Community Legal Information Clinic

Kaitlyn Enticknap

Major: Legal Studies
Hometown: Santa Ynez, CA
Class: Junior
Program Position: Women’s Law Director | CLIC

How did you first get connected with Community Legal Information Center (CLIC)?
I got connected with CLIC through the shadowing program within the Freshman Leadership Opportunity. I shadowed an Administrative Director, Stephanie Leland. Stephanie had such a passion for CLIC. She immediately made me interested and gave me a desire to get involved with the organization.

How would you describe your current role as the Director of the Women’s Law program?
The directorship entails recruiting and training interns, organizing weekly department meetings, and maintaining communication between the department and the supervising attorney. The most important duty I have as the director of the Women’s Law Program at CLIC is to guide the department in learning the law and giving information to clients that are in need of various restraining orders. Another aspect of being director is planning outreach events that pertain to my department. This month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Women’s Law Program hosted a movie screening of “Crime after Crime” that gave a greater awareness of domestic violence.

What does working for CLIC do for you personally, professionally, or academically?
CLIC helps prepare you for all situations that you will face inside your college career as well as after you graduate. This is my third year in CLIC, and the growth I have had personally is all due to the family I have gained within the CLIC office. It is easy to grow as a person when you have 20 people behind you that are constantly encouraging you and being there in times of hardship. The professionalism that’s required has made me step up to a higher level of expectation. I then realized that this is what it must stay at in all aspects of my life in order for me to be successful in my career path because I know as soon as I enter the career field I will be held to a higher standard. Lastly, it has helped me grow academically by increasing my efficiency and effectiveness. As the tasks started to pile up and time began going by faster each day, I quickly learned how to schedule my time, prioritize, and drink plenty of coffee.

What do YOU bring to the table in your role as the Director of Women’s Law?
I bring an open perspective to the table as the director of the Women’s Law Program. I am continually trying to broaden my scope of thought and increase the effectiveness of the department. This includes making new information sheets that are more reader friendly, practicing inclusive language, as well as planning and executing events that inform the public about elder abuse, civil harassment and domestic violence issues that the department deals with.

What are your career plans and how does your job with the Associated Students better prepare you for that path?
My plan after graduating Chico State, with a BA in Legal Studies and my paralegal certificate, is to attend law school. My goal is to attend the University of Chicago, Law School and practice the law as an attorney. CLIC has prepared me for this path by allowing me to gain hands on experiences with real life situations. This experience has shown me the true impact I can make on people’s lives as an attorney. It has given me the motivation I need to keep working through school because I know it will all be worth it in the end.