Summer Intern Review

My daily tasks included: Drafting, reviewing and creating summaries of documents and emails Attending various meetings such as client meetings, preliminary hearings, team meetings Helping the team with various projects as they arise, doing a range of tasks depending on the practice group My daily interactions included: Speaking to Trainees, (Senior) Associates and Partners to gain insight on their background and experience and get advice Spending time with fellow interns, becoming close friends!

One thing I've learnt is how to draft some legal documents as I hadn't the opportunity to do so! I enjoyed systematically going through long documents to understand each term or clause. I've improved my ability to summarise and pay attention to detail, through having to summarise and review multiple 100+ page documents. I've also improved my people and communication skills through being encouraged to speak to a diverse set of people across the firm.

It was nice to speak to associates and partners to gain insight on the different areas of law and practice areas that existed or that I didn't know much about, which has encouraged me to consider a placement in areas such as Employment and Real Estate, which I never considered before.

The company culture is amazing! Everyone is extremely friendly, encouraging and willing to talk to you. I also felt safe and secure in asking silly questions knowing that someone would take the time out to explain things to me. It's an environment where I felt excited to come into work everyday to speak to everyone and try my best to succeed!

I enjoyed every aspect of the internship! I really enjoyed the London induction and meeting the interns in the other offices who were extremely friendly and great fun to hang out with. Another aspect I enjoyed was getting responsibility by doing real work which was used by the associates or the clients. It was satisfying to see that even through my short time at DLA, I've been making an impact and contributing in some way.

Yes

Before the internship, do as much research as possible on DLA's culture and values to determine whether you feel aligned to work at the firm. I'd also suggest researching the work they do to determine whether it's something that suits you. At the assessment centre and beyond, be friendly to everyone! Especially to the other interns and applicants. It's easy to view everything as a competition but that is not the case at all. Enjoy yourself! It can be easy to get lost in the tasks by trying to get everything completed before the deadline but remember to have fun! Another aspect of the internship is putting the work away, interacting with other people and showing that you're a great person to work with. Be genuine - it's easy to see when you're not interested in the work, the people or the firm itself. I'd recommend that, at all stages, whether it be the first application, assessment centre or internship itself, assess the firm just as DLA is assessing you to determine that it is the right place for you and that you'd fit in. It's better to get a training contract at a place that you have no doubts about than to get a training contract anywhere just for the sake of it!