The Value of Internships

So, you’ve thrown your mortarboard into the air on graduation day and you’re eyeing up a career in law? What sets you out from the crowd? How internships can bring your CV to life, what kind of firms offer them and when you need to apply for them.

When you’ve graduated from university, your CV is going to be very empty in terms of experience of working in the legal sector. Of curse you might have had jobs in other industries but these only show you have work ethic; they’re not relevant. No matter what industry you’re in, we all need to evidence some kind of experience, understanding, passion and enthusiasm and nowhere is this truer than in law.

What are internships?

Internships aren’t simply about getting exposure to the world of work or making contacts to get a job later on. They are essential to bring your CV to life as well as check your own aspirations to enter a particular type of firm or legal service area. Internship programmes are more commonly offered by the top 200 law firms or ‘City firms’ in London but they can also be found in smaller firms or in the regions.

If you’re in year two – or even the first year – of an undergraduate degree you’re probably thinking: ‘there are so many people qualifying this year, how can I get my CV to stand out?’ Of course it’s important to have good grades from a great university – we all know that’s really important and it does stand out - but having evidence of an internship or significant work experience on your CV pays dividends later on.

Why should I take an internship?

Hands on experience is vital to show future employers that you didn’t just study law but are passionate about a career in it. Using your summer to build that exposure to the working world of law will help stand you out from the crowd.

Internships, we know, are incredibly difficult to get. It’s not a case of sending off your CV and starting in two weeks’ time. Law firm internship schemes are often heavily application based and sometimes require an interview or even a test to determine which candidates are chosen from the many hundreds of applicants.

You don’t always need an internship at a firm you want to end up in, it’s not about that – it’s about experience and exposure to different firms and the way they work. This will ultimately help you to choose the right employer for you further down the line as well as add value to your CV.

On the job experience gained during internships really does help the candidates we see. When we offer paralegal candidates for interview to employers, we often draw upon these internships to help individuals stand out and prove their passion and drive for working in this sector.

How can they help me?

We speak to candidates about their internships – we ask them what they did, what they enjoyed, what inspired them during their work experience. This information helps to bring a CV to life so that your career profile isn’t just about your grades or roles and responsibility matching but ensuring you are the best fit for that firm culturally. Information on what you learned and valued from your work experience helps employers check the vision of what you want out of law and the kind of junior lawyer they’re looking for are aligned.

Ultimately, when you don’t have much else on your CV other than a job in Tescos, it’s hard to put yourself ahead of the game and to show potential employers how passionate you are for a career in law - on the job experience is priceless!

Would I be looked on more favourably for a role later on if I got an internship?

It’s not a done deal – the process for training contract appointments (that you’ll want further down the line) is so structured and enshrined in fairness that internships alone won’t help here.

Internships add value. Celebrate it on your CV if you have one and bring out the key points of your experience there, just don’t be complacent. Don’t expect to walk into a role in that business later on.

How can I use my internship to engage potential employers?

Use the experience as a string to your bow and think about why you’ve taken it in the first place. The firm won’t really benefit from your time there in six weeks (although it does help them to fight to employ the brightest stars in the industry) so consider what you can learn from your time there. It could be to test working in a commercial / corporate law environment, to see what the culture is like and if you’d enjoy it. You might use the time to think about the area of law you want to go into as even commercial law has many specialist areas of law within it!

You won’t learn how to be a lawyer in six weeks but you will get a good feel of the culture of the firm and the business style by the time you’ve left, along with some contacts.

When should I start looking for an internship?

Don’t wait until the Easter or even Christmas holidays to find a summer internship – most will be appointed by then.

Find out when law firms start to release their internship application information, what the deadlines are and what you need to supply in terms of the application. Importantly, consider why you want one and how it would help you in your career.

Where can you find details of internships?

Your university should have plenty of information and you can always talk to firms at career fairs. Don’t leave it too late. The top 200 advertise heavily online so start searching the web now to take note of application deadlines and details.

I’d start looking as soon as you start your degree and speak to your lecturers along the way. If you know of anyone who works in a city firm or has undertaken an internship then ask them for their advice, top tips and things to prepare for – and good luck!