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For some students, their birthday week is a time to celebrate and their finals week is a time to really hit the books. For Samuel Berbano, a current 3L, these two occasions instead marked the two times where he was arguing cases before the Iowa Supreme Court.
As an intern with the State Appellate Defender through Drake’s Advanced Appellate Clinic, Berbano was charged with arguing and briefing criminal appeals for indigent clients. Two of his cases, State v. Shories and State v. Huston, landed Berbano before the Iowa Supreme Court. The Court ruled in favor of Berbano’s clients in both cases.
“This incredible experience wouldn’t have been possible without Drake Law’s connections to state government, commitment to public service, and collegial community,” said Berbano. “The collegial community extends past graduation. A half-dozen Drake Law alumni took time away from their work to help me prepare and succeed in my arguments. These included my former mock trial coaches and former team members who had gone on to practice law, as well as the late, Barbara Mack, a Drake Law alumna and former professor of mine at Iowa State University”.
Berbano’s Iowa Supreme Court arguments are just one of many examples of the remarkable opportunities that Drake’s students are afforded year in and year out.