A brief introduction: My name is Bart Dreef, and I completed a Master's degree in Commercial Legal Practice at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Last summer, I completed a student internship at Wintertaling. I enjoyed it so much that I stayed on as a working student. Now I work full-time as a paralegal, focusing primarily on corporate law matters. I will be sworn in as a lawyer soon.

Why an internship at Wintertaling?
During my studies, my main interest was in corporate law. To gain a good understanding of this legal field and its practical application, I looked for a student internship at a law firm. That's how I found Wintertaling, a firm I already knew by name. At the Amsterdam Legal Business Day, I spoke with several lawyers from Wintertaling, and following that conversation, I submitted an application.

How was the internship?
I now work full-time at Wintertaling as a legal assistant – which shows that I really enjoyed my internship! The student internship is firm-wide, and you work on assignments in various legal areas. The work isn't limited to researching case law and writing memos; the lawyers actively involve you in interesting cases. For example, quite early on in my internship, I was able to attend client meetings and go to court. For example, during my internship, I was able to attend an interesting preliminary injunction hearing in the District Court, involving two Wintertaling lawyers. Because you're so involved in the daily practice, you get a good understanding of what a lawyer does within the two-month internship. Because Wintertaling is a smaller firm, you get to know everyone. This contributes to the informal atmosphere at the office, and everyone is easy to approach with questions. The lawyers take the time to provide clear feedback on your work, which I personally found very pleasant and helpful. After work, there's regular time for social activities, which contributes to the atmosphere at the office.

Bart has been working as a lawyer at Wintertaling since March 2025.