Trying to figure out how I can make meaningful contributions at the law firm has probably been my biggest struggle for the first couple of weeks. I started off unsure how I could really be useful, as I haven’t gone to law school, so my lack of knowledge and experience in that area is a factor outside of my control. This lack of a degree hasn’t served as a deterrent to the attorney’s, however, as more and more keep asking for my help on projects. The work isn’t administrative either, which is what I was mainly expecting, but hands on experiences with the immigration cases the firm is working on. At first, it was quite overwhelming and I found myself frustrated that I wasn’t being given much guidance, but instead just left to figure things out on my own. But, after working through the first case on my own, and asking many questions, I realized that I was learning so much because I was being forced to look for answers to my questions instead of just handed them. Since that first case, an adjustment of status for a woman who had married a U.S. citizen, I have diversified the kinds of cases I have worked on, including children applying for status and those seeking asylum. Last week, I was even able to have a meeting with clients in which we finalized their application packet. I also was able to write motions for an attorney that would then be filed in court. I think that this is the manner in which I am most useful to the attorneys; by doing work that they would consider more routine, I enable them to have more time to work on other more time-consuming matters that are more complex. For me, even things that may be routine to the more senior attorneys are exciting and new, and each day I find myself being challenged. I hope in the next couple of weeks to be able to continue to expand that kind of cases I am working on.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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