As you know, the BBA Summer Jobs Program works with law
firms and legal organizations committed to Boston’s future to place Boston
Public High School students in environments where they receive an introduction
to the law and legal work. This isn’t limited to firms, however – some students
experience the work of an in-house legal department firsthand, and gain an
understanding of how it supports the organization as a whole.
Erik
Solis, a recent graduate of Another Course to College in Brighton, has gotten
not only legal experience this summer but also a better grasp on complex
financial matters thanks to his internship in LPL Financial’s legal department.
Erik has gained a more specialized look at the profession by working with
customer complaint files to make sure they are reviewed and closed out correctly
and helping with preparations for a new file management system.
These
tasks require a solid grasp of the terminology and principles used in financial
advising, but Ashley Commito, one of Erik’s supervisors, said that hasn’t been a
problem. “It’s definitely challenging material, but Erik got it by the end of
his second week,” she explained. “It’s fun to have a new person around to
experience what we do, and it’s been really interesting to watch his progress
and to see that light bulb go off when he got it. Erik caught on very
fast.”
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But that isn’t all that Erik has been learning over the
summer. Through LPL’s Foundation program, which also hires summer interns for
LPL’s three national offices, he has taken weekly video seminars on topics like
using social media and how to network effectively. Erik will even have the
chance to attend a live presentation by LPL Financial’s CFO, who is based in
Boston.
For another student, it might be cause for nervousness to attend
a meeting with the CFO of a major company, but Erik indicates that his
experience with LPL Financial and its employees has been overwhelmingly positive
and welcoming. “The first week here was pretty awesome,” he said with a smile.
“There were activities almost every day and I met a lot of people in the office,
even the CEO. It’s been a great summer.”
Erik says he was
previously interested in law and criminal justice, and wanted to learn more
about how lawyers practiced in a company like LPL Financial. “The most
interesting part is seeing myself grow and getting a new perspective. It’s
different from a normal law firm – what I do has a financial basis, and I’m not
working with specific cases. I wanted to explore this side of the law because
I’d never thought about it before.”
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“As an in-house department, it’s a big deal for us to make
sure we’re part of the legal community,” Commito added. “Our attorneys are very
involved outside the company, and participating in the Summer Jobs Program is
very in line with our mission and emphasis on volunteer
opportunities.”
While LPL Financial benefits from
the help Erik has offered by carefully cleaning up files for the litigation
group, Erik in turn benefits from this broader understanding of the many ways
one can work in the law. After a full summer of taking in new knowledge, asking
questions about financial matters, and watching video conference presentations
full of advice on his professional future, the recent graduate will head to
college with the tools and knowledge needed to explore the possibilities of his
future career and pursue those goals successfully.