My time as an intern at the Law Society of Scotland

The career ready programme gave Taylor a unique opportunity to work with the Law Society of Scotland.

When I started fifth year at high school, I applied to take part in the Career Ready programme. The Career Ready programme links students with working people and workplaces to develop understanding of careers and the right attitudes and professional skills required to gain employment. I met Mark Smith back in October 2018 who would become my mentor and will continue to be until March 2020 when I finish the programme at a graduation ceremony in Perth. Throughout the programme I have attended masterclasses and workshops, met with Mark on several occasions, worked for four weeks as an intern at the Law Society, and gained lots of experience in the world of law.

I started my internship thinking that the Law Society would be very posh but in actual fact everyone was super friendly. Every day colleagues would say hello and smile at me and it dispelled the myth of what I thought the internship would be like. I’ve had an amazing time, and everyone made me feel very welcome. I felt part of the Law Society team and I know that my time spent here will help me achieve my goal of becoming a Scottish solicitor.

The things I enjoyed most during the internship were: meeting the First Minister on my first day (see photo); visiting the Scottish Parliament; and attending a conference at Edinburgh Zoo on the future of Scottish fisheries. I also had the privilege of sitting with a Procurator Fiscal at the Sheriff Summary court in Edinburgh. I attended different meetings like the LawscotTech Advisory Board, the Banking, Company and Insolvency Law Committee, and a meeting with the Scottish Government to discuss the law on defamation. I also worked with the Law Society’s members services team and spent time learning about the Lawscot Foundation.

Throughout the internship I learned so much about the different areas of law that I could practice, including some that I didn’t even know existed. I gained experience on what a working week is like, and I now have the confidence to speak to others which was demonstrated when I presented to over 50 people at the Law Society’s all staff meeting. Most importantly, I got the opportunity to do something that will benefit me in the long term.

I want to take the time to say thank you to Mark for putting the internship together and to everyone who gave up a little bit of their time to speak to me about what they do. It’s been a pleasure to speak to everyone and to get a little taste of what the Communications and Policy teams do. Thanks for taking me on!