After finishing my final legal internship before graduating, taking the bar, and being thrust into the “real world” that exists beyond the four walls of the Northeastern Law Library, I have learned some extremely valuable lessons from my time at Prince Lobel Tye. I primarily worked in the litigation department, helping handle a myriad of cases, from construction to corporate bylaw disputes. Although not all law students will work in litigation, I think these five skills I have learned and implemented are applicable to all law students and will make for the best experience as a legal intern.
1. Don’t Wait For Work — Go Find It
The first, and most important, thing I learned from my co-op was that ambition is a highly respected trait. In my first few weeks at Prince Lobel, I used the firm directory and emailed partners and associates, introducing myself and asking if they had any matters I could help them with. Yes, drafting the first email was scary and uncomfortable, but it paid off. I got a variety of assignments, including business litigation, employment, and even corporate, and it got me introductions. In that moment, not every attorney had work for me to do, but some attorneys reached out later on in my co-op when they had something I could work on. Throughout my co-op, I continued to reach out to attorneys to see if they had work I could help with, and this display of ambition and proactivity was continuously recognized and appreciated.
2. Be A ‘Yes Man’ (Or Woman)
The next skill I practiced during my time at Prince Lobel was trying to say yes to as many things as possible. If an attorney approached me with a task, even if it was something I didn’t know how to do or an area of law that I didn’t think I was interested in, I said yes. This practice led to doing interesting and diversified work, and getting to learn from great attorneys. Almost, if not, as important, say yes to coffee, lunch and any ways to network. You are not only at your internship to learn the law, but to learn the soft skills and how to network. Don’t pass up those elusive opportunities, especially because more likely than not, attorneys are choosing to spend their limited free time during the day getting to know you. Say yes to firm events, informal chats and (if you’re lucky like I was) outside events the attorneys are inviting you to attend, like Massachusetts Bar Association Young Lawyers Division events.
3. Don’t Be Afraid To Admit What You Don’t Know
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, sometimes, you will accept work you are unfamiliar with. In that case, ask for a sample of the document. Ask questions if you have them. It’s better to ask questions to get it as close to correct the first time, but don’t expect your work to be perfect (remember, you’re there to learn!). The attorneys were once in your shoes, and they know that this may be your first time drafting a motion to dismiss or a contract, so they are going to expect some questions. Something that I found extremely helpful during my co-op was going into the office. When I was in the office, I had the opportunity to have face-to-face conversations to ask questions that benefited me in a way that asynchronous communication via email would not have.
4. Go The Extra Mile
Another thing you should be doing in your internship is going the extra mile. This may look different every day. Generally, go out of your way to help people. If you know that a case has a filing due, ask what you can do to help. Sometimes, this might just be printing something, or putting exhibits into binders, but it was one less task that the attorneys had to do. Additionally, if you are working on a task, don’t just log off at 5 p.m. and leave someone else to finish it. See your work through, even if that means a longer night. It sounds like the bare minimum, but it’s surprising how many people won’t do that. Going the extra mile can also look like wanting to be involved in the firm. During my co-op, I helped plan a fundraising event that ended up being an extremely successful and rewarding experience. It was also an opportunity to further connect with the attorneys.
5. Be Yourself (Seriously!)
Finally, remember to be yourself. No one thinks that you are a law student robot who only thinks about the law. You are not only the legal intern, but (in my case) a cat mom, avid indoor cyclist, Swiftie, and New York sports fan. With your prior experience, these are the reasons the firm hired you, out of all the candidates, to be their intern. These are also easy things to connect with the attorneys about. For example, even in one of my interviews, I talked to an attorney about the fleeting relationship of Taylor Swift and Matty Healy. It was something during my co-op that we continuously connected on, and we found we had other things in common, such as we both have black cats!
In summary, proactivity and ambition are probably the best traits that you can bring to your internship experience to make sure it is a valuable and productive one. But being willing to take risks on tasks and areas of law you are unfamiliar with, networking, asking questions, showing up every day, and being yourself will help to make sure that you are the most successful intern that you can be.
Sydney Gilison is a 3L at Northeastern University School of Law and an incoming litigation associate at Prince Lobel Tye LLP for fall 2024.