What does a Virtual Internship involve and how long does it last?

What does a Virtual Intern do at Blue Ocean Law Group?

Collaboration at your Own Direction

At Blue Ocean Law Group you are the architect of how you spend your time as a Virtual Intern.

We only ask that you consider and communicate your preferences so that we collaborate to determine the best way to proceed.

Nearly all Virtual Interns we have had enquire hold a pre-conceived notion that they will be completing traditional legal tasks for traditional clients such as drafting legal documents and conducting legal research.

Whilst this is certainly possible as we do complete traditional legal tasks (for our clients) as required from time to time (as there will always be complex legal tasks that arise which are incapable of any kind of automation) this is not the primary focus at Blue Ocean Law Group and consequently of our Virtual internships.

Virtual Intern Objectives

We aim to provide our Virtual Interns with at least the the following:

⭐️ Freedom to decide what you would like to spend your time on;

⭐️ Beneficial Mentorship;

⭐️ Opportunity to develop deep legal skills across multiple legal jurisdictions in areas of law of interest to you;

⭐️ Legaltech skill development including an iterative development mindset; and

⭐️ Showcase opportunities for your work on our website to help you with your future legal/legal tech career.

In one instance, this blog article which was written by one of our Virtual Interns was of such quality we facilitated publishing the article in Legal Business World.

Learning to be a Proactive Lawyer

The main focus at Blue Ocean Law Group is on proactive lawyering.

This typically involves the automation of [Self-Service] legal documents and the design and construction of online resources including legal wizards, quizzes, brochures, FAQ etc. to support our Clients to help themselves as much as possible.

To be able to embed lawyer logic into each legal process requires a high level of legal sophistication.

Instead of drafting a legal document for an individual Client's circumstances (one at a time) Blue Ocean Law Group proactively consider a large range of potential scenarios across multiple legal jurisdictions then decide upon what how to best distinguish each scenario and what variations are required in the final legal document.

Not all legal matters will be capable of being catered for, however our experience to date has shown that many legal matters will.

Even if the legal matter is not capable of being fully dealt with in this way, automation of the collection and organisation of information pertaining to each legal matter are nearly always made more efficient.

Tomorrow's Lawyers: An Introduction to Your Future

In the majority of legal matters a solid DRAFT legal document can be generated which can dramatically reduce the overall amount of time and expense involved which directly addresses the "More for Less" challenge laid down by Richard Susskind in his book "Tomorrow's Lawyers: An Introduction to Your Future" now in it's 3rd edition whilst simultaneously making quality proactive legal services available to those who could not previously afford it.

"Tomorrow's Lawyers identifies new opportunities for lawyers, new ways of helping clients and the community.

It enjoins its readers to become involved in building the systems that will replace outmoded forms of legal work.

It argues that it is both a privilege and an obligation for tomorrow's lawyers to embrace and bring about change.

A must-read for legal undergraduates, aspiring and young lawyers, senior practitioners, leaders in law firms and legal businesses, law professors and law teachers."

Proceeding in this way requires a mammoth effort.

At the same time it represents a huge learning opportunity for our Virtual Interns.

How long does a Virtual Internship last?

We have not set a fixed duration for our Virtual Internships.

Both the amount of work and the timeframe can vary and continue for as long as we are both obtaining value from the arrangement.

How can you Get Started regardless of whether you become a Virtual Intern?

The following links are a great place to start:

FAQ: Volunteer Virtual Internship + PLT Placement Mentoring

Mentee Manual: Our Top 10 Ideas to Get Started!

Credits:

This FAQ was created by James D. Ford GAICD | Principal Solicitor, Blue Ocean Law Group℠.

Important Notice:

This FAQ is intended for general interest + information only.

It is not legal advice, nor should it be relied upon or used as such.

We recommend you always consult a lawyer for legal advice specifically tailored to your needs & circumstances.