Michael Wiesner is a trainee from the German firm Stoll Schulte Rechtsanwälte based in Hamburg, who has been working on a 3 month placement at Penningtons Solicitors LLP in the corporate and commercial departments, both in London and Basingstoke.

Michael studied law at the University of Hamburg focussing on corporate and commercial law.  After finishing his studies, he worked for about a year at Stoll Schulte Rechtsanwälte as a legal assistant and at the end of 2005 he started his legal traineeship in Hamburg.  In Germany, the legal education consists of two parts; law studies and the legal traineeship, during which time the trainee is an employee of the state and has to complete different units in the civil court, the criminal court, a local authority and also in law firms.  The unit at Penningtons is the last one of Michael’s traineeship and after a final exam in November he will be qualified as a German “Rechtsanwalt”.

Michael says he has been very well supported throughout his placement and very encouraged by the fact that he has been able to help in some areas of work due to the similarities between UK and German law, because of guidelines of the European Community.

He also says that he has appreciated the great effort that both Stoll Schulte Rechtsanwälte and Penningtons make with the education of young lawyers and says the placement has been a very useful and enjoyable experience.  He has had the opportunity to have an insight into a foreign legal system and has been able to improve his English.

Michael mentions particularly the kindness and friendliness of everyone at Penningtons which has made the placement a memorable experience for him and one which he thoroughly recommends to those whose legal traineeship allows them to go abroad during their education.