Joanna reviewed the resume in her office as the law student waited nervously across from her. The prospective summer intern was 24 years old and sat upright with perfect posture. The girl had a genuine curiosity and eagerness which Joanna found refreshing.
"Everything looks good here," Joanna said. "You have a good amount of work experience for someone your age. You seem ambitious and highly motivated; I like that."
Kelly gave a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you. I've always had a lot of energy. My mother used to joke that I worked harder than most of her coworkers."
"I can see that. Looks like you've done everything from retail to office work. Even a bit of nonprofit."
"Yeah. I knew early on that I wanted to be a lawyer, and I heard that having a lot of work experience helps with getting into law school and then getting a job afterwards."
Joanna nodded. "That's absolutely right. The field of law is extremely competitive, especially in the city. That brings me to my next question; why do you want to intern at a family law firm?"
"Well, I can certainly understand that family law deals with a lot of personal hardships that people have. But nonetheless, it's something which
has
to be done. If the next generation of lawyers won't step up and show interest in it, then who will? Plus your office is near the BART station, so it's convenient for me to go home after."
They both smiled at the last line.
"Those are some fairly compelling reasons, Kelly," the lawyer replied jokingly. "Especially about my office being so close to BART. God forbid you have to walk a few blocks in heels, right?"
"You've read my mind," Kelly winked.
***
That night. Joanna stayed up late reviewing her notes on the final applicants the way she normally did. As usual, she checked the various social media websites for any additional information she could find.
She quickly flipped through Facebook for the profiles of people who wanted to work for her. Whoever landed the paid internship would be trusted with a lot of confidential information, so due diligence was a must. Sometimes she'd be success in finding their pages, sometimes not.
Before long she found Kelly's Facebook page. There was no privacy setting and Joanna was able to look at all of the pictures. She was impressed by the young woman. Each picture showed Kelly in a positive light. Kelly loved to smile and she loved to be happy. Kelly loved her parents and she wasn't afraid to show it to the world.
Joanna continued to flip through the young woman's profile and she remained impressed. She loved Kelly's exuberance and lust for life. Deep down, a part of Joanna felt envious over the seemingly perfect life that Kelly had. She also couldn't help but notice how pretty Kelly looked.
Unlike previous years, this decision was fairly easy. She picked up the phone to call her new intern.
"Hello," Kelly answered.
"Hi Kelly, it's Joanna. I interviewed you today for the internship position."
"Of course I remember," she replied happily. "I'm glad to hear from you so soon. Was there anything else you needed to know?"
"Well, are you still interested in the summer internship position?"
"I'm
very
interested. I'd love to have my first legal internship with you."
"Good, because after careful consideration of all the applicants, I've decided to give you the spot. Congratulations Kelly."
"Oh wow!" Kelly replied happily. "Thank you so much Joanna. Or do I have to call you Ms. Wald from now on"
"Joanna is fine. We'll be working closely on a lot of issues so we may as well skip the formalities."
"Makes sense. I honestly wasn't expecting this because of how many students at my school are also applying to work for you. Some have a lot of legal experience. So this is great news."
Joanna felt touched by the girl's authenticity. "I'm glad you're so excited. Experience means a lot, but it's not everything. I chose you because of your energy and enthusiasm. I've been a lawyer for a long time and this line of work needs more women like you."
"Women like me?"
"Yes, women like
you
," she replied. "People with great attitudes deserve a shortcut to the top. Believe me, the legal profession has enough sleazy people."
"That really means a lot," Kelly said in a heartfelt tone. "Thank you. It's so encouraging hearing that from an accomplished woman like you. I know it's a lot of work but I promise I won't let you down."
"You'll do fine. Speaking of which, I made this decision earlier than I expected, and the internship doesn't officially start until two weeks. Feel like starting early?"
"You bet!" Kelly stated enthusiastically. "How does Monday sound?"
"Monday sounds great. 9 am. I'll have everything prepared for you by then and you should feel right at home in my office."
"You're not going to regret this. See you then."
"Definitely. Goodnight Kelly."
Joanna ended the call, but her computer was still on Kelly's Facebook profile pictures. The girl was beautiful. She was exuberant and full of life. There was something precious about her that reached out and grabbed Joanna's attention.
***
Friday. The two women sat in Joanna's office after an exhausting morning in court. A heat wave had hit the city as predicted, so a good break time was definitely in need.
"What did you think of your first courtroom experience," Joanna asked as they drank soda together. "Was it everything you expected it to be?"
"It was overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time, if that makes sense. It felt like a huge honor sitting near you. I actually felt like a real lawyer. But at the same time, everything felt so clinical. It's definitely not as exciting as how it looks on tv, but a fun experience overall. I hope to be back."
Joanna smiled, "You're right about that. I agree. It's a novelty at first, but it wears off and you get used to being in a courtroom."
"Do you get used to dealing with family law?" the intern asked. "The divorce cases I mean, does it ever get easier to deal with?"
Joanna faint nodded. "Honestly, it does. When you work in this field long enough, you start becoming immune to certain things. You become callous. But then again, you never really get used to seeing certain aspects."
"Some parts are difficult for me, emotionally speaking. That only makes me want to advocate harder, I hope."
"That's because you're human. That's what I like most about you, and that's why I hired you. A lot of practicing lawyers are only motivated by money. They forget that people's lives are in the mix."
"So what's
your
reason?" Kelly asked with a mild suggestiveness.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't have a ring on your finger, which means you aren't married. From what I can see, you spend all your time working, which means you don't have a boyfriend either. Obviously that means you're single. So what's your reason for working all the time?"
Joanna paused for a moment. "None of the above, I suppose. I've always been a workaholic. I'm a perfectionist who's never satisfied. And I did I mention that I work too much?"