training in business law: from classrooms to London chambers

Twenty-five students from the second year of the University's Law programDegree have participated in a new edition of the International Legal Week (ILW) in London. Framed within the activities of the Honors Program of the School, the International Legal Week is a program of training on business law. 

The program includes sessions on international arbitration, security law in the European market and international and European tax law, which are taught at partnership with Clifford Chance professionals. During International Legal Week, students learn about the more international side of law programs of study . "The goal of the activity is to bring students closer to the world of business law and the subject of legal operations that are carried out in firms such as Clifford Chance. Through the International Legal Week, students have become familiar with corporate and tax law from a global perspective, have had to handle rules and regulations from different jurisdictions and have learned to represent the interests of two fictitious companies in the design and negotiation of a complex corporate transaction such as a joint venture, says Professor Luis Javier Arrieta, coordinator of this activity .

During this week of training, held at the headquarters of Clifford Chance, students have combined theoretical sessions with work in teams and the preparation of practical cases, which resulted in a final competition, the Case Competition, where they have been able to develop the knowledge and skills acquired. 

In addition, during their stay in the British capital, the students visited the Spanish embassy. 

Clifford Chance is an international legal signature with offices in 22 countries and more than 3,400 lawyers in Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Clifford Chance has been present in Spain for more than 40 years, has 23 partners and a team of 150 lawyers. "Being able to count on the partnership of top professionals and being able to share with them these days in a relaxed atmosphere allows students to know, first hand, the day to day life in a law firm. At the same time, their closeness and availability sample to the students how with enthusiasm, tenacity and work you can be a great professional. From the moment one enters the office, one perceives that commitment to work well done. This combination of availability, accessibility and professionalism makes this partnership with Clifford Chance a highly positive and enriching experience," adds Professor Arrieta.

career guidance at Commercial Law, financial and tax

Students who have participated in the program have also expressed the same opinion, seeing the ILW as an opportunity to acquire new skills that can help them in their professional future and employment rate.

"My experience at the International Legal Week has been an enriching one, both academically and staff. My classmates and I had the opportunity to create a Joint Venture of two international companies, acquiring new knowledge in the area of the Commercial Law, financial and tax. Not only that, but theCase Competition and the classes given throughout the day allowed me to develop my soft skills in a new environment. I was able to face real challenges and learn in a way internship areas of law with which I was not so familiar, which is valuable for my professional training ", says Catalina Portocarrero Arcienega, one of the students of the program. 

"It was very positive to see the day-to-day life in a law firm and to learn about the experience of professionals who work there through their own testimonies. All this thanks to the fact that Clifford Chance welcomed us at its headquarters, making us feel at home; and to its professionals, who were always willing to answer our questions and help us," says Nel Sarasola García, another of the participating students. work "All this allowed us to acquire professional skills, such as searching for information, teamwork, public speaking, carrying out work under tight deadlines and, above all, solving real problems by applying the law, something that is already encouraged at School, but which in this case acquired a greater dimension".

Nel does not hesitate to recommend the program to law students. "Not only does it give you a different vision of the law and internship, but it also motivates you to work hard and get to work, someday, in a big law firm and be able to apply everything you have acquired," he concludes.

Laura Alejandra Morán Martínez also participated in this last edition of the ILW and adds: "From the week I take away a unique experience: a chance to see up close the work in a large office, in an embassy, and to do it hand in hand with those who are already new friends in a city with a very peculiar and unique atmosphere. Sincerely, it has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had since I started degree program".

Laura especially highlights the visit to the Spanish embassy. "We were received by a group of diplomats who explained their work there.... It was for me the perfect complement to the training in Law and an unusual opportunity: it is not every day that you can ask the Magistrate of link at the Spanish Embassy in London how he/she got there. work For those of us who have our minds set on taking the competitive examination, it was a great balance: seeing life in big firms like Clifford Chance and then seeing what it is like to work in an embassy on a daily basis, run by a number of senior government officials," he says.