blog about some key areas of the law that she thinks will be helpful to practicing litigation and trial attorneys. So, I’ve already subscribed to her blog updates, and I recommend you do the same. To sign up for Lauren’s free email updates, you should click here.