Traditionally, legal internship experience took place in a law firm or barristers chamber. However, nowadays, virtual internships are necessary for people’s safety. Virtual legal internships are a whole new concept that has been introduced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is extremely important to understand what legal internships are. They are of vital importance for law school students who want to gain experience for their future.
What are they?
As Covid-19 outbreak, each field had to adapt to prevent the virus’ spread. This is why law firms started to interact with their interns mainly via the internet. This allows more students to enjoy the internship experience, especially those who might not have otherwise had that opportunity. Financial advisers claim that virtual internships are better to train and recruit talent.
However, it might be extremely hard to learn while sitting beyond a computer in your room. There may be some students who can perfectly learn by working online, while others might find it very difficult.
Potential benefits of virtual work experience
First, despite work experience do not cost money to students, generally, there are other costs associated with the experience. For instance, if the law firm you want to work in is not located in your city you will need to rent a place, and pay for the expenses in the city where you are working. However, by doing the internship online, this would not be an issue.
Second, another huge benefit of working from home is that it is way less stressful and there is much more flexibility. Hence, it allows more students to apply for the role of the intern as they can work from their home without spending any money. Undoubtedly, also in-person internships aim for the intern to be calm and comfortable, but, working in a law firm surrounded by stressful lawyers adds more pressure on the intern.
Difference between in-person legal internship and virtuals
Working as an in-person legal intern, which might mean either at a law firm or in a barrister’s chamber, will provide the student with a huge background on the topic. Additionally, by being in the place, it is possible to observe how the lawyers work and take examples from them for the future.
On the other hand, whilst doing the internship from home, it is quite hard to observe how everything works in a law firm, hence, the intern’s understanding might be less, compared to a student who spent months working next to a lawyer. Additionally, it is much easier to lose concentration by working from home rather than at the office.
Are they here to stay?
As they are almost as valuable as the in-person internship, it is possible to believe that these types of internships are here to stay. The advantages they bring to interns are much higher than the disadvantages.
In fact, as aforementioned, interns are less stressed and do not spend money, hence, everyone can apply all over the world, not exclusively students who can afford the expenses of living in another city or continent.
In conclusion, as a law student, it would be deeply beneficial to let students decide whether they want to apply for an in-person internship or a virtual one. This would provide them with two great opportunities to learn and develop essential skills for their future.
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