Being a legal intern adds value to your education.
While I was reading David Swanner’s post the other day dated September 12th, “What they should teach in law school”, it struck me that I should make Washington law students aware of the great opportunity they have available to them under “Rule 9”. David Swanner’s post suggests having a course where the students take a case from the initial decision whether or not to take the case and on through the various stages of trial preparation and eventually the trial. Washington’s Admission to Practice Rule 9, which is also known as the legal intern rule, has the potential to provide this type of learning. Let me explain by giving you my own experience.
When I reached my second year of law school I was bored stiff. I had learned a lot of rules, cases and theories that did not seem to apply to anything in real life. It all seemed so arbitrary. I remember watching the ships in Puget Sound and wondering if I should quit law school and join the Coast Guard. But, everything changed when I took a job during the summer between my second and third year as a Rule 9 intern with a small three man firm in Seattle. I continued working there through my third year.
The guys at this firm were great. I was allowed to try two bench trials both of which were fender benders but I treated that them like capital offense cases. I dealt directly with the clients, found witnesses, interviewed witnesses, negotiated with the other side, made sure my witness were subpoenaed for trial and tried the cases. They also allowed me to argue motions on other cases, draft interrogatories and of course do research. I had to find my way around in not one but three different county court houses. Suddenly the law was not that boring anymore. The law had a direct bearing on my client’s problems. I also saw the limits of the law in terms of financial risk and affordability. If they had charged my time at the full rate on the trials it would not have been worth it to the client to proceed and on a contingency fee there would not have been enough there for the attorney. My supervising attorneys were quick to point that out to me and let me know that they were only doing the cases so I could have the experience.
By the time I passed the bar and took on a full time practice I felt like I was many steps ahead of my classmates. So I would urge students at the end of their second year to look for these opportunities. For what I wanted to do, which was to work in a small firm in a smaller town the experience in this particular firm was invaluable. If you want to work for a downtown megafirm I’m not sure what to tell you.
