For my fourth day at Polanco law I moved away from the cases and more towards the business of running a law firm. I worked under the direction of one of the associate lawyers and made countless copies of the firm’s financial records. I continue to be shocked by the levels of complexity surrounding the firm and today showed me just how complex the intersection of law and business is. The firm is fairly small with just a handful of lawyers and assistants and they just recently became an independent entity after spending many years in collaboration with a company in Raleigh. Since they have made that major change, they have worked to run the firm from an efficient business and legal standpoint. Every member of the staff works in close collaboration and each employee fills multiple roles.
After I finished with the firm’s finances, I worked through the case of one specific client. The firm had amassed years and years of tax information on one individual and the copies I made were quickly returned to that client’s case. In order to create a holistic case the lawyers have to keep meticulous records of every aspect of a client’s life.
I finished up the day by having a wonderful conversation with Ms. De Peña, my point person for the internship as well as the main administrator, and a law student who is currently at North Carolina Central University. They spoke about what led them down the path of law, and gave me some great professional advice.