DIGITAL INTERNSHIP JOURNAL
I finally start my internship on Monday, May 12, and I can honestly say that I am really excited. I am really looking forward to learning as much as I can from these working professionals that I aspire to be like. Because I am currently interested in a career in Law, I feel like this will be the perfect opportunity for me to see what my future could be like if I were to decide to take this path and become a lawyer. Some of my concerns for starting my internship have to do with the difficulty of the tasks that I will have to complete. I will be working in an actual law firm, possibly interacting with clients and handling their paperwork. I can not afford to make a mistake that will have bad consequences on a client or another coworker, so I have to make sure that I do every task I am assigned with great care and focus. The only way to ensure that nothing goes wrong is to just keep my internship affirmations (shown below) in the back of my head at all times. I am confident in the professional skills that I have acquired throughout my junior year and through Beyond the Crossfire, so I am confident in the fact that I will do well on my internship if I just keep a positive attitude.
week 1
The first week of internships has passed, and all I can say that I am extremely grateful for having been given the chance to work here. I have to admit that I was not nervous until I actually walked into the building on the first day, but even then, the nerves were replaced by pure excitement when I was given my first task to complete. After my mentor gave me a tour of the office and introduced me to all of the people in the office, my cubicle neighbor Kyle, who I was working with most of the time, put me right work on indexing some files. He showed me how to do it, and two minutes later I was on my own. It felt so great to be given work right away because it made me feel like I was actually being taken serious and being thought of like a fully capable adult. I had only been working on the files for a couple minutes when my mentor called me in to attend the weekly calendar meeting, where they talk about all of the work, meetings, depositions, deadlines, and court dates that have to be done that week. I have to admit, I was completely lost.
I could not really make out what they were saying because they were going down the list so fast. It was when I was finally able to see where they were reading, about one minute before the meeting ended, that John, the attorney standing next to me, said “You can go with Owen to that one”. He was referring to a deposition that would take place later that week. I was so taken aback that all I was able to say was “okay”. Once the meeting was over, Owen, a Business and Commercial Litigation attorney that worked in the office across from my cubicle, came up to me to talk about the deposition and gave me a bit of background about the case. He said that we would be walking to the deposition because it was only a couple of blocks away, and that I should review the case a bit more in detail by reading two packets that he gave me. Once again, all I could say was “Okay, thank you”. I do not know if I was more excited or nervous about this. Getting an opportunity like this on the first day on the job was great! I was just scared that I would mess up in some way, be a distraction, or whatever else could go wrong. So much was going through my head as I made my way back to my cubicle. I continued to work on the files until lunch time, when I went into the staff lounge to have my salad. I brought the documents of information so that I could look them over as I ate. I felt like a real attorney as I was making annotations and highlighting key facts about the case, and grew really excited about being able to attend the deposition.
For the rest of the week, I was looking forward to the deposition, thinking about what I would wear, what the witness would say, what could help our case, etc. I looked for more work to do so that I could get my mind off of it; there was always more work to be done. The funny thing is that I loved doing the work that other staff members would hate to do, I imagine. It was basically all of the busy-work, but I liked doing it because they would allow me to read the cases as I was filing them. I got to learn a lot about the terms that attorneys use and the whole process of taking a trial to court. These are all things that I would be doing if I do decide to take a career in the law field, so I am happy that I get to see all of this before I spend thousands on law school and turn out not to like law.
Finally, the day came. It was deposition day. I woke up in the morning just waiting to get to the office. I had been reviewing the case all week; I did extra research on it online, and had been asking Owen questions about since the day he told me about it. When I got to the office, Owen told me that we would be leaving shortly, and I was so happy. On our walk to the other law firm, Owen and I talked about our backgrounds- where we are from, schooling, hopes and dreams, funny stories, etc. It was a really good bonding experience and helped me get a lot of insight as to how he came to become an attorney. He also warned me that the law firm we were going to was a bit different than other law firms, but I had no idea what he meant by that. When we got to the law firm, I felt like I had walked onto a movie set. The office was so grand and extravagant, to say the least (see photo essay for reference). There were about twenty crystal chandeliers hanging from the roof and illuminating the red carpet and gold wall paper that covered the room. In the center was a large ping pong table next to an alligator-skinned table with wooden chairs that looked like they were from a castle. I was flabbergasted. We went to go sit down at the alligator table, and Owen gave me an “I told you so” look. I could not stop laughing.
Once the deposition began, I just sat quietly and observed as both Owen and the plaintiff’s attorney asked the witness questions about the case. Once it was over, we headed back to the office and debriefed during our walk. We talked about how what the witness said would help and hurt our case. When I got back to the office, Kyle asked me how it went, and I told him all about the law office and how it was so extravagant. He asked me if I liked the deposition, and I told him all about how interesting it was and how it would affect our case. I feel so fortunate to have been able to go to a deposition so early on in my internship. This whole week was so great overall. I knew I would have fun, but I didn’t imagine that it would be this fun and interesting.
I could not really make out what they were saying because they were going down the list so fast. It was when I was finally able to see where they were reading, about one minute before the meeting ended, that John, the attorney standing next to me, said “You can go with Owen to that one”. He was referring to a deposition that would take place later that week. I was so taken aback that all I was able to say was “okay”. Once the meeting was over, Owen, a Business and Commercial Litigation attorney that worked in the office across from my cubicle, came up to me to talk about the deposition and gave me a bit of background about the case. He said that we would be walking to the deposition because it was only a couple of blocks away, and that I should review the case a bit more in detail by reading two packets that he gave me. Once again, all I could say was “Okay, thank you”. I do not know if I was more excited or nervous about this. Getting an opportunity like this on the first day on the job was great! I was just scared that I would mess up in some way, be a distraction, or whatever else could go wrong. So much was going through my head as I made my way back to my cubicle. I continued to work on the files until lunch time, when I went into the staff lounge to have my salad. I brought the documents of information so that I could look them over as I ate. I felt like a real attorney as I was making annotations and highlighting key facts about the case, and grew really excited about being able to attend the deposition.
For the rest of the week, I was looking forward to the deposition, thinking about what I would wear, what the witness would say, what could help our case, etc. I looked for more work to do so that I could get my mind off of it; there was always more work to be done. The funny thing is that I loved doing the work that other staff members would hate to do, I imagine. It was basically all of the busy-work, but I liked doing it because they would allow me to read the cases as I was filing them. I got to learn a lot about the terms that attorneys use and the whole process of taking a trial to court. These are all things that I would be doing if I do decide to take a career in the law field, so I am happy that I get to see all of this before I spend thousands on law school and turn out not to like law.
Finally, the day came. It was deposition day. I woke up in the morning just waiting to get to the office. I had been reviewing the case all week; I did extra research on it online, and had been asking Owen questions about since the day he told me about it. When I got to the office, Owen told me that we would be leaving shortly, and I was so happy. On our walk to the other law firm, Owen and I talked about our backgrounds- where we are from, schooling, hopes and dreams, funny stories, etc. It was a really good bonding experience and helped me get a lot of insight as to how he came to become an attorney. He also warned me that the law firm we were going to was a bit different than other law firms, but I had no idea what he meant by that. When we got to the law firm, I felt like I had walked onto a movie set. The office was so grand and extravagant, to say the least (see photo essay for reference). There were about twenty crystal chandeliers hanging from the roof and illuminating the red carpet and gold wall paper that covered the room. In the center was a large ping pong table next to an alligator-skinned table with wooden chairs that looked like they were from a castle. I was flabbergasted. We went to go sit down at the alligator table, and Owen gave me an “I told you so” look. I could not stop laughing.
Once the deposition began, I just sat quietly and observed as both Owen and the plaintiff’s attorney asked the witness questions about the case. Once it was over, we headed back to the office and debriefed during our walk. We talked about how what the witness said would help and hurt our case. When I got back to the office, Kyle asked me how it went, and I told him all about the law office and how it was so extravagant. He asked me if I liked the deposition, and I told him all about how interesting it was and how it would affect our case. I feel so fortunate to have been able to go to a deposition so early on in my internship. This whole week was so great overall. I knew I would have fun, but I didn’t imagine that it would be this fun and interesting.
week 2
The first week of my internship was so great, that I did not think that the second week, or any other weeks, could top it. However, this second week of my internship has been equally, if not more, amazing! I think that because I already had all of last week to get fully situated and comfortable with the office, my co-workers, and the kind of work I would be doing, this last week felt so much more productive. Last week I learned how to index files (how to locate all of the information that I needed to type down and how to type it all up) so this week I was able to index more files in half of the time. Also, my mentor assigned a huge finances project that needed to be completed by the 28th, and I finished in one day, but spent the next day re-doing it just to make sure it was all accurate. My mentor was very impressed by my hard work and focus. I think that she did not really have an idea of what my work ethic would be like exactly, so she was surprised when she heard from Kyle that I was being able to complete so much work.
Because I finished the first finances project so fast, they gave me another one that also had to be done by the 28th, and I finished that in less than two days as well. I was feeling really good at how fast I was getting all of this work done. And I was not rushing through it or just doing it as fast as I could so I could finish it, I was actually taking my time on it and making sure I was inputting all of the information correctly. I think that it was because I was expecting all of the work to be extremely difficult, so I was already in a very focused mindset so that I would be able to all of the tasks I was assigned. As a result, the assignments, that turned out to not be as challenging as I had pictured, were quickly completed. That is one thing that I am very grateful for- my work ethic. I think that my work ethic has gotten so much better as the years progress, and this year, especially through Beyond The Crossfire, it has exponentially bettered (#ThanksBTC).
This week, I also had the chance to work with other people in the office. For example, I got to work with Erin, a paralegal, on a filing project where she had me read through countless binders of documents to look for specific documents and file them with certain cases. I also worked with Allie, one of the attorney’s assistant, on a filing project as well. It is really cool to get to work with different people at the office and make those connections with people. I know that I got the chance to get to know them a bit better on both a profession and personal level.
I also went to court on Friday, which was the day that I was supposed to go back to school. Instead, I spent most of the morning inside of a courthouse listening to different attorneys present their cases before our turn to “present” came. It was so interesting to hear about all of the different cases. Actually, there was also a group of law school students taking notes for a take home test at the court house. They were talking to me about their assignments and how going to the courthouse and listening to the cases really helps them do their homework. They also made me want to go into the courthouse whenever I could just to listen to the cases, because apparently you are allowed to do that. I am really excited to go back to the courthouse and see more cases if I get the chance.
Because I finished the first finances project so fast, they gave me another one that also had to be done by the 28th, and I finished that in less than two days as well. I was feeling really good at how fast I was getting all of this work done. And I was not rushing through it or just doing it as fast as I could so I could finish it, I was actually taking my time on it and making sure I was inputting all of the information correctly. I think that it was because I was expecting all of the work to be extremely difficult, so I was already in a very focused mindset so that I would be able to all of the tasks I was assigned. As a result, the assignments, that turned out to not be as challenging as I had pictured, were quickly completed. That is one thing that I am very grateful for- my work ethic. I think that my work ethic has gotten so much better as the years progress, and this year, especially through Beyond The Crossfire, it has exponentially bettered (#ThanksBTC).
This week, I also had the chance to work with other people in the office. For example, I got to work with Erin, a paralegal, on a filing project where she had me read through countless binders of documents to look for specific documents and file them with certain cases. I also worked with Allie, one of the attorney’s assistant, on a filing project as well. It is really cool to get to work with different people at the office and make those connections with people. I know that I got the chance to get to know them a bit better on both a profession and personal level.
I also went to court on Friday, which was the day that I was supposed to go back to school. Instead, I spent most of the morning inside of a courthouse listening to different attorneys present their cases before our turn to “present” came. It was so interesting to hear about all of the different cases. Actually, there was also a group of law school students taking notes for a take home test at the court house. They were talking to me about their assignments and how going to the courthouse and listening to the cases really helps them do their homework. They also made me want to go into the courthouse whenever I could just to listen to the cases, because apparently you are allowed to do that. I am really excited to go back to the courthouse and see more cases if I get the chance.
week 3
This last week at my internship started off a bit slower than the last two weeks in the sense that I did not attend any depositions or court hearings for the first couple of days. I mostly did filing and storage projects this week. And I can see how they can get to be tedious, but I never really got tired of them. I was just happy that they trusted me to do important work that would keep me busy and help the company while not being meaningless work. Still, they definitely tested my grit and perseverance a lot. There were in fact a lot of points in time where my fingers would tense up or that I would start to type a lot slower than I was able to.
It was not until Thursday that I was able to go to a deposition that took place in the office as well as a meeting with some potential clients. One of the attorneys actually asked me if I spoke Spanish and when I said yes, he asked me to sit in and help translate during the meeting because the clients were from Mexico. So I went to the meeting and actually had to translate a lot, but it was really cool to see the clients and attorney interact. Because they were still not official clients, the attorney was trying to close the deal, so I guess you could say that I play a big role in breaking the language barrier and getting these clients, which made me pretty proud to be bilingual.
After the meeting, I thought to myself how great and fulfilling it would be to be an attorney. To be able to help those who seek your help, no matter where they are from, and help them out with their business troubles as a Business and Commercial Litigations attorney. It is these kinds of attorneys that help people, in one way or another, make a living and maintain their families. And despite all of the stereotypes about lawyers being mean and selfish people, all of th people that I worked with were incredible. They are all kind, polite, and really funny. These are probably some of the funniest people I have ever met. And it is through being here and witnessing everything first hand that I have been pushed one step closer to fully deciding that I want to be an attorney.
I think that it was because of the fact that I was able to see both sides of the career, the “tedious and annoying” work and the fun and exciting parts, that I am more geared towards a career in the law field. I was able to experience the hard paper work that goes into a case, but also witness the awesome deposition and court hearings that go along with it. And, do not get me wrong, there was a ‘deposition to documents that need to be filed” ratio of about 1 to 1,000. But I have decided that the depositions, court hearings, trials, and overall happiness of the client are all worth “suffering” through all of the endless paperwork.
It was not until Thursday that I was able to go to a deposition that took place in the office as well as a meeting with some potential clients. One of the attorneys actually asked me if I spoke Spanish and when I said yes, he asked me to sit in and help translate during the meeting because the clients were from Mexico. So I went to the meeting and actually had to translate a lot, but it was really cool to see the clients and attorney interact. Because they were still not official clients, the attorney was trying to close the deal, so I guess you could say that I play a big role in breaking the language barrier and getting these clients, which made me pretty proud to be bilingual.
After the meeting, I thought to myself how great and fulfilling it would be to be an attorney. To be able to help those who seek your help, no matter where they are from, and help them out with their business troubles as a Business and Commercial Litigations attorney. It is these kinds of attorneys that help people, in one way or another, make a living and maintain their families. And despite all of the stereotypes about lawyers being mean and selfish people, all of th people that I worked with were incredible. They are all kind, polite, and really funny. These are probably some of the funniest people I have ever met. And it is through being here and witnessing everything first hand that I have been pushed one step closer to fully deciding that I want to be an attorney.
I think that it was because of the fact that I was able to see both sides of the career, the “tedious and annoying” work and the fun and exciting parts, that I am more geared towards a career in the law field. I was able to experience the hard paper work that goes into a case, but also witness the awesome deposition and court hearings that go along with it. And, do not get me wrong, there was a ‘deposition to documents that need to be filed” ratio of about 1 to 1,000. But I have decided that the depositions, court hearings, trials, and overall happiness of the client are all worth “suffering” through all of the endless paperwork.
week 4
I walked in on Monday, saddened by the fact that this would be my last week here. I was really having such a great time and didn’t want it to end. But I knew it had to, so I decided that if I was going to go out, I was going to go out with a bang. I would do my very best at all the work I was assigned and would be ten times nicer to my co-workers and ten times more enthusiastic about being at the office. I would do every filing project with a huge smile on my face and truly show how thankful and grateful I was for being there. Gratitude was one of the character strength that I thought I needed to work on, and this would be the perfect chance.
Again, most of the work that I was doing was mostly filing and organizing my co-worker’s workspaces because, to be honest, by this point in time, they had run out of work for me to do because that had expected that it would take longer for me to do the tasks that I did. I was, however, asked to translate an email that was sent in Spanish to one of the attorneys. Translating, which was not exactly in the job description, turned out to be something I did very often, which made me feel like they put that much more trust in me as a co-worker. At this point, I am very happy at all of the relationships that I got to build with my co-workers, both professionally and personally.
The last day at the office was pretty sad for me. I spent all day just organizing my co-workers’ files and doing the last of any filing that I hadn’t done already. I was also just kind of getting my last look of the office and all of the people that I got the chance to work with. I wasn’t ready to leave. I feel like there was still so much work for me to do, so many more ways to help. But it had to end at some point, so I made brownies for my co-workers, because I know they really like sweets, as well as thank you cards for all of the people that I worked with.
This whole week, I have really been reflecting on all of my experiences at SSBC. I feel really fortunate to have been able to do my internship at such an amazing law firm, and I know that if I would have done it anywhere else, which I nearly did, my internship experience would not have been even close to as amazing as it was here. I feel so grateful to have been able to meet and work with such amazing people. It would be fair to say that I learned something different about being a professional working person from each of the different attorneys and assistants that I worked with. I learned how to be goofy and stay on task from my cubicle buddy Kyle; I learned how to be a dedicated, successful, and humble attorney from Owen; I learned how to be a incredible driven and serious attorney from Dick; and I learned how to be a laid back yet productive attorney from Jim. And those are only a few examples. Overall, I am just so happy that I got the chance to experience working at such an incredible workplace with so many incredible people. I really do hope that I get the chance, or better yet, the honor of being able to work with them again.
Again, most of the work that I was doing was mostly filing and organizing my co-worker’s workspaces because, to be honest, by this point in time, they had run out of work for me to do because that had expected that it would take longer for me to do the tasks that I did. I was, however, asked to translate an email that was sent in Spanish to one of the attorneys. Translating, which was not exactly in the job description, turned out to be something I did very often, which made me feel like they put that much more trust in me as a co-worker. At this point, I am very happy at all of the relationships that I got to build with my co-workers, both professionally and personally.
The last day at the office was pretty sad for me. I spent all day just organizing my co-workers’ files and doing the last of any filing that I hadn’t done already. I was also just kind of getting my last look of the office and all of the people that I got the chance to work with. I wasn’t ready to leave. I feel like there was still so much work for me to do, so many more ways to help. But it had to end at some point, so I made brownies for my co-workers, because I know they really like sweets, as well as thank you cards for all of the people that I worked with.
This whole week, I have really been reflecting on all of my experiences at SSBC. I feel really fortunate to have been able to do my internship at such an amazing law firm, and I know that if I would have done it anywhere else, which I nearly did, my internship experience would not have been even close to as amazing as it was here. I feel so grateful to have been able to meet and work with such amazing people. It would be fair to say that I learned something different about being a professional working person from each of the different attorneys and assistants that I worked with. I learned how to be goofy and stay on task from my cubicle buddy Kyle; I learned how to be a dedicated, successful, and humble attorney from Owen; I learned how to be a incredible driven and serious attorney from Dick; and I learned how to be a laid back yet productive attorney from Jim. And those are only a few examples. Overall, I am just so happy that I got the chance to experience working at such an incredible workplace with so many incredible people. I really do hope that I get the chance, or better yet, the honor of being able to work with them again.