Summer Internship: Harrison Carr
My time at AdamBenedict has been a transformative experience filled with opportunities to collaborate and contribute meaningfully to this dynamic, fast-growing firm.
Having little legal work experience prior to my time at AdamBenedict, coming into this internship role, I was uncertain of how I would navigate tasks that were new to me. Under the tutelage and guidance of Adam Creasey, I have been able to explore legal frontiers in areas of law that I have never experienced during my legal studies. I am incredibly grateful for the lessons learned, skills harnessed, and the relationships forged resulting from this internship.
The culture of the firm resonated with me from the start, the collaborative nature of the work allowed for the input of various perspectives into all matters of the business. Especially when the other interns and I have been asked for our input, it made me feel respected and elevated my confidence. This “open door” policy fostered an environment of collaboration, allowing for me to embody invaluable insights from all members of the firm.
My time spent at AdamBenedict was further tailored towards my career goals, my work was predominantly around my legal interests, mainly being corporate matters and litigation, with the two often combining. I was able to embrace and develop skills I somewhat already possessed and implemented them into my work, where I was able to successfully draft documents for businesses such as employment contracts, shareholder agreements and terms and conditions of a business’s services to name but a few.
Further to this, having come in at a time where the firm was relatively new, we had faced challenges that come with running a new business. This was invaluable experience compared to any other working experience I have ever had, seeing the management team’s rationale for taking certain decisions on how to advance the business provided an insight and perspective to working in a law firm that formal education does not provide you with. I felt that this highlighted the firms mission statement of being “Business Lawyers for Business People”, this firm clearly understands and appreciates the business perspective of a client, just as much as a legal one.
Echoing the praises of my colleagues, AdamBenedict’s approach to nurturing young talent is a rare and refreshing quality to hold in an industry where such opportunities are scarce. I felt that this culture enabled us to embrace versatility and to navigate uncertainty, especially in new areas of law. Whilst there were challenges faced, these obstacles provided an opportunity for personal growth.
Other than my work, I enjoyed the opportunity to attend court on several occasions, shadowing and observing counsel on matters within the courtroom. As this was relatively new to me, the experience allowed me to appreciate the role of a barrister and the client during litigation.
The first hearing I attended at County Court was a Plevin hearing regarding the failure to disclose commission when selling PPI. Prior to this, I had no knowledge of PPI cases, however, following the hearing, I learnt that the main issue considered in these claims is if the relationship between the insurer and the client is unfair, the burden of proof lies with the insurer (Defendant) to prove that their relationship with the client is fair. It was in this case, I saw first-hand the importance of disclosure and ensuring all relevant evidence was included in the witness statement of the client.
The following week, we were in the City of London County Court, which was an experience just being there, in and around the Royal Courts of Justice. It was both mine and Sofia’s first time there and it was fantastic. The hearing itself was an application to strike out a claim, along with a counterclaim from the opposition for services provided without reasonable care and skill. The case surrounded mainly the Denton v TH White Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 906 guidelines and the limitation period for bringing a contractual claim.
This experience has solidified my aspirations in pursuing a career in the legal profession and I am incredibly grateful to Adam Creasey, Ben Cressey and the rest of the team for this fantastic experience.
- Harrison Carr
