Just as the reputation of IE University speaks for itself, so does that of Pérez-Llorca, a pre-eminent law firm based in Madrid. With offices around the world—including Barcelona, London, New York, Brussels and Singapore—the firm’s international perspective makes it a leader in business law and cross-border disputes.
This international focus is one of the reasons why a partnership between IE Law School and Pérez-Llorca was a natural fit. The international dynamic “built into the DNA of IE University” meant that Pérez Llorca did not have to look far to find a university that shared its values.
Since 2010, the Pérez-Llorca/IE Commercial Law Chair has worked to combine the experience and skills of a law firm with the expertise of an academic institution. IE University students have the unique opportunity to work as legal interns at Pérez-Llorca while they are still pursuing their bachelor’s degrees.
For IE University students like Damián Pérez, the opportunity to work as a legal intern is an experience that greatly enhances his education. According to Damián, learning how a law firm works from the inside “is the most important part of the experience of being an intern.”
He also shared that his transition into working as a legal intern was made smoother by IE University’s practical approach to law, which not only gave him a good grounding in theory, but also the ability to apply his knowledge in a real-world setting. Most of his work at Pérez-Llorca is done in English, something he was used to as a student at IE University. This has allowed him to transition seamlessly into his role at the firm.
Damián is currently working as a legal intern in the areas of intellectual property, industrial property and new technologies. Some of his duties include assisting lawyers specialising in these areas in the preparation of documentation and the review of cases. He also prepares articles and reports for clients and the general public.
Damián is excited to be working in this field while still a student because it gives him the opportunity to see how the field is developing in real time. By witnessing the growth and evolution of the field as a student, he will be better equipped to work in the field as a lawyer after graduation.
Technology is constantly evolving, and so is the need for lawyers to work with new laws and regulations in response to those innovations. Damián believes that the new markets created by new technologies will be an exciting field to work in as a future lawyer. Like Damián, any student who is passionate about learning from an experience at Pérez-Llorca has a “very bright future” ahead of them.
