THE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE INTERVIEW

By The Legally Speakin Administrators

Welcome to a whole new era! In this post on the Spotlight Section of this cherished blog of the University of Ghana, School of Law, we step outside the classroom and test the waters of the job market. Reality hits us – just because we are studying law does not mean we will end up in the chamber or court. On the flip side, we are faced with the unbeatable prophesy of being called LAWYERS in the near future. In this post, Rosemond Owusua Bonsu (UGSOL ’25), Kingsley Otu-Amponsah (UGSOL ’26) and Lemuella Kirstin Niikoi (UGSOL ’26) share with us their experiences as interns during the vacation. Read away!

Admin: Hi everyone! Kindly introduce yourselves and tell us where you interned.

Rosemond: I am Rosemond Owusua Bonsu, a level 400 law student. For my internship, I was a teacher at Ipel International School. I taught French, Mathematics and Twi at the JHS Level.

Lemuella: My name is Lemuella Kirstin and I am in the level 300 undergraduate class. I interned at Cartesian Consult Unlimited at Kanda

Kingsley: Alright! I am Kingsley Otu-Amponsah and I am a level 300 law student of the University of Ghana, School of Law. I did two internships, actually. The first place I interned at was in Accra, Stobe Law and then I interned at Adom Legal Consult in Sunyani.

Admin: What were your expectations as an intern? Did you have exactly what you expected?

Rosemond: I had good expectations although I wasn’t too confident in myself as I was a bit scared. I didn’t know what kind of teacher I would be or how the students would receive me. I kept my expectations low because I was nervous.

Kingsley: I interned once when I was in level 100. I went to court almost every single day. So for these internships, I expected a lot of court days as well. But it was quite different. There were so many other things involved. There were times we would spend hours at EOCO or CHRAJ. We had spontaneous client meetings at restaurants on some occasions. Sometimes, we would find ourselves in the client’s offices. It was really interesting. I also experienced how lawyers relate to each other in a firm. It felt like family. Most of the lawyers introduced me to so many types of food I had never tasted (giggles).

Lemuella: I expected to go to court a lot and have the legal life experience. The experience improved my writing and researching skills a lot. I was taught a lot in such little time. I worked on an article under the supervision of a lawyer and I realized I didn’t know as much about legal writing as I thought I did. I was challenged. The theme of the article was bridging the gender gap in Ghana. The Affirmative Action Bill was the main subject of this article. It exposed the likely possibility of over-empowering women to the disadvantage of the males in Ghana. We discussed the possibility of the needs of males being neglected in sectors like education, health, security etc. As a country, we need to bridge the gap to consider both genders fairly.

Admin (to Rosemond): How was it like moving from law to teach something as different as French?

Rosemond: When I was in JHS and SHS, I studied French. For me, when I learn something, forgetting it is difficult. I remembered most of the things I learnt. The textbooks the students used also helped me. Moreover, the teachers in the school were around to guide me in teaching. It wasn’t difficult. I mostly taught Mathematics.

Admin (to Rosemond): Math? Last we heard, law students suck at Math

Rosemond: I guess I beat the allegations. The stereotype is unjustified. Law students are good at Math

Admin (to Rosemond): Did you apply your legal knowledge to you internship in any way?

Rosemond: Actually I did. Teaching in general isn’t only restricted to the subject you’re learning in class. I decided to teach because a teacher helped me in class five. I wouldn’t have been where I am today. I transferred the legal knowledge to my students not through the main curriculum. For example, if a student misconducts himself in class, I tell him about the Neighbour Principle in torts and how he owes a duty of care to the people around him.

Admin (to Kingsley): Take us through a day in your life as an intern

Kingsley: When I was at Stobe Law, I used to wake up around 5 am to get ready for the day. Usually, I would report to work by 7 am. Before the work day begins, I take out all the case files we would need and place them in the conference room. I was abreast with all the cases since we discussed them in the conference room before going to court. We usually set off around 7:45 am for court in the mornings and after court, we come back to the firm for more client meetings. My lunch break was usually at 1 pm. I was usually asked what I wanted to have for lunch.

Admin (to Kingsley): [in amusement] Then you really enjoyed your internship!

Kingsley: [in excitement] I guess. After lunch break, I would usually draft documents or do whatever task was assigned to me till 5 pm when I close from work. I would inform the Managing Partner before leaving the office.

Admin : Were you juggling any other activities during the course of your internship?

Rosemond: I was doing a lot. During the weekends, I used to make sobolo as a hobby. I would sell them in my mother’s shop for profit. My business, OWUSUARTS, was also in active operation during the vacation. I make customized items. I took an online box-making class as well during the vacation. I was also a researcher to a lawyer. During the same period, I wrote an audio play titled the COLOURED SOUND which was played to an audience after the vacation.

Admin: Ei Rosemond! That’s a lot.

Rosemond: Oh it was not that bad. I did some of these activities online when I didn’t have any class with my students.

Lemuella: I am a Make-Up Artist. I was working during the course of my internship. I was allowed a day off at a point to attend to my make-up clients. But most of my appointments were on weekends.

Admin (to Lemuella): That sounds stressful. Then how did you rest during the vacation?

Lemuella: The vacation was for two months so I used the first month solely for relaxing and worked during the second month.

Admin (to Kingsley): Were you also involved in other activities during the vacation aside the internship?

Kingsley: I have recently been made a leader in church. That meant I had to spend most evenings engaging in church activities after my internship. But my second internship at Sunyani was more relaxed. I didn’t even have to wake up so early to go to court. I could sleep in sometimes.

Admin: Did you make any mistakes during your internship? What lessons have you learnt from them?

Lemuella: I wouldn’t call mine a mistake. I just learnt so much when I was drafting the article. My boss took me through the correct way to write the article when I made mistakes.

Kingsley: For me, I appreciated the importance of communication more. I missed a deadline once and assumed getting the task done after the deadline wouldn’t hurt. But that posed a more harmful risk. I should have told the lawyer when I missed the deadline. It made me understand communication in the work setting better.

Admin (to Lemuella): Has your internship changed your view on the gender conversation or any other topic in any way?

Lemuella: It didn’t substantially change my view on the gender conversation in any way. I have always been aware of the patriarchal system in Ghana. I still think it is important to support women. But, the scale should not lean too much to the side of females and neglect the males.

Admin: Do you think internships are necessary?

Rosemond: I think internships are necessary. In my opinion, they should not only be limited to what you’re studying. I would advise law students who have other interests to explore them and not only limit themselves to legal internships. In the past, I interned at a law firm once and then the Copyrights office.

Lemuella: Yes! They are necessary. You get the practical knowledge and you also get to learn ahead. For example, I learnt how to draft court processes during my internship.

Kingsley: They are the only way you get to experience what you will actually experience as a lawyer in future. It helps you prepare for that

Thank you for reading! Don’t forget to patronize Rosemond and Lemuella’s businesses!

Rosemond [OwusuArts – customized gift items; Snapchat @owusuaaaa_r ]

Lemuella [Make-Up Artist, Lemi’s Beauty Bar (Legon Campus) and Home service Appointments; Instagram @lemisbeautybar]