What you want to know as a future intern: Eline tells

You are orienting for your internship and you have Poelmann van den Broek in your sights? Then some insider info is probably welcome. Eline van der Zwaag ran an office-wide student internship for the past eight weeks and shares her experience.  

As a student intern, you specify your preferred service area. My internship focused on the Rent & Real Estate team, where I felt welcome from the start. There is a pleasant atmosphere within the office and in addition to hard work there is also time for a pleasant chat.

If you like a dynamic environment, this is the place for you. I immediately got to work in earnest drafting letters, a writ of attachment, draft subpoenas and draft responsive pleadings. Because of my focus on Rent and Real Estate, I was also involved in drafting lease and purchase agreements. Furthermore, as an intern, you are often presented with various complex issues, which you answer in a memo based on literature and case law.

I also received assignments from the other service areas. For example, for the Entrepreneurship service area, I went along to an intake immediately after a bankruptcy was declared where we had to get all the relevant issues above the table. Then I was allowed to advise the trustee on whether or not to invoke the bankruptcy pauliana and draft letters for the bankruptcy judge.

One of the most enjoyable experiences was going with me to a hearing. Beforehand, I was involved in the preparation of the case. It's really nice when a lawyer then brings up an issue that I picked during the hearing. I was also involved in client meetings and the weekly jurisprudence meeting. In this way you really get a good picture of the legal profession and how it works. I look back on a very enjoyable and instructive period and would definitely recommend other students to gain practical experience through a student internship!

Eline van der Zwaag (22) is doing a master's degree in civil law at Radboud University. She chose Poelmann van den Broek because of its size. Large regional clients are interesting because of the familiarity - she herself is from Nijmegen - and the interests involved. But the firm is not too big, so you can come into contact with all teams. Meanwhile, Eline has been hired as a legal assistant.