Natalie Lussier’s Last Day at Kelly & Kelly
It’s my last day at the firm! I’ve written about my first day, my time in court, and now, what I’ve learned overall. Now that I’ve reached the end I have five takeaways I did not know before this internship.
- Confidence is key.
a. Knowledge is power, but knowledge is also confidence in the practice of law. The attorneys at the firm I am working at all speak with intimidating confidence and it is largely in part because they know what they are saying is true. - The legal community is small.
a. At court, the lawyers at my firm seemed to know many of the lawyers we passed. It makes sense; you went to school with some, you’ve mingled at law events with others, or you’ve been on opposite sides of a case. In the legal community, you get to know faces fast. - No day is the same.
a. I come into the office never knowing who will be there. Erin and Ryan just wrapped up a three day trial, Mike was out doing a hearing all morning, and John was preparing an estate plan in the office. Other days, the lawyers at the firm will have multiple consultations, or a day of just paperwork and no client interaction. - All. The. Paperwork.
a. I knew lawyers had paperwork, but I couldn’t believe all the behind the scenes paperwork that went on. If a lawyer is going to trial for you, know there are many hours of paperwork that went into that trial. - Lawyers will do unusual tasks to help their clients.
a. Lawyers have to help their clients in ways I did not anticipate. The most recent example was an attorney at the firm having to pick up a client’s car from the courthouse because he went to jail and subsequently research and contact in-patient programs for him to attend in order to get early release.
