Last week marked the completion of the 2023 Bell, Davis & Pitt Summer Clerkship program. Summer law clerkship programs give law students the chance to work alongside attorneys and legal professionals assisting them in assembling case materials, preparing legal drafts, researching law, writing reports, and conducting client interviews. An opportunity to begin putting theory into practice. As almost any law student will tell you, the completion of a clerkship is a career hallmark worth celebrating. For summer 2023, we had the exciting opportunity to work alongside Wake Forest University Law students Kaylie Jessup and Daria Brown. As their clerkships drew to a close, we sat down with Kaylie and Daria to chat about their experiences as summer clerks and law students. Our conversations were uplifting and insightful and left us feeling excited for this next generation of law practitioners to embark on their quest to create a positive impact on humanity. Here is a look into what they shared:
Kaylie
What drew you to the study of law?
As a business enterprise management major and psychology and music minor, Kaylie was drawn to the transactional aspects of law.
What was it like entering your 2nd Summer Clerkship here at BDP?
There has been a positive shift in my level of confidence and comfortability with the grey areas of law.
Where do you see the legal industry in 10 years?
The legal industry will become more and more agile, evolving quickly alongside many other industries.
What trends do you see emerging amongst your fellow law students?
A growing interest in cross-disciplinary relationship building and networking amongst other graduate-level students.
What do you enjoy most about your studies?
Success in law is deeply dependent upon relationships. The relational aspect of things. Getting to know people by having conversations and considering varying perspectives.
What advice would you have for those considering law school?
Do it! Focus on your mindset and approach law school for the experience and be ready for the learning curve.
When you are not studying law, what do you enjoy doing?
Playing the piano and singing. Enjoying time outdoors.
What would you consider to be a fun fact about yourself?
I have a plant collection of over 30 individual plants.
Daria
What drew you to the study of law?
A desire to change the world even if that means only helping one person through the practice of law.
What has been the biggest takeaway from your Clerkship?
1) Just Pick up the phone, communication and personal interactions are paramount.
2) Being willing and able to work collaboratively is important to success and being a part of a law firm culture that values collaboration is key.
Where do you see the legal industry in 10 years?
Technology will play a major role in shaping the legal landscape. From AI, and self-driving cars, to technologies that could support better outcomes for criminal defendants, we as legal professionals will need to be open-minded and ready to evolve in step with technology. As the potential (with technological advances) for client interactions to become less personal legal professionals will need to be mindful of maintaining the person-to-person aspect that is so essential to success in this field.
What trends do you see emerging amongst your fellow law students?
More and more students are becoming conscious of the idea that performance and student rankings aren’t the measure of one’s intrinsic worth. There has been a shift towards valuing well-roundedness over the sole pursuit of what is perceived to be the “right path” as law students.
What advice would you have for those considering law school?
Do it! Navigate the experience in a way that you can find areas that you love. Every student’s path will be different and that is okay, there’s no one right way.
When you are not studying law, what do you enjoy doing?
Cooking, playing pickleball/tennis, spending time outdoors, and playing Scrabble because it connects me to home and my family members.
What would you consider to be a fun fact about yourself?
Growing up I wanted to be a pro tennis player.
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