Sophomore Kayla Lightfoot, a pre law student, has been spreading her wings by interning with Shook, Hardy and Bacon Law Firm. While there, Lightfoot has learned a variety of useful skills related to her future career. She has witnessed the background behind corporate law first-hand, learned how to deal with paperwork, and noted how to behave in a professional setting. With all of this on her plate, Lightfoot is definitely busy keeping up with her internship, school, extracurriculars, and a part-time job.

“I usually spend about two hours [at the firm] a week,” Lightfoot said. “I also participate in winter guard and work at Sonic.”

Lightfoot describes the process of getting her internship as simple and straightforward. An attorney from Shook, Hardy and Bacon Law Firm visited the pre-law mock trial class to talk to students about their futures and offered her an opportunity.

“She told me about her job, and I already knew that I wanted to be a corporate lawyer,” Lightfoot said. “She handed me a card and told me, ‘if you ever need an internship just let me know.’”

Lightfoot hopes to become a corporate lawyer and then work her way up to the DOJ (U.S. Department of Justice) and become an attorney there. This path won’t be easy though, and Lightfoot is willing to put in the work.

“It’s very time consuming,” Lightfoot said. “It’s a true hands-on process. It’s like CTC, but on my own time schedule. I get the hands-on experience; I get work hours.”

Lightfoot is hoping to reduce student debt by participating in the A+ program. She marks down her time spent at her internship as volunteer hours since she’s helping out with the law firm’s work without getting paid. Lightfoot is dedicated to completing the A+ program, even participating in it over the summer.

“I also do this program called MLS, which is the Missouri Leadership Seminar,” Lightfoot said.

MLS takes place every year and helps students take on leadership positions in both their schools and communities. Lightfoot mentioned that she is being trained as a Junior support for younger students.

“We work with UCM,” Lightfoot said, “We [the participants] are all sophomores from across the state of Missouri. Participants come from the smallest towns to the biggest cities, including Kansas City and Saint Louis.”

Lightfoot is grateful that such an extensive program is available to her so close to home. She would definitely recommend interning for any law students who may be interested. The experience allowed Lightfoot to gain a unique perspective that would have not been available in a classroom setting. Lightfoot had an overwhelmingly positive experience in preparing for her future.