CriminalAmariPandian

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Amari Pandian

Liberal Arts and Science Academy
Class of 2025

Interned with Harden Law PLLC on a life-changing case.

Collaborated with top law professors and experts to prepare an expert witness for trial.

Advocated for an issue of national importance that directly affects the client and the criminal legal system on Capitol Hill to congressmen, senators, and congressional officials.

Learn more about Amari here.

Amari Pandian is excited to gain real-life legal experience through this program. Throughout Middle School and High School, she has participated in mock trial competitions, and loves arguing cases in mock court. She looks forward to learning the process of legal research, and the more professional side of putting a case together.

Amari’s mock trial experience in High School has been through the YMCA Youth and Government program, and her team has made it to the State level each year. She will serve as a co-president of the club next year, and hopes to make it to the National competition! Amari’s other main interest is music. She is currently the Vice President of the LASA Raptor Marching Band, and will serve as the President next year. Amari has competed in UIL Solo and Ensemble Competition for flute each year and is a member of the Austin Flute choir Youth Ensemble. Amari also loves dance and the arts. She has 8 years of classical Indian dance training in Bharatanatyam and has a small polymer clay jewelry business. She is also a member of NHS, and volunteers at a local crafting reuse center. In her (rather limited) free time, Amari loves to read, spend time outdoors, and go bouldering.

Amari would like to pursue a career in social justice and advocacy through a legal lens so she can create change in her community. She would like to work in civil rights law to protect people’s constitutional rights, civil rights, and human rights. Having grown up in Texas, she has seen and heard firsthand about the inefficiency of the courts around immigration law, and that has inspired her to find ways to advocate for people in her community. She hopes this program will help her gain the skills to be able to advocate for people inside and outside of the courtroom.

Read more about Amari’s achievements here.

My Law & Advocacy Training

Congressional
Advocacy

Witness
Preparation

Legal
Research

Mentor & Expert
Collaboration

My Congressional Advocacy

Throughout the internship, I developed skills to effectively advocate on behalf of my client to congressional officials. To prepare for my meetings, I developed informative briefing materials with my team, which focused on improving the criminal legal system.

On Capitol Hill, we highlighted an issue within the criminal legal system to congressional representatives and advocated for possible solutions to the harrowing issues present throughout the system. My team and I worked to ensure we had facts, statistics, and compelling stories to share with our representatives. After our meeting, we followed up with our representatives to call for further action.

Expert Witness Preparation

The Basics of Witness Preparation

I worked with my clients to prepare them for their testimony at trial this upcoming year and conducted witness preparation at the American University Washington College of Law.

I learned about direct and cross-examinations from lawyers and worked with my peers to develop strong lines of questioning about different aspects of the case.

How We Prepared Our Witness

At the end of the internship, I had the opportunity to prepare my client for the upcoming trial by conducting my direct and cross-examination with my peers.

I questioned the witness about the different facts of the case and elements that could influence the outcome of the trial.

This is important because now my client is able to go to the trial with an idea of the questions that will be asked and the best answers that they can provide.

My Legal Research

During the internship, I explored various aspects of the legal profession, gaining an appreciation for the fundamental role of writing within it. As a legal intern, I engaged with a diverse range of case documents, including motions, affidavits, grand jury testimonies, and discovery materials.

Under the mentorship of Brandi Harden from Harden Law | PLLC, I received valuable guidance on interpreting and understanding the significance of these documents in the trial process.

In preparing my client for trial, I meticulously examined legal documents and exhibits, completing extensive legal research to identify inconsistencies and gather supporting evidence. This thorough process informed the development of effective lines of questioning.

Internship Highlights

Brandi Harden
Heather Pinckney
National Reentry
Jugde Adam Hunter
Legal Experts

Brandi Harden is currently the Managing Partner at Harden Law | PLLC, a boutique law firm in Washington, D.C., focusing on criminal defense, civil rights, and family law. Ms. Harden is also an adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law, where she coaches the Huver I. Brown Trial Advocacy Team. Ms. Harden also serves as an Adjunct Professor at American University-Washington College of Law (WCL) teaching Evidentiary Foundations and Objections.

Ms. Harden has served as a trial attorney and a supervising attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS). Ms. Harden also served as Chair of the Criminal Practice Institute, faculty for Summer Series training, served as a member of the PDS Forensic Practice Group, and led Felony Division-Trial Practice Groups. Ms. Harden has also worked for The Southern Center for Human Rights, The United States Department of Labor, and The United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division–Computer and Finance Section.

Before entering into private practice, Ms. Pinckney served as a deputy chief of the Trial Division for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (hereinafter PDS). As a deputy trial chief, Heather Pinckney assisted in the management and day-to-day operations of the trial division and supervised over 60 attorneys litigating criminal cases in the District of Columbia Superior Court. Prior to becoming deputy trial chief, Ms. Pinckney served for 8 years as a staff attorney at PDS. She also served for 4 years as the chair of the DC Public Defender Service Hiring Committee.

Ms. Pinckney has also worked for the Educational Opportunities Section of the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice and the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless and TransAfrica.

Ms. Pinckney has acted as a visiting instructor with the Georgia Honors Program and with the Southern Public Defender Training Center. She has also served as a guest lecturer at Howard University School of Law, American University School of Law, the David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC), and the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Workshop.

The National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens is an organization dedicated to supporting individuals returning from incarceration through a strong national network, addressing their basic needs and promoting successful reintegration. The Network emphasizes restorative practices, empowerment, and leadership among returning citizens to reduce recidivism.

Courtney Stewart, the Director of the National Reentry Network, exposed our team to the idea of the school-to-prison pipeline and the ‘War on Drugs’ that targets Black men, women, and children, to a greater extent than others in our society. He also revealed the obstacles that returning citizens face post-incarceration.

Mr. Stewart’s vision is to reinvest in safe and healthy communities, create more living-wage jobs, establish permanent housing, and develop economic self-sufficiency for returning citizens.

He brought with him recently released returning citizens who spoke out about their criminal history, reentry, recidivism, and their lives before, during, and after prison.

Judge Adam Hunter is the Chair/Chief Administrative Judge of the D.C. Rental Housing Commission, adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law, and a member Board of Directors of Rising for Justice.

Judge Hunter explained the intricacies of witness preparation during the trial process.

Judge Hunter worked to help me develop lines of questioning for direct and cross-examination while ensuring all questions were properly worded.

He also shared his experiences in the legal field in the District of Columbia and shared advice about becoming a lawyer and a judge.

Dr. TaLisa Carter

Dr. Carter is a Professor in the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology at American University, an Affiliated Scholar at Urban Institute, and an Affiliate with the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence! at George Mason University. Previously, she worked as a Deputy Corrections Officer in Savannah, GA, giving her unique insights into criminology.

Gerald Collins

Mr. Collins is a Federal Prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice, specializing in organized crime and gang cases as a Trial Attorney. Prior to working with the Department of Justice, Mr. Collins was the Special Counsel to the State’s Attorney for Maryland, focusing on the prosecution of sensitive cases, including violent offenders, drug trafficking, white-collar offenses, public corruption, and organized crime.

Joel Caston

Joel Caston has served as an ANC Commissioner representing Ward 7 in Washington, D.C., since 2021, after being elected while incarcerated. Additionally, Commissioner Caston is a Fellow at the Justice Policy Institute, has collaborated with the NYC Department of Corrections on the Young Adult Project, and is the founder of Young Men Emerging, a mentorship program for incarcerated individuals.