Internship Reflection Report: Family Law and Legal Practice

This report presents a comprehensive reflection on a student's internship experience at the Family Legal Clinic, focusing on family law practices. The report utilizes Kolb's reflective cycle to analyze the student's learning journey, encompassing experience, reflection, conceptualization, and planning. The student discusses their roles, responsibilities, and the application of academic knowledge in a practical setting, highlighting the importance of employability skills and professional development. The report also includes a SWOT analysis conducted before and after the internship, providing a structured evaluation of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The student reflects on challenges faced, skills developed, and the impact of the experience on their understanding of the legal field, concluding with insights into future professional development and the application of learned skills to resolve family law cases. OSCOLA referencing style is used throughout the report.

Reflection on my
Internship Experience

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................2
Kolb Reflective Cycle............................................................................................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
SWOT Analysis before undertaking the placement...............................................................5
SWOT Analysis after undertaking the placement..................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Ethics are basically the moral principles which help in governing the behaviour of
individuals through conducting various activities. Family Legal Clinic is a pro bono legal
service founded in the month of the August in the year 2014 through a group of enthusiastic and
young professionals. In reference to the clinic, it allows the paralegals, attorneys and law
students to offer educational services to wide array of clients which also comprises of the poor
rural villagers, children and women who are abused and prisoners. In case of individuals, it is
very important to learn and possess certain aspects for the purpose to execute the various
activities in a better manner. Knowledge and skills plays a very important role for a person in
order to deal with the situation that arises in a placement or a new workplace. These are various
key responsibilities and roles which as an individual i need to perform for the purpose to achieve
the end objectives. The employability skills helps a lot in offering knowledge about the different
strategies of time management which really helped a lot in maintaining the effectiveness. Also
the motivation is considered to be a very effective tool which helped in improving the quality of
work1. In context to Kolb’s Cycle of reflective practice, it is basically a model which is designed
for the purpose to help the individuals to learn from their own experiences.
This model could be used as a basis when it comes to writing a reflective essay or as a way
to structure your thinking. The present report also involves a brief explanation of the SWOT
analysis which is basically a technique used for the purpose to analyse the organization and to
devise a successful strategy for the future2. When it comes to the organization, my major role and
principle duties were to explore the legal practices in the domain and integration of the academic
knowledge with legal practice. My major principle duty was to analyze the family law issues and
using profound research databases such as Lexis Advance, HeinOnline, Proquest Congressional
and other tools for the purpose to analyze the law cases. The organization is one of the award
winning companies which offers the opportunities to the students to work under the supervision
of Emma Williams, who is a Solicitor with 20-year post qualification in the Family Law. The
organization basically provides opportunities to offer free advice to their local community under
1 Houlgate L, 'What Is Legal Intervention In The Family? Family Law And Family Privacy' (1998) 17 Law and
Philosophy
2 Treloar R, and Boyd S, 'Family Law Reform In (Neoliberal) Context: British Columbia's New Family Law Act'
(2014) 28 International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family
1

the supervision of the highly experienced and qualified lawyers. In reference to the students, who
are working at the University Family Legal Clinic are basically intended to research the issues,
interview the clients and analyze their issues and complete the court documentation on their
behalf.
MAIN BODY
Kolb Reflective Cycle
In context to Kolb’s Cycle of reflective practice, it is basically a model which is designed for
the purpose to help the individuals to learn from their own experiences. This model could be
used as a basis when it comes to writing a reflective essay or as a way to structure your thinking.
Experience: In reference to my learning and with the organization, the company has really been
highly effective when it comes to corresponding to my academic interests. In reference to my
placement at the Family Law Clinic(FMC), it really helped me in offering various opportunities
and also offered me a chance to explore the various legal practices in the domain and offers
provided me a golden opportunity to get benefit from the experiences3.
Reflection: The initial ideals about the company were well confirmed by the work placement. As
a law student, i was really fascinated through the arena of the family law. My interest in the
family law and human law has motivated me to pursue a degree in this field. During the
placement beginning, i was really happy and delighted since i would be working in my favourite
area. After i had a meeting with some of the really amazing and known legal experts, i was left
bewildered. Even though, it took some time for me to settle down in the environment but my
superiors at the workplace were really supportive and coordinated(Mele, Español, Carvalho and
Marsico, 2021). Moreover, i got to learn so much about the legal writing and also developed
skills throughout this period. The placement allowed me to have deeper knowledge about the
working of the legal industry. During the placements, it basically involved various sessions twice
a week which comprises of law case scenarios, in depth knowledge and much more. Though it
3 Welstead M, and Edwards S, Family Law (Oxford University Press 2013).
2

was my first placement, i have never gained a practical exposure of my field and eventually
there were doubts and issues raising4.
Conceptualisation: In context to my work placement, i had to deal with various challenges and
issues in the course of the work placement and it was very important for to resolve them in a
effective and efficient manner5. Because it was my first ever placement, i had never gained a
practical exposure of my field and hence this lead to problems and my seniors getting annoyed as
i was constantly asking them questions and raising issues. In addition to that i adopted effective
ways of observing, researching and analysing the cases of the family laws. Even though, the
training sessions really helped me in a lot in resolving my overall issues.
Planning: In case of the work placement, it has provided me the opportunity to have deeper
knowledge and great experience of dealing with individuals and working in a team. In addition to
that, it really helped me a lot in boosting my confidence and overall morale. Even though the
work placement has played a very beneficial role in different ways and also i have gained a real
life exposure of my law field, skills and my knowledge on the different case scenarios through
integrating family law, research skills, presentation skills and critical thinking. In context to my
contribution to the goals of the company basically involved offering quality work, solving tough
cases and offering scope for better development.
CONCLUSION
In context to my outcome and result of the work placement, it has really played a beneficial
role in growing my professional and intellectual skills. The placement and the overall experience
has really changed my thinking about the relationship between the working environment and the
academic interests. The work placement has been beneficial for me in various ways and also
helped me a lot in gaining a real life exposure of my law field. Also through reflecting on my
experience about my placement and also identification of my strengths and weakness has really
helped me a lot in seeking, learning and implementing for the purpose to become an efficient law
4 Huntington C, 'Family Law And Nonmarital Families' (2015) 53 Family Court Review.
5 Barton C, 'Family Law: Text, Cases And Materials' (2012) 34 Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.
3

professional. In addition to that, it really helped in better understanding of the academic interests
and different ways. This also helped me a lot in applying again for the work placements in my
next break which could really help me a lot in improving in the professional practice. In addition
to that, through enrolling in the online courses for analytical skills and technical skills could play
a really important role for the analysis and law case6.
Also i realised that designating two hours through study per day on different family law
cases and their analysis could work really well for the purpose to critically think and solve the
various issues. In addition to that, weekly group discussions with the fellow mates will really
contribute a lot. In addition to that, the work placement really helped me a lot in learning about
the legal writing from my placement and also helped in increasing knowledge and understanding
about the legal drafting. It also helped a lot in offering opportunity in order to write complaint.
Another important skill which was developed during the placement was the ability to do legal
research and locate precedents. Aside from the meetings with the wide range of clientele, it also
offered an opportunity to integrate with them. In addition to that, i also learnt how to talk to
clients and share them information related to their case and listening to their problems. In
addition to that, with more and more practice it really helped in interacting with the clients and
also persuading with others for the purpose to help them with their issues and problems Through
the placement, it also involved the informative seminars which were related to the emerging
family issues and how to resolve them. As i attended these workshops, i also gained a deeper
understanding and better knowledge of numerous concepts and aspects of the family law. I was
also very motivated to become a good lawyer through plethora of exceptional legal professionals
which were there in different situations7. The placement also allowed to have better
understanding about the working of the legal industry and also the various legal concepts which
were clear to me and when i put them into practice.
Also the placement also included sessions twice a week where in depth knowledge, family
law case scenarios and critical evaluation of the cases was being carried out. It also helps a lot in
learning the different methods in how to initiate with the case and how to pursue further
proceedings in terms of the thoughts and personal vies on the court’s judgement regarding the
6 Barton C, 'Family Law, Sixth Edition' (2014) 36 Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.
7 Schepard A, and DiFonzo J, 'HOFSTRA's FAMILY LAW WITH SKILLS COURSE: IMPLEMENTING FLER
(THE FAMILY LAW EDUCATION REFORM PROJECT)' (2011) 49 Family Court Review.
4

case8. During the placement, the lecture sessions were really a potential key feature which really
helped a lot in enlightening the real life legal case examples of the different family laws which
also included observing, training, searching and gathering of the key points. Training in the
family laws and human right occurred to be one of the break through of my placement
experience. As the result of the training, it really helped me a lot in learning about the different
aspects of separation and divorce and also involves the concept of child and spousal support,
financial disclosure, property rights and access to children9. It also helped a lot in producing
effective documentation which are related to the case scenarios that was assigned to me for the
purpose to get appreciation from my supervisors as well. In addition to that, the work placements
really offered an opportunity to interview the clients, issues and analyzing their concerns and
also researching on the various issues to prospect the considerations and having deep
understanding about the cases.
SWOT Analysis before undertaking the placement
Strengths
 Hard working
 Reliable
 Ability to take imitative
 Attention to detail
 Research Skills
 Honesty
Opportunities
 Working in a team
 Gain experience of dealing with the
individuals
 Getting experience of the world of
work
Weakness
 Lack of database skills and spreadsheet
Threats
 Transport issues resulting in lack of
8 Hunter R, 'Doing Violence To Family Law' (2011) 33 Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.
9 Gilmore S, 'Family Law And Personal Life' (2018) 40 Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.
5

skills
 Time-keeping
 No work experience related to
academic studies.
 Lack of confidence in practising the
legal laws.
unreliability.
 Being unsupported at work.
 Fitting into the culture of the company.
SWOT Analysis after undertaking the placement
Strengths
 Hard working
 Better knowledge and understanding of
laws.
 Ability to take imitative
 Attention to detail
 Research Skills
 Honesty
Opportunities
 Working in a team
 Gain experience of dealing with the
individuals
 Getting experience of the world of
work
Weakness
 Lack of database skills and spreadsheet
skills
 Time-keeping
 No work experience related to
academic studies.
Threats
 Transport issues resulting in lack of
unreliability.
 Being unsupported at work.
 Fitting into the culture of the company.
6

 Lack of confidence in practising the
legal laws.
7

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Barton C, 'Family Law, Sixth Edition' (2014) 36 Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
Barton C, 'Family Law: Text, Cases And Materials' (2012) 34 Journal of Social Welfare and
Family Law
Gilmore S, 'Family Law And Personal Life' (2018) 40 Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
Houlgate L, 'What Is Legal Intervention In The Family? Family Law And Family Privacy' (1998)
17 Law and Philosophy
Hunter R, 'Doing Violence To Family Law' (2011) 33 Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
Huntington C, 'Family Law And Nonmarital Families' (2015) 53 Family Court Review
Schepard A, and DiFonzo J, 'HOFSTRA's FAMILY LAW WITH SKILLS COURSE:
IMPLEMENTING FLER (THE FAMILY LAW EDUCATION REFORM PROJECT)'
(2011) 49 Family Court Review
Treloar R, and Boyd S, 'Family Law Reform In (Neoliberal) Context: British Columbia's New
Family Law Act' (2014) 28 International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family
Welstead M, and Edwards S, Family Law (Oxford University Press 2013)
8

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