Friday 28 July 2023

Introduction

“A brilliant firm and very well known for immigration globally, an industry leader” from Chambers High Net Worth in 2021. With reviews like this, I was drawn to this law firm. As an aspiring young law student, it was important for me to have some experience in the sector I hope to go into.

On my first day, as I entered, everyone was friendly and made me feel comfortable. I was shown around the office, taught about the software and spoke to many employees whilst at Laura Devine Immigration (LDI). Coming into this experience, I had no prior knowledge of immigration law as it is not taught in college. My mentor and others were extremely helpful and explained everything to me to fulfil my potential in my time here. This part of the law is fascinating and complex, as there is much to do. Despite being busy sometimes, I really enjoyed my time at LDI, and I am glad they gave me proper tasks to complete instead of photocopying.

What did I do?

What did I not do? I was extremely fortunate to be given various tasks on both the research and client sides. I was involved in creating bulletins for the London Team, which updates all the staff about recent changes to the laws and rules. These changes were especially busy in my first week as the Government changed many of the Immigration Rules and passed the Illegal Migration Bill (now Act) on Thursday 20 July 2023. Before this Act was passed, I wrote a summary and article on this Bill proposed by the Conservatives, which was a very interesting part of the research. I enjoyed looking into what they hope to achieve with this Bill, how the media were writing about it, and people’s opinion on this Act.

I also researched recent changes to the different worker routes, the Innovator Founder visa, the Youth Mobility Scheme and the Indian Young Professional Scheme to assist lawyers at the firm. Additionally, I took notes on immigration laws, which was helpful for my knowledge of this area of law and would prove useful when writing up documents or attending meetings.

Furthermore, I did abundant research and tasks that would be given to the lawyers, which is a big responsibility. I found articles that my mentor would share with the lawyers that are informative or important. I also created slides for a meeting where my mentor relayed all the changes to legal personnel, including the Partners. It was particularly interesting to hear their comments and queries, and it gave me such a good insight into what a solicitor entails and the key questions they need to ask.

Other lawyers in my room gave me more client-based tasks when I finished my research work for the PSL team. I helped to fill in forms and draft a document for a client to obtain the certificate of sponsorship- which is needed to come to the UK on many visas. I was also given bank statements and had to highlight transactions to see if a client met the threshold for the salary on a specific visa. As well as this, I had to add full names to a business hierarchy for a client, so it was easier for paralegals and solicitors to move further on with the case.

My work was beneficial, informative and helped lawyers move forward with a case and start more tasks they needed to get on with.

Networking and impressions

The staff at LDI are very friendly and welcoming, which helped me settle into my post here quickly. They were patient and explained all the tasks, and I never felt scared or afraid to speak to them or ask questions. LDI also offers many sports classes, company meals, day trips, literary nights and more to get people together. Plus, many legal personnel went out of their way to ask me how I was settling in and what I was enjoying. This experience was an excellent opportunity for the interns and me to network with many different people, such as paralegals, solicitors, trainee solicitors, senior solicitors, and firm Partners. It was a fantastic way to get my name out and create a lasting impression, which was very important to me as LDI is a leading firm in immigration law. Furthermore, as my mentor Phoebe, made sure to give me credit for my work, I could reach lots of lawyers who were unaware of me, which was a great way to network. Another great thing for me was working in a room with solicitors working on cases, overhearing their conversations and what they must do. This arrangement gave me great insight, and I gained valuable experience and knowledge from these conversations.

LDI has a profound reputation, and it was essential to me that I uphold a high standard and perform well for such a great company. This internship was perfect for me as I have yet to gain much professional work experience, and I benefited from so much insight from the amazing staff.

Recommendations

I highly recommend this internship whether you have lots of legal knowledge or none. The firm was a great and supportive working environment, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at LDI. It is such a great working environment, and they have great staff and facilities to help you reach your potential here. I want to thank my mentor Phoebe Warren for answering my questions, setting me activities, and checking up on me; the Professional Support Lawyers (PSL); Emily Rigg, who gave me some more client tasks to do; Sue Henderson; Laura Devine for giving me this opportunity; as well as the rest of the London team.

I achieved a lot during my time at LDI and was glad about the different sorts of tasks I was given. I would love to come back next year before university if they have me because I enjoyed my time here with the staff and other interns with whom I have made close friends. If you are considering law as a career path, I would definitely recommend Laura Devine Immigration to you. Thank you for the amazing experience I gained, and I cannot wait to start my career in the law profession.

Written by Amba Pandya