8-week internship during corona time; Maarten Finkers was positively surprised

The internship, along with a paper and a moot court assignment, came before Maarten as part of the Master Class in Civil Law. That is a master program at Radboud University in which eight renowned law firms from Gelderland participate. Within the program, that involves four days of internship and teaching civil law on every Friday from one of the eight participating firms. The course aims to provide in-depth exposure to the legal profession. "That is also exactly what I wanted. This way I could perfectly find out if the legal profession suits me. The fact that I got to start at my preferred firm - Poelmann van den Broek - was, of course, absolutely great!"

Adjusting expectations

Because of the current corona crisis, Maarten has had to adjust his expectations of an internship somewhat. Doing an internship during the crisis means less physical activity. "Despite this, I did get a good impression of the ins and outs of the legal profession and specifically of Poelmann van den Broek. The first four weeks in the office contributed to that.

Working with business owners

Maarten thought he would find smooth personalities at Poelmann van den Broek. His reasoning was, "they have to be a bit smooth to be able to think with their clientele, because they are mainly business owners." This image was confirmed for him. "It was clearly visible that the customers push the attorneys to communicate concisely and clearly. After all, working with business owners requires thinking along in terms of opportunities rather than limitations. Working with business owners is therefore, I think, very different from working with the government as a customer."

Contact with customers

Martin was fortunate to be able to attend a session despite the corona crisis. "Watching along during a session to which you yourself contributed and then following the negotiations in the corridor. This was really the highlight of the internship."

Martin could only attend two physical meetings. So during online meetings, we asked him to dial in so he could listen in on phone calls with clients. That way, a feeling with the practice is still created. "I am grateful for the effort that was put into that. I was also allowed to take notes, actively participate in case law discussions and contribute to case documents. It was interesting to see how concisely and forcefully experienced attorneys formulate their message. I was able to learn a lot in that respect.

Theory versus practice

Maarten spent four weeks in rent & real estate and four weeks in employment law. While labor law generally dealt with more human issues such as instant dismissal, a settlement agreement or a reorganization, rent & real estate was often different. It was about the transfer of a piece of land or the lease or rental of an office building. In other words, much more businesslike. "It is very nice to experience it that way, because then you notice what suits you. After all, in practice things can sometimes be so different than the theory suggests at university."

Positively surprised

Interning online is sometimes tricky. "You often don't know how busy someone is, so calling every so often still feels objectionable. It is also more difficult to assess exactly what can and cannot be done at who's place. Normally lunches and drinks are the best times to get to know colleagues. That is more difficult from behind a computer screen." Nevertheless, Maarten quickly found his way within our office. "I was positively surprised by the atmosphere in the office and between attorneys . Every student knows it: the standard office talk about the open-door policy, casual Friday and the annual ski trip. I was always a little skeptical then. It surprised me that the corporate culture can be really open and approachable within the medium-sized law firm.

Furthermore, Maarten found it surprising to see that you can soon contribute some content. Sometimes pieces are forwarded 1-on-1 to clients and you handle the communication yourself. The lawyer then checks it out with you. "When, as a student trainee, you're already de facto advising large companies, you're kind of surprised that you can already do all that."

Future plans

Maarten has found that some aspects of the legal profession suit him well. He has found writing, speaking and pleading to be fun parts. The project-based work through variety in cases also makes the legal profession an interesting profession. "The work of a trustee also seems very interesting to me for that reason. Nevertheless, I am not ruling out a position in another sector for the time being. Doing business myself and politics have always seemed interesting to me as well. Still, the legal profession is preferable after this internship!"