The intern at a law firm

Once there was a young man who had just graduated from law school. After his graduation, he had a bit of time before he took his bar exam. This young man decided to become an intern and applied to the office of a lawyer. The lawyer, being short of hands, was quite happy to have the intern join his team, and thus the internship began.

On his first day at the workplace, the young man felt overwhelmed. There were many things unfamiliar to him. However, he was welcomed warmly by the lawyer, shown to his desk equipped with a computer, and told he could use it to carry out his duties. As he patiently waited, the lawyer assigned him some tasks. Mindful that the intern had no prior experience in a law firm, the lawyer began with an introduction and explained a bit about the work. The young man's initial duties involved delivering some documents and following up with clients.

After completing these tasks, he returned to find the lawyer pleased with his efforts and ready to assign more work. The lawyer provided background information on each case to help the intern understand better. By the second day, however, the young man grew frustrated and vented to the lawyer's secretary. After work, the secretary relayed the intern's feelings to the lawyer, saying the young man felt he was being treated like an office boy and wasn’t learning anything substantive.

Acknowledging his concerns, the lawyer assigned the intern some drafting work in addition to his previous tasks. However, the young man's drafting skills were lacking. The lawyer opted to write drafts himself and asked the intern to type, edit, and make any amendments he thought beneficial. Yet, by the end of the day, the intern expressed disappointment to the secretary again, feeling he was still not learning much.

By the fourth day, the lawyer, now aware of the intern's ongoing frustrations, sat him down for a chat. He explained that while the intern might feel like he wasn't learning, he was actually witnessing aspects of legal work not taught in law school. The lawyer clarified that while movies often depict lawyers battling in court, a significant amount of legal work involves drafting, case management, and client interactions.

The lawyer emphasized that even tasks like sending documents were vital to the job. He encouraged the young man not to be disheartened and to view every task as a learning opportunity and an essential part of the legal profession.

The lawyer advised the young man that internship involved learning on the job. It would not be an academic learning experience. Further, as the lawyer was paying an allowance, he hoped that the intern could make himself useful. The intern expressed his acknowledgement, and nodded to the lawyer's words.

With time, the young man would see that every task played a crucial role in the larger picture.

When the young man opened his own law firm, he remembered his experience. He would assign his own interns a mix of basic tasks and challenging assignments, to offer them a better exposure.

Thank you for reading.

Note. This piece was written after some experience with interns, who felt unhappy that they were not being brought to court, etc. It is a reflective piece and not legal advice.