“I had a great time, I learned a lot. It was very pleasant.”
Interviewer:
“Can you tell us a little bit about how this internship ties into your goals?”
Ben:
“I think this ties into my goals pretty well because I’ve always had an interest in the legal side of business. Some of my family are attorneys, and they do a lot of transactional work. So, I thought it was cool to see the underlying legal relationships between business ventures. I think my experience here has shown me that there’s a lot of paperwork and legalities involved in closing real estate deals. It was really useful to learn the legal side of business.”
Interviewer:
“What role did you play while interning at ALBPC?”
Ben:
“I mainly worked with the Landlord & Tenant (L&T) division. I worked with some of the attorneys doing legal work, editing some documents. Mostly though, I would have a routine where I checked the warrants to make sure they were issued, checked the calendar to make sure all our cases were up to date, ran errands, brought things to the bank or court, things like that.”
Interviewer:
“Did you get the experience you wanted out of this internship?”
Ben:
“I think I did. I really liked being here. It was a lot of fun to come into work. Initially, I was a little scared, because you think, ‘this is a Wall Street legal firm, they’re really going to be very aggressive towards you.’ A lot of my friends in other internships downtown were having an awful time because of the nature of Wall Street. But here everyone was very friendly. I had a great time, I learned a lot, and it was very positive.”
Interviewer:
“Can you tell us a little more about the specific types of tasks you performed?”
Ben:
“I mentioned a bit of that. Mostly doing warrants, checking the calendar, running errands, filing. A broad range of legal tasks. It was a good time.”
Interviewer:
“Did the firm help you prepare for these tasks? Did you receive any training while interning?”
Ben:
“It was funny because on the first day, Elise wasn’t here, and I was scared because there was no one to show me what to do. But as soon as she came in, she showed me the ropes. So did all the paralegals in the L&T division. Slowly, everyone started to show me how things were done in the firm, and by the end of the first week, I had things down to a science.”
Interviewer:
“That’s great to hear. By L&T, you mean Landlord and Tenant?”
Ben:
“Yes, sorry if that wasn’t clear.”
Interviewer:
“What was the most memorable moment you had at ALBPC?”
Ben:
“I think the most memorable moment, besides Eddie taking me out for a birthday dinner and people bringing me birthday cupcakes, was just interacting with my fellow co-workers. Coming from school, you don’t really have that kind of workplace experience. It was great to just come in, chit-chat for a little, get down to work, and collaborate as a team. It was very enjoyable.”
Interviewer:
“What skills did you learn from interning here?”
Ben:
“Definitely the biggest thing I learned was how to interact in an office. It’s a lot different than school, where it’s all about you and your GPA. Here, it’s about a common goal, and you’re all working towards it. Even though I was an intern and hadn’t been to law school yet, I still felt like I was an integral part of getting cases through the legal system. I hope I helped out as best as I could.”
Interviewer:
“How do you think the skills you learned here will help you in your career or in life?”
Ben:
“Well, definitely working in an office is an important skill. Learning how to interact with clients was also valuable. I didn’t do much of that, but I saw how the attorneys did it – how they spoke to clients on the phone, were very good at getting back to everyone. The relationship with the client is very important because, after all, that’s your business. I think it’s essential to understand that the client is the most important part of any business venture.”
Interviewer:
“Do you have any comments for future interns or about working here in general?”
Ben:
“Have fun! Everyone here is super nice. You’re probably going to be a little scared your first day, and that’s totally normal. There’s a new guy who came in today, and I’m sure he’s a little scared. But I think by the end of the week, or even by tomorrow, he’ll have a great time. Just relax, let people show you the ropes, and you’ll do really well here.”
Interviewer:
“That’s great. Thank you, Ben.”