DON'T DO IT!!
That's my gut feeling when I see posts like this. Do you agree?
No offence Byrne Wallace, it's nothing personal. You guys are great, and your offices "mwwwah" (chef's kiss).
BUT, I think we're forcing young people to grow up too quick and commit to career choices and decisions too young. And while notionally the idea of a Summer Internship programme 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 help with that by helping young people decide if they want to be solicitors or not, in my (personal) experience and opinion, that's not 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 what happens.
It seems to me that actually Summer Internships have become seen as a necessary first step on a career ladder. Its not so much that people want to do them (students, please correct me) to see if they want to be a solicitor or not, but rather that they want to do them because if they don't, then it will be harder for them to get a job in that firm when they finish college. So it's bringing the professional working life earlier and earlier and ramping up the pressure on young people earlier and earlier.
About a squillion years ago I did a summer internship in A&L Goodbody LLP - To be fair to ALG, they were ahead of the curve here, as (to the best of my knowledge) they were the only firm with a summer internship programme at the time. Myself Aoife Smyth Aoife Marrinan and Cliona Kelly (and maybe 9 others?) rocked up to ALG for 4 weeks of work experience (effectively).
My abiding memory? Being the most hungover I've ever been in my entire life, and a building almost entirely made of glass where there was nowhere to hide or get away from anybody, and eventually trying to sleep on the floor in the disabled toilets.
Did it help me decide whether I wanted to be a solicitor or not? No, not even slightly. Did it help me decide if I wanted to work in ALG? Again, no. I liked the place, I liked the people, but I would have taken a job from any of the big firms if they had offered it to me. Also (side note) I was seriously put off ALG at that time by a talk by the then managing partner at an open evening who said "We're the best of the best. We only want the best. If you're not the best, you don't belong here" - HARD PASS THANKS! I'm reliably informed (by a very close informant) that this is most certainly not the culture any more (thank f**k).
To be fair, Aoife Smyth never left and is still there, so she may have a different view of summer internships.
Also, I gather they have evolved and become much more rounded and (dare I say it) experiential.
But I still question their purpose.
I don't believe they help many people decide if either law or the particular firm is for them
I don't believe that's their real purpose
I think they are a recruitment tool, and are seen that way by people who apply for them
I think they push young people to get too serious too soon.
But, I'm a grumpy old man. What do I know?
If you're going to be a lawyer for the rest of your life, my advice is to put it off as long as you can!
The 2024 ByrneWallace LLP Summer Internship Programme opens for applications today. To learn about our intern opportunities and apply online, visit https://lnkd.in/dYR4Ejdq #internship #law #careers
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1moGlad to be here!