Summer Experience: Alexandra Hudson ’26L This summer, Alex Hudson interned with the in-house counsel at Coca-Cola Beverages in Florida.

Alexandra Hudson ’26L

Alexandra (Alex) Hudson ‘26L is originally from St. Augustine, Florida and is a second-year law student at Washington and Lee. She attended the University of Florida for her undergraduate degree. Alex is an active member of the W&L community, serving as a Law Review staff writer, the Symposium Chair for the Women Law Students Organization (WLSO), and the Treasurer of the Fashion and Luxury Law Organization. This past summer she interned with Coca-Cola Beverages in-house counsel in Florida.

How did you find this position?

When I began searching for an internship last December, I asked my family and friends in Florida if they knew of any legal internships. Although no one knew any attorneys or law firms in Florida, a family member knew that Coca-Cola Beverages Florida hires legal interns and sent me the job posting. I applied and completed two rounds of interviews.

Describe your work experience.

While interning with the in-house counsel, I completed a project with each attorney in their specific area of focus. I gained exposure to litigation, labor and employment law, marketing and trademark law, and transactional work. Some of the specific tasks I completed included drafting authority requests and presentations, drafting subpoena responses, attending deposition prep and depositions, and reviewing customer marketing agreements.

What were some skills you developed this summer?

The most valuable skill I gained this summer was understanding how to translate legal findings to a business. One aspect of in-house work that I didn’t completely understand was a lawyer’s role in advising a company on how potential legal developments may impact the business in the future. For my final project, I presented research on recent developments on plastics litigation and legislation to Coke Florida’s Executive Leadership Team. Although it is unlikely that there will be any major changes in plastic law in the near future, my research provides company leaders with information to help them make strategic business decisions going forward.

What surprised you about the work you did this summer?

I was surprised how much I enjoyed labor and employment law! During my first year of law school, I did not have much exposure to labor and employment law, and I really enjoyed learning about the types of legal issues an in-house labor attorney deals with. Plus, the work was different from traditional transaction law or litigation and required some unique skills.

What was your favorite aspect of this summer work experience?

My favorite aspect of the summer work experience was getting to know so many different attorneys and legal staff who had very different career paths, but all ended up working in-house at Coca-Cola Beverages Florida. As someone who was very uncertain about what I wanted to do after law school, it was encouraging to meet so many successful attorneys and learn more about what drew them to their areas of work.

Has this experience helped you figure out post graduate plans, and if so, how?

While I am not certain what my post graduate plans will bring, interning with Coke Florida’s in-house counsel absolutely gave me an incredible insight into in-house legal work and areas of law that I had not previously considered. Next summer I will be interning with a firm, and I know this experience will provide a great point-of-reference when assisting a client with in-house counsel.

How do you think this experience will shape the rest of your time at W&L Law?

My time at Coke Florida reinforced my interest in corporate/business law, and I plan to take classes that will further explore those areas. I also used the research I did into plastics to identity potential speakers for the WLSO Symposium – and one of the speakers accepted! Overall, Coke Florida has given me an interesting background for all my coursework. I often think about different issues I learned about in classes like Intellectual Property, Cross Border Transactions, and Evidence.