Excerpts of internship reports
« The level of involvement nonetheless varied depending on the firm.
The duties I had to perform at […] were very limited from the beginning to the end due to a lack of making interns responsible in the firm. They were only small tasks, always on different files and without in follow-up.
On the contrary, the very entrepreneurial and dynamic culture at Alérion provides a great degree of involvement to all the firm’s members and, in particular, to interns.
The border between intern and junior associate was very thin at Alérion.
I attended client meetings, telephone or physical, and negotiations between bankers, investors and company executives. I was able to speak to a great degree with associates and partners and observe their management of files in detail and the legal strategies implemented.
This involvement, in addition to appropriating the legal tools acquired through technical work (research, drafting of documents, etc.), allowed me to improve by ability to summarize, express and take initiatives. »
« Alérion is a dynamic mid-sized firm.
A rigid hierarchical structure, compliance with procedures and the status of each individual are generally the distinctive characteristics of the French culture, with a negative aspect that is a lack of communication, flexibility and responsiveness.
Alérion, although French in culture, presents a paradox of being at the opposite pole of this agreed definition.
The structure is flexible, with little hierarchy—there are in fact only two hierarchical levels: associates and partners. Communication is direct and quick between partners, associates and even interns.
An “open-door” policy is the rule: it is possible to go see anyone at any time, all the members of the various teams are accessible and always ready to listen.
Availability is the rule with, as a background, a high degree of responsiveness to best satisfy clients’ problems, and, thereby, to act indirectly in the interest of the entire firm.
Team and inter-team meetings are organized on a regular basis in order to consult with one another in-house on issues raised by case files, or to go over current events of each person’s field. The files are followed up by all the relevant departments (often company and tax, labor or real estate law).
On a human level, the impact of this flexibility is also perceptible via the organization of team lunches, drinks on Friday evening for the entire firm, assistants, legal consultants and receptionist.
Alérion’s management, thanks to its flexibility and responsiveness, has an entrepreneurial spirit that makes it akin to a dynamic, fast-growing mid-sized company on the grow. »
