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Joe Bloggs – Intern
12 The Meadows, Nottingham NG1 2DY / 0115 9123456 / joebloggs@aol.com
Twitter: @joebloggs / LinkedIn: @joebloggslaw
Personal Statement
I am a third-year law student studying for my LL.B at NTU. My average grade for year 1 & 2 is 76%, putting me on track for 1st Class Honours. My studies this year leave me two full days / two afternoons free each week (plus holidays), and I am looking for an internship at a law firm to build my experience during those times. I am a strong communicator thanks to my debating experience, a competent legal researcher and a good legal writer with examples of both research and writing to show.
Skills
- Good foundation legal skills acquired through two work placements.
- Ability to use legal databases to research the law effectively (Westlaw, LexisNexis, Practical Law).
- Ability to confidently write accurate client-friendly legal blogs on current topics.
- Competent user of MS Word, Excel and Outlook, some experience of using the Clio PMS
- Confident communicator and presenter with skills strengthened in the NTSU Debating Team
- Well organised, full attendance at lectures and always on time with my assignments
- Ability to work unsupervised, proven through my past work and placements
- Good understanding of client confidentiality gained through past placements
Work Experence : Legal
Legal placement, ABC Solicitors / Various dates July 2018 – September 2019
I spent a total of 12 weeks at ABC out of term time. My experience included:
- Conducting legal research
- Drafting simple legal documents
- Editing legal documents such as leases in house style
- Reviewing documents and preparing bundles for court
- Writing legal blogs for the firm’s website
- Helping to develop the firm’s intranet and organise legal resources (templates, precedents & guides)
- A wide range of other tasks to assist fee earners across various
Legal Placement, XYZ Conveyancers / July 2017 – Sept 2018, December 2018
I spent a total of 8 weeks at this firm of Licensed Conveyancers, handling a number of straightforward residential conveyancing sale files. My experience included:
- Reviewing the title and preparing the pre contract package, envisaging anything that may be a requisition and dealing with it early to avoid delay.
- Picking up the phone to clients and updating them throughout the conveyancing process.
- Dealing with legal enquiries from the buyer’s solicitor.
- Preparing post contract documentation
- Drafting completion statements.
- Handling all post completion matters to file closure.
Legal blogging / September 2017 – date
I have written a number of legal blogs/articles and samples are attached. These include:
- 12 contributions to NTU’s law student monthly newsletter covering current legal issues.
- 5 blogs for ABC Solicitors, a local law firm, on property topics
- 3 posts for XYZ Conveyancers, a local firm of Licensed conveyancers, on property topics
- 1 post for Student Lawyer Magazine
- 1 post for Law Student (Sweet & Maxwell)
- 1 post for Lawyer Monthly
Work experience : other
Bestwood Café, Nottingham / October 2018 – date
On Saturdays I work at the Bestwood café and I now manage the Saturday shift, which includes supervising two junior members of staff and preparing the rota for the week ahead. I ensure standards are maintained and all health & safety policies are followed, including food hygiene and policies relating to safety of customers and employees. I have performed two health and safety audits for the café since joining and drafted/implemented actions based on these.
Assistant Referee, Bestwood Junior Football Squad / June 2016 – date
On Sundays I act as Assistant Referee for the local junior football team. This opportunity has allowed me to develop a wide range of skills including effective communication, mentoring, dispute resolution and attention to detail.
Qualifications
LL.B, Nottingham Trent University / Studying third/final year from Sept 2019
I began studying for my LL.B in September 2017 and I am now in my third & final year. My average grade across assessed work/exams is 76%, putting me on track for 1st Class Honours.
A Levels, NCN, Nottingham / Completed June 2016
Maths (B), English (C), Biology (C), Philosophy (C)
GCSEs, Arnold Hill Comprehensive, Nottingham / Completed 2014
9 GCSEs grade C and above including Maths (A) and English (A)
Hobbies and interests
I am a member of the NTSU debating society and regularly attend debates and competitions in my spare time. I also visit the gym regularly and love swimming/badminton.
References
References are available from ABC Solicitors, XYZ Conveyancers and my law tutor.
Template details:
Here’s a full preview of page one of this CV for internship applications:
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How to prepare a CV for an internship application
An internship is a position of a student or trainee who works in an organisation, with or without pay, to gain work experience. Gaining experience through internships whilst you are studying is a great way to stand out from other graduates who may leave university with no work experience.
An CV for internship applications follows a fairly standard format although you may wish to deviate slightly to reflect the fact that you are likely to have little or no formal work experience.
Examine the job advert
Before you write a single word, you need to take a closer look at the job advert and highlight any key skills or experience that the employer is looking for. Take this sample ad for example:
Everything in this ad should influence how you write your CV. Don’t simply list off the attributes the employer is looking for. Instead, ensure your CV provides examples of how you’ve gained and used those attributes. For example:
- Rather than simply saying you have excellent research skills, explain what type of research you have done and attach examples.
- Rather than simply saying you have strong written communication, explain where you’ve used that skill and provide examples.
The key to writing a strong CV is to SHOW, not TELL.
1. Contact information
Provide:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
- Email address
It’s really important to employers that their interns have a genuine interest in and passion for the industry in which they operate. Your Twitter account is a great way to demonstrate this. Follow influencers, share material that shows you’re up-to-date with industry topics, and join in the discussion.
“Tweet your opinions with courage and conviction. If there’s a discussion happening about a hot topic in your industry, tweet about it. If you put something succinctly and others agree this can help start an interaction, or gain you new industry followers. Then when you tweet about the roles you’re looking for, you’ll be alerting people who are already aware that you know your stuff – nothing better than a giving a strong first impression before you’ve even entered the interview.”
Your LinkedIn account can be used in much the same way. In addition, you can use LinkedIn to create a more substantial ‘online CV’ with more portfolio samples. Find out more: Building a killer LinkedIn profile to complement your CV
2. Personal statement
Use your personal statement to introduce yourself, state a few reasons why the employer should keep reading, and explain what you’re looking for.
Try to address what you believe are the strongest requirements for the job. These will be the ones that you’d guess to be requisite requirements – for example, studying for a particular degree, or having strong communication skills. Avoid simply telling an employer that you have a soft skill such as communication. Instead, provide examples of when and how you’ve communicated effectively.
3. Skills
Because you won’t have a lot of experience, it’s worth specifically listing off the key skills that make you a great fit for the job. Again, for soft skills, explain how you gained / practised those skills.
4. Work experience
Whilst a regular CV typically lists work experience in reverse chronological order (most recent first), a CV for internship applications may split up relevant from non relevant experience (if you have any at all).
So, for example, a legal intern might split their experience into legal / non legal, then list each of these sections in reverse chronological order.
For experience that isn’t directly relevant, highlight the skills that you acquired / used which are transferable to the current role.
If you have absolutely no work experience at all, our School Leaver’s CV has some great examples of alternative types of experience you can use.
5. Qualifications
List any qualifications you are currently studying for, with the status of those (e.g. “I am in my final year which ends June 2020.”)
List past qualifications, highlighting any that are particularly relevant to the role. Some non-legal qualifications are good complements for law. For example:
- English – good for written and verbal communication with clients and colleagues
- Maths – essential in almost any area of law
- Philosophy – teaches students how to construct a watertight argument
- Business – helps students have better commercial awareness
- Marketing – can be useful as a secondary role within the law firm
6. Hobbies and interests
Focus on hobbies and interests that further demonstrate skills the employer is looking for. Additionally, mentioning sports and fitness activities which you enjoy can help show you take an interest in your personal health and well being.
7. References
There is no need to complete this section or even include it as all employers will ask for references when they offer the job anyway. However, mentioning that you are confident a positive reference will be available from a respectable source can go a long way.
