What it’s Like to Work as an Intern at International Employment Experts

Hi! My name is Moriah. I’m a third-year law student at Seattle University School of Law and currently working as a legal intern for the next four months at International Employment Experts.  I have been working with our in-house attorney and with the business team to anticipate the company’s legal needs as the company continues to grow.

Moriah, professor Gillian Dutton, and Immigration Attorney Charles Mosher are meeting to review Moriah’s internship progress.

So far, my work has included drafting contracts for the company, as well as making sure that the company is compliant with existing laws. For example, I drafted our Services Agreement which lays out the terms under which we will work with companies to provide them with our payroll services. I also drafted a registration agreement for signing up companies for our Online Career Fair.

I have reviewed our Employee Handbook and researched recent changes in Washington law to ensure that our sick leave, military leave, and other policies are up to date. It isn’t all research, though! I also sit in on weekly team meetings to stay updated on the company’s business news. I’m able to ‘talk strategy’ with Angela, Tanner and the rest of the team. It’s been fun to be part of the team.

Overall, I have loved learning more about business challenges and opportunities. I hope to apply the skills that I have gained in contract drafting and advising to my dream job at a law firm next year, in a corporate transactional practice group.

Immigration Insights

My focus as an intern was not on immigration when I started. While here, though, I’ve seen the challenges that foreign students face in finding and keeping jobs in the US. The paperwork, and administrative hurdles in obtaining an OPT student visa extension or an H-1B visa is significant. For example, applying for an H-1B visa, or a visa that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations, can be extremely complex without legal help. Visas can take over nine months to process. Additionally, employers do not always have the in-house capabilities to process student or work visas, or are unwilling or unable to pay the high costs.

International Employment Experts’ goal is to help skilled international students stay in the U.S. IEE does this by providing payroll services and expedited processing of visas and green cards for companies. I’ve seen first-hand the advantages of having this service available. It definitely allows employers to focus on business instead of the complicated immigration process.

I still have two more months as an intern. I’m excited to follow the results of my contributions, view the success of the Online Career Fair, and continue developing skills.