Recently, I often see a lot of discussion about "trainee lawyers" on the Internet, and there is a lot of debate about the length of the internship period. Not only online, but also countless intern lawyers around them complain about the long internship period. I also came from a trainee lawyer and have some of my own opinions on the internship period.
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Let's start with the impact of internships on the legal profession.
First, the salary of trainee lawyers should be kept to a minimum.
In large cities, trainee lawyers are paid at roughly equal to or slightly higher than the local minimum wage, and it is not excluded that there are indeed some trainee lawyers who can earn a considerable income, but that does not represent the majority. That is to say, a bachelor's or master's student who has graduated from a law major and passed the legal examination and chooses the legal profession may not have enough income to pay rent. From the moment students get their diplomas and walk out of law school, they say goodbye to the school's cheap dormitories and cafeterias, face unaffordable rent and three meals a day, and fall directly from heaven to hell. Students can only beg their parents for financial support, and their dignity has nowhere to go.
The big city is fine, the rule of law is relatively perfect, in addition to the low salary of the trainee lawyer, at least the boss will still give money, and the law firm will also pay the lowest social security. In many small cities, trainee lawyers can't get a penny, have no social security, and even have to pay for their own cases. But fortunately, students who choose to go to small cities have returned to their hometowns, at least they can eat and live at home, as long as they meet the requirements of their parents, grasp the marriage and have children, and their lives are still relatively moist.
Second, the instructor can let the trainee lawyer do anything.
Because the internship period is a hurdle that lawyers must pass to obtain a practicing license, the one who can help intern lawyers cross this hurdle is to teach lawyers. The law firm cannot be changed during the internship period, and if you want to successfully pass the internship period, you must stay at the same law firm for one year. Law firms have seen this, and trainee lawyers are willing to do anything in order to get a lawyer's license, even if it is a work out of the ordinary.
Not surprisingly, in addition to the work of a trainee lawyer, you will also see jobs outside the legal profession, such as drivers, cooks, software testers, secretaries, sales, nannies, tutors, translators, and so on. Recruit people who do these jobs alone, to give a much higher salary than the trainee lawyer, the intern lawyer is cheap and easy to use, why not enjoy it.
Third, many law students think that they can learn a lot of experience during their internship.
Many law students believe that during the internship period, they can contact various clients with the guidance lawyer or team in the law firm, face a variety of legal issues, and learn countless valuable experiences. In such a perfect learning environment, you can earn without paying tuition. It is not excluded that there is indeed such a holy place, but none of what I have heard is like this. Some of the teaching lawyers have nothing to do with their own cases, and the trainee lawyers don't want to learn anything, and they don't even have the opportunity to sort out the files. The boss with many cases is busy drinking with clients and has no time to take care of the trainee lawyer. Not to mention that there is also the unfinished work listed in the previous article, where there is time to learn case handling experience.
Fourth, lawyers are compelled to continue working in the law firm after the end of their internship period.
There is really a situation, some law firms help lawyers through the internship period as a reason, let the lawyer sign a deed of sale, after the internship period still have to continue to work in the law firm, otherwise do not help apply for an internship certificate. To be honest, if I hadn't seen this with my own eyes, I really wouldn't have believed it. What's even more frightening is that there are really students who have entered this pit, and the reason for me is that I know how many pounds I have.
In fact, the internship period is not completely without benefits, lawyers are surviving the internship period to come out, if the internship period is meaningless, how to recruit cheap intern lawyers in the future.
First, disillusionment.
Students fantasize about walking out of law school, passing the law exam, becoming an elite lawyer that everyone admires, becoming financially independent, finding a happy other half, and living a happy life from then on. After starting the internship, you will find that the lawyers are all B B, and in most cases they should still be licked. Financial independence is also difficult, and even after the internship period, lawyers still have to develop for three years to a lifetime to have an ideal income. Falling in love is even more extravagant, not meeting the basic conditions, no time, no energy, no silver, no hair.
Disillusionment in the legal profession is inevitable, and the internship phase can accelerate this event. In fact, disillusionment does not only occur in the legal profession, but is the same for other professions and even the whole life. The sooner it is broken, the sooner it will step into reality.
Second, I learned that lawyers can only grow on their own.
All the experiences told by others are meaningless, and the pit that should be dropped is only their own capital if they climb out. The chores done during the internship can only help you eat more. Through the trainee lawyer stage, if students can understand that the essence left behind by chewing themselves is their own, it is enough. There is no need to learn the way others handle things, everyone has their own unique cognition and thinking, all roads lead to Rome, only by finding their own case handling mode, can they exert their true strength in the future.
Third, experience a life of poverty and dignity.
This experience is not something that everyone will have, and if you are lucky enough to experience it, it is definitely a great asset of life. An additional perspective on the world will help even in other industries in the future. The life of begging can also explore the meaning of life faster and feel the joy of the heart. These are all things to be cherished, and later you can say out loud, "I understand!" ”
Fourth, learn to be sophisticated.
When you enter the law firm, you will find that what can really bring you benefits may not be how strong your professional ability is, but whether you will treat people well. It's okay to know this, and don't think about how much sophistication you can learn in just one year, which is accumulated by time.
Now it needs to be reflected, do lawyers really need internships? A qualified lawyer, in addition to professional knowledge, must also know how to market, how to maintain client relationships, and how to connect with the Department of Public Prosecutions and Law. These are not something that can be learned in a year's time. Is it feasible to extend the internship period? I think it's possible, and it's best to spend the rest of your life in an internship, so that you don't need to distinguish between a lawyer and a trainee lawyer.
I had an immature idea that if I had to have an internship period, I could put it in the study stage so that it would be difficult for law students to survive after graduation. Students who want to become lawyers must pass the legal examination in school, observe a certain number of court hearings, and analyze a certain number of existing legal documents. During his time in school, he undertook legal aid cases under the guidance of teachers and learned about the real judicial environment. At least after leaving the school, the lawyer's ability to practice is no longer a problem, and self-confidence and ability will be equated.
Lawyers are the profession of providing legal services, they should earn from their own labor, they must absolutely shut out capital, and there should be no partners who resemble shareholders. Legal services and other services are fundamentally different, the law is the last and only choice for most people to safeguard their rights, if the price of legal services is controlled by people who do not earn it for nothing, there will be a situation where rights protection is not as good as admitting their lives, which will cause a serious injury to the construction of China's rule of law, and will also affect the development of the entire legal profession.
The internship period of the lawyer will not change because of my few words, and you who are forced to move forward, come on.