Judge Berlin and I first met at the Sarasota County Jail on a Saturday morning. I remember being so stressed about how to professionally speak with not only my “boss” in my internship, but also an experienced Judge. However, Judge Berlin instantly welcomed me as one of her interns and from then on spoke to me as if I was her niece; she was gracious, funny, respectful, and most of all inspiring. After that first morning observing her set inmates’ bonds, something I came to know and love as “first appearances,” she took me to Panera to discuss what we each hoped to gain from our time working together. She told me about herself, her legal training and career, her daughter who went to the same high school as I, and most importantly listened to every comment or question I had about how one shadows a judge. This initial few hours with Judge Berlin sharply contrasted my preconceived notion of a typical judge’s personality, she was kind and genuine, rather than heartless and cold. What I did not know during our hour long, enthusiastic conversation is that Judge Donna Berlin would become my biggest mentor, or bring me to the place I today, the Honors Legal Scholars program at Florida State University, which guarantees law school acceptance to its members who remain in good standing with the program during their undergrad career.

            My time in Judge Berlin’s courtroom was spent not only with her associates, but also two of my closest friends, who listened to my raving about my internship host and decided that they wanted to partake in such a fun experience as well. The three of us shadowed Judge Berlin, received special access cards to avoid the long security lines, official circuit court identification badges, and grew closer than ever during the time we spent before and after court studying, going to Starbucks, or gossiping about the latest case. When Judge Berlin had a break in her cases during the afternoons we were there, she walked us over to the other courtrooms and introduced us to those judges, and sat with us as we observed his or her current case. Afterwards, we nearly always mentioned to Judge Berlin that her courtroom is much more welcoming and warm, and how she tried to help the citizens she encountered, unlike most other judges.

            Nearly five months later, after spending countless afternoons and weekends with Judge Berlin, and getting to see what I now realize is only a taste of the legal system, I worked up the courage to ask Judge Berlin for a letter of recommendation for the Honors Legal Scholars program at Florida State, something I had mentioned to her at our first meeting at Panera what felt like so long ago. I remember asking her over a text message on a Saturday morning, a form of communication we often utilized to update each other on how school was going, or how she ruled on the cases I was so passionate about hearing. She responded back almost immediately, exclaiming she’d be happy to do it and that I should “consider it done!” followed by a thread of appreciation texts and even a few heart emojis.

When the day came that I could read the recommendation she wrote me, it brought tears to my eyes. She summarized, in the most professional manner, our dynamic relationship and that I was “exactly the kind of woman [she] would like to see embark on a legal career – [I] would be a valuable addition to our legal community.” Most influential on my self-esteem about pursuing law, however, was the very last line she wrote: “Most of all, I look forward to the day that Ms. Behler enters my courtroom as an attorney, ready to serve the members of her community.” I was so humbled to not only have an outstanding recommendation from a judge to add to my application, but to also know how wholeheartedly excited she was for me to begin my legal career. In the following weeks, Judge Berlin would check in on my admittance to the program, and even bragged about me to her assistants, bailiffs, and attorneys who she saw that day that also went to Florida State College of Law. When I finally received my acceptance to this program, Judge Berlin was the second person I told, after my mom, who was also just as anxiously waiting for my admittance. Judge Berlin, again, immediately responded over text her congratulations and how happy she was for me, emphasized in all caps and with more emojis, ending with her calling dibs on swearing me in as an attorney when the day comes. The following afternoon, I came into Judge Berlin’s courtroom, where she was waiting for me with a genuinely proud expression on her face, a giant hug, and a cupcake from a local bakery. We spent the afternoon between her cases discussing how I would attend legal events and classes, and maybe even meet my future husband, a fellow aspiring attorney, through this once in a lifetime opportunity.

The summer after graduating high school, when I should’ve stopped interning with Judge Berlin, as it was part of a high school course, I immediately began to miss my time in the courtroom and getting to better understand the legal system with Judge Berlin. So, I texted her asking if I could come back. She told me that she had been waiting for that message, and that she missed my presence in the back of her courtroom and throughout her offices. I returned to my internship the following week, and Judge Berlin and I became closer than ever. She took me out for lunches, encouraged all of my questions no matter how small they seemed, and even offered to pay for the parking citation I received one afternoon. Judge Berlin and I’s relationship was excelled after reading her recommendation for me and knowing how much potential she saw in myself that I for so long had doubted. The time I spent in the Sarasota County Courthouses, getting to know Judge Berlin and all of her associates so well has truly fostered a lifelong connection to the legal system, and I still know that even today I am welcome to approach her with any questions or concerns I have. Had it not been for my experience in the Sarasota County Courthouses, shadowing one of the best role models I could ever ask for, I would not be where I am today at Florida State University, well on my way to beginning my legal career.