One Thing I Wish Law Students Knew: Internships Are The Real Foundation Of A Legal Career

The transition from law school to actual practice is the most important step in one’s legal career. Don’t be in a rush to join an office until you are sure that you “like and enjoy” the work you will be doing. Compulsive working cannot be healthy in a longer run. I came across a lot of people who after joining litigation realized after a few years that they were never interested in litigation. Through the years in practice I have realized that the initial years in practice are the most testing years but at the same time also the foundational years and should be taken very seriously.

Through the years in practice I have realized that the initial years in practice are the most testing years but at the same time also the foundational years and should be taken very seriously. While there is a growing trend of law graduates joining law firms and chambers through Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs), many begin switching jobs just a few months after starting. Among other factors, this high turnover is primarily driven by dissatisfaction with the nature of their work. To avoid this, do not be in a rush to join an office until you are completely sure that you actually like the work you will be doing.

How does one be sure that they will like a particular kind of work in a particular office, before joining that office? The precise and the only answer to this is through extended internships. I feel that an extended internship in an office which you are looking to join gives you a fair idea about how demanding the work is, the kind of work you will be involved in etc. and its very important to work in that office as an intern before you join after your graduation and try and get a call-back internship before you finally plan to join after graduation.

Initial work exposure not only gives a general idea of the work but also helps one to get accustomed to the kind of work they will be required to do. Internships play an impeccable and irreplaceable role in shaping the trajectory of a lawyer. Furthermore, the gravest mistake a law student can make is to treat an internship as a self-contained, thirty-day transaction. A successful internship does not terminate upon getting an internship certificate; it serves as the opening chapter of a lifelong professional relationship.

Before you sign any offer, you need to understand exactly what kind of matters that office handles and what they expect from you daily. Ask yourself a very honest question: Will I actually enjoy doing this specific work every single day once I join?

As briefly mentioned earlier that internships are the only way a law student realizes his/her area of interest area. Internships must be planned in a manner that gives exposure to a law student in both litigation and corporate in the initial years of law school, so that he/she may be decisive if they would want to enter into litigation or would want to settle as a corporate lawyer. I’d say that while in law school a student must divide the internship year wise so that by reaching final year, they can get a broad idea of the area of law they are interested to work in.

An internship is not just about showing up for 30 days and collecting a certificate. It is a hands-on learning opportunity. Few points which may be kept in mind while joining as an internship are:

• Try and take ownership on the work allocated to you.

• Try and not restrict your interaction with the team members to ought 30 days while you are interning and therefore one must make efforts to continue interaction with the team members even after the internship is over.

• Make use of every single opportunity and do not shred away from putting forward your point. No one is perfect and it is human to make mistakes and thus, one should never shred away in sharing his/her viewpoint.

• Lastly, do not shred away in engaging in miscellaneous tasks being allocated to you as part of preparation for a hearing. Trust me, if you aim to be a litigator, you have to be an all-rounder and that only comes with experience.

In conclusion, practical experience is a foundation of one's legal career. A meaningful legal career is not something which fall into out of convenience; it is a trajectory built on purposeful, conscious determination the trajectory of legal career should be built on conscious choices, not convenience. Treat your internships as the ultimate testing ground to find where your true interest lies. By choosing an office based on the substance of the work rather than the brand name, you ensure that your foundation in the profession is both solid and enduring.