The Times
October 17, 2006

Up, up and away — learning law in foreign climes

SARAI JACOB WHEN I began my law degree, it wasn’t with a burning desire to practice. And I was even less enthusiastic when it came to the finish. I had enjoyed many aspects of my degree but abstract arguments on trusts, the tutorial treadmill and aggressive recruitment from City firms to the apparent exclusion of all other options had somewhat taken the shine off a legal career.

So in a year “off”, how did I combine trying different things with work abroad? By doing an internship at Howarth and Smith, a Los Angeles law firm — its blend of high stakes litigation and willingness to take on the goliaths of the commercial world was exciting and inspiring.

There are six attorneys, which means that there is genuine involvement in the work. My imagination has been caught by a case filed against Iran on behalf of a former Lebanese hostage. It raised issues of public law, international law, jurisdiction, sovereignty, holding governmental authorities to account, human rights and civil liberties.

The chance to meet the former hostage also highlighted the vitality of public law, not only on a personal level but also on an international and political level, casting a career in the law in a very human (and attractive) light.

My involvement has included an “all-nighter” — 26 hours straight preparing opposition to a motion for summary judgment — and while the experience was far from pleasant, the importance of the work and the Dunkirk spirit made it a memorable experience.

Exposure to the American system has also been interesting: the interaction between the federal and state systems aside, there is a more “aggressive” manner to the way litigation is conducted.

In LA, it’s even standard practice to take witnesses out to lunch and go over testimony to the point of rehearsing for depositions. The theatrics at court, the greater involvement of the jury and opportunity to question the jury before trial have all proved food for thought. The experience forced me to apply and consider those systemic concerns and goals that I had studied.

Finding an internship was a challenge. But it can be done, using all the resources at your disposal: I trawled the internet and careers publications but also found it useful talking to people who had done similar things and to my tutors. In the end I found Howarth and Smith through my tutor, who knew of the program: the personal touch made the whole process much easier and less daunting.

So the job that I accepted tentatively more than a year ago has proved to be the best advert a legal career could have had. The internship gave me a taste of the glamour of litigation, highlighted the scope for making a difference to people’s lives and our society and gave me the opportunity to see what life as a lawyer entails.

More importantly, perhaps, it renewed my enthusiasm for law.

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