Intern at Law Firm: Advice?

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>I'm a senior in HS at the moment, and I just landed a summer internship with a law firm in a neighboring city. I'm kind of worried that I might go in on the first day and just totally humiliate myself by doing something outside of normal protocol, so I was wondering if anyone had any advice.</p>

<p>Particularly on clothing...as in what to wear/where to get it, etc etc. I'm a female, so no advice directing me toward Men's Warehouse, please ;P</p>

<p>Also, is there anything to do in order to ensure that I do more than just photocopy and file? I interned last summer at a Federal District Courthouse and I got to write case summaries that prepped the judge for his hearings, and I'd love to do something substantial like that again.</p>

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<p>Wear subdued colors. Simple navy, black, khaki-etc. Something that would look right in court-but simple-you don't need to wear a suit.
A blazer, a nice skirt, pants, etc.
What you definitely WANT to do is photocopy and file.<br>
And you want to read every file while you photocopy.
By reading and paying attention to the files, you can offer to do more.
You want and need to be a team player.
Show that you are there to be support to the attorneys and the paralegals and you will be success.
Read the files and then --you may suggest that you would like to proof read briefs and/or research case law.
Good luck to you-Law is a very exciting field.</p>

3

<p>
[quote]
By reading and paying attention to the files, you can offer to do more.

[/quote]

Like what? What would be an okay think to ask to do, without seeming like I'm asking for too much or too little? And how would I show that I want to support the attorneys/paralegals?</p>

4

<p>I'm a hs senior too and I just sent some letters to local law firms. </p>

<p>makemehappy, I'm just wondering, did you get a paid internship or unpaid? I said I was willing to work for free because I have no experience but my friend got a paid one. And is the law firm you're interning small or big?</p>

<p>And as far I know, all he did was photocopying stuff and checking out the ladies. lol</p>

5

<p>I do unpaid internships. I think it's unfair to ask for paid internships as a high schooler, because you really aren't qualified to do that much that's worth getting paid for. </p>

<p>And about your friend not doing much at his internship--I think it's a lot to do with how much your employer lets you do. At my last internship [at a federal district courthouse], the judge/research attorneys that I worked for let me write up case summaries about a week into my internship. Basically, I was summarizing cases that the judge was hearing in the next few days, and sending my summaries to the judge to prep him for the cases. So that was DEF. an AWESOME experience, because I got to work directly w/the information, and with the attorneys and judge. </p>

<p>But the thing is, that might just be because they'd never taken a HSer before--all their interns were law students, so they were used to giving their interns more responsibilities than usual. You know what I mean? In any case, I hope the law firm I'm interning at will trust me as much as the courthouse did.</p>

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<p>I NEVER do unpaid internships. There's a lack of respect, I believe, in unpaid or below minimum wage internships (via a stipend). Some places won't even cover your transportation (train, bus) fair or lunch. What does that say about their business?</p>

<p>As for unpaid, credit internships during college, I find it amusing: So, I'm working for you, for free, but I still have to pay my school for these credits, so I can graduate earlier? And by getting these credits, I reduce scholarship credit allotment for real classes?</p>

<p>Even high schoolers should get paid to support themselves in the summer. As a senior, I and a hundred other kids at my high school (Boston Latin) had internships at State Street Bank Corp. Actually, sophomores through seniors (15/16yrs old) had internships there.. Anyway, they paid $8 starting. Not much, but hey, it paid for the T-Pass and lunch.</p>

<p>If I were a big bank, big corp. big pharma, I would not entrust any money/sensitive material to any kid who is not getting paid for his/her work. I personally believe unpaid internships are insulting, especially if they make you do full time work or treat you like their gopher.</p>

<p><strong>Also</strong> makemehappy: High school interns at State Street Bank did more work than college seniors. They were trained in proprietary trading software, administration tasks, IT, etc, etc. I don't believe it's unfair to work for money; it's a reasonable and fair tradeoff.</p>

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<p>
[quote]

Particularly on clothing...as in what to wear/where to get it, etc etc. I'm a female, so no advice directing me toward Men's Warehouse, please ;P

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Go to the Men's Wearhouse. I hear some of the local California outlets have great deals on shirts and men's slacks. :)</p>

<p>Okay, had to say it. With that said, the recommendations made by bklynmom sound pretty good.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I NEVER do unpaid internships. There's a lack of respect, I believe, in unpaid or below minimum wage internships (via a stipend). Some places won't even cover your transportation (train, bus) fair or lunch. What does that say about their business?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>According to who? I have friends at AU and GW who work unpaid internships at the State Department, and consensus seems to be that unpaid internships are better respected and receive "higher quality" assignments than paid interns. Not to mention, 70-80% of the internships here in D.C. are unpaid. </p>

<p>Some firms can simply afford to pay their interns, others have budgetary restrictions that prevent them from paying their interns. Some firms are so high-profile that they don't * need * to pay their interns, as the demand for unpaid internships is high and the application process competitive (I mean, why pay when you can hire them for free?). Can't really jump to the conclusions made above.</p>

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<p><em>As a senior, I and a hundred other kids at my high school (Boston Latin) had internships at State Street Bank Corp. Actually, sophomores through seniors (15/16yrs old) had internships there.. Anyway, they paid $8 starting. Not much, but hey, it paid for the T-Pass and lunch.</em></p>

<p>thatbiggbadwolfy-was this part of the Mayor's Summer Jobs Program? State Street Bank was their biggest participant last year.
If so, it's a great program that I wish more towns would develop. I believe around 120 HSs in your area are involved! It's a great way to give a large number of students easy access to the summer job market and training in jobskills.</p>

<p>btw-I think the only one who doesn't see the value in unpaid INTERNSHIPS may be you.</p>

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<p>Read everything and show interest. Speak up. Simply say, I was filing these documents and I have an interest in Family, Constitutional, Tax, Copyright-whatever law......
Can I do more to help the attys on this project?
Keep your eyes open. Remain positive-very best of luck to you.</p>

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<p>Thank you so much, all of you, for your advice and help. (: </p>

<p>I've been looking out for some things I can pick up to look professional [but not necessarily suit-y] on my first day...but I was wondering if there're any stores that have clothes that are definitely law-firm material? Like...I dunno, maybe I'm being paranoid, but I just want to be absolutely sure I'm okay on the first day....then after that I'll kind of get the hang of it and wing it from there. But you know what they say about first impressions lasting forever :P</p>

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<p>If I was a lawyer, tight clothing would work well.</p>

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<p>I'm interning right now at a financial firm and I think it's ridiculous to restrict your wardrobe to only navy, khaki, black...that is so boring and typical. You should definitely dress respectfully, but if you want to wear a colorful tie, fun (still appropriate) shoes, a pretty skirt...why not? You do not need to forego looking somewhat original just because you are working in a conservative environment. My advice would be to dress neutral the first day, judge the vibe of the office, and if it looks like the men wear bright shirts and ties, go for it. If the women wear bright colors, follow suit. But don't get rid of your personal style!</p>

<p>The advice on internship behavior and tasks given in this thread...well, frankly, I disagree with some of it. Many kids in our generation (particularly the types on this board!) are so over-eager to the point of being downright ANNOYING. The last thing you want to do at an internship is make your boss irritated, or even worse, make him or her feel like an idiot. College kids being hyperactive about filing and asking 10 million questions with the intent of "getting ahead" and "learning the business" are kind of irritating; overachieving high school kids are 10 times worse. There is a very clear distinction between "annoying" and "enthusiastic."</p>

<p>I have had tremendous success in my internships because I LISTEN to the people in the office who have been there longer than me. You might very well be smarter than the receptionist, but I guarantee you, she knows more about the business than you. </p>

<p>Listen closely to instructions, and then use your head when completeing tasks. Just because your boss didn't specifically say, "and then date the letter on the top..." use your common sense!!!! Letters need dates on top of them!!!</p>

<p>Do not underestimate knowing basic skills. So many eager beaver high school and college students come in thinking they will take over the business, all excited to contribute to the office staff meetings, but they have no idea how to use a copy machine, a fax machine, a spreadsheet, how to write using professional language, how to format a letter, how to order office supplies, how to answer a phone properly, fill out FedEx labels, use an electronic postage machine, how to make deposits at a bank, how to transfer phone calls in an office...these skills will be much more appreciated than your stellar contributions to the company mission. You have no idea how many people have no clue how to do these things. Do them with a smile, and if you run out of things to do, ask everyone in the office, not just your boss, if there is anything you can do to help them. </p>

<p>Offer ideas, but not too many. You don't want to appear like you think you are smarter than everyone else. </p>

<p>Ask the other employees about their lives, like their kids or how they got into their jobs. This will show you are not self absorbed, because honestly, no one really cares that you will be prelaw at Harvard if you never ask how they liked college. </p>

<p>Write lots and lots of thank you notes, and continuously thank your employers for the opportunity. Mention often how great the experience is.</p>

13

<p>how are you guys landing these internships at law firms? i have some networking connections, but so far they have come up empty. Should I just go around asking various law firms if they will accept me, give them my resume and stuff? i've tried websites (monster.com etc) and they havent worked...</p>

<p>sorry for asking this on this thread</p>

14

<p>CityGal--thanks SO MUCH for the advice (:</p>

<p>iwiw--I don't know about you, but I took Criminal Law first semester, and our final was to present a case. I was the lead prosecuting attorney, and a real attorney acted as our judge. After the mock trial, he came up to me and gave me his business card. As for my internship last summer [at a fed. district courthouse], my AP English teacher knew the judge, and after hearing that I wanted to be a lawyer, she talked to the judge. I went in for an interview, and got the spot, even though they usually didn't take HSers, only law students.</p>

<p>So for me, it's all been networking. Maybe it's not so much your connections, but how much you push at it? You have to be somewhat aggressive when it comes to getting these things through connections...follow up calls, keeping in touch, reminding your network conn to talk to the internship place...etc etc.</p>