Your professional training at our firm
All theory is gray. As important as underlying knowledge from your studies is, the time comes when you need to put it into practice. We would be pleased to assist you in this endeavor and get to know talented young professionals during their lawyer and elective traineeships. In return, we have something to teach you: all about the daily business of nationally and internationally operating lawyers.
Comparatively young partners are also a feature of our law firm. We prefer working together at one level rather than by the rigid hierarchies and HR pyramids found at large law firms. In one area, however, we are definitely able to compare ourselves with the “big guys:” the challenges that we are placing on our professional competence.
What we expect from you
Have you already passed your first state examination? Congratulations, we are looking forward to your application.
If you are not that advanced in your studies yet, don’t let this discourage you. It is just that there are more positions in our firm for trainee lawyers and scientific employees than for interns.
So much for the technicalities. Something else that we value is technical interest and a great deal of willingness to learn. So that we can put you to work in the best possible way, please let us know the field of law in which you wish to gain practical experience. We particularly like to see applicants who have already gained some initial experience or who are able to provide concrete evidence of their interest in a certain area.
As a business law firm, we also expect curiosity and openness towards business relationships – after all, our employees need to understand what our clients are doing. Last but not least, as an internationally operating law firm, we require our applicants to have sound knowledge of the English language and would be pleased if you are fluent in other languages as well.
What you will learn from us
Your integration into our firm’s daily operations is important to us. Take our word for that. Each staff member is allocated a mentor who is always available to answer your questions and deal with any concerns. The mentor’s job is to integrate you well in to the specialist area that you are interested in. There, you will work in our small, flexible teams directly with the partners. This means that you are right in the middle of the legal practice – and because our teams frequently work in an interdisciplinary manner, you will gain solid insight how your preferred area interacts with other fields of law.
Another advantage of this training is the opportunity you will gain to learn from proven experts. Our partners have a great deal of scope for professional development and therefore choose their field of law based on the area they prefer rather than on internal requirements. This means that each of them is dealing with topics about which they are really passionate. This enthusiasm is something that you are sure to benefit from during your training. On the other hand, it also means that we expect a real thirst for knowledge from our trainees and scientific employees, rather than simple conscientiousness.
This approach will definitely pay off because working at SKW Schwarz is highly varied, which will be the case even right at the beginning of your legal career. You will have the opportunity to experience the law firm practice up close and to get involved. Research, creating memos, statements, expert opinions, as well as drafting scientific articles will all be part of your work.
Trainees are also involved in drafting documents, attending court hearings, and participating in client meetings. You can already see that being a trainee at SKW Schwarz involves a lot more than churning out files for the partners. Our aim for you as a trainee is not to find a way to use you, but to find appropriate challenges for you. We just want to see how you handle the everyday life of a business law firm.
This is why our trainees and scientific employees participate in internal training and education, but also in our social events within the firm. It is therefore worth taking a closer look at our events.
