Jeroen Rouers was employed as a trainee attorney with De Bok Roijers Gasseling after graduating from university. He was sworn in as an attorney in Rotterdam in July 2009 and has passed the bar examinations.

Jeroen:
I started my traineeship at De Bok Roijers Gasseling in April 2009. During my law studies in Maastricht, my internships at law firms made me realise I wanted to become a lawyer after graduation.

During my very first week as a trainee lawyer, I had a meeting with the manager of a company which had become insolvent and I attended a consultation with a client. This is what characterises the corporate culture. Trainees are quickly given the opportunity to work independently, thereby exposing them to all aspects of a lawyer's work: consulting with clients, drafting court pleadings, conducting legal proceedings and negotiating settlements, discussing tactics, etc. Obviously, you're not abandoned: you're properly supervised. The partners and colleagues you work with, monitor your progress. Experienced employees and partners handle the more complex cases, of course, but they often invite you to join in those cases as well, thereby increasing your level of knowledge.

Our firm specialises in legal issues that confront companies in their day-to-day business. Because you're not limited to one area of law when you start your traineeship, you experience all aspects of corporate law, enabling you to advise your clients as best as possible. It also expands the focus of discussions about a case file to cover more than just the legal side of things. As a new lawyer, you're expected to display a practical mindset, which is exactly what our clients expect from us. In this way, you learn to confer optimally with your clients.

There is an open and comfortable atmosphere at the firm. We work long and hard, but there is also room to relax: the popular office drink, the annual tennis tournament, various office outings, and of course the annual Christmas dinner.

De Bok Roijers Gasseling Advocaten offers its trainee attorneys the opportunity to continue with general legal training. We do not divide the firm into sections, which means that a trainee attorney can learn about most areas of law within the context of a business practice. After the training, however, our attorneys are expected to specialise so that they can provide their clients with the optimum advice, giving them a definite advantage over attorneys who have only worked in one or two areas of law from the start of their careers.

Anyone feeling that they would like to work in this type of environment, may apply for a position as a trainee attorney with De Bok Roijers Gasseling Advocaten. Please refer to 'Application process' for more details.