Careers/Associates/Internship

Internship

Put what you have learned so far into practice and explore the daily work routine in a major international law firm.

Careers/Associates/Internship

Freshfields Unplugged – our programme for internships

Our legal interns are not assigned to a practice group, but support all colleagues in their current client work. This gives you the opportunity to set your own individual focus, to get to know all areas of our business and to experience our working atmosphere as well as our team ‘unplugged’.
From February to November, we offer internships of one month in length for talented law students.

During the internship you will get a comprehensive insight into the daily work of our firm. You will accompany our associates in their daily work, e.g. to negotiations and to court, you will work on pleadings and advisory letters and support the preparation of publications and expert opinions. Throughout the entire internship period, associates are available to you as personal mentors.

Freshfields Unplugged offers you the opportunity to network with our associates and partners and learn more about the people who make up Freshfields.

Interested?

If you have successfully completed the second part of your law studies or your Bachelor degree in Business Law (WU Vienna) when starting the internship, we would be happy to receive your complete application documents (letter of motivation, CV, university certificates and full transcripts) in German or English by  January 15, 2024 for an internship between July and November 2024.

We are looking forward to receiving your online application!

Chiara  will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the internship program.

Testimonials

Mathias Lehner

Principal Associate

Mathias Lehner

Principal Associate

GT Finance

Vienna

I first heard about Freshfields at a career event in London. I was just about to finish my master’s degree and had started thinking about my future. It was not at all clear that I wanted to become a lawyer, because until then I had mainly done internships in industrial companies.
After university, it was important for me to finally gain some practical experience; to find a place where I could create something new with law as my starting point. I also wanted an international environment and, above all, exciting mandates. Freshfields was the only law firm which offered specialisation according to industries – called sector groups – in addition to the traditional division into practice groups according to areas of law. That fascinated and ultimately also convinced me.
I then got the number of a lawyer at Freshfields, mustered all my courage, and introduced myself. Since I had not yet decided on a practice area, I first applied for an internship. The decision to join the banking and finance team was ultimately a pure gut decision. In the beginning, I was thrown in at the deep end. When you start, your work is very broad and it’s all about seeing as many things as possible. Over the years, I have become acquainted with our practice group in all its diversity, from classic loans to complex, structured products, from contracts to litigation.
My work largely consists of dealing with people – clients as well as colleagues. Our service is teamwork. That’s what ultimately makes Freshfields what it is for me: motivated and versatile people, each of whom is special in his or her own way and makes a contribution.

Christina Hinterschweiger

Associate

Christina Hinterschweiger

Associate

Antitrust, Competition & Trade

Vienna

At the end of my studies and the subsequent legal clerkship at a Higher Regional Court, several important questions arose for me: major international law firm – yes or no? Can Austrian law studies, which mainly deal with national law, even be reconciled with a professional career on an international level? During the “Freshfields Unplugged” internship, I was given the opportunity to get to know the international work environment of Freshfields and ultimately discovered that the answer to both questions was “yes”. The internship was thus the beginning of my professional career at a global law firm.
The daily work as an associate at Freshfields is a valuable enrichment for my legal education. From the very beginning, you will be given the opportunity to work independently as well as a fully-fledged team member on complex, international mandates. Within the practice group ACT (Antitrust, Competition and Trade), we deal with a variety of international matters affecting various economic sectors on a daily basis. This results in a very broad range of legal expertise, covering the entire spectrum of competition and antitrust law advice. Throughout our daily work, we cooperate closely with colleagues from various Freshfields offices such as Brussels, London, Berlin, or Washington.
There is no such thing as a monotonous work routine; every day and every mandate is different, offering new and interesting challenges that enable constant learning and development on a professional and personal level. As Freshfields attaches great importance to helpfulness, collegiality and team spirit, colleagues from the entire network are always available to offer advice and support.

Benedikt Sprinzl

Principal Associate

Benedikt Sprinzl

Principal Associate

People & Rewards

Vienna

Even though I never saw myself working at a big international law firm, I decided to form my own opinion when I got the opportunity to do an internship at Freshfields during my studies. This gave me an insight into the work of an associate. Because of the exciting projects and the great colleagues I encountered during my time as an intern, I decided to start as an associate in the employment law team (People and Reward) and that definitely was the right decision.
Since I joined Freshfields in 2015, the work has provided me with new challenges every day and remains varied due to the constantly changing questions and issues. The broad range of employment law activities includes drafting contracts, advising on employment aspects of transactions, and representing clients in employment litigation. This, coupled with the wide range of internal training opportunities as well as the chance to do international secondments within the Freshfields network, gives me the opportunity to constantly develop both professionally and personally.
The working atmosphere is characterised by mutual respect and trust, and working together with colleagues from other practice groups not only leads to new connections and friendships, but also provides an insight into other areas of law. For me the community and the team spirit among colleagues, in addition to the exciting work for clients, are the reasons why the experience of working at Freshfields is so unique.

How to become a part of the team?
What requirements do I need, to apply for the internship programme?
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We require the successful completion of the 2nd section of the law program or a successfully completed bachelor’s program in business law (WU Vienna) when starting your internship. Due to the international nature of our clients, a good knowledge of English is also important. Practical and international experience is an ideal complement to your previous career, but is not absolutely essential for obtaining an internship.

How can I apply and what documents do I need to include with my application?
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Please apply via our online application tool. Your complete application documents should consist of a cover letter, your curriculum vitae in tabular form and all relevant certificates of the university(ies) and can either be sent in German or English. You are welcome to summarize your documents in a PDF file.

What are the next steps after my application?
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As soon as we get your application, we will send you confirmation that we have received it. This way, you can be sure your application will definitely be considered in the process. After the application deadline, all applications will be reviewed and we will pre-select candidates according to our criteria. If you are shortlisted, we will contact you to arrange an interview.

I am not yet in the 3rd section of the law program or have not yet completed my Bachelor’s degree in Business Law (WU). Can I still participate in the program?
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We want to involve you in the work of the associates during your internship and our daily business therefore require certain basic legal knowledge. The completed 2nd section (law) or the completed bachelor’s degree (business law) at the start of the internship is a guideline. Of course we are happy to accept applications in advance.

Is it possible to carry out an internship outside the programme periods?
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If our programme periods do not suit you due to study requirements, please mention this in your letter of application. We will be pleased to check individual internship opportunities.

I am studying law abroad. Can I still apply for the internship programme?
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Our internship programme is aimed primarily at students of Austrian law with the aim of becoming a fully qualified lawyer (m/f/x).

Please note, in Austria, we mainly deal with matters of Austrian law. For this, you must have the appropriate basic legal knowledge. However there are still opportunities if you are studying law abroad and we will gladly accept your application.

Can I complete the internship at a foreign Freshfields office?
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This is possible in principle. Please apply for this directly at the location of your choice. Please note that in each country we primarily handle local legal cases and require the appropriate basic knowledge for this. In addition, you should be able to demonstrate language skills in the local language so that you can assist in day-to-day business.