My internship at Freedom Law Firm was my stepping stone into the legal world. I learned a lot about the daily operations of a law firm, and I was able to seamlessly integrate myself into the work environment with the help of the excellent staff. This experience has definitely benefitted me in regard to my future career because I was able to obtain a job as a Legal Assistant as a result of participating in the internship program.
As a Political Science Major, I do not think that this internship directly ties into my major but most students like myself who aspire to become attorneys someday choose politics as their field of study. I definitely learned a lot of things at the Law Firm that I have not learned at all in school. My major is more centered around politics and government whereas, my internship site is geared toward bankruptcy law. I do not think you need any specific educational requirements to be a successful intern at a law firm. As long as you are motivated, eager to learn, ask questions, and completely analyze everything in front of you, then you will be just fine.
During my internship, I worked extremely closely with one of the Legal Assistants, so I found myself becoming very comfortable with doing the work that position entails. At the beginning of my internship, I was in the reception area, so I saw how much administrative work and customer service goes into it on top of the actual legal work itself. I do not think Bankruptcy Law is something I want to stay in for the long run because it just does not interest me. However, it opened the door for me to start my legal career and I would definitely love to become a Legal Assistant/Paralegal in a different field down the line upon graduation.
For interns to secure a full-time position in this field I think they just need to be, professional, organized, punctual, communicative, personable, motivated, and eager. Being a fast learner, with tons of life experience prior to even starting this internship is what makes me feel like I was able to succeed in completing the tasks asked of me effectively to be able to secure a job at my internship site. On a daily basis, I would find myself analyzing many different documents that I have seen before and that made it very easy for me to do a lot of tasks fairly quickly. The best piece of advice I could give any incoming intern is not to be afraid to fail or ask questions. You are not expected to be perfect and the whole purpose of the internship is for you to learn and gain experience to carry with you throughout the rest of your professional career. Everyone you work with are your teammates, so never be afraid to ask them for help or advice because they will be more than happy to do so.
All in all, I can confidently say participating in this program was the best thing that I ever did and I wish I would have chosen to do so earlier in my college career. There are just so many benefits to it. Not just professionally or academically, but in all aspects of life! I definitely encourage anyone who is thinking about participating to do so because it is well worth it!
It has opened the door for you indeed! So proud of you, Brandon!