Warm welcome
The first day of the internship felt like a warm welcome to Olivier. He was immediately taken to two client meetings.
Through this internship, Olivier wanted to discover if the legal profession would be a good career choice for him. He indicates that in this short period of eight weeks he was certainly able to get a good idea. Despite his earlier doubts about the legal profession, he says he has been positively surprised by the work within the profession. As a result, he is increasingly considering choosing this direction.
"Before I started this internship, I thought the legal profession was not for me. My opinion has changed in this"
Most interesting experience
One of the most interesting experiences during the internship for Olivier was attending summary proceedings in Den Bosch. He was allowed to attend the discussions prior to this and had studied the case well in advance. "It felt a bit like its own in that way," Olivier said. He found it extra interesting to hear the judge's findings and could thus compare them with his own ideas of the case and the possible outcome.
Practical and legal skillsÂ
Olivier says that through the internship he learned how to conduct professional interviews as a lawyer and how to then incorporate them into a litigation document, for example. He also learned to read extensive files more efficiently and to search for information in a more focused way. The practical experience has made it clearer to Olivier where his areas for improvement and - more importantly of course - strengths lie.
The atmosphere in the office
Olivier indicates that he always felt heard and had ample opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback. He really liked the working atmosphere at Poelmann van den. He also got to join the company outing to Amsterdam: "I fell head over heels". Should the choice fall on the legal profession, either Poelmann van den Broek or a firm with a similar working atmosphere as Poelmann would certainly be Olivier's preferred choice.
Fun fact: Olivier is now working as a legal assistant/work-study student on team Rent. In addition to writing his thesis, he rotates two days in PvdB's practice. How fun!
Are you a student and excited by this story to get to know 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 Olivier!
