My Summer Internship: The Best of All Worlds
In a quiet corner of Old Town Pasadena sits the law firm that I am currently working at that provided me an experience unlike any other. Starting a week after my junior year ended, my eagerness to enter the working world was really a representation of how excited I was to learn more about the field of law. The first day I showed up early, clocking in at 8:00 am for an 8:30 am starting time and wearing my best button-up shirt so that I could put my best foot forward. I felt invincible, because for the first time in my life I could feel somewhat independent, spending a large amount of my summer on work that not only familiarized me with a field that I hope to spend more time in, but also paid me money that I could invest into my other hobbies and interests. On that first morning, I walked into my boss’s office, proud and confident, and asked for my first assignment.
Yet, despite my readiness for the ideal summer job, the assignment that I first received felt unworthy of the job I applied for: “Read this 50 page mediation, and then mark these 1500 documents.” When I realized the truth of what I’d be doing, I did not feel like I was working to help the unrepresented (which I had hoped to be doing). I did not feel like I was working to change people’s lives for the better.
Aside from the glorious days of standing in trial, advocating what you think is right, and carefully sculpting clever arguments to bring your opponent's case down crumbling, there exists a substantial amount of work behind the scenes in the life of an attorney. Countless hours of looking through Productions, Mediations, and Depositions occupy the majority of an attorney's work schedule. Consequently, there exists a tremendous amount of deadlines that to this day, I still cannot fathom my law firm completing (but they still do and they do it flawlessly!). But I have come to an understanding for what I do, and I understand that my work has some limits mainly because of my age and my experience with law. However, this is not to say that I do not enjoy working for my employer. While the work can become monotonous and repetitive, this is still work that has to be done in order to represent clients that felt their rights have been infringed upon. The work that I do (although indirectly, obviously) does have an impact on the lives of individuals because it better allows the attorneys that I work for to best accommodate for their clients. The less time they have to spend looking for specific documents or reading 300 page depositions is more time they have to finalize their case and focus on the court days that truly matter.
Hadsell Stormer and Renick LLP is divided into two firms that specializes with different aspects of law. The office in Pasadena tends to deal mostly with Class Action cases while the Downtown office deals mostly with Immigration, Landownership, and Bankruptcy cases. I tend to alternate between the two offices and thus, deal with very different work from time to time. However, even the attorneys realize that the work is not the most interesting, and they allow me to attend both federal and state court trials from time to time. These are one of my favorite activities within the realm of my work because I can see the attorneys I work for live and in action doing the work that I aspire to do some day. The environment is so welcoming and understanding and I am so fortunate to have an opportunity to work with one of the best attorneys in the state.
Yet, despite my readiness for the ideal summer job, the assignment that I first received felt unworthy of the job I applied for: “Read this 50 page mediation, and then mark these 1500 documents.” When I realized the truth of what I’d be doing, I did not feel like I was working to help the unrepresented (which I had hoped to be doing). I did not feel like I was working to change people’s lives for the better.
Aside from the glorious days of standing in trial, advocating what you think is right, and carefully sculpting clever arguments to bring your opponent's case down crumbling, there exists a substantial amount of work behind the scenes in the life of an attorney. Countless hours of looking through Productions, Mediations, and Depositions occupy the majority of an attorney's work schedule. Consequently, there exists a tremendous amount of deadlines that to this day, I still cannot fathom my law firm completing (but they still do and they do it flawlessly!). But I have come to an understanding for what I do, and I understand that my work has some limits mainly because of my age and my experience with law. However, this is not to say that I do not enjoy working for my employer. While the work can become monotonous and repetitive, this is still work that has to be done in order to represent clients that felt their rights have been infringed upon. The work that I do (although indirectly, obviously) does have an impact on the lives of individuals because it better allows the attorneys that I work for to best accommodate for their clients. The less time they have to spend looking for specific documents or reading 300 page depositions is more time they have to finalize their case and focus on the court days that truly matter.
Hadsell Stormer and Renick LLP is divided into two firms that specializes with different aspects of law. The office in Pasadena tends to deal mostly with Class Action cases while the Downtown office deals mostly with Immigration, Landownership, and Bankruptcy cases. I tend to alternate between the two offices and thus, deal with very different work from time to time. However, even the attorneys realize that the work is not the most interesting, and they allow me to attend both federal and state court trials from time to time. These are one of my favorite activities within the realm of my work because I can see the attorneys I work for live and in action doing the work that I aspire to do some day. The environment is so welcoming and understanding and I am so fortunate to have an opportunity to work with one of the best attorneys in the state.
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