law, sweet law

Teodora Burduja (associate in Schoenherr's Bucharest competition, eu & foreign trade team) participated in one of the previous editions of "law, sweet law": "For me the law, sweet law competition was a challenge in the sense that I was quite busy academically at the time. Composing the essay seemed like a more than welcome exercise to test my study and synthesis skills. What really made me sign up was the essay topic, as it took me a bit out of my college work. Even though my essay didn't win an award, the fact that I came here to work over the summer made me realise that I like competition law and that it is what I want to focus on more. During the internship I got close to the people in the team, I felt like I was integrated and that it was a pleasure to work with them. Thanks to my internship I chose to take a job at Schoenherr Romania. The saying nothing happens by chance describes my journey surprisingly well and certainly if I were now in my second or third year I would have entered the competition without hesitation. After all, it's not necessarily about the prize, but about the doors that open for you afterwards."

Antonio Timnea (associate in Schoenherr's Bucharest dispute resolution team), one of the winners of a previous edition of "law, sweet law": "First of all, it was one of the best extracurricular activities in college. It was something different from the classes and seminars I attended every day, which encouraged a sense of self-development by testing new skills, specifically researching a complex legal problem and then synthesising the result of the research into an essay. After so many hours of theory it was nice to feel like I was doing something close to practice. Secondly, I took part not for the prize, but because I was motivated by the essay topic related to a theme I appreciated in my second year of university, namely unpredictability. Moreover, I was also motivated by the idea of being evaluated by lawyers from a firm with a reputation in the field. The closest benefit to winning the competition was the internship in the summer of 2021 where, in addition to acquiring and deepening my legal knowledge, I had (and still have) the pleasure of working with some wonderful people who were (and still are) patient enough to constantly teach me new things and made me feel integrated. Even though there were some doubts at the time about a potential career in this field, I feel that the internship helped me make an informed decision and reinforced my desire to pursue a career as a litigator. The slightly more distant benefit is that I am at this firm as a trainee solicitor. If the need arose, I would repeat the whole journey given the opportunities mentioned.”

Carla Sava, winner of the third edition of law, sweet law, who at the time of entering the contest was a second-year student at the Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands: "Schoenherr's Law, Sweet Law essay contest was an eye-opening experience that shaped my path as an aspiring competition lawyer and researcher. From the moment I learned about the contest, I didn't hesitate for a second – I was eager to take on this challenge. Even after submitting my essay, the experience kept inspiring me, driving me to embrace self-study and deeper exploration of competition law. I would like to thank the lawyers at Schoenherr for the thought-provoking discussions we had about the essay's theme, for providing me with a platform to put my research skills into practice, and for creating such valuable opportunities in Romania. It's no exaggeration to say that Law, Sweet Law is much more than just an essay contest – it can be the catalyst that kickstarts your career or helps you discover your interests!"

Eduard Acsinte, winner in the "real estate" category of the third edition of "law, sweet law", who at the time of entering the contest was a second-year student at the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest. Following his participation in the essay contest, Eduard was invited to join Schoenherr Romania's 2024 summer internship programme: "Law, sweet law came at the perfect time for me, after I had completed one of my favourite subjects in law school: real estate law. It was a great pleasure for me to work on the essay, especially since the topic pushed me to think outside the box and explore unusual and bold solutions. When the time came to present my essay, it was a real challenge for me because I had to defend my idea in front of experienced professionals. The internship that followed was the highlight of my second year as a law student. I was warmly welcomed into the firm and, although I had never worked in a law firm before, was given enough responsibility to get the best out of both worlds: learn more about real estate and other practice areas and at the same time get a glimpse into the daily life of lawyers. Law, sweet law solidified my idea of one day becoming a lawyer myself. I would not hesitate to repeat the whole journey."

Tudor Cucu, participant in the third edition of the essay contest, who at the time was a third-year student at the Faculty of Law of the Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj. Following his participation in "law, sweet law", Tudor was invited to join Schoenherr Romania's 2024 summer internship programme: "At first glance, the law, sweet law contest seemed a bit of a challenge. It was not easy for me to choose one of the topics, as they tackled areas of law that I was not particularly experienced in. However, I found that discovering the ins and outs of practices I hadn't heard of before was quite interesting and new. It was well worth it, because the highlight of the whole experience was the summer internship. Not only was the firm's competition team welcoming and eager to teach me their craft, but all the people at Schoenherr (lawyers and business support teams) made the stay meaningful. I'd say the most important reasons to participate are as follows: First, you gain validation of your abilities, as well as tips on how to improve your performance from experienced professionals. Second, you get to see what's required from you in the real world, how the law operates outside books. Third, you build meaningful relationships with great people. What are you waiting for?"

Damian Ureche, winner in the "corporate/m&a" category of the third edition of law, sweet law, who at the time of entering the contest was a second-year student at the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest. Following his participation in the essay contest, Damian was invited to join Schoenherr Romania's summer internship programme of 2024: "The law, sweet law essay contest was an incredible opportunity for me, offering a much-needed break from everyday academic life and allowing me to explore an entirely new and challenging area of law: corporate and M&A. While the contest itself was fantastic, what I valued most was the chance to meet open-minded, supportive and inspiring people during the summer internship which I was invited to join afterward. This was an amazing opportunity for me, which definitely changed my perspective. The team at Schoenherr Romania was exceptionally welcoming and encouraging. They entrusted me with responsibilities that pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of, yet they were always there to guide me and provide support whenever I needed it. I would highly recommend this experience to any second- or third-year law student looking for a change of pace and a chance to explore an area of law that sparks their interest but hasn't yet been covered in their academic studies."