The Law Firms’ Shadowing Week gives students the opportunity to shadow lawyers at the top of their game in some of the most prestigious law firms. Designed to give students an insight into the day-to-day at top law firms and learn first-hand from practicing lawyers, this unforgettable experience allows them to grow their network and find out more about their prospective career paths.
This year, 26 students participated in the program, coming from a variety of undergraduate programs including the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), the Dual Degree in Business Administration & Laws, the Dual Degree in Laws & International Relations, and the Bachelor in Philosophy, Politics, Law and Economics (PPLE). It provided an excellent opportunity to put their newly acquired knowledge and stellar networking skills to good use. Several top legal firms participated in the program and provided students with placements opportunities: Allen & Overy, Ashurst, CMS Albiñana & Suárez De Lezo, Cuatrecasas, Deloitte, Freshfields, Garrigues, Gómez-Acebo & Pombo, Pérez-Llorca, Uría Menéndez and King & Wood Mallesons.
“What I liked the most is that I was able to see how a lawyer works in reality, their everyday tasks and duties, and to understand the basics of their work to be prepared when I pursue an internship”
For Beatriz Colón de Carvajal, the experience was quite eye-opening.
“It helped me a lot going through each different legal department in order to give myself an idea of where I could see myself working in the future¨
Celia Martín, who made the most of her opportunity to see the big picture of a law firm and work across multiple departments.
“For instance, when reading and analyzing a lawsuit, it is the perfect time to see how the theory we learned in class would be molded into the practical case we saw there”
Mario Vicente noted how students were able to put concepts they studied in class into practice.
Students also attended conferences, meetings and trials—taking advantage of the opportunity to experience a typical day-in-the-life of a professional lawyer and get a taste of their professional future.
“I liked how we could prepare ourselves for the trial or the hearing by reading in advance the documents of claim and its response”
Elvira Acinas explains.
Students were guided by the lawyers and teams they shadowed, who were always on hand to answer any questions.
“The lawyers were in fact early into their career; a purposely excellent choice, since they could indeed see their younger selves through our eyes and from not so long ago.”
Alexia Collot d’Escury Ariza, who shadowed at Cuatrecasas.
“The benefit of participating in the shadowing program is that it gives insights into the law firm and a general overview of how the different areas of law work in practice. In that sense, it gives the possibility to explore or confirm which are the areas of interest of the student for future internships or experiences.”
Daniel Svartsnaider found the benefits of participating in the Law Shadowing Program to be long-lasting and believes they will directly contribute to helping him make better decisions for his future career.
At IE Talent & Careers, we encourage our students to take advantage of initiatives such as the Law Firms’ Shadowing Week. There’s no better experience than putting yourself in the shoes of a professional lawyer to kick-start your legal career.