September 2023

During the summer of 2023, SIMION & BACIU organized an internship program dedicated to students who graduated the third year of the Faculties of Law in Romania.

Our inbox was opened for applications immediately after attending Jobfest, a traditional event of ELSA Bucharest. Our initial requirements were similar to any recruitment process during or after graduation, namely CV and cover letter. In addition, although we requested the transcript, it was not the exam results that were the decisive factor in evaluating a candidate.

We put a lot of emphasis on the interaction during interviews with students who showed interest in our internship. We had the pleasure of meeting future lawyers, communicative, casual and anchored in reality.

Following this process, we selected five students to whom we noticed, from the first interactions (and we maintain our post-internship opinion even more), a desire for knowledge, inclination to solve problems and potential for the legal profession.

In addition, complementary to the initial internship project, we had the pleasure to “team” up with graduates of Romanian law faculties who are master students at prestigious European universities, who turned to the SIMION & BACIU team after a careful selection process that they carried out between locally active first rank law firms.

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At the end of the 2023 internship period, the core team of SIMION & BACIU that managed this project, consisting of Ileana Nicolescu, Petrus Partene and Silvana Curteanu, under the coordination of Managing Partners Cosmina Maria Simion and Ana-Maria Baciu, answered the questions asked by Bizlawyer magazine regarding our expectations, but also those of the students – the entire interview is available, in Romanian language HERE.

Our central message for young graduates is to be aware that learning never ends, to be receptive to the information around them (from any field) and not to forget that the purpose of their work is to help people.

Some glimpses that reflect our approach to dealing with law school students and graduates are included below.

• The legal profession requires continuous learning, so curiosity, critical thinking and orientation towards solving problems are essential assets for every professional who decides a career in this field, and which we expect to find in the students we interact with.
• In line with our professional principles, we attach significant importance to the knowledge gained during our studies, but without drawing a firm conclusion solely on the basis of exam results. However, we appreciate a logical and coherent vision on the theoretical concepts studied in the faculty, an approach that was also reflected in our initiatives dedicated to students.
• The projects managed within the company have a high degree of complexity and target topics that are not found in the four-year student curriculum, but they all start from common fundamentals that we want young graduates who want to join us to master.
• In addition, the legal activity generated by the practice areas approached within SIMION & BACIU has a very dynamic character, which is why we want our future colleagues to be adaptable and receptive, including to understanding and translating into information easy to read by our clients and colleagues the frequent legislative changes.
• The desire for knowledge and self-improvement, along with a very good understanding of the theoretical concepts approached during the faculty period is the necessary basis for solving any case – it is the aptitude complex that we want to notice in the conduct of a potential future colleague. Of course, in formal or principled discussions on a potential collaboration we can approach theoretical topics, but the purpose is not to test the memory of our interlocutors, but to notice a logical line of thinking and a legally valid capacity for interpretation.
• With us, students are in a safe learning environment that allows them to strengthen, validate and expand their existing knowledge and skills.
• On a human level, we, the SIMION & BACIU team, consider ourselves open and communicative people, who do not lack a sense of humor. There are personality traits that we want to find in our future colleagues.
• Fundamentally, the “test” that any of our colleagues must pass every day is that of conduct in line with the values underlying our initiatives and activities: authenticity, completeness, respect, partnership and equity.

Cosmina Maria Simion: “Complementary to the continuous accumulation of technical knowledge, developing and maintaining professional relationships with colleagues, potential clients and other legal professionals are critical for success and advancement in the legal career. They can provide young graduates not only with significant career opportunities, but also with resources, support and guidance on their way to excellence inthis ever-changing field  . All this anchored in a context of impeccable professional ethics. Integrity and ethics are essential qualities in this area, underpinning the reputation you must not only build, but above all maintain.”

Ana-Maria Baciu: “And in the context of initiatives dedicated to students or young graduates, the key words for us are structure, consistency and mentorship, which supports a direct interaction with any member of our team, regardless of hierarchical level. Our ultimate objective is, beyond the benefits for the SIMION & BACIU team and implicitly for our clients, to contribute to the development of the profession in general, by including in the universe of legal professionals young talents whose varied experiences ensure a  continuous welcome and a solid growth for generations to come.”

Ileana Nicolescu: “The legal professions imply a permanent connection to the current challenges of society. Active listening, studying the news and engaging in discussions (even informal) on current issues that impact the society add value to the legal profession, so it is wise to train the habit of making this connections during academic years.”

Petrus Partene: “A lawyer at the beginning of its professional journey should focus both on constantly developing legal knowledge and on shaping and defining practical skills. Perseverance is very important at the beginning of the road. Challenges and failures are especially important and the easiest experiences from which we can learn, adapt our strategies and improve.”

Silvana Curteanu: “There are aspects that depend on each of us: setting a way of thinking, the desire to help and perseverance. Any legal profession involves the use of logic, critical thinking, long-term resistance to effort and anchoring in social actuality. Being aware of the fact that, beyond the actions / contracts / opinions formulated, there are the interests of some people is an essential step in the transition from applying theoretical notions of law to developing practical skills.”

SIMION & BACIU is an Executive Partner of ELSA Bucharest for the academic year 2022-2023.

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We are always happy to meet and explore collaboration opportunities with professionals who share our values, whether they are at the beginning of the road or have already accumulated significant experience.

To learn more about our interactions with the students from Faculties of Law, please contact Cosmina Maria Simion, Ana-Maria Baciu or the currently dedicated team for these activities: Ileana Nicolescu, Petrus Partene and Anca Ștefanescu-Toma.