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| Travis Wilson Class of 2017 |
This year, I was fortunate to be selected to serve as one of the new marketing interns at Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP, a full service business law firm located in Downtown Louisville. The position was previously held by McConnell Scholars alumni, Sarah Stovall who set a high standard of quality and raised the expectations of my current superiors; consequently, I have been trusted with greater responsibility than one would typically enjoy at an undergraduate internship.
This internship is a unique opportunity for an undergraduate, providing me with the opportunity to complete substantial work in a legal setting. I work directly under the Chief Marketing Officer and the Business Development Lead, which provides a broader sense of the firm’s operations and the chance to interact with very qualified and intelligent individuals that hold upper level executive positions; professional decorum is expected at all times.
Much of my daily work consists of business development research projects on potential clients for the firm. I have researched a wide variety of companies, including banks, construction companies, transport services, advanced manufacturers and many more. All of these companies hold a unique position in the economy; through my research, I attempt to concisely pass this necessary information along to attorneys so that they can be knowledgeable of the business to which they are pitching our legal services. Many of these companies are rapidly expanding and in need of transactional, contract, real estate, and labor related services which BGD hopes to provide. Personally, I enjoy these opportunities play a major role in assisting the firm expand our business, while expanding my understanding of business development.
Another primary responsibility of my position is producing marketing content on the various writings and accomplishments of our attorneys. This often involves reducing complex legal articles into a layman’s terms so that they can be shared with the general public. I have found work this particularly intriguing, providing the chance to study certain legal issues and to improve my writing on technical topics. Also, the opportunity to interact with attorneys over these projects have been essential to expanding my professional network.
While attending such an intellectually challenging job following long days in the classroom has been a challenge to my resilience, I believe that the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices. My writing skills have been fine-tuned, my research skills have been improved, my business sense has been expanded, and I have had the unique experience of professionally interacting with attorneys prior to attending law school. I believe that this has been an excellent opportunity to prepare myself for my future and I look forward to further developing and applying my skills.
Travis Wilson is a junior McConnell Scholar studying political science and history. He is from Burlington, Ky.