Summer 2019 - Hennick BizLaw Internship at UHN!
By: Trishala Parikh
JD/MBA’2021 and Summer 2019 Recipient of the Hennick Centre Business Law Internship Award
This past summer I completed an internship at University Health Network (UHN) as part of the Hennick Centre Business Law Internship program. Due to the busy nature of an in-house environment, I was given a high level of responsibilities and managed projects from the Corporate Legal, Research Legal, Privacy, and Risk Management departments. My responsibilities involved drafting and reviewing a variety of contracts, preparing memos, and conducting statutory audits to ensure legislative compliance. One of the highlights from my experience internship was the opportunity to attend a Motion to Strike and witness a full-day hearing as it helped me contextualize the transactional work I managed on a day-to-day basis.
A key skill I learned during this internship was effective client service. Often, many of the clients I served were healthcare professionals or other UHN employees with no legal background. This gave me hands on experience to identify with my audience and tailor legal advice and information accordingly.
In addition to the wonderful professional opportunities, my colleagues and supervisors at UHN made this experience worthwhile. Despite their busy schedules, everyone was always available to answer questions, share their expertise, and mentor me professionally. I leave this internship with lifelong mentors and friends.
As a JD/MBA student with a science background, this internship was the perfect compliment to my unique educational background and I found myself using my scientific, legal, and business education every day on the job. I surprised myself with how much I learned over the course of one summer and my growth both as a law student and as an individual. My time at UHN was both challenging and incredibly rewarding and I could not have asked for a better professional experience this summer!
About the UHN Corporate Internship
University Health Network, Canada’s largest research hospital, encompasses Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and the Michener Institute of Education. The breadth of research, the complexity of cases treated, and the magnitude of its educational enterprise has made UHN a national and international resource for patient care, research and education. With a long tradition of groundbreaking firsts, UHN brings together over 16,000 employees, more than 1,200 physicians, and 8,000 plus students and volunteers.
The Hennick Centre/UHN Corporate Internship exposes Osgoode students to a public hospital’s dynamic and innovative corporate culture, while providing an opportunity to develop practical business and legal skills.