This summer I worked at a firm in Washington D.C. Although I was not satisfied with working at this particular firm, I used this experience to take down notes about what it may be like to run a firm and to have to handle an array of cases that I may not be interested in. To be realistic, when one starts out as an associate it seems one has to handle cases other more experienced associates may not want, or may handle a case in order to simply drum up business. My experience at the firm was basically a big dose of reality.
The work I was able to do with regards to intellectual property actually included issues surrounding Internet fraud. I found this area very interesting for a number of reasons, and it has affected my application and eventual acceptance, upon other factors, to work with the Department of Justice this fall in the fraud department. I had always been fearful about going into a field of criminal law for an idiotic reason. I figured it was cliché.
Once I realized that I, like many, perhaps came to law school after watching many Law and Order marathons, I became more comfortable with overcoming the fear surrounding my change of interest. My original interests and true love surrounds art, as I was an art history minor, but these cases are few and far between. To be a bit more practical and business-related, as I learned an attorney has to be this summer, I found that I also enjoy studying white-collar criminal law, specifically cybersecurity and fraud-related crimes and would love to expand into this field.
I was introduced to issues with cybersecurity as I worked on the hill in the privacy, technology, and the law subcommittee. This is an emerging area as it may be considered the new “front line” in warfare. This is an area any big business and government could be susceptible to. As it is an emerging area, I am consistently trying to learn and keep up with changes and languages within technology. Side note, and on a smaller scale, I also believe anyone can relate to having his or her identities stolen and this is an issue that requires legal assistance.
In brief, although my summer was not what I had expected, I still learned a lot about what I would enjoy in a work environment. Besides this, I also learned about a new field of study I would like to pursue.