I spent a month as an intern working alongside legal interns under state attorneys, assisting in different areas involving casework. My typical day at the courthouse included filing and organizing case files, transcribing jail calls and emergency calls, and sitting in on trials and jury selection. Organizing case files was incredibly educational as I learned the best way to organize the files, what pieces were most important, and strengthened my eye for detail. I spent several hours a week learning the way court works, learning new legal vocabulary and familiarizing myself with a professional lifestyle.
This was important to my career as it really reassured me in my desire to be a lawyer and showed me what everyday life was like at the courthouse. There were many small details from the internship that made it feel like I really was stepping into the career. I dressed in business formal for every shift, spent time in the cafeteria and break room for lunch, and even had my own badge to scan into the building. All of these things were what made up the everyday details of working at the courthouse. Those small details of lunch breaks, parking, and dress code can still be important when choosing a career. I also made great connections with other future lawyers, lawyers who worked for the state, and the legal secretary which is in charge of hiring interns.
I can use this knowledge to further my experiences in law school and future internship opportunities as well as use the connections I made for future shadowing, internship and job opportunities. I would love to intern at this courthouse again and have kept open communication with the legal secretary in charge of hiring in case I would like to go back as a legal intern after my first semester of law school.
