Summer Intern Review

The internship began with a four-day international induction in the London office, where I attended talks from members of the firm and participated in interactive workshops. There were also plenty of opportunities for networking, question and answer, and getting to know fellow interns across all UK and Ireland offices. All meals were provided for us and thus eaten together. These were lots of fun and very welcoming. I built up some great relationships in just four days. The talks themselves varied from practice group insights, to presentations on the firm's values, to a responsible business overview, to managing your mindset and wellbeing. These examples are by no means comprehensive. A litigation simulation workshop was also a highlight for me. This induction was then followed by 2 x 1-week placements in my home office which was the North West Office. There I completed trainee-level tasks, i.e. real work, such as document drafting, due diligence, proofreading, taking minutes from calls, and legal research. We were each placed into two different practice groups, and I was in Employment and then Litigation & Regulatory. Again there were plenty of social events and opportunities for networking. Members of the firm were always keen to grab coffee to answer any questions I had. The trainee buddy system is particularly effective as you always have someone to speak to about anything. During week 2 there was also an assessed group task presentation which was a pitching exercise. This was possibly my favourite task because I got to work with fellow interns and I really enjoy presenting. The vacation scheme acted as the final stage of assessment for a training contract with the firm.

As a non-law student, the internship was amazing for building up lots of the skills that might be required as a future trainee. I gained lots of constructive feedback on my legal research and client advice notes, which I had no experience of to begin with. My line managers always took the time to show where I might improve. I also generally developed my presenting, time management, and people skills when I was working around the office.

Having had no legal experience, this experience was a truly amazing way for me to see what a trainee would do on a day-to-day basis. I was completing real work and hearing from people at all different levels what their career journeys had been and what the projects were that they were working on. I loved hearing about the opportunities DLA has on offer which seemed endless - from secondments to pro bono to covering so much of the globe. I realised that a career in commercial law would suit my personality and interests perfectly. I now feel wholeheartedly confident that this is what I want to do with my career.

The company culture was incredibly supportive and collaborative, which are two of the firm's key values. This especially came from trainees and my line managers, who were very encouraging. Everyone was friendly and more than willing to chat to me and hear my opinions on matters. However, perhaps unsurprisingly, I found the general atmosphere quite nerve-racking, and I have to say I found the work incredibly challenging. I did feel I had the support of the firm, but they also made it clear you were there as part of a final stage assessment for a training contract. I was sometimes unsure if reaching out would count against me (i.e. look like I was struggling). I think they could possibly have changed the tone of how they talked about assessment, and the frequency with which it was mentioned, or even offered more transparency as to how we were being assessed, as it was often unclear.

I loved the insight. As mentioned above, it consolidated that this was not only the career but the firm I wanted to launch my legal career at. The whole experience was fun, exciting, exhilarating, challenging and, in many ways, life changing.

Yes

I would say not to compare yourself to others on the internship or at earlier stages of assessment. DLA are a firm that is not looking for one type of person. I wish I had believed in myself a bit more, so that I was less nervous and enjoyed the experience more. Along those lines, in all stages of assessment, you should try to bring out the best parts of yourself--your history, your achievements etc--and not try to give any model answers or be a model applicant - because there isn't one.