Networking is key in gaining legal experience, says Louisville Law 2L

Mikella Fields

Second-year Louisville Law student Mikella Fields was having a hard time finding a summer job after her first year of law school. But thanks to networking — and her connection to Central High School — she landed a legal internship at Yum! Brands and KFC.

Knowing of her job search, a family friend and fellow Central High graduate connected Fields with another Central High alumna: Jennifer Green, director, corporate counsel of Yum! Brands. Fields and Green met for lunch and Green encouraged Fields to submit her resume for a legal internship.

Louisville Law has a longstanding partnership with Central High School's Law and Government Magnet Program, of which Fields is a graduate.

"It was pretty cool to have somebody that cares like that. She turned into a great mentor for me," says Fields of Green.

At Yum!, Fields reviewed and edited contracts and conducted legal research on IP holding companies. At KFC, which is part of Yum!, she was involved with marketing efforts and franchisee compliance.

"It was a good experience," says Fields, who is interested in a career in corporate law. "To be able to do that kind of legal work as a 1L was great for me. I was in a place that was amazing and large, but they still gave me the amount of time that I needed and the attention that I needed to teach me things and help me learn things that I can use in the future."

And even after the job ended, Fields has a mentor in Green, who has helped review her resume and provided job-searching advice. Fields is a strong advocate of networking and finding mentors.

"It's important to network and out yourself out there," she says. "You could be missing out on opportunities by not speaking to somebody or by not knowing somebody. That's how I've gotten in to many doors — who I know. After who I know, it's what I know and what I can do."