Short and Stevens Law Internship

While reflecting on my internship experience at Short and Stevens Law as a legal intern, I can confidently say it has been invaluable and immensely beneficial for my future career in law! This internship has provided me with practical insights into estate planning, probate, trust administration, and business and real estate law, all of which are areas I am considering for my legal career. By immersing myself in this internship, I have been able to develop a clearer understanding of real-world legal processes and developed key skills in handling legal documents which will be incredibly valuable to my career development. This hands-on experience has shown me both the critical aspects of an attorney's work life but also the more mundane but necessary tasks that are essential to effectively manage a firm and support clients.

My internship has closely aligned with my major in Political Science as the theoretical and foundation knowledge I have gained in my coursework has directly applied to the tasks I have completed in my internship. Such as document review and understanding the legal process and legal frameworks. This connection has not only reinforced my academic learning but also provided a practical application for what I have learned in some of my political science courses.

Before beginning this internship, I believe it is crucial to have taken core political science courses to have a foundational understanding of certain legal processes and some familiarity with certain legal words and concepts. Additionally, the COLA 402 course has been incredibly invaluable in ensuring that I am active in my career development. Not only improving my professionalism at my internship but also providing me with the tools to assist me beyond this internship!

Completing this internship has solidified my interest in pursuing a career in law, with increased interest, particularly in estate planning and trust administration. The dynamic nature of the fields and the opportunity to work closely with clients on significant life decisions is very appealing. However, I do recognize the crucial need for further training and education, which is why this internship has also solidified my desire and need to pursue a Juris Doctor (JD) degree.

One piece of advice for incoming interns is to be proactive and take initiative. Asking good questions is important but ensuring you are actually applying that newly gained knowledge is even more important! It is also incredibly important to be open to learning every task no matter how small it may seem it is all part of the bigger picture. I think this attitude will help incoming interns gain the most from their internship and demonstrate commitment and eagerness to learn.