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PROFILE
Profile: Kristen Comer, Legal Assistant, Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence Legal Action Project [by Regan Morris] Kristen Comer has been with the Brady Center since October. LawCrossing speaks with the legal assistant about her first legal job and her plans to become an attorney.
Juggling a fulltime job and law school four
gun violence. The Brady Campaign and the
has dignity no matter what their standing is
nights a week requires serious drive and
Brady Center believe that a safer America
in life, where they live, or how much money
stamina. Kristen Comer has both. During
can be achieved without banning all guns.
they make,” she said. “And I think that’s
the day, Ms. Comer, 31, works as a legal
The groups want safer guns with childproof
certainly where my passion for human rights
assistant at the Brady Center to Prevent
safety locks. They also support a ban on as-
began.”
Gun Violence. At night she attends George
sault weapons. Ms. Comer hopes to work as an international
Washington Law School. She started both law school and her first legal job last autumn.
The Brady Center uses litigation to reform
human rights attorney once she graduates,
the gun industry. Last year, the center had
perhaps in the field of weapons proliferation.
The former teacher and Peace Corps volun-
three landmark victories in three months,
teer wanted to blend her love of education
with combined settlements totaling $4.4
“A lot depends on the kind of experiences
with international work. So she completed
million.
that I have in law school and what I learn from working here,” she said. “Ultimately, I
a Master’s program at Columbia Teacher’s College, where she focused on human rights
Ms. Comer said her job mainly involves
would love to work at the World Court in The
issues and international education.
research and supporting five attorneys, in-
Hague or for the U.N. or work for another
cluding working on various research projects
human rights organization. Doing litigation
“I found that if I wanted to work in human
for them. One of the biggest challenges, she
maybe; those are things that I would enjoy
rights and international work, then the best
said, is just keeping abreast of all the various
doing.”
thing I could do was get a law degree, and
gun-violence studies on both sides of the
that’s what brought me here,” she said. “This
debate.
Ms. Comer has been helping the Brady Cen-
school. I wasn’t entirely sure of what to ex-
“I’m the only legal assistant. They’re really
and hopes to help out in a courtroom soon. For others interested in a career in interna-
ter attorneys prepare for upcoming litigation
is my first legal job. It’s my first year of law pect, so I don’t think there are any surprises.
good about keeping me balanced, and I have
But it certainly has been a fascinating job,
a chart in my office that outlines what I’m
tional law or gun policy, she said Washington,
and I’m really enjoying the relevance that it
doing for everyone so they can see what I’m
DC, or New York is the place to be. But she
has to my studies.”
working on.” she said.
misses the great outdoors of Washington
She found the job on the idealist.org website
Ms. Comer, who grew up in Washington
and said the gun-control lobby was close to
State, has always been an idealist. She spent
Ms. Comer said the secret to success for
her heart. She believes that violence preven-
two years working with the Peace Corps on
working and studying fulltime is getting her
tion is a human rights issue, and the issue is
the Thai-Laos border and also spent time
school projects done on the weekends.
personal to her as well because one of her
teaching high school at an education clinic
students was shot and killed when she was
for students who had dropped out or spent
“It’s certainly an exercise in stamina,” she
teaching in Seattle. Another student was
time in prison.
said. “I love school. I love to learn. I think
State.
that I will always be learning even when I’m
wounded by a gunshot. “Both my grandparents and my parents cerThe Brady Center and Brady Campaign are
tainly instilled in my brother and my sister
the largest national, nonpartisan, grassroots
and [me] the importance of serving your
organizations leading the fight to prevent
community and the belief that each person
PAGE 1
not in school.”