On 1 February 2023, I started as an assistant attorney in the Labour and Employment practice group at Gorrissen Federspiel in Aarhus. Prior to starting as an assistant attorney, I was employed as a law student in the firm.
My day-to-day work as a new assistant attorney varies a lot. Employment law is a very versatile area of the law with many types of assignments. So far, I have drafted CEO service agreements and severance agreements and conducted various legal research for specific matters on, among other things, non-competition clauses, employee representation on boards of directors, work permits and the limits of the CEO’s powers.
In my short time as an assistant attorney, I have gained insight into the things that lawyers need to know in addition to the law; namely the art of negotiation and understanding businesses.
In addition, I had the privilege of accompanying one of our attorneys to the Western High Court, and I found it extremely interesting to observe both the presentation and the closing statement, but also the questioning and handling of witnesses.
As a law student, I rotated every six months in connection with the start of a new semester. This means that I have worked in almost all Gorrissen Federspiel’s practice groups here in Aarhus: Restructuring & Insolvency, Corporate/M&A, IP & Digital Business, Real Estate and Dispute Resolution. This has given me a unique opportunity to get an insight into the practicalities of working in the many areas of law.
I have participated in the international commercial arbitration competition Vis Moot, where I experienced great support from Gorrissen Federspiel, who showed both understanding and flexibility in relation to the time and energy required to participate. Participating in the Vis Moot has taught me a lot about drafting pleadings and general presentation skills. These are competences that I can also use in my work at Gorrissen Federspiel, as it is important to be able to communicate complicated legal issues in a clear and precise manner. I am pleased that I was given the opportunity to combine the two things and at the same time become even better at my job.
I have felt part of the team from day one. In my daily work, I experience a team culture where we help each other with big and small things. In addition, I experience a good working environment with a high degree of flexibility. Sometimes matters need to be executed quickly, which means that I sometimes have longer working days. At the same time, there is a high degree of flexibility on the part of Gorrissen Federspiel when I need to start a little later or leave a little earlier. We have many social events, and in March this year alone there has been a football tournament, an assistant attorney event and an extended Friday bar event, all of which help to strengthen the team spirit.
"At the Aarhus office, students rotate every six months, which provides insight into several areas of law and different teams.". One of the things Olivia found particularly attractive was the rotation scheme, as it offers a great opportunity to try out new areas of law and clarify her professional interests.
Nikolai joined the Corporate/M&A team as a law student in my third semester, and is currently working with the Real Estate group at Gorrissen Federspiel. His working day consists of a combination of regular and ad hoc tasks, and it’s this variety that he thrives on.
Rikke started as a student and afterward became an assistant attorney. Today, she is an attorney in our Corporate/M&A practice group, where she works mainly on Mergers and Acquisitions, which also represent a large part of the work in the practice group.