Cassandra Garrison

Junior Cassandra Garrison at her internship. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Garrison. 

As a junior at Virginia Tech, Cassandra Garrison is working diligently toward her goal of attending law school after graduation. Double majoring in history and political science, she has developed strong skills in critical thinking, reading, and writing -- key attributes for any aspiring lawyer. When the opportunity arose to intern at Kalbaugh, Pfund, & Messersmith Law in Fairfax, Virginia over the summer, Cassandra saw it as the perfect chance to gain hands-on experience in the legal field and confirm that law was the right career path for her.

Although she had no formal legal training, the skills she developed in her history classes, such as analyzing complex texts and drafting various types of papers, proved invaluable during her internship. Read on for the full Q&A with Cassandra!

Why did this particular internship opportunity make sense for you in light of your career goals and skills?
I’m a junior working towards my goal of going to law school after I graduate from Virginia Tech. To accomplish this, I am double majoring in history and political science. These majors help me strengthen the two skills that lawyers need most: writing and reading. My history major forces me to look at different perspectives, think logically, and investigate history, much like a lawyer working on a case. I’ve known for a while now that I wanted to be a lawyer, but I had never been able to truly see what a lawyer does at the office. I said “yes” to my internship at Kalbaugh, Pfund, & Messersmith Law because I wanted to be sure I knew what I was getting myself into before eventually going to law school. 

What resources prepared you for the internship or helped you along the way?
Even though this internship was not directly related to history, the skills I have developed in my history classes have strengthened my reading and writing. In my historical methods class, I had to read legal documents such as censuses and wills. This prior experience was very helpful during my internship since I read a lot of documents such as insurance policies, warranties, and contracts to help me better understand the details of a case. Additionally, I was asked to write several legal documents such as demurrers and answers to complaints. My prior experience with writing a variety of papers for class helped me be adaptable and transfer my abilities to a different writing format. I take advantage of each paper I write to improve my writing. Reading and writing are crucial skills that transfer to any career, so I know I will find them useful in law school and my career.

What advice can you share about adjusting to the learning curve of a new experience like this one? 
As an intern, the learning curve was tough, especially since I did not have any formal legal training. During my first week, I spent a lot of time reading cases and becoming familiar with legal terms. Although I am confident in my skills as a reader, there were a lot of Latin words I was unfamiliar with. On top of this, I was tasked with writing specific legal documents I had never heard of before. These challenges were easily solved by the friendly environment of KPM Law in Fairfax. The attorneys gave me pointers when I was confused and positive feedback when I was on the right track. Even though there was a learning curve, the positive environment helped me when I felt down. For example, when it was someone’s birthday, their cubicle was decorated, and we ordered food for the whole office. It helps to be surrounded by a good workplace environment.