First Steps Scheme Student – CMS Legal Services

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What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

During the scheme I was placed within the Real Estate department of the office. I was allocated a trainee ‘buddy’ and a associate supervisor from the department. They both provided me with tasks throughout the week which included;
– researching the tax implications of reverse premium payments and producing an advisory memo on this,
– drafting tenancy agreements and drafting variance clauses into leases,
– ‘buddy checking’ documents for cross referencing errors as well as legal definitions.

When not working in the department I took part in many skills sessions, including sessions on presentation, networking and negotiation skills. I also attended a conference on ‘Innovation at CMS’ which was very informative, and was given a talk by current partners at the firm on their career journey. At the end of the week we had to deliver a presentation, mine being on why Diversity and Inclusion is so important to CMS.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

My biggest achievement would be delivering my presentation at the end of the week. I had practised and perfected my presentation over the course of the week and as a result, the delivery went very well. I managed my nerves and was able to put the presentation skills I had learned in the workshop earlier that week into practice.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I was able to release the workload of my trainee ‘buddy’ by completing tasks on his behalf, such as the buddy checking and drafting I mentioned earlier.