Education
We look for candidates with a fundamental legal
education of 4-5 years. We value candidates who have an additional qualification
in business law such as an LL.M. from an anglo-saxon country, a Belgian or a
French post graduate degree, or an equivalent additional qualification from
another country.
Languages
Given our wide client base
throughout Europe and worldwide, we place a high importance on language skills.
A substantial amount of our work is carried out through English and it is
therefore essential that candidates have a level of fluency in this language
through which they may proficiently work.
Typically, we also require
that candidates be fluent in French as Luxembourg laws, case law and legal
studies are usually drafted in French. It would similarly be beneficial for
candidates to have a proficient level of German, as a large part of our clients
are based in Germany. In addition, German is an official language in Luxembourg,
together with Luxembourgish and French.
A thorough knowledge of any
other language would also be welcome, as Arendt & Medernach wishes to
provide its clients with the widest range of competences and
skills.
Other skills
To ensure that our lawyers progress on
a professional and social level, we prefer candidates who demonstrate qualities
such as strong intellect, attention to detail, commitment and enthusiasm in
their approach towards work.
We further believe that it is essential
that candidates possess good communication and inter-personal skills in order to
liaise effectively with clients and to work with colleagues within a team
structure.
We recruit a wide variety of candidates and our lawyers hail from diverse
professional and geographical backgrounds within and outside the European Union,
although most of our lawyers carried out part or all of their studies in
Luxembourg, Belgium, France or Germany.
We are interested in recruiting
all of the following profiles, this list not being exhaustive:
- Luxembourg trainee lawyers (“Avocat”)
- Luxembourg qualified lawyers (“Avocat à la Cour”)
- Foreign lawyers
- Jurists
Most of our new recruits belong to this category. Either Luxembourgish or
foreign students having completed at least their 4-5 years legal studies may
register themselves at the Centre Universitaire de Luxembourg, the Luxembourg
University, and subject to ratification in Luxembourg of their foreign
universities diploma, start a 6 month period of study in various different
courses on Luxembourg law (cours complémentaires).
The courses start at
the beginning of October and end in March. They comprise about twenty different
subject matters, including commercial law, civil law, international private law
and procedural law. When the exams at the end of this period are passed, the
student takes oath and becomes a trainee lawyer. A two year period of judicial
traineeship (stage judiciaire) then commences.
During the judicial
traineeship, the trainee lawyer will have to complete practical work, partake in
conferences and carry out various professional obligations as pro bono which
will be reported in a traineeship report book (carnet de stage).
During a
traineeship at Arendt & Medernach, the trainee will be given responsibility
from an early stage and will work on client files under the supervision of a
partner and/or a senior associate in the relevant department. The trainee will
take part in the day to day operations of the firm and will receive training and
guidance on a practical level in all departments in the firm.
Arendt
& Medernach is supportive of providing assistance to its trainees in order
to enable them to meet and comply with any obligations of the Luxembourg Bar.
Our firm is aware of the requirements triggered by the carnet de stage, and
considers that it is important to allow the trainees the necessary time to
comply with such obligations.
The judicial traineeship is completed with
a final traineeship exam (examen de fin de stage) comprising written exams on
seven subject matters and one oral exam. On passing this exam, the trainee
lawyer becomes a qualified lawyer (avocat à la Cour).
We are always pleased to welcome new colleagues who are already qualified in
Luxembourg, and we aim to make them feel at ease within the firm from the moment
of their arrival.
We believe that to continue as a successful international law firm it is
important to have a diversity of lawyers from all backgrounds. We therefore also
recruit lawyers from foreign jurisdictions who are qualified and are practicing
under their home-country professional title.
Although we are preferably
looking for lawyers qualified in an EU country, we are also pleased to welcome
non-EU lawyers. Several of our lawyers are qualified in Belgium, France and
Germany, and some have a US bar qualification, frequently the New York bar.
We are also interested in recruiting candidates who have completed their legal
education or who may have worked in the legal area without being qualified
lawyers. We expect from our legal counsels the same level of involvement and
professionalism as from any other qualified lawyer.
We
organize summer traineeships for university students. Such traineeships permit
students with an interest in law to gain a useful insight into the workings of
the law firm. It allows students to put into practice the legal theories they
have learned in university and will introduce other practical aspects of law not
necessarily encountered in university.
We try to ensure that each student
is supervised by a lawyer specifically allocated to him, in order to ensure that
the student is properly integrated into the firm and to ensure that the trainee
receivers adequate attention and to answer any queries that arise over the
duration of the traineeship.
As well as providing students with
professional experience, Arendt & Medernach is eager to integrate the
students into the law firm on a long-term basis. The aim is to take on competent
and motivated students who are contemplating applying for a position in Arendt
& Medernach after their university studies.
