What does a law firm internship entail?
The specific duties of a law student intern will vary based on the intern’s level of experience, the firm’s needs and the program under which the student is interning. However, there are some tasks that many law students can expect to be involved in.
Interns are often required to research areas of law that are pertinent to a case, litigation or settlement, such as tort law, similar past cases or even the accounting of damages. Interns regularly do legal research for attorneys, who may then use this information as a pretreatment strategy during negotiations.
Interns may also be involved with case preparation, which includes organizing exhibits, summarizing depositions and preparing trial binders. They may help attorneys and paralegals prepare examinations , jury instructions and motions. Some interns work with witnesses and present mock statements and questions from opening arguments and direct-examination.
Interns are often involved in drafting work, which may include pleadings, briefs, motions and client correspondence. Interns may also research statutes and prepare written opinions. Drafting opinions in moot court competitions, when available, is another way to research and practice editing and writing.
Interns in a law firm should also expect to conduct administrative tasks, such as filing and transferring files into electronic documents. Depending on the office policy, interns may also be required to answer phones and take messages, greet visitors, and procure supplies and lunch.
The advantages of a law firm internship
In the competitive world of legal careers, the right experience can set you apart from your peers in the field. Securing an internship with a law firm as a student or recent graduate can offer not only invaluable, real-world experience with a busy firm, but also help bolster your resume and galvanize your resume through important networking opportunities. Knowing what to expect from your internship and – perhaps more importantly – what is expected of you can help position yourself for success and assist you in landing a position with the firm after you graduate. As a strong prelude to future employment, spending time working for a law firm as an extern or intern provides you with firsthand experience handling a variety of legal situations in order to test and put to practice the skills you have learned in the classroom. Some of the basic benefits of pursuing an internship at a law firm include:
How to land a law firm internship
To secure an internship at a law firm, students and graduates should start laying the groundwork and building relationships well before they apply. Internships aren’t just about sending out your resume and cover letter; it’s about showing up and making yourself known.
Many law schools require students to apply through their career center, while others only encourage it. Regardless, students are most likely to find a law firm that fits them best if they do some of the leg work themselves. Network with alumni, faculty, and attorneys you meet to find about any firms that may be a good fit for you. You can find attorneys through LinkedIn or other social media platforms.
If your school gives you an opportunity to get in touch with alumni at a specific firm, take it. Let them know that you’d like to visit with them to learn more about practice area and the firm. This is your chance to ask pointed questions about why the attorney and firm is a good fit for you, while earning valuable face time with someone who may put in a good word for you during the hiring process.
If you already have a specific firm in mind, reach out to the person that makes hiring decisions and ask if you can speak with them about their internship program. Prepare a short overview of yourself by outlining your interests, skills, and goals. Speak with them about their goals for the internship program and talk to them about how they could align with each other. Your ultimate goal here is to show your enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.
If the firm doesn’t have an internship program that’s already defined but offers one anyway, take their internal expectations of the internship and use them to set your goals. Ask the hiring manager what past interns have experienced. Once you’ve achieved your goals, bring them to the hiring manager and ask for feedback.
The key to securing an internship is to be enthusiastic, proactive, and ready to grow and learn. The firm and its attorneys are likely to be impressed with your forethought, and you’ll make an impression as someone whose impressive not because of past achievements but because of your potential.
Skills developed through a law firm internship
A plethora of skills are gained during a law firm internship and will be helpful to stand out amongst your colleagues and friends when at school or in the work force. Depending on where you are at in your career will allow you to have a greater responsibility level and tasks that you will be assigned.
One of the most important skills you will work on is legal research. Many law firms who hire summer interns for only part of the summer months will assign them what is known as a "legal research memo" which will help them draft a trial brief. This entails finding the facts of the case, creating a case outline answering key questions that the firm needs answered, and educating the client on the law that pertains to the case. You will then be asked to write up a brief for your supervising attorney or supervisor. This is critical because when you are eventually called to law school and need to do a similar task, you will already know what you are doing! You are most likely going to use Casetext and LexisNexis at my firm but you can always go to a first-year associate and ask questions or research what are the best legal research sites. Believe me they have been where you are and will understand your need to want to know more about the subject.
Another skill you will obtain as an intern is communication. You will be tasked with many different responsibilities that you may feel uncomfortable completing, however, you must make it known to your supervisor that you don’t know how to do something. It is much better to tell them that you don’t know how to do it and obtain the answer now then do it wrong and have to redo it. Remember people like to hear that you want to learn and are not afraid to ask questions. It shows initiative and confidence. The longer you are at the firm the more chances you will have to ask questions and learn.
You will learn how to provide client service as a law firm intern. You will complete tasks that not only will go over well with your supervisor but more importantly the client. This will range anywhere from picking up the phone and calling to schedule a meeting or entering and filing paperwork in order to provide the client with what they need. You will know how to treat clients when you meet them and make them feel comfortable. Sometimes you may need to go to a client’s home or office to meet with them and as well as show them the steps that are being completed so they are educated as well as comfortable with the process in order to keep them satisfied.
One of the other skills learned during your internship is teamwork. You must communicate with your whole team including legal assistants, paralegals, summer associates, and senior attorneys. You must figure out what your role is and how you can compliment other members of your team. Sometimes this will cause headaches because all of us know it is hard to work with others to complete a project, however, you will learn to work together to complete a common task which is crucial in a law firm setting.
Lastly, you will learn where you want to be in ten years after you graduate from law school. Sometimes you will learn that working in one particular sector is all you want to do or that family law is absolutely not your style. Either way speaking with your team or other members of the firm will allow you to find out where you can be and what your role will be in that position.
Challenges of a law firm internship
Law students and new grads can face several challenges during their law firm internship, chiefly things such as the intense nature of the work, the field of law you are dealing with and the types of concepts and ideas you are expected to grasp during your short period as an intern. It may also be difficult for interns to switch from the classroom dynamic to the office environment, in response to the new pressure they will be dealing with and the unexpected nature of the pace and demands of the work they are asked to do.
The key to taking on these challenges is to remain calm and assess the situation. Try to keep panic at bay, as this will help you to stay focused and not overthink the situation. Taking a closer look at your tasks may reveal the solutions to your issues quickly. If you feel it’s time to ask for help, go ahead and do so. It doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of completing the work , just that you need a helping hand and guidance.
Many young law students will also find themselves thrown off by the cliche "sink or swim" approach that many law firms take. While there is truth to this approach, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to be shown the ropes at some point. It is important when you get instructions for a piece of work that you ask as many questions as necessary to determine what it is you have to do and ensure you have understood it fully before proceeding. It is your responsibility to ask these questions, and this stands even if it means risking sounding unknowledgeable or incompetent.
Final piece of advice: Don’t be afraid of feedback. It can be difficult to hear criticism and everything you could have done better in a piece of work, but take it in stride. Instead of seeing criticism as a demoralizing event, focus on the future and all the new opportunities you have coming up.
Making the most of your internship
Despite its many benefits, the legal internship is a two-way street and law firm interns must take the necessary steps to ensure that their experience is mutually rewarding. For interns who are currently suffering from impostor syndrome — the internal feeling of being a fraud, deriding their abilities and believing that they will be discovered as unqualified — what follows is a guide to maximizing your internship, so you can get the most out of it.
Know what you want to get out of the internship. Each intern brings their own individual goals to the table, and the firm itself has goals as well. The goal of the firm may be a basic one: That the intern helps them get through the busy summer season. Typically, the firm will sit down with you (most likely at the start of your internship) and provide a set of basic goals for you to achieve over the course of your time there. It is important to ask questions about the goals, and to make sure that you understand them. If you look closely across the horizon of your internship, there will probably be some other things that you hope to accomplish. Be sure to write these down, to give yourself a post-internship checklist of goals.
We’ve all heard the cliche about the law: "80% of life is showing up." Of course, if you really think about it, it’s not only important to show up; you must also treat each opportunity for what it is. Interning at a law firm is like taking law school classes for free. Each time you receive a case or a project, it is implicitly tied to some greater lesson. You should make sure that you’re picking up the lessons hidden within your projects. For example, most internships come with a series of seminars designed to increase your legal education. The firm may ask you to participate in a host of research opportunities (the first article of this series is the perfect example). Be sure to consider the value of each project, seminar and interview, instead of just putting in the bare minimum. As a summer associate, you are all but certain to prove yourself as capable and reliable. With that in mind, go above and beyond whenever possible. Your supervisor will certainly appreciate it.
Take advantage of mentorship opportunities. Seek out a mentor at the firm as soon as possible, or ask HR to assist you in finding one. While it is certainly possible to go through an entire law school experience without any informal mentorship, we would not recommend it. Having a mentor can be incredibly beneficial to your overall success in the legal field. Given the obvious advantages of having a prominent legal professional to lean on, it is important to seek out mentorship whenever possible. However, the bottom line is that mentorship should be a two-way street. As a mentee, you should seek to offer your mentors value in return. This can be as simple as treating them to coffee or lunch after a successful project, or simply being a friendly comfort when they need a sounding board. In a future point, we will discuss how mentorship works in more detail.
Post-internship: Utilizing experience for career advancement
Internships are a huge investment for firms, so they are usually very excited to have an intern on board. After all, law firms typically don’t have any kind of volatility in their work load and they can’t suddenly hire several new attorneys or cut several from the firm. Your internship is almost like FORS (for recruitment systems), an internal program. The firm wants to see if they can get you to stay permanently and hopefully bring in your friends, who will need jobs at law firms down the road. So when you’re working with the firm they want to know that you are committed to putting your all in it. Be present, do your work, follow through.
You’re also developing a great catalogue of connections while working for a firm. It’s up to you to figure out how to make those connections work for you post-internship. Make sure you collect contact info as you go along. Connect with as many people as you can on LinkedIn after your time at the firm. Be sure to send connections a note thanking them for their time. You definitely want to thank the attorneys for their time and effort in monitoring your work and providing you feedback.
Networking is important. The best way to find the job that’s right for you is often by having someone you know tell you about the job. Those people can be family friends , past co-workers, people you’ve met at networking events and more, the key is that they are in the industry. While you are an intern with the firm, you should ask around about job opportunities. Tell the attorneys and administrators that you know when you are graduating and what you are looking for. Those people will be able to help you out immensely at the end when you are trying to find that perfect job.
The key to getting hired at a firm you’ve interned for is to not come off too aggressive. If they were genuinely interested in hiring you permanently, they will approach you and offer you a position. Obtaining a permanent position can also depend on how well your internship was received by the employees of the firm. It’s a little bit of ‘who you know’ and ‘what you prove to them’. As long as you are dedicated to doing good work for the firm and show your interest in being there, you should be fine.