Intern at an IT company for a month? Forum

[sangr]

hey guys,

so i have the opportunity to intern at an IT company for a month. I am going to be able to be a little more hands on than just printing papers and such, but im contemplating:

1. would this do any help for me and my future career in law maybe? (whether it be through getting more knowledge about an industry, contracts, etc, or even just resume wise)...the general consensus here seems to be it wouldnt be, but i have heard opinions saying otherwise. Of course I know the important thing is am i interested enough in knowing.

2. would this help me gain more knowledge in general and help my future in general? Im not too familiar with this industry but I am somewhat interested in knowing. but as we know its merely a month.

thanks, ur opinions are appreciated!

[studebaker07]

What would you be doing at this IT company? A month seems awfully short for an internship in my opinion. Is this a summer internship?

[sangr]

youre right. its only a month.
I'll be able to take a look at contracts, etc.
to be honest with you im not 100 percent sure myself how much I'll be given.

[20130312]

I don't even think I could fully train someone for my job in one month. Do you have any other opportunities open to you? Any chance of getting the internship extended?

[studebaker07]

Looking at contracts exclusively? I am presuming if it is an IT company, it would involve a lot of service agreement review because most contracts that an IT company would enter into would involve some kinds of services. Perhaps some labor contracts? Any chance you will get to participate in IP issues like patents and copyright problems?

Are you working with the in-house counsel or would you be working exclusively with outside counsel as a liaison for the company? Also, +1 on the above poster who said this seems like an extremely short internship. One month was hardly enough time for me to see what my boss even wanted, which may be important if you are interpreting contracts and drafting provisions. I would press for more time, if a summer internship for sure.

[sangr]

Well, i think i could get it extended to two months or so but heres the thing:

im going into school this fall. If i go there starting April, then end around June or so. It kinda kills time that i wanted to take for travelling. just reading about a lotta the advice here a lotta ppl seem to say doing what i want and taking a break is one of the bigger things i can do.

i guess i should ask myself is it better to releieve stress and go do something fun (travel) or learn about an industry that im interested in and build some experience( another question off this is, is the month even substantial enough...) HOWEVER, what about this. assuming my experience IS somewhat substantial even if its a month, what would u guys say?

[studebaker07]

Oh okay I see now. I thought this was a 1L or 2L summer thing, sorry. If its just a summer job, then I say go for it and then maybe take some time off after it is over. Does it pay well? It could be a nice introduction to law school and contract interpretation while allowing you to pocket some nice spending money for your vacation.

Will you be working under another attorney? If you are, I think you would get more "mileage" out of the internship because you would know what provisions to look for in a good contract and you might get an insight into how you can fix certain problems through service agreements/employment agreements, etc.

[20130312]

I don't think you will get anything out of only working there for a month, but if you think you will then you should definitely do that. You'll have the rest of the summer for fun.