Reflective Essay: My Job Shadowing Process

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For my job shadowing experience I went to Eversheds, it is a corporate law firm and their offices in Johannesburg are in Melrose Arch. I chose to job shadow at a law firm as I had an aptitude test done by Professor Nel who comes highly recommended, one of the top choices to pursue as a career, was law. My strengths are in languages and my ability to connect and speak to people of all ages. Being a lawyer would include me having to have face-to-face interaction with clients, and I will be able to use these skills to my advantage as a lawyer. In this law firm, there are many different types of lawyers. There are commercial lawyers, tax lawyers, patent attorneys and advocates and I was given the opportunity to explore all these different sectors …show more content…

I was reminded again that what a rare occasion it was for a commercial lawyer to be going to court. Paul drove me to the court and back and he said that it was his first time going to court and that I must know that many senior commercial lawyers have never gone to court for me. This was a real surprise to me. I thought that the biggest part of being a lawyer was going to court and fighting for your client. The court experience was a real eye opener for me, I expected to see “Law and Order” in process. It was an entirely different experience. The courtroom was very small and there were only four other people in the room. There were lawyers coming in to the courtroom with their clients and they were waiting for their chances. However, I found the court proceedings very interesting. It was strange to see the garbs they were wearing. All the other lawyers waiting for their chances were all working on their lop tops. I was told to take notes on everything I saw and heard. I was very fortunate to meet the judge. The judge was very different to what I expected, a blonde female with well manicured nails and she was well dressed. I was really taken up with the advocate and his negotiations with the judge and his conversations on his cell phone with his client. The case was much shorter than I expected. I was informed before and after the court proceedings that everything that happened during the proceedings was