Our 2018 Summer Clerkship Program brought five law students for an intellectually challenging and professionally gratifying experience. Nearing the end of the program, the students agreed to share a few of the highlights about their summer.
Rochelle joined us from the Washington University School of Law, where she is Executive Notes Editor of the Washington University Global Studies Law Review. Rochelle has won the Negotiation Competition as well as the 1L/LLM Client Interviewing and Counseling Competition.
Here is what she had to say about her summer at Shutts.
Q1. What did you do before coming to Shutts?
Before coming to Shutts I worked at General Mills and a large law firm in Minneapolis, MN as a 1L. I also attended Florida State University and graduated in three years while working and traveling around the world.
Q2. What advice would you give to someone looking for a summer clerkship? What should they do to succeed in the position?
For anyone looking for a summer clerkship, I would suggest that you start as early as possible and really be intentional about your search. Apply to places that you think you can build a career. While it is important to have a job, it is also important to be happy and enjoy your life after graduation. Take the time to consider what is important to you and what you hope to gain out of a summer clerkship. For me, Shutts has been a place where I know I can grow my career but also be happy.
Q3. Describe a typical day on the job.
I am a morning person, so my day at Shutts began between 7:45 a.m. and 8 a.m. I usually checked my email then began my days’ work. Every single morning, the Recruiting Manager would come to the office that my co-summer associate and I shared and say good morning and check on us. My workload was consistent throughout my summer and I never felt bored. I worked on substantive assignments with deadlines ranging from same-day to a few weeks.
Q4. What were your expectations and have they been met (or exceeded)?
I expected the summer associate program to be filled with a lot of interesting and rewarding work as well as plenty of opportunities to get to know all of the attorneys in the Miami office. These past ten weeks have exceeded my expectations. Everyone that I met this summer was extremely nice and helpful. Attorneys took the time to explain assignments and procedures to me and I found it incredible that people at Shutts enjoyed each other’s company at work and at other events outside of work. The work that I was assigned was substantive and allowed me to work on my research and writing skills while attorneys carefully guided me throughout my summer.
About Shutts & Bowen LLP
Established in 1910, Shutts & Bowen is a full-service business law firm with more than 280 lawyers with offices in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Tampa and West Palm Beach. Learn more about Shutts & Bowen at www.shutts.com.