It’s an exciting time in the life of a Law Student – starting the much anticipated 10 weeks legal internship. While some may see it as a road block to the coveted Summer Holidays, others yearn for the fulsome exposure of the practicality of the law – especially if that internship is overseas (in the Caribbean) and/or a paid one. My legal internship is local, at The Ministry of Justice (Jamaica). Keep reading to find out which Department/Office and also, to get more insight about my First Week as a Legal Intern.
What is this Legal Internship?
To begin with, Norman Manley Law School mandates its students to carry out court attendance and also legal internship. The internship is usually done in the Summer months of June, July, August and even in early September. That’s ample time, to carry out 10 weeks of legal internship.
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Students get the option of choosing where to intern, given general guidelines that stipulate that internship can be done with a sole practitioner (of 5 years or more at the Bar); a law firm; with a firm in their legal department or at a government agency (also in a legal department).
This experience is to expose students to the practical and working nature of the law and the day – to – day operations at their selected places of internship.
Legal Intern: Where am I and How Did I Get There?
Alrighty, so I’m conducting my internship at the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel at The Ministry of Justice. I decided, after some research that this is where I wanted to spend those 10 weeks. Here’s why: this is the Office where Drafting of Legislations (Laws) are done. I have always loved words and writing, and was always fascinated by how the construct of words can create things of great importance. As soon as I became aware of the mandate of Legislative Drafters, I started to envision myself maturing from my creative writing to more technical writing in the form of drafting laws.
In addition, I wondered if I would truly like the role/tasks or whether I loved the idea/theory of it. So, I thought, what better way to find out, than to intern as a legal draftsman (or I dare say, a legal intern draftswoman)?
As such, I turned to LinkedIn.
I connected with a past professor/lecturer of mine from my days at The University of the West Indies, Mona.
I shared with her my interest to become more exposed and experienced in the area of Legislative Drafting and asked for her help with identifying suitable places/people to connect with. I started my networking here, because it was through one of her classes that the topic of drafting came up and I never forgot it. It was then (about two and a half years ago) that my interest peaked. She referred me to connect with a Draftsman who worked in Jamaica, but is now working Internationally.
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I connected on LinkedIn and shared who our mutual friend is. He didn’t hesitate to assist, by directing me to conduct research on The Office of The Parliamentary Counsel and to make contact with the Chief Parliamentary Counsel.
I had some lead. I was happy and fired up. This is something I wanted to make the best use of. I edited my resume, wrote a cover letter/application letter. I had those things ready.
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Afterwards, I contacted the Office by phone and got some leads, phone numbers and emails. I sent my application as well as my resume. Before you know it, a few emails in – and I was accepted as a legal intern!
Ask The Legal Intern: What Does This Office Do, Really?
Basically, Parliament (Legislators) table Bills in Parliament and debate on them. A lot happens before these bills are passed into law. After their introduction to Parliament, they have to be seen by both houses of Parliament (Upper and Lower). Then, the Governor General gives his royal assent (signature). Following a few house keeping matters, drafting instructions are sent to The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (which is a law Office of the Government responsible for the drafting/literal writing/formatting/structuring of the legislation (s)).
Following this, the office of the Parliamentary Counsel will assign a drafter or a team of drafters for the preparation of the legislation(s). Here are a few responsibilities: (taken from the “Office of the Parliamentary Counsel Materials for Legal Interns June 2023”)
- advise on proposals for a legislative project;
- advise on the planning of a legislative project;
- draft a Bill
- advise on Parliamentary procedure or other handling issues relating to a Bill; and
- draft amendments for a Bill
- to advise on the implementation of an Act
- to draft subsidiary legislation
Note: “It is not the responsibility of Parliamentary Counsel to determine policy. This is the purview of the instructing Ministry or Department. However, Parliamentary Counsel’s detachment from policy-making does not preclude the making of suggestions regarding policy options, if these are apparent to Parliamentary Counsel, or the posing of questions that indicate policy gaps in the drafting instructions.”
– Office of the Parliamentary Counsel Materials for Legal Interns June 2023.
If it isn’t clear by now, the ‘clients’ at this Office are the various Ministries and their relevant Departments.
Week 1 as A Legal Intern at The Office Of The Parliamentary Council
I was super early! I got to the Ministry of Justice about 7:20 A.M. The offices open at about 8:30 A.M.
I was welcomed and shown to my little ‘cubicle’ by one of the support staff (names reserved).
On day 1, I was just 4 days in from my last birthday. I was feeling ready to begin a new chapter and excited for the first day of this experience.
My initial thought, after being shown my ‘cubicle’ was that I needed to add some life to the space, but that was soon sorted by my next encounter! One of the Deputy Chief Parliamentary Counsels soon greeted me and gave me the ‘first day tour’. During the meet and greet I learnt a whole lot, including that she LOVES plants and tends to her garden religiously. It was through that conversation that I mentioned my love for plants too.
We had a whole discussion – (well, I mostly listened) about the variety of orchid species out there and the dos and don’ts of orchid care.
She even decided to take one for me on day 2, which she did!
These little ladies (orchids) can do well in the drought. Avoid overwatering them. This is such a wonderful gift. I’ve always wanted to be gifted a potted plant! 🙂
Big Tasks for a New Legal Intern
As the day progressed, I received the Manual for Legal interns and began reading through it. It shed light on the processes that obtain for a legislation to be prepared and even what happens in the event an amendment is required.
I had the opportunity of learning from my supervising attorney the process of having the Road Traffic Act 2018 (RTA 2018) section 73 amended. This is the section that made it unlawful for public passenger vehicles to carry children without the prescribed child restraint systems. Remember that fiasco when the taxi operators were upset and even withdrew their services? Yes, that section is currently under amendment to exempt public passenger vehicles. There had to be several meetings and revisions of the legislations, following letters from the relevant stakeholders to put on record and as part of the process their input.
For confidential reasons, NONE of those documentations will be shown here.
I also worked on a new legislation that is in the drafting stage. Not much work really, I was tasked with reading through to make corrections where grammatical and other errors are concerned. This document has over 200 pages and so I didn’t finish it on day 1.
Day 2 as a Legal Intern – Early Closure due to Warnings of Hurricane Beryl
On day 2, there were plenty more persons to meet. As a matter of fact, I met for the first time the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, who expressed that she hopes I’ll learn a lot and find the experience rewarding.
I continued working on that new legislation I mentioned earlier, checking for errors etc.
I was briefed that dismissal would be at 12:00 noon due to the forecast that hurricane Beryl would start impacting Jamaica by Wednesday, July 03, 2024.
There wasn’t much to do. I conversed with some of the attorneys and other members of staff. We spoke about the weather reports and previous storms. The atmosphere was a dim one. Everyone craved safety and for the storm to shift away from Jamaica.
Legal Intern: Day 3 and Day 4 Spent at Home
I spent the day of the hurricane at home – no electricity; no connectivity. Thankfully, I was safe. my family and friends, community members etc. were safe. Generally, Jamaica was spared the direct impacts the hurricane could have thrown our way. I do acknowledge that there are persons who would have been impacted tremendously, I truly hope and pray that their situations will be made better soon.
Here are a few photos of the impact of hurricane Beryl in my community:
Day 5 as a Legal Intern at the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel
It’s Friday! It’s Day 5 (although technically my 3rd day). I’m also looking forward to the next pay cycle (wouldn’t you)?
Yes, its a paid internship, with a valuable lesson – you work, you should get paid. 🙂 To all those who are of the view that their interns benefit from the experience and so payment isn’t necessary, – that’s not enough. Please pay your interns.
I am still wrapping up that proofreading, editing exercise. Perhaps the weeks ahead will be more engaging with a lot more to do and see – excepting hurricanes and other disasters both man-made and natural of course.
Until the next update about my Legal Internship at the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel – take care, and keep Rooting For Growth!
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