Martinsville Law School Grad Interns with Israel Supreme Court

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Martinsville native Michael Chu has always dreamed of helping others and making the world a better place. Through law, Chu has found a way to fulfill this passion and broadened his skills when he traveled overseas to Israel for an internship.

"My whole life I was interested in helping people... It stems from Saturday morning cartoons where there were people fighting for the fate of the world. I grew up with Harry Potter and it was always just instilled in me to help people," Chu said.

A Rutgers University New Brunswick graduate, Chu then went on to Cornell Law School where he worked for the New Jersey Supreme Court in Somerville and then a New York City law firm.

Chu then earned an Israeli internship opportunity from a grant he was awarded through Our Soldiers Speak, a nonprofit 501(C)(3), charitable organization in the United States, dedicated to engaging and educating students and academics across the globe about Israel and its essential security requirements.

Chu’s internship award was part of an annual grant program to foster the development of peace and economic stability in the Middle East and North Africa through the study of law.

"It was an amazing experience," Chu said.

Chu served as a foreign law clerk for the Israeli Supreme Court where he dealt with issues of comparative law — looking at how does the U.S. approaches different practices in comparison to Israel.

"It was a really big change," Chu said of going to Israel. "Number one not everything is in English all the time. Coming from New York City I didn’t know what to expect. Jerusalem was fast paced in its own way. Culturally it was a bit rougher not meaning the people but they are more efficient in their work and cut right to the point."

During his internship Chu learned how to better search for answers and how to communicate better.

"I learned how to best phrase something to make sure someone who barely speaks English can understand," said Chu. "I learned to translate legalized language so that anyone can understand. This impacted me as a writer and for the future."

Since his trip Chu has started a position as a Judicial Law Clerk for United States District Judge, the Honorable Pamela Pepper in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also co-authored a piece, titled, "Lawyers as Activists - From the Airport to the Courtroom," which examines the actions of lawyers in the aftermath of the ban of Muslims entering the U.S. following the Dec. 2, 2015 fatal attack by a Pakistani-born U.S. citizen in San Bernardino, California.

The Our Soldiers Speak internship is available each year and those interested can apply by sending a resume through the contact page at Oursoldiersspeak.org.

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