Simon Biederbeck, Germany / February-March 2008

Simon Biederbeck

Hannover, Germany

Education: University of Osnabrück

Languages: English, French, German

When I left Germany on a cold and grey day in February to do a four-week internship at Heskia-Hacmun law office in Tel-Aviv, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Hours later I arrived in the sunny town of Tel-Aviv. I was surprised how friendly people were in helping me find the apartment in which I had rented a room for the next four weeks.

The next day was the first in the office. From the first moment, everybody was extremely friendly and welcoming. Whatever I asked them in the following weeks, whether it was concerning legal questions, life in Israel, food, culture or just small-talk about the weather – everybody gladly found time for me. I even was invited to a delicious barbecue at the border of the sea that had been organized for one of the guys who was leaving the office. From this I learned that people working for Heskia-Hacmun are more than just colleagues.

The intern’s job at Heskia-Hacmun is diverse; I was always assigned actual law projects and never menial tasks such as preparing coffee or photocopying. Because the law-office deals with both German and Israeli law, I got an insight into some of the differences in work techniques and skills required in each legal system. For example, I had the opportunity to observe a hearing at the National Labor Court in Jerusalem and was participated in a case involving a company’s problem with European Community competition law.

Heskia-Hacmun`s slogan is “Realizing Client Objectives”. I experienced that legal consulting is not just pointing-out to the client whether something is possible or not, but also is about searching for alternative possibilities to realize his objectives which is very important especially in cases concerning complex questions in economic law. Furthermore, Heskia-Hacmun enabled me to develop my own solutions for some cases concerning German civil law. I also had to translate documents. Another job that is worth mentioning is the preparation of a radio interview for one of the partners of the firm on an Israeli radio-station. In general, especially for a student, it was a great experience to be really involved in a lawyer’s work, and I’m grateful for this opportunity.

Beside the daily work in the office, I made a few trips to several places in Israel. I’m still really amazed by the great landscape, places showing thousands of years of history and different cultures; places so beautiful and unique that it’s impossible to describe in words, places to never be forgotten.

Everybody in the office was always happy to assist me in planning these great tours, which made things easier and more comfortable for me. Tel-Aviv itself is a very liberal and international city, with a warm climate, many cafes and a great beach where I enjoyed spending my free-time.

Finally I want to thank everyone at Heskia-Hacmun for the great time I had here in Tel-Aviv. I highly recommend Heskia-Hacmun to anyone who wants to do an internship in one of the greatest countries in the world!