What went well?

• As I close out my first week as a Legal Intern at Bail for Immigration Detainees (BiD), the emotions that have encompassed my mind are extensive. In a mix of joyous excitement and genuine nervousness, I would say that getting to London in the first place… in a manner that was safely conducted and had no major setback or outside obstacle, was a true milestone in itself. Being away from home wasn’t an unusual experience to me but what did catch me by surprise was how different daily life was on the other side of the world, especially the United Kingdom. Before this trip I had never gone to Europe, so everything was new to me from the food, to the people, to housing, transportation, and much more. However, I was able to quickly adjust and get myself ready for work Monday morning. Once I arrived at the office, I was quickly met with warm smiles as the Legal Managers welcomed me to the organization and began to show me around. Knowing how busy the office gets during these months leading up to the Parliamentary Elections in the UK, I was never given a proper training but more so given a thorough talking to as to what BiD stood for, what their mission was, and what my tasks would be as a caseworker. Rather than becoming overwhelmed by the amount of information that was thrown at me all at once, I grasped what I could and began taking as many notes as possible to facilitate my alternative “orientation day.” From showing me around each individual office, to explaining how the call center (where most of the volunteers work) and our internal software servers work, to even introducing me to the secondary office where the firm’s Executive Directors are, my first day was just filled with moments of observation. The next two days were spent shadowing an existing volunteer as she took calls in the morning, filled out reports, and completed follow up tasks in the afternoon. Trying to always be attentive, I followed the every move of each employee near me and by Thursday, my last working day for every week I spend at BiD, I took up the responsibility of answering my own phone calls and either asking for more or finishing any task that was presented to me. By the end of these four days, I sent out outreach and prison packages to our clients, and referenced some detainees to other colleagues or our legal managers so they could start the B1 bail application for them if the case was at the right stage to act on. All in all, my first week here at BiD has been nothing short of amazing AND difficult at the same time. It is with this upbeat mindset, though, that I will carry myself with next week in Week 2 of my Laidlaw Scholars Leadership in Action Project.

What could have been done differently?

• When assessing the possible things that I could’ve done differently in my first week, I don’t cite my lack of effort nor my lack of ability to finish the tasks assigned to me. Although done at my own pace, by the end of the day on Thursday, I successfully completed all my tasks. Yet, I am a realist and know that there will always be room for improvement, even if I did believe I had a good first week at work. Looking back at my performance, I feel like I could’ve spent some more time asking questions during my shadowing or “training” days. While I was constantly writing down what people were telling me and did ask a few questions, the words and details people relayed will never be a 1:1 identical match with what occurs in the life of every intern answering calls that day. Everyone has their own niche way of doing tips and even the general overview has the possibility of being outdated or inaccurate to how things are done on an everyday basis. If I had gone out of my way to ask more questions, I knew that I would’ve been better equipped to face the technical issues I encountered with our computer systems and would’ve increased the speed and efficiency at which I completed tasks. Instead of being the one employee who asks a million of tiny questions, I chose to let myself figure out what my colleagues didn’t tell me on my own, through my own means of exploration and curiosity. However, I acknowledge that a healthier balance between both approaches is what will really help me in the coming weeks.

What did I learn about myself when working with others?

• As I worked with others, whether jointly on the same task, or by association of being in the same room and in the same seats next to them, I learnt that I am more ambitious, determined, and brave than ever. Ambitious in the sense I always want to find the next thing to work on. Where I don’t feel satisfied in just doing what I got assigned, but trying to be a proactive employee by seeing where else I can become a useful asset. Determined because I can see myself setting the goals I want to accomplish as I progress as an intern and finally brave, because again, I was able to come into a new legal environment that I had no previous knowledge of whatsoever and begin to acclimate myself to how legal work is conducted here rather than waiting for things to become easier on my end without putting in any effort.

What did I learn about leadership?

• In terms of leadership, I learnt that I am a much better communicator than I had previously thought. I cannot sit here and lie by saying I wasn’t anxious or nervous every time I picked up a phone call, but I was able to digest any fear I had and effectively grasp what our new (or existing) clients wanted to say, write my notes down, and relay everything in a clear and concise manner in the company reports… all before doing my tasks in the correct manner as well. Beyond my communication skills, I also thought I was quick at becoming socially and culturally intelligent / aware as I came to call the UK my home for the next month and a half.

What do I want to develop or focus on next?

• Finally, in terms of areas or things I want to focus on for my next week of work, I wish to understand more of UK immigration laws as I still only know the basics. I also wish to become more accustomed with our phone call website, 3CX, and our internal company reporting site, Better Impact. If I can develop in both of these areas, I know I will only become an even better employee, intern, and hence contributor to this everchanging and complex legal landscape.