Internships at AEI: Shannon Law

1. Tell us something people don’t often know about you.

I can bake bread. For about 6 months in JC, I went through all sorts of trials and tribulations in the kitchen until I could consistently bake a good loaf of bread, and now I’m the proud owner of a Dutch oven that has seen more dough than anything else. Not a lot of people know that I can bake bread because I grew very tired of eating it all the time, and eventually decided that the best way to avoid eating bread every day was to stop making the bread.

2. What did you learn from the internship – best takeaway?

There is no better way to get a feel for corporate work than having a go at it yourself. There is truly an immense gap between the skillset and acumen required of a corporate lawyer and what law school can actually teach, and I believe an internship with a firm (like this one) where you’re consistently assigned with meaningful work is a great way to discover what areas you need to grow in.

For example, I’ve found that even skills that I’ve constantly relied on in university, like researching and writing, need to be adapted to suit corporate practice. Being able to look up and learn the full picture of the law is one thing, but being able to quickly extract pertinent issues and give a useful response to a client is another.

3. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

I struggled with unfamiliar documents and new areas of law, especially when I was assigned with reviewing something, or answering a client’s query. Because I didn’t know what I didn’t know, I was constantly second-guessing the accuracy of what I was writing, and doubled back on my research a lot to ensure that I didn’t miss anything important.

It was useful to receive feedback on my work from my mentors—knowing what I did well and where I could have done better really helped me gain more confidence in tackling a task the next time around, because I had a clearer idea of what was required of me. I also received practical advice about how I could be more structured when approaching a task, which helped me become more efficient as well.

4. What advice would you give future interns?

You’ll get as much out of the internship as you put in, so really take advantage of the fact that the team at AEI is so open and willing to take questions and give pointers.

Don’t hesitate to speak up and ask more about the work that you’ve been assigned, why a client is doing something, or even how you should start going about a specific task. Earnest questions are never stupid ones, and the lawyers really make a conscientious effort to address them.

5. Did you enjoy your time?

I absolutely did. Despite only being here for 3 weeks, I got a good feel for the culture of the firm, and frankly it’s quite refreshing.

There’s a sense here that the people are just as important as the work, and that the team functions with a high level of trust and respect. It feels like the anti-thesis of the typical horror stories your seniors tell you about associates having to sleep under their desks and shower at the office gym because they’ve been given too much work and too little guidance.

I was given a variety of different tasks to stay meaningfully occupied but was never overloaded with work. There was never a time where I didn’t feel welcome or safe to speak up, even though I was just an intern. In fact, my mentors regularly checked in with me to see how I was faring, and to ensure that I wasn’t being assigned too many things to handle.

If you’re thinking about applying, just do it!