INTRODUCTION

Thank you Mr. Moderator for your wonderful introduction I must say that you’re good at what you do. I want to appreciate my friend and brother, Mr. Moses Agu. If not for the kind of person he is it wouldn’t have been possible for me because this very event interfered with some of my activities for today so I had to make some adjustment to accommodate it.

Mr. Moses is a man whose leadership abilities has inspired many and I commend him and the entire Ministry of Justice of the Students’ Union Government, Enugu State University of science and Technology for putting this together and even presenting it the way it is.

Let me also thank my Co – Speaker, Ms Victoria Udoh, you have really done a great job.

I have been invited to talk on the topic, “Garnering Internship Opportunities in Top tier Law firms” with particular focus on “ Why this law firm?( what I should look out for) “ physical or virtual Internship, which is best” and to share with you my experiences so far as an intern.

We must first understand that internship is a bridge that connects learning into practicality; it is the first step towards personal development and the foundation towards building a good CV.

The more reason why you should intern is because the legal profession is a very practical one and in that, it requires experiential knowledge as opposed to mere theories taught in law faculties lecture halls. In otherwords, Internship provides a platform for practical application of classroom knowledge. And one of the best ways to stand out among your peers is through demonstrated practical ability.

As a law school graduate, you will be highly marketable if you have done a quite number of internship programs in a reputable institution.

REASONS WHY INTERNSHIPS ARE NECESSARY FOR A LAW STUDENT

Application of knowledge acquired in school into reality.
Getting Exposure: Internship is a good opportunity to explore and discover various career opportunities. Internships provide you exposure to multifarious people, situations and work.
Networking: Interning helps you develop networking with people. You have the opportunity to meet people having different ideologies and perceptions towards the same thing which when observed helps you perceive things better.
4. Internship will help you discover your future career path. Internship is a good opportunity to explore and discover various career prospects that might intrigue you upon which you might pursue that as your field of interest.

Internships help to consolidate your CV. A law graduate who had one or two internships on her/his CV would stand out. In otherwords, a wide range of internships spread judiciously over the CV of a law student shall always provide him with the necessary edge over the others.
So, whether you aspire to enter into the corporate world or the world of litigation or the life of an academician, internships are equally important and pervasive in nature.

These days, internships are the norm, and a graduate who does not have any work experience is an anomaly.

Again, completing a law firm internship makes law school graduates more marketable to employers.

The job market is competitive, and for recent graduates, it’s usually a difficult one.

What I’m trying to say is that the profession which you aspire to become is competitive, the ability for you to know what the next person doesn’t know is truly an advantage. So,legal Internships helps in gaining practical skills and hence gives an edge in the job market.

Believe me , the only way you can beat other lawyers in the country is by gathering as many experiences as you can while you are in school. It will shock you to know that some law firms don’t employ lawyers without internship experience even if they graduated with the best grades from school.

Corroborating this, a friend of mine whose father is a lawyer told me that; in his father’s firm, they don’t employ lawyers without any internship experience, even if that lawyer graduated with a first class from school.

So, you see, having an internship experience is like a prerequisite for every law student/graduate.

Aside the fact that it is a way to improve learning and networking, doing internship can help to boost your chances of gaining employment when you finally graduate from law school.

It will surprise you to know that the practice side of law is quite different from what you were taught in the classroom. This is why experience is very key to succeed in the legal profession.
When I did my first internship in my second year at the university, I learned even the things I was not taught in my school.

To be frank, if you really what to learn wide in this profession then you have to start applying for internships.

WHY THIS LAW FIRM (WHAT SHOULD I LOOK OUT FOR)

Look for a law firm that is reputable, renowned and has made key impacts in the fields of law. Go for a law firm that is advanced and contemporary.

However, do not apply to every internship out there; look out for a law firm that aligns with the career you’re hoping for. What is your area of interest ? you must first identify your area of interest.

Research about the law firm you are applying in, about their operations, major transactions they have worked on, the projects they were involved in, their ups (uniques selling points), the kind of services they provide, the market segment they dominate and observe if what they do interests you. So, you have to be clear about your goals from the outset.

Think through your goals from the very beginning. What do you want to achieve?

Some people seek out internships at random because they just want something to stick on a resume.

Go for law firms that will afford you an opportunity to actually learn something. This is why I will strongly recommend that you apply for internship in mid tier law firms or small law firms in the place where you live. These law firms will make sure that you learn everything you need to learn before leaving the firm.

More so, it will surprise you to know that most top tier law firms don’t accept interns. So, before you apply for internship in top law firms, it is pivotal to gain the experience in a small law firm first.

Interning virtually is good but physical internship is better.

Interning physically will teach you Office culture (what it really means to be a lawyer, beyond what you study in law school), how lawyers treat their clients, how lawyers conduct themselves, etc.

More so, physical internship will teach you how to behave in a professional setting. Simply knowing how to behave in a professional setting will help ensure that you never stand out for the wrong reasons. The most striking thing about physically learning in a law firm is that it will allow you to resolve any doubt regarding the legal profession since it fully submerges you into the legal world.

During your internship, be humble and understand that you can learn from everyone.Closely observe how lawyers deal with a legal problem and ask intelligent questions..

Again, the period that you’re expected to intern is during holidays or when your school is on break. Do not intern when school is in session.

So, the period of your holiday is a blessing in disguise for any law student who have the passion to becoming something great.

The legal profession has many unique experiences to offer a future lawyer. This is more reason why you should gather as many experiences as possible.

Therefore, the importance of having an internship experience as a law student or graduate cannot be over emphasized.

A law student is expected to have interned at least twice In each academic session.
Believe me, Nigeria is developing every single minute and ligation is not the only thing a lawyer can do. So, when I’m taking about internship in this wise, I’m not limiting it to only law firms. You can intern in NGOs or any government departments. Et.c.

I will go ahead to share with you my experience with B.C Nwobodo & Co. B.C. Nwobodo & Co is a law firm based in Enugu. After a series of application they got back to me notifying me that my application has been accepted then I was asked to relay my acceptance and my availability for the internship through the email address provided. After all the registration process was completed I joined the physical internship which is where I’m currently interning now.

The first week was intense and not comfortable for me. However, by the second week I had settled in and gained my balance. I make sure I appear to the firm on time, I appear very neat, I keep a smiling face because that’s important. I smile at everyone even when they are not smiling back at me. The things I’m assigned to I make sure I handled them very carefully and give my best to it. So, I do all these to create an impression.

Within the period of a month the firm taught me invaluable lessons and values.This is where I do the real lawyers work. Iassist in Legal Research , I help lawyers draft Court processes such as Originating Processes, Motions,Demand Notices, Agreements, Adjournment letters, i endorse Court files ,i accompany lawyers to Court and record court proceedings.

You can agree with me that Interning in a law firm is where you will get all this experiences. Your lecturer won’t teach you that.

Recording Court proceedings is a serious business. How will you do that if you don’t know what is it all about and how to do it.

This is important because if you record rubbish or miss any information it will affect your principal’s case. The information you record is what he will use in writing the final written address.

Imagine when you’redone with school and called to the Nigerian Bar without any internship experience and you follow your principal to court and he gives you a book to record proceedings for him and you can’t do that. Believe me, you can’t stand the embarrassment.

You would wonder that even as an intern, your principal and the other lawyers in the firm expects the best from you.

Apart from increasing my knowledge of the law significantly, I have learned the importance of time and organization in work place .

In all, I can say that I’m becoming better rounded as a person. So, the experiences had helped in shaping my idea of the legal profession.

I learned that there are several ways one can excel as a lawyer and litigation is just one aspect of it. All these gave me self confidence and new impetus for furtherprofessional development. Again, it is fascinating to take a look at the legal profession from the inside and to communicate with experienced lawyers.

That is all, thank you for having me!