SHS Internship Transforms into Paid Position at Law Firm

A school internship at a Sherman law firm turned into a part-time paid position for recent Sherman High School graduate and aspiring attorney Jade Caballero.

“I’m excited to get my foot in the door,” Caballero said. “It’s amazing the high school CTE program has internships and that I ended up getting a job out of it.”

Caballero, who is attending Austin College in the fall, was selected for an internship at Roesler & Roesler Law Firm as part of SHS’s Practicum in Law class, and she impressed attorney Linzie Roesler with her dedication, intelligence and work ethic.

“Jade is the first intern I’ve offered a paid position to,” Roesler said. “She reminds me of myself, honestly, and she’s definitely going to be something special.”

During the course of Caballero’s internship and current position, she gained real-world experience and picked up essential skills.

“I learned how to draft and file documents as well as different aspects of civil and criminal cases,” Caballero said. “I’ll be one step ahead of most people wherever I go in the future.”

Another takeaway for Caballero? Attorneys aren’t always in courtrooms, like popular shows might suggest.

“It’s mostly at your desk, going through emails or e-filing or talking to clients,” Caballero said. “The most important part is the reading, so learn to love to read.”

The practicum class offers internships with multiple community partners, such as law enforcement agencies and a local judge. Career & Technical Education teacher Michele Watson oversees the Criminal Justice and Law program, and she praised Roesler’s enthusiasm for the partnership because she started with five SHS interns this year.

“But after being here a few weeks, one of them decided the attorney career track wasn’t for them,” Watson said. “That’s why the high school has these internships, and for some students like Jade, it just enhances her experience.”

“I send my interns to watch a jury trial or watch me in court during litigation,” Roesler said. “I want them to apply what they learn here to a real-world situation and be able to think critically because that’s what you do as an attorney.”

Caballero also took the initiative to shadow Roesler outside of internship hours. Since the internship is only during the class period, students usually don’t see everything an attorney does.

“I offer all the interns the opportunity to shadow me,” Roesler said. “If they come in after school or on the weekend to help me prepare for a trial or a hearing, they get the full scope of what I do.”

“I’m excited to see what direction Jade goes,” Watson said. “There’s no doubt she’s going to be very successful at what she's doing in life.”