Q&A: Mohammed Zain’s internship experience at Russell-Cooke through the ABL Foundation

This year, Mohammed Zain joined Russell-Cooke for a six-week internship through the programme, during which he gained first-hand experience across a number of the firm’s broad range of practice areas.

As Mohammed approaches the end of his internship, we asked him about his background, what he has enjoyed most about his time at Russell-Cooke, and how the experience has shaped his future ambitions.

I’m currently studying for an undergraduate law degree, during which I have also explored the legal sector as much as possible through events and platforms such as Forage. I love learning and trying new things; my current hobbies include reading literature and learning languages. I’m most interested in environmental, social and governance law but I’m hoping to explore other practice areas too.

The people at Russell-Cooke are incredibly supportive and have put learning at the heart of the internship. It has been a wonderful experience with lots of opportunity for personal and professional development.

I have enjoyed experiencing a wide range of practice areas over the course of six weeks. It’s been extremely valuable to have the opportunity to explore different areas of law because I think otherwise it could be easy to be pigeonholed into one practice area without exploring alternatives. I particularly enjoyed being able to assist a barrister and client in court myself alongside the children team.

Apply, complete the application and submit without hesitation! It’s a chance to be in a supportive environment that accommodates your needs (whatever they may be), learning and overall development.

Ask questions – your learning is important, regardless of the situation you find yourself in. Do not stunt your growth by being afraid to look silly or for any other reason. My experience at Russell-Cooke is that people genuinely care and want to help.

Insightful, impactful and supportive.

This is my first legal internship. It is great to have this experience and to know how lawyers conduct themselves daily and carry out the work that they do. I have loved my time at the firm and have found it so useful. Thank you to both the firm and charity for this opportunity.