A week in the life of a Brauwerij associate

"My name is David van Hoogstraten. I am an associate at De Brauw that started my career off in the 36th iteration of the Brauwerij-programme, and I'm happy to walk you through one of my action-packed weeks I experienced during this time."

Brauwerij week

Monday

09.00-09.30



1: The worklist

I start the week off by updating and reviewing my worklist. I track the current status and relevant details of the cases I'm handling. Now that I've gained an overview of the most urgent matters at hand, I set my goals for the upcoming week. First up: drafting a notice of default for a client A.

10.00-11.20



2: Client A - Notice of default

Drafting a proper notice of default means finding a balance between stating the relevant facts and writing succinctly. All that while keeping in mind you should persuade the counterparty to perform. This might feel unfamiliar at first, but with the assistance of your supervisors you will soon get the hang of it. As I've finished the first draft of the notice of default, I send it to my supervisor for review.

11.30-12.00





3: New client - Intake call

Because I have let my supervisors know that I have room for more work, I've been handed a new case. The first contact with a new client takes place during an intake call. The goal of such an intake call is to gather all the relevant facts of the case.

In doing so, I tailor my approach to the client at hand since every client and their needs are different. In the beginning of the Brauwerij-programme, we've received a training on how to conduct an intake call. This prepared us to deal with the wide variety of clients we may encounter.

12.00-12.45


4: Time for lunch!

Most of the time, our Brauwerij/Brewery gathers collectively at the restaurant around 12.00 for lunch. Lunches like these are a great way to take your mind off your casework and socialise with your colleagues.

12.45-18.00


5: Client B - Drafting Attachment II

The remainder of the day is devoted to drafting an Attachment II in one of my cases. The Attachment II is a fully-fledged legal analysis of the case which serves as the basis of the Plan of Approach our clients will ultimately receive. Here, your academic skills will come in handy, as you will often dive deep into literature, case law, and sometimes even parliamentary history.

Tuesday

09.00-12.00



6: Client C - Drafting writ of summons

One of my matters is going to court, which is why I am drafting a writ of summons. Drafting a writ of summons is a unique experience. You get to combine your skills in persuasive writing with an intricated legal analysis. Since a writ of summons is a very important document, I will be closely collaborating with my supervisor to ensure I draft as good of a piece as possible.

12.30-13.45


7: Mentee lunch

During the Brauwerij-period, one of the supervisors was assigned to me as my mentor. Every so often, all mentors and all their mentees will go out for a mentee-lunch. This lunch is a great opportunity to discuss some professional topics such a workload or to talk about more light-hearted topics.

14.00-15.00




8: E-mails to various clients

Over the last couple of days, I have allocated my time to a handful of matters that require direct and immediate attention. Over the course of your Brauwerij-period, however, you will be handling 15 to 25 different clients at any given time. Therefore prioritising, communication and expectation management are core skills you will learn and apply. I update the rest of my clients regarding the progress in their case and provide them with advice where possible, ensuring all of my clients are up to date and know what and when to expect from me.

15.15-16.00





9: Impact Hub – Management Interview

An integral part of the Brauwerij/Brewery experience is your participation in the Impact Hub program. As a part of this program, you form a team with a few other Brauwerij/Brewery members to assist start-ups or scale-ups with pro-bono legal advice on a wide range of corporate topics. Your team is supervised by a senior associate or counsel from one of De Brauw's corporate practices. To identify the key legal issues the company you are advising needs help with, you conduct an interview with the company's management. This interview specifically – and the Impact Hub program more generally – gives great insight into what it's like to be a more corporate-oriented lawyer.

16.15-16.45



10: Client E - Discussing the Plan of Approach with client

Remember Attachment II? With this, my goal was to provide a thorough legal analysis. When the supervisor has approved the content of the Attachment II, the next step is to start drafting a plan of approach, which is the short-form legal analysis our clients will ultimately receive. Drafting and discussing a plan of approach is all about boiling your analysis down to the most essential conclusions.

17.00-19.00




11: Client C - Revising the writ of summons

The supervisor for Client C already uploaded his feedback and input on my first draft of the writ of summons. Given the approaching deadline, I've decided to process the feedback the same evening, so I can provide a second draft to my supervisor first thing in the morning. Implementing a supervisor's feedback on a writ of summons is usually a very interesting task: you will notice that your supervisors spot issues or opportunities you wouldn't ever have thought of yourself, forcing you to really think outside of the box.

Wednesday

09.00-11.00




12: Client D - Research

Part of what makes the Brauwerij such an interesting experience is that there is no such thing as an easy, clear-cut case. Some cases really require you to go down a rabbit hole to research the facts or legal opportunities. In this matter, I spent the better part of two hours on discovering a potential legal avenue to circumvent a problem my client is facing. The solution: entering into a contract with a third party. Before I can get to drafting the actual contract, I will discuss my proposed approach with the supervisor on this case.

11.15-12.30


13: Course on contract drafting

During the Brauwerij, you get to attend in-house and external classes. This ensures that you are equipped with practical know-how which will help you get a smooth start at the practice groups after the Brauwerij. These classes include, amongst others, contract drafting, client interviews, written and oral advocacy, and even a course on how to master Excel.

13.15-13:30

14: Coffee at Lebkov

In between courses and casework, I decide to join some of my Brauwerij-members for a coffee outside of the office.

13.30-14.00


15: Client D – Strategizing with supervisor

After having enjoyed an omellete for lunch in the restaurant, I discuss my proposed approach for Client D with the supervisor. Strategizing together with your supervisor is always great fun. After this meeting I am ready to draft the contract.

14.30-16.30





16: Client E – preparation for settlement negotiations

Not every case is best resolved in a court of law. In one of my cases, the parties came to this realisation a couple of days before a scheduled hearing.

Therefore, tomorrow I will be negotiating a settlement agreement with the counterparty's lawyer on behalf of my client. In advance of this meeting, I prepare my client and developed the strategy we will be pursuing. Having obtained a clear mandate from my client, I feel ready to enter into tomorrow's negotiations.

16.30 – 17.30


17a: Client D – Drafting a contract

I decide to spend the remainder of the day drafting a contract between Client D and the third party. Drafting a contract urges you to be mindful of the fact that even though presently both parties are (figuratively) on the same page, disagreement might possibly arise in the future regarding the interpretation of a clause that seemed self-explanatory at the time of drafting.

17.30-18.30

18: Dinner with Brauwerij/Brewery-members

Because I want to finish my work for Client D this week, I decide to stay at the office to finalise the first draft of the contract. But first, I get dinner in the restaurant with a few of my Brauwerij/Brewery colleagues that also have some work left to do.

18:30 – 19:30

17b: Client D – Finalising the draft contract

After dinner, I feel energised finish up my work for Client D.

Thursday

09.00-12.00



19: Client E – Settlement negotiations

Settlement negotiations are a back-and-forth between you and the counterparty's lawyer, and usually take place over e-mail, by phone, or both. Having provided leeway on some points, and stood my ground on others, I have reached agreement on the terms of the settlement. What's left is formalising these terms in a settlement agreement, which is signed by both parties. After signing, I look forward to a more relaxed afternoon.

12.30-13.30



20: Practice lunch

Every week, all Brauwerij/Brewery associates and supervisors gather for a practice lunch. Each lunch, two of the Brauwerij/Brewery associates present either a legal topic or something about their life outside the office – hobbies, their hometown or home country, etc. This helps to further get to know each other and sharpen presentation skills. In the remaining time, supervisors will discuss with the group some day-to-day matters regarding the Brauwerij/Brewery.

14.00-15.00



21: Client G – Reviewing expert report

In many of my cases, the dispute is centred around a contractor agreement. To determine whether there are any (material) defects in the work completed by a contractor, you often engage an expert for a professional review. My role as a lawyer is to translate the expert's findings into legal points of action; an exercise which gives great insight into the interplay between the pragmatic facts of a case and the legal conclusions that can be drawn from it.

15.00-15.30

22: Foosball

An integral part of the Brauwerij/Brewery-experience are the daily foosball games. These games are guaranteed fun, whether you are a seasoned player or just a beginner.

16.00-16.45

23: Mentor meeting

The mentor meetings are the perfect opportunity to escape the office and get some fresh air during a walk in Amsterdam-Zuid. After the walk and the action-packed week I've had so far, I decide to call it a day.

Friday

09.00-17.00


24: Bar education (entire day, on site)

Next to the training we receive in the Brauwerij, we are also actively engaged with the plenary bar education. As part of the plenary bar education, you will spend multiple days on site to learn the ins and outs of the legal trade. These days out with the bar education also provide a great opportunity to mingle with lawyers from different firms all over the Netherlands and exchange experiences.


Any questions?

If you have any questions about De Brauwerij or what your days will look like at De Brauw, we would be happy to discuss it further. Reach out and we will get in touch!
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