I can’t believe we are approaching the final week of our internship at Mason Hayes & Curran. My second week has been very engaging. I was able to experience a mix of talks, social events and get involved in the firm’s sports teams.
We began the week with a talk from a group of trainees. They shared a sneak peek into the day-to-day life as a trainee, how to choose your seats, as well as some FE1 advice as most of us were in the middle of completing them.
Following this, we had the opportunity to meet several newly qualified solicitors who shared their journey to qualification. They gave some useful advice when choosing a department to specialise in and how responsibilities change once qualified.
After making the most of the free ice cream available in the canteen for WOW month, I met up with my intern group to work on our group presentation. Our topic was the Screening of Third Country Transactions Act 2023. The main focus for us was understanding what we were presenting and adequately condensing all relevant information into a two-page executive summary. This was an intense process as it was being submitted directly to the partners we were presenting to, so we knew this needed to be precise.
The next day I began my day with some department work. I assisted with reviewing and amending Building Agreements for the Real Estate team. This was a great experience as I was able to see the complexities that go into dealing with multi-unit developments. This also challenged my time management skills, by requiring me to complete tasks to a high standard while doing so in a timely manner.
On Wednesday, I continued with departmental work before attending a CSR talk. We were introduced to all the societies the firm has to offer such as the Green team, the Pro Bono team and RISE committee. I particularly found RISE interesting, as community service and contributing to society was a big part of my upbringing, it was very encouraging to see the emphasis the firm makes on doing the same.
Thursday kicked off with another group meeting to consolidate all our work and refine the first draft of our executive summary. After this I met my buddy for a coffee at Grindstone. It was a good chance for me to discuss my work and get his insights into being a trainee at Mason Hayes & Curran. After lunch, the interns took part in a quiz which was organised by the trainees, which was a good way for the group to bond over some friendly competition. To round off the day, some of the interns took part in the firm’s tag rugby team. It is worthwhile to join any social activities the firm has to offer. It is a great way to meet people in the firm but outside of your department.
Finally, on Friday, I focused on completing my final touches for my case note project, which was due in the afternoon. This required careful attention as I wanted to make sure my case note was polished ahead of the feedback session next week from the Knowledge team. After a quick lunch run to Carved, we returned to our group project meetings. My group worked on preparing our presentation slides and going over our delivery to make sure we are ready for the presentation next week.
Overall my second week with Mason Hayes & Curran has flown by! I am looking forward to making the most of my time as an intern and taking every opportunity to get involved across the firm.