What Students Say About Our Internship Program

Here is what some of the interns have said about our program.

The internship program at McLaughlin & Associates was a fantastic starting point to my career in the legal profession. Having zero office experience prior to the internship, the firm provided me with great insight into the workings of a reputable law practice. I was able to build a set of important legal and administrative skills, which became invaluable to my career and work ethic long after the internship was complete. Now as a law graduate, and about to commence a full-time graduate position at McCullough Robertson, I have the team at McLaughlin & Associates to thank for giving me my first steps. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in beginning or furthering their career in law.

Adam Hijazi – QUT

I began an Internship at McLaughlin & Associates Lawyers midway through my degree, with very little legal or administrative experience. The team welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to be flexible throughout busy times in the University semester. McLaughlin & Associates provided me with important legal and administrative skills that have assisted me throughout my degree and my future career. The program allowed me to work in all areas of the firm and to experience the inner-workings of a successful legal practice. I was able to utilise the skills I learnt in my study when researching a particular legal issue or drafting a client letter of advice. I am now working as Paralegal while I complete the last semester of my degree. The Internship Program at McLaughlin & Associates is an excellent way to kick-start your legal career. I know I have the team at McLaughlin & Associates to thank for giving me this opportunity and I would highly recommend any law student or potential law student, to apply for this position.”

Brandon Bagley – QUT

I started at McLaughlin & Associates Lawyers as an intern in December 2015 spent the following 12 months participating in their internship program. I had only just finished my first year of study when I started the internship and had no experience in the practical application of law. As an intern with McLaughlin & Associates Lawyers I had the opportunity to gain exposure to multiple facets of law as well as gain an understanding of what it was like to work in a law firm. University studies are vital to any aspiring lawyer but they fail to give any substantial practical exposure to the legal industry. The McLaughlin & Associates Lawyers internship program allowed me to see how what I was being taught at university was applied to the real world. It also gave me the opportunity to observe how lawyers deal with everyday legal problems as well as interact with clients both in person as well as over the phone and email.

Doing research for a university assignment is one thing, but being given the chance to research case law and legislation in a real-world scenario not only gave me an appreciation of how the law is applied in a law firm, but also put a gloss over what I had learnt at university. Also, being able see the interactions between lawyers and clients as well as seeing how lawyers correspond with the other side’s lawyers was invaluable, giving context to many of the subjects I have studied and also elaborating upon them. Despite some of the tasks I was given seeming trivial and unimportant, I quickly learnt, that there are no unimportant jobs in a law firm. Some tasks, though at times repetitive, gave me an understanding of just how much trust a client puts into their lawyer due to the depth and scope of the very personal and confidential information a client gives their lawyer, information that could be devastating in the wrong hands. Furthermore, I gained an understanding on just how important attention to detail is in every task that is undertaken, due to professional regulations and obligations as well as the obligations to a client. My time as an intern has also helped my studies at university as I can link what the lecturer is saying to a real-world context. My internship has also complimented my studies, not only giving me experience, but improving my performance as a student by giving me the ability to understand how lawyers use and apply the law. The staff at McLaughlin & Associates Lawyers are friendly, knowledgeable and not only answer many of the questions a law students has, but they will also make the student attempt to find their own answer first in order to help them learn.

I would recommend the internship program to any law student that wishes to gain the chance to be put through their paces, bolster what they have already learnt as well as learn how the law is applied in a law firm. The job market for any newly graduated law student is a competitive one, without gaining the experience from the internship at McLaughlin and Associates Lawyers there would be nothing to differentiate me from the plethora of other graduates that will finish university at the same time as me. I now feel that I have an edge that others will not have when my CV is read by a potential employer. The internship program also gave me the confidence in my current legal knowledge and its application in the workplace. It is essential for anyone studying law to eventually stop looking at the law from the perspective of a student and begin looking at the law from the perspective of somebody that will one day be a practitioner. This internship will help you achieve just that.”

Doug Finch – University of Southern Queensland

Intern: December 2015-December 2016