Katrina's story

My internship at the Coroners Court of Victoria went for approximately three months and I would go in a few days a week. At the beginning, I spent most of my time altering coronial briefs for multiple coroners. My computer skills turned out to be very valuable, and I assisted the Legal Division to refine their documents which included a lot of proof-reading and editing.

By the end of the internship, I was drafting my own court documents for the State Coroner, Judge Sara Hinchey and the Senior Legal Counsel. This involved reading coronial briefs and forming my own conclusions, based on the facts, about the circumstances of someone’s death.

It was so excited to be doing the same work as the other lawyers around me. My drafting skills became very proficient and I am a lot more confident in my writing. I learnt how to communicate with work colleagues and how to refine my task management skills. It was great to put all the writing skills I had learnt from university into practice and get feedback on how I can improve. It has made me a better student and potential lawyer.

I highly recommend doing an internship at the Coroners Court, however, it is not for the faint-hearted. It is very confronting, but despite the morbid context of the work the people are amazing. It is not only the greatest place to work, but also to learn.

The best thing about an internship is meeting new people, and getting an understanding of what your job is going to be before you finish studying. You learn so much more than what you would in the classroom and you get a real idea of what your life is going to be like. It’s an invaluable experience which will help you in the future.