The Facts About Health Law Interns
Health Law Legal Internships are not the typical internships found in other practice areas. First, there are far fewer available than health law positions. From my research, I was not able to find a single available health law legal internship position on PSLawNet. This is not to mention that the law firms, companies and hospitals that hire health law interns are far fewer in number than the general pool of legal internships. Therefore, I would expect that a Legal Intern who specializes in health law would have a far better probability of getting hired as a full-time, entry-level attorney after law school.
Because of the scarcity of health law legal internships, they are highly competitive. In addition to an excellent resume and cover letter, the applicant must consider what skills and experience they do or do not have so they can prepare to win that health law legal internship. Health law legal internships run the gambit on possibilities for firms and companies . Interns may defend healthcare organizations in medical malpractice cases or help draft annual reports and other informational materials. The intern should be prepared to handle tasks such as analyzing, reasoning and communicating effectively both orally and in written form.
Health law legal interns may have the opportunity to draft contracts or conduct legal research and writing on a host of healthcare-related issues. Typical tasks include: conducting research on legal and policy issues; writing memoranda, briefs and pleadings; meeting with healthcare clients; drafting documents such as waivers of liability, advance medical directives and releases; and observing legal proceedings.
Interns can expect to hone the following skills: analytical, communication (both oral and written), advocating, problem solving, interpersonal and organizational skills. Some of these is more manageable than others, but as your coursework continues in law school you will have the opportunity to work on and improve even those skills that seem the hardest.
Why Health Law Internships Matter
The benefits of health law internships are vast, and are available to students of law and those who’ve already graduated. For individuals with an interest in health law, internships provide the chance to expand their professional network, and gain experience in their area of interest. While with a firm, intern will be able to build relationships with current attorneys, administrators, and other interns that can help guide them through the first steps of their career, providing insight into how best to approach the profession. Health law internships also give candidates the chance to strengthen their professional skills. Communication, research, and writing skills are just a few of the areas where interns are tested and improved. The level of knowledge and education that candidates receive helps them to stand out from the competition. Having experience around practicing attorneys will really help a candidate get a leg up on other candidates in the future. It also gives an individual the opportunity to see if they want to take a different path. What may have seemed like the perfect fit might not have been the case once being able to test it out. Working in a firm can also allow individuals to test out different areas of law to see which they like the legal field the best. Those who have been practicing for a year or more can also benefit from internships. When you don’t have a lot of professional experience, your resume simply isn’t going to shine like that of a candidate with a lot of experience to help back their education. Anyone who has held a job as an intern could point to this experience, but it’s more than that—a chance to rotate through different positions and practice areas, or shadow attorneys so you know what it’s really like to have a job you’ve aspired to hold. It allows for one-on-one networking that law school simply cannot provide. Best of all, when you apply for an internship, you will ideally work at a firm that is already practicing the type of health law you’re interested in specializing in. You can also talk to attorneys there about their practice to learn more about how you might specialize in yours.
How to Find a Health Law Internship
Employers will often review law school and university career center job postings or submit jobs listings directly to them. With law firms and legal departments more open to accepting unpaid interns for academic credit (provided they are enrolled in an externship or seminar course), the presence of such postings and notifications on career center job boards gives students and alumni a lot of exposure to and access to health law legal internships.
Career centers also have considerable informational resources available to their students and alumni. Some of these resources include lists of health law organizations that offer summer or part-time legal internships to students, links to job or internship postings and informational interviews with health law practitioners.
The networking aspects of health law internship and job searches cannot be overstated. There are many websites and blogs that cover health law news (including the blog you are reading) and scholarship. You should consider subscribing to some of the more active health law blogs or RSS feeds. You should also check out the websites of major law firms and professional associations that practice or promote health law to see if they provide information about summer or post-graduation legal internships.
State bar associations may also have resources to help you identify health law legal internship and summer programs in your area. Many law schools that have health law programs also provide resources to help you identify health law legal internships as well. Most law schools have an online job placement portal that allows students and alumni to research job opportunities and many post job openings with full descriptions and application materials. These resources only help if you use them, however, so it is important to take the initiative and leverage your network and job placement resources to find the right health law legal internship for you.
Key Qualifications for Health Law Interns
A solid understanding of health law is, of course, essential for any prospective law student who intends to specialize in this field during their studies. Yet, there are a number of other skills and traits that serve as predictors of success both during a health law legal internship or entry-level employment and throughout an entire career spent focusing on the important role of health law in society.
First, it’s important to have a strong background in analytical thinking. Whether working in the private or public sector, it’s imperative for health law professionals to be able to carefully analyze facts and formulate conclusions based on information collected. Those who are capable of mastering this skill are truly able to think outside of the box and communicate effective solutions to their clients.
Another key factor for success within the field of health law is organization and time management. Law associates that focus on health law can be faced with a huge amount of documents to review; on top of this, it’s crucial to draft a broad range of memos, briefs, opinions and other papers. The most accomplished legal professionals are those who are exceptionally organized and possess the capability to manage their own time effectively while working on multiple cases simultaneously.
Furthermore, a successful law associate will be particularly adept at effective communication. This skill applies to a wide variety of mediums, from written communications such as memos and e-mails to face-to-face meetings and phone calls with clients, healthcare providers and other professionals. Those who master the ability to use proper vocabulary, grammar and language will be better equipped to deliver a solid impression and showcase themselves as experts in their field on every level.
Finally, health law associates must have an overall understanding of regulations associated with the field. This includes a healthy comprehension of federal laws, coverage options, Medicare funding and much more. Seasoned professionals also tend to go above and beyond, learning the ins and outs of important state-level regulations as well.
Advice for Your Health Law Internship
Courses and Certifications for Health Law Legal Internships
It is common for law students and young lawyers to take courses and obtain certifications to make them more marketable and more knowledgeable in a specific practice area.
Aim for coursework relevant to the health law field, such as courses on administrative law (for getting familiar with how agencies work), corporations or contract drafting and review (for understanding how business works), and even mental health and psychology (for understanding competency and capacity issues, as well as interacting with clients who have suffered from head trauma). I may discuss these in greater detail later on.
You can also look at certifications in health care law offered through entities such as the Florida Bar Association and the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts. These types of certifications require coursework , an examination, and some practice experience.
There are two particularly notable professional training programs for lawyers, in addition to the CMLE (as mentioned above):
Certified in Health Care Privacy and Security ("CHCPCS") – offered through the Health Care Compliance Association – which requires at least 20 hours of health privacy and security training, at least five hours of formal education in relevant subject matters and five years of experience, with three of those where privacy/security was the primary focus.
Certified in Healthcare Compliance ("CHC") – offered through the Compliance Certification Board and requires a bachelor’s or higher degree, within five years of sitting for the exam, working for 5 years – 2 of which were involved in compliance, and passing an exam (which includes coursework).
What To Expect From a Health Law Internship
Challenges in Health Law Legal Internships
There are, of course, challenges associated with these types of health law internships. For example, many times there is no guarantee that the intern will be paid for their services. While this ultimately depends on the legal setting in which a law school student is working, some for-profit legal internships do not offer any form of compensation for interns. This is very important to keep in mind. The ideal health law legal internship is one that offers competitive pay for one or two semesters (often over the summer), and offers a chance for the ultimate goal of becoming hired full-time.
There is also the potential of competition from other law students. As mentioned above, summer is often considered the perfect time to intern at a particular legal firm or office. In some cases, law firms may choose to hire more than one law student. This is usually done to make sure that all students have the opportunity to gain experience in a professional setting. However, you may find that you are working alongside other interns, all vying for junior licenses or office positions. It is important to treat each intern professionally and with respect.
A final challenge is managing time. Many law schools and offices will require legal interns to complete a certain number of hours per week for the entire semester. This, of course, may not be the current academic schedule that the intern is following. In situations like this, most mayor law firms will allow students to adjust schedules accordingly, as long as there is a weekly commitment. It is important to determine if there are any possible scheduling conflicts before committing to the internship.
Health Law Internship: Personal Insights
One of our current associates got their start in health law as an intern. They said it was through internships during school that they learned the most while working. Specifically, they had the opportunity to speak with doctors and staff in a hospital setting, and hear their concerns firsthand. Moreover, they went to administrative hearings, met with hospital executives, and witnessed healthcare regulatory work. That internship cemented their desire to practice health law. When it comes to trial work , another associate interned for us for a year while she was in law school. During that year, she worked on a trial, and was able to take depositions, draft motions, attend hearings, and be in the courtroom every day of the week. Because we were willing to train and supervise her, she got terrific experience and training that stood out after she graduated. She was hired by us the moment she graduated and passed the bar, and is now a valuable trial attorney.