Floris Hutter, an enthusiastic student at the end of his bachelor's degree in law, recently completed his eight-week internship at Poelmann van den Broek. Floris, under the supervision of Layla Verhagen and Niels van den Bogaard, got a better picture of the legal profession and the work as a lawyer. In this article, he shares his valuable experiences and insights and reflects on his internship.
Young...
Floris was specifically looking for internships in or around Nijmegen, where he has developed a fondness for the city on the river Waal. The young and dynamic nature of Poelmann van den Broek immediately appealed to him, as did the firm's focus on business owners and its ambition. Floris: "I was given the opportunity to explore different areas of law during this internship. For example, I did a four-week internship at Commercial Contracts, IP & IT, and four weeks at Company & Corporation. That helped me determine how I want to fill out my future master's degree."
... and dynamic office
During his internship, Floris was positively surprised by several aspects. Floris: "I got a more realistic picture of the legal profession and I discovered that I like the work more than expected." The firm turned out to be open, informal and much younger than expected. "What I liked most was the ability to easily talk to colleagues and make social contacts, both within and outside my own team."
"In addition, fun activities are regularly organized to take a break. Besides the usual free mibos at the office or in town, I've experienced the annual office party (including escaperoom, five-course meal and cabaret) and I've gone go-karting with them."
Teaching moment
A key learning moment for Floris was the realization that attorneys does not always have all the answers right away. "Many questions are very specific and context-dependent, requiring extensive research. Interns can be of great value in this. By spending a lot of time thoroughly researching issues, I was able to offer concrete advice to the attorneys, who listened to it seriously and took action. This allowed me to learn a lot and contribute directly to issues.
Independence encouraged
The guidance during the internship focused on encouraging independence. Floris was explained at first but then encouraged to show initiative himself. "This approach requires drive and own initiative, which fits well with the work of a lawyer," he said.
Future as a lawyer?
"Prior to the internship, I doubted whether I would want to go into the legal profession. Since then I have become much more enthusiastic about the profession. An enormous range of cases for wonderful clients comes along and regularly a question suddenly pops up in between. This makes the work diverse, dynamic and interesting.
The cases I encountered were also very diverse, ranging from small legal questions to extensive acquisitions and litigation. Especially within the Commercial Contracts, IP & IT team, many different topics were handled. In short, the legal profession has a lot to offer!"
Are you a student and excited by this story to become acquainted with Poelmann van den Broek? Apply via sollicitaties@pvdb.nl and who knows, maybe you will soon be doing an eight-week internship at our office, just like Floris!
