Years before earning her Paralegal Certificate at the University of California-East Bay, Leah Rachel Fischer enjoyed the chance to complete an internship with the San Francisco Department of Justice. The Appeals, Writs and Trials office (AWT) Internship, which took place under the direct supervision of the then-Deputy Attorney General of the San Francisco Criminal Division, Karen Bovarnick, exposed Fischer to daily goings-on of a government-operated legal division, and provided invaluable firsthand experience with the criminal justice system. As AWT Intern, Leah Rachel Fischer was primarily responsible for performing research on a number of legal issues, as well as composing numerous appellant briefs. She was required to read through full transcripts of many criminal cases, particularly those centered on gang activity and first-degree murder, as well as to both take notes and summarize cases and depositions for the Deputy Attorney General to use later o