A Year in Practice: My Internship at Lavelle Partners

Daniel Hayden reflects on his year as an intern with the firm and the practical skills, valuable experience and confidence he gained along the way.

Legal Internship

Lavelle Partners LLP is an established law firm where I was fortunate to spend the past year completing an internship through Dublin City University’s INTRA (Integrated Training) programme.

My placement was with the firm’s Asset & Debt Recovery Team, where I learned how to manage my workload effectively, work collaboratively as part of a team and develop my problem-solving skills.

From Legal Theory to Legal Practice

The role gave me the opportunity to significantly enhance my legal knowledge while showing me how different law is in a practical sense, compared to law in an educational setting. I can confidently say that my INTRA year has only been beneficial in confirming my aspirations of working in the legal profession in some manner, and I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to learn from some of the best practitioners in their field. This learning came not only from the extensive training I received, but also from being entrusted with doing real work and real responsibility.

Practical Legal Experience

During my time at Lavelle Partners, I worked in the Asset & Debt Recovery Team alongside a Senior Legal Executive. My role focused on pre-order proceedings and involved assisting with the preparation of legal documentation, corresponding with defendants and their Solicitors and preparing court papers.

I was responsible for arranging the delivery of proceedings, preparing declarations of service for filing in the Circuit Court and ensuring counsel received the necessary briefs in a timely manner. Following court appearances, I also communicated the outcomes to defendants or their Solicitors.

Learning to Work Independently

Overall, the work that I did during my year-long placement was quite independent once assigned to me. During my first few months, my work was reviewed before correspondence was issued or sworn but as I learned and became more comfortable in my role, I was allowed to send letters and have Declarations sworn, provided I was confident with their quality.

This was quite daunting at first, although I felt I always had the safety net of someone reviewing my work. However, by the end of my placement, I had developed the confidence to draft and issue correspondence with minimal supervision.

As the year progressed, I developed my own daily routine for completing necessary tasks including reviewing court instructions, scanning incoming post, checking emails and communicating with clients and barristers.

Developing New Skills

Over the course of the year, I was trusted with greater responsibility and had the opportunity to assist new joiners to the team, including Legal Administrators as they were trained into their roles. These experiences helped me develop a greater understanding of teamwork and allowed me to help others using the knowledge I had gained during my internship.

While college provided me with a strong academic foundation, my internship helped me develop practical skills that could only be gained through experience. Learning to balance competing tasks, manage my workload and build my confidence in a professional environment was very beneficial. Over time, I gradually became more comfortable asking questions and seeking guidance from more senior team members when required.

Working in a busy office provided several valuable learning opportunities.  It taught me the importance of following the correct procedures, while also showing me that I could act quickly and effectively to resolve any issues that arose.

Lessons Learned

I had no real expectations of what my intern experience would be like. Having never worked in an office before, I had little to compare it to.

Over the course of the year, I learned a great deal, not only about the practical side of working in law, but also about myself and what I am capable of achieving when I apply myself fully.

I learned how to work effectively as part of a large team while also working well independently when required. While my degree focuses largely on legal theory, my time with the firm gave me valuable insight into how the law operates in practice and the importance of understanding not only how to complete a task, but why it is being done.

One thing that stands out to me is how much my approach to work and study has changed. My time at Lavelle Partners taught me the importance of planning ahead, staying organised and developing a strategy for the work that lies ahead, skills that I will continue to apply throughout my studies and future career.

Final Reflections

Overall, my internship experience has been overwhelmingly positive and it has helped me grow into a much more confident and competent person.

Looking back on when I first started in the firm and seeing how far I have come, I can see how much I have matured both personally and professionally.

I would strongly recommend Lavelle Partners to any college intern or graduate pursuing a career in law.

If I had to give one single reason, it would be the firm’s dedication to ensuring that all interns are fully equipped with the skills, knowledge and support needed to succeed in their roles.

Further Information

For details of the firm's internship programme, please contact Partner Avril Scally or email law@lavellepartners.ie