Charlotte, NC Law Firm Summer Internship Summary

First, I would like to extend a warm “thank you” to everyone at the Charlotte, NC firm of Hull & Chandler, P.A. for allowing me to intern with their firm. Given that I’m someone fresh out of high school with no legal experience, these past seven workdays were eye-opening for me. I have learned many skills of being an attorney and maintaining a law firm that I would never have been able to learn in a classroom setting. Also, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to allow me to shadow or to explain a part of your job description. I will definitely remember this past week when I choose my career or when I consider doing a summer internship when I am in law school.

I would definitely say that I accomplished my goal in doing this senior project. Not only have I had the opportunity to shadow lawyers and learn the inner workings of a law practice, but I have begun to contemplate the area of law that I would find most suitable to my personal and professional goals after I finish four years of college at Washington University in St. Louis. Among the most valuable skills I can take away with me are:

• The proper way to answer questions if you are called as a witness in a trial;
• The proper way to litigate as done by a paralegal in the opening stages of a personal injury case;
• The proceedings of a sentencing hearing, a criminal hearing, and a civil court hearing;
• The way in which new clients are received during their initial consultation with an attorney;
• The valuable opportunity I had being able to speak French and interpret for a client during a meeting last week; and
• The proper way to organize a firm, serve defendants, bill clients, and close cases.

Furthermore, I was able to see firsthand from an aspiring lawyer’s perspective, the professional care and courtesy that was awarded to each client who met with one of the attorneys. It is also clear to me that the lawyers keep the best interest of the clients they represent in mind when they make the decision to settle the case or to take the case to court. I would definitely recommend the law firm of Hull & Chandler both professionally and personally.