Learn more about Internships at the Quinn Law Centers
Name: Sarah Jane Conner
Year of Internship/Externship: Fall 2012
(1) Please summarize your intern/extern experience
My extern experience was extremely helpful. I learned a great deal about a wide range of issues in personal injury and adoption law through researching, drafting pleadings, and observing courtroom proceedings.
(2) What was the highlight?
The highlight was getting the chance to observe a negotiation. Although it did not end in an agreement, I gained invaluable insight into negotiation procedure and strategy.
Since 2005, Colleen M. Quinn has offered internships and externships to over fifty students including students in law school, college, paralegal studies and high school. These internships and externships generally are non-paying but may be for academic credit. The internships include full-time and part-time summer internships as well as part-time internships during the school year. Scheduling is flexible.
Ms. Quinn serves as an Externship Supervisor for both the Marshall Wythe Law School at the College of William & Mary and the Washington & Lee Law School. Both schools offer externship opportunities for academic credit.
Ms. Quinn also serves as an Internship Supervisor for the J. Sargeant Reynolds Paralegal Studies program through instructor Susan Brewer, Esquire.
Students also have come from local area high schools and from local and other colleges (University of Richmond, VCU, Hollins, Christopher Newport), You do not have to be in an externship or internship program to apply for an internship with Ms. Quinn and the Quinn Law Centers.
Name: Richard Spoor
Year of Internship/Externship: 2012
(1) Please summarize your intern/extern experience
It was very informative, touching on a range of legal issues. Additionally, there was plenty of work to do which helped to make the experience even more rewarding. Further, the environment was conducive to learning. In short, it was an enjoyable and informative experience.
(2) What was the highlight?
The highlight for me was the Mediation. This was exactly the type of experience I was seeking out of an externship. Such an experience cannot be had in the confines of a class room.
Our internships are very flexible – interns can work full-time or part-time (either half-days or part of a week) as well as the full summer or part of the summer. At present there are no paid intern positions available. Some students do; however, qualify for academic credit if available through their current school. This is typically characterized as an externship rather than an internship. Because the internship is unpaid, we are more than happy to have you structure your internship around any other paying employment or school classes. Our goal is to educate and inform you about the private practice of law for as much time as you would like to be so educated and informed.
We try to expose you to court, client meetings, depositions, mediations & trials (if we have any going on), drafting pleadings, research memos, interviewing witnesses, investigating cases, various marketing meetings and tasks and just as much of the private practice as possible! The majority of the internship is observational and interactive. The purpose of the internship is to educate you and broaden your view of the private practice of law in a small law firm. We try to give you exposure to whatever areas of the law that may be of interest to you – you just have to let us know! If you want to learn a little bit of every area of the law in which we practice – we can do that as well.
Name: Christi Harsha
Year of Internship/Externship: Summer 2012
(1) Please summarize your intern/extern experience
I interned over the past summer with the firm. I worked on several research assignments and memos for the personal injury, adoption/surrogacy, and ARTs practices. I drafted a brief, pleadings, and personal injury complaints. I think that I benefitted a great deal from this practical experience. I got to work on a variety of other tasks as well, such as helping to prepare presentations, calling clients and witnesses, and reviewing medical records. I enjoyed the exposure to a variety of practices areas as well as subspecialties of family law.
I also followed the attorneys to client meetings and court appearances, which I also very much enjoyed. I enjoyed being able to observe Ms. Quinn’s activities such as conference calls and presentations, and I appreciated her allowing all of us to tag along. I feel more prepared to practice after having seen a deposition, intake interview, etc. Ms. Quinn also often took the time to explain some of the issues surrounding marketing and running a firm, which was very helpful, as there are few opportunities for students to learn about the practicalities of operating and promoting a firm from a successful attorney. I also enjoyed working with everyone else in the office, as the other attorneys, paralegals, and staff were friendly and helpful.
(2) What was the highlight?
I really enjoyed being able to sit in on Ms. Quinn’s adoption consultations. I was grateful to learn how to communicate effectively with clients. I appreciated the opportunity to see how she interacted with the clients, addressed their concerns, and explained their options. I think that I have a better understanding of how to be professional yet sensitive to a client’s feelings and concerns after having been able to watch several of these. I think that the experiences and opportunities to gain interpersonal skills relevant to practicing law are rare in legal education, so I feel that this was a valuable learning experience.
Colleen Quinn practices adoption, surrogacy, personal injury and employment law including running an Adoption & Surrogacy Law Center and a Women’s Injury Law Center. To learn more about her areas of practice go to her websites at http://www.quinnlawcenters.com.
Quinn’s partners practice personal injury and family law. Dawn DeBoer and senior associate Shannon Otto often have family law matters that they can have you observe and/or assist on if you are interested in the divorce, support, custody side of things. Please browse this website for more info.
Every week, one of Quinn’s paralegal’s sends out a list to all interns of the upcoming week’s activities (depositions, court hearings, client meetings, attorney phone conferences, seminars, board meetings, etc.) that are anticipated and can be attended in the following week. Either Colleen Quinn or another attorney or Quinn’s paralegals give out and closely supervise assignments. We typically have a list of available assignments and you can choose which ones you would like to work on. Occasionally, upon your request, remote tasks can be assigned that can be done without coming to the office if you would like.
Dress is business casual. Suits are not at all required. You can bring your lunch – we have a kitchen, microwave, etc. We will try to take you out to lunch and bring you lunch some as well! Parking is in the back of the building and is free. We are located in the near west end of Richmond near Willow Lawn shopping center. We have a southside office on Hull Street as well but you normally would not go to that office unless one of the partners from that office had activities to observe.
We do ask that you give us a general idea of your expected intern schedule so we know when to expect you and when to look for you to attend scheduled activities. If you are sick or have other appointments or vacation plans, we simply ask that you give us as much notice as possible.
Unfortunately, given our small size and limited hiring needs, except in very rare situations, we are not able to offer employment following the internship. We do; however, provide letters of recommendation (so long as the intern’s performance supports such a letter) and try to provide hiring advice and useful contact information.
We would love to have you come learn and spend some time with us!
If you are interested in an internship or externship, please e-mail Ms. Quinn your resume and the period of time you are seeking.
Email Colleen M. Quinn
Name: Nicholas Pylant
Year of Internship/Externship: Summer 2012
(1) Please summarize your intern/extern experience
Last summer I spent six weeks working full-time with Colleen Quinn at Locke, Partin, DeBoer, and Quinn. Colleen provided me with a wonderful opportunity to build my legal skills by: allowing me to sit-in on attorney-client meetings; observing her in various court proceedings; and sharpening my legal writing and researching skills by examining recent precedent covering reproductive technology.
(2) What was the highlight?
The most memorable experience of the summer was when I joined Colleen for a court proceeding where a teenage mother put her infant up for adoption. This particular hearing was unique to me because the biological parent actually knew, and was friends with, the adoptive parents. Because of this long-established relationship, the biological parent was assured that she would be able to maintain regular contact with the infant child. The promise of a future relationship allowed all parties, even the biological mother, to leave the proceeding happy because the adoptive parents would be able to provide the child with more opportunities than were previously available to her.
Name: Karen Achilles
Year of Internship/Externship: Summer 2012
(1) Please summarize your intern/extern experience
In my extern experience, I was exposed to a variety of different legal areas including personal injury, ARTs, and general family law. I was able to get both an in-court experience with Attorney Quinn, and also do the preparatory paperwork for clients.
(2) What was the highlight?
The highlight of my externship was getting to create from start to (almost) finish a slideshow for a client’s wrongful death case to present to the insurance adjuster, as well as sitting in on the deposition involved in that case.
