Sarah Hays is a dual degree candidate in Law and Conflict & Dispute Resolution at the University of Oregon School of Law who interned with NCVLI’s Safeguarding Child-Victims’ Rights Initiative during the summer of 2011.  We were pleased to have an intern with such a broad base of experience and a unique perspective on justice systems.  Sarah brought a fierce passion for victims’ rights and a strong work ethic which benefited our work on behalf of child-victims enormously!  We are sad to see Sarah leave Portland to return to law school but are thrilled that she has agreed to continue to volunteer for the project providing research and publication support from afar!   

Sarah has this to say about her internship with NCVLI:

During my time at NCVLI I had the opportunity to support the organization in a variety of ways.  I helped to research and answer legal questions for victims’ attorneys so that they could better serve their clients; I summarized cases in an ongoing effort to build a large, comprehensive victims’ rights law database that helps victims’ rights attorneys find relevant law; and I researched and drafted a policy paper about child-victims and victim offender mediation that will help victim advocates better serve their clients.  I was also fortunate to be included in NCVLI’s annual Crime Victim Law Conference, where I was able to meet nationally recognized legal scholars and practitioners as well as meet survivors who are active in the victims’ rights movement.  My experience with NCVLI helped to broaden my perspective and clarify my life’s purpose.  I am here to stand up for those who cannot stand alone and help the disempowered to regain their power.   I was truly inspired and humbled to be a part of NCVLI.  

© 2011 National Crime Victim Law Institute