September 14, 2014

An Almost JD’s Summer Internship: Ashley Lathrop

Working for the international law firm Eversheds in Budapest, Hungary.

Get to know current Lewis & Clark law student Ashley Lathrop, who spent her summer working for the international law firm Eversheds in Budapest, Hungary.

 

1. What internship did you do in Europe this summer and where were you?

 I worked for the international law firm, Eversheds. Specifically, I worked in the Budapest, Hungary branch: Sándor Szegedi Szent-Ivány Komáromi Eversheds. Eversheds is one of the world’s largest corporate law firms with over 40 offices internationally. 

2. Did you receive any guidance or assistance from Lewis & Clark faculty, staff or alumni that you believe was helpful in your internship search?

 I spoke with Career Services about going abroad, and which programs to look into for the program. They were very helpful about that. 

3. What types of projects or varieties of projects did you work on at your internship?

 As a legal intern, I worked on projects including international contracts and client correspondence with large US companies, collaborated with both their London and Brussels offices on cases involving Hungarian law, conducted legal research and drafted briefs on case law, EU directives/regulations, and Hungarian law.

4. What is the most exciting project you were involved with?

 The most exciting project I was involved with was doing a brief for the headquarters of Eversheds in London to educate them on the new whistleblowing laws coming into effect in Hungary, and comparing whether they were on point or in contention with those regulations on whistleblowing that the European Union had established. 

5. How did your Lewis & Clark Law School education prepare you for your internship?  

 Overall having the base you acquire in your first year at Lewis & Clark is extremely helpful! I was able to pull from skills in contracts, compare the knowledge I had of the US from constitutional law with the structure of the European Union. Having my first year at Lewis & Clark under my belt, I think I was better equipped to “think like a lawyer.”

6. What did you take away from your internships and spending time in Europe?

Not only does an abroad internship in whichever law firm/legal entity you’ll work for provide you with invaluable resources and experience, but exposing yourself to a new culture opens yours eyes to all sorts of new things and adventures. It gives you a new edge and expands your options/outlook. And who doesn’t love to travel? I was able to run around for over 3 months in Europe, and got to explore 14 different countries. I had the best summer of my life.

7. What did you miss the most about Portland while you were in Europe?

4th of July fireworks on the waterfront! I also really missed Oregon summers overall. Portland is so incredibly perfect in the summer…however, I kept remembering that I WAS IN EUROPE, so I was able to overcome it pretty quickly.