Twenty-year-old Elijah Samson spent three weeks over the summer
working alongside lawyers in Walkers' Cayman Islands office,
where he benefitted from the firm's extensive training and
development programme during his 2021 legal internship. A 2019
Walkers Legal Scholarship recipient, Elijah recently started his
third and final year of a Bachelor of Laws degree at the University
of Exeter.
In this short interview, Elijah shares his five-year plan, what he
learned and gained from his first internship with Walkers, and
advice for the next intake of legal interns at the firm:
Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?
A: In the next five years I hope to have successfully completed my Bachelor of Laws, the Legal Practice Course (a postgraduate law course) and to have started working as a full time associate with Walkers.
During my time this summer as an intern with the Investment Funds team, I was able to gain an appreciation of what happens in the day-to-day life of an offshore lawyer. Sitting in on meetings, drafting documents and writing emails all regarding challenging pieces of work, coupled with the collegial workplace culture left me eagerly anticipating what my future with the firm might hold.
Q: Looking back, what do you wish you would have known before starting this internship?
A: That not everything will immediately make sense; for example, a lot of language used by lawyers consists of acronyms and legal terms that can seem daunting at first. It was important for me to remember that there is a learning curve and that everyone around me was once where I am right now.
Even nearing the end of the internship, I still had a lot of questions, but as the days went on I was able to piece together information and develop a beginner's understanding of the role.
Q: Is there one thing you worked on that you feel particularly proud of?
A: I am extremely proud of my internship project. At the start of the internship we were given a mock task specifically related to the department we were placed in, and we were asked to produce a Memorandum of Advice for our 'client'. After weeks of research and making several corrections I was able to provide advice on a legal matter.
It was a moment of great satisfaction because I demonstrated to my colleagues – and myself – just how capable I am of executing the practical side of law. Even though it was a hypothetical scenario in this case, it was a major milestone I will never forget.
Q: Do you have any words of wisdom for the next intake of interns?
A: Do not be afraid to ask questions. During the first couple of days, I experienced imposter syndrome where I thought that if I asked questions, my capability as a legal intern would immediately be questioned. However, I eventually decided to push that thought out of my head because at the end of the day there is no point in focusing on self-doubt. .
Putting yourself out there can be intimidating, but it is
all part of the process.
Over the summer, Walkers legal scholarship recipients Benjamin Black, Zachary Jones, Joanna Cameron, Daniel Lee and Lauren-Mae Vernon also completed internships with Walkers. Sherol Anglin, who is sponsored by the Ministry of Education, participated in the Walkers Legal Internship Programme as well.