Fraser Trebilcock’s associate attorneys welcomed 12 summer interns from the Ingham County Probate Court for a Lunch and Learn at the firm’s Lansing office last week. The interns ranged from recent college graduates, to current law school students, to recent law school graduates. During the meeting, the associates shared insight from their career paths, as well as ideas on how to get ahead and set yourself apart from the rest of the professional legal pack.
The interns asked excellent questions about how choices made now would help to mold their futures in law. For instance, all of the associates agreed: find a specialty of law that you love to practice.
“It was very helpful to be on the business side of the law firm relationship,” said associate J.J. Burchman, who explained that being in both private practice and in-house counsel helped him provide better service to clients. “I was able to figure out what a business wanted from its law firm and better provide that service to clients.”
Work ethic and tips to working efficiently were also addressed. “One of the most important things I learned was to know when to say, ‘I don’t know’ to a senior partner,” added Melisa Mysliwiec. “It’s worse to give an incorrect answer than to ask for time to get the right one.”
Other topics included advice on which extracurricular groups were most helpful in practical legal experience, the importance of community involvement, and tips on networking.