We are halfway through the summer student internship program at Radzikowski, Szubielska i Wspólnicy!
Yesterday we welcomed Jan Jastrzębski, a 5th year student at the University of Warsaw, to our team, and said goodbye to Karolina Wanat and Leonard Krych, who were with us in June, and agreed to share their summer internship memories.
We wish Karolina and Leonard all the best and thank them for our month together, and we invite you to read their insights below!
“The past month was undoubtedly a productive and interesting time. The offer of the internship was totally consistent with the reality – I had a chance to get to know each of the areas of law practised in the Firm, I could always count on the team’s support on legal matters, the tasks I was given were varied and allowed me to develop, and the atmosphere in the office made work very pleasant. The training provided by the Firm’s lawyers allowed me to learn more about their practice and the specifics of their work, which is a remarkably valuable experience for a person who is still in the process of studying law.”
–Karolina Wanat
“My name is Leonard and after just turning 16 I completed an internship with Radzikowski, Szubielska i Wspólnicy sp.j. in Warsaw. I was very excited that I had an opportunity to see the day-to-day work of a law firm. My whole internship was possible thanks to Advocate Marcin Boruc who guided me through the whole internship and was always the person I could go to for questions and help. He went above and beyond what I could have asked from him for which I am immensely grateful. As part of my internship, I got to meet lots of people around the office. I met lawyers from all the different departments of the Firm dealing with various areas of law, for example: corporate and commercial, tax and tax disputes, energy and projects, banking and finance, real estate and finally dispute resolution. I met people from different backgrounds with different stories and different aspirations. Learning from them every day I was very fortunate to get the first-hand experience of the lawyer’s profession.
During office hours I had a variety of tasks to complete. I participated in legal English sessions during which I went through a legal English textbook in preparation for the TOLES exam which I am planning to take in the future. I was also responsible for drafting documents for the Chambers Europe 2021 ranking. I took part in multiple lectures not only from the lawyers but also specialists from other areas that help lawyers in their everyday work such as media and IT. I learned that with a constantly changing world a lawyer must always improve not only in the area of law but also in social media and IT which do not seem obvious but are definitely necessary. I did a lot of research in the Firm, whether it was in preparation for a court hearing or on a new piece of legislation from the EU concerning waste management and restrictions on pollution. I also participated in court hearings where I learned about the structure of an appeal and how a court hearing really works. I also had a workshop on filing and retention of legal documents and billing (timesheets).
Apart from all the tasks I mentioned above I also participated in many other activities. These included things that are not so obviously related to law but are nonetheless a part of a lawyer’s profession. For example, I attended the opening night of the Firm’s client’s art exhibition. I also completed a media-related course and visited multiple judicial institutions and the University of Warsaw. I learned a lot about tools that are useful in a lawyer’s day-to-day life like the legal information system Lex and the Court Information Portal. In addition, I completed training on MS Teams and workshops concerning confidentiality and health and safety at work.
Another great part of the internship was that I could get to the office by bike. It allowed me to see more of Warsaw. I really enjoyed the office and its atmosphere. Everybody was very kind and helpful. They made me feel welcome and like part of the team.
Overall this experience was incredibly rewarding and something I will remember for the rest of my life. I would like to use this opportunity to thank all of the people who have made my internship possible. After the internship, I definitely have my eyes on a future with law.”
–Leonard Krych
