LEGAL EDUCATION – Why You Should Host a Paralegal Intern

LEGAL EDUCATION – Why You Should Host a Paralegal Intern

February 22, 2019

I am an Adjunct Professor for the Paralegals Studies program at Cuyamaca College, where I run the internship program.  After doing this program for several semesters now I find that hosting law firms are often more grateful and get more out of the experience than the interns themselves.  The four most common remarks I get from hosting firms are as follows:

1. “I Hired the Intern!” While the goal of the internship program is to provide our students exposure to legal field and give them legal experience to boost their resume, often times hosting firms will utilize this opportunity to test out possible recruits. The internship affords law firms the opportunity to have a “trial run” to see if the student is a right fit for the firm culture without making a costly or long-term commitment.
2. “Our Intern brought in Clients!” When students are enjoying their internship they tend to energetically share about their experience with their friends and social network. Inherently this word of mouth marketing provides wonderful exposure for the hosting firm and often brings in new business.
3. “Our Intern brought a Fresh Perspective!” One of the most undervalued benefits of hosting an intern is the fresh perspective they bring to the office. Unlike senior attorneys and paralegals with year of experience, interns don’t have preconceived notions about cases. Seasoned attorneys inadvertently look at cases with a sense of tunnel vision reverting back to old arguments and systematically approaching all cases in the same manner; hosting an intern can help break this pattern.
4. “Can We Host Another Intern?” Roughly 75% of our hosting law firms have hosted interns more than once.  Hosting firms often ask to be included in a resource bank so future interns may be matched with their offices in an upcoming semester.

Forbes published an article as to why they believe employers should hire an intern.  The points addressed in the article, echo what our hosting firms often share with us. https://www.forbes.com/sites/yec/2011/12/06/5-reasons-you-should-hire-an-intern-and-3-reasons-you-shouldnt/#6db8a6b265ca

If you or your law firm would be interested in hosting a paralegal intern, I invite you to reach out to our offices at 619-432-5145 to further discuss this opportunity.